Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Eating Smart with 3 Ingredients


I'm having a dinner party at our beautiful 
Hawaiian "open air" Owner's Lounge.  


One of my fav recipies for 18 guests in on the menu.  
It looks fancy, but is really very simple.  

A three-ingredient meal that's ready in half an hour.....
....and still looks elegant.  What could be better?  

Well, perhaps enjoying the ocean breeze flitting by 
as we dine outside....


Ingredients

4 servings - 312 calories per
  

  •   4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
  •  ½ C prepared basil pesto
  •  4 thin slices prosciutto, or more if needed


Directions

Prep 10 minutes
Cook 25 minutes
Ready In 35 minutes


  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).  Spray a baking dish or a baking sheet with non-stick spray.                                                                                                 
  2. Spread about 2 tablespoons of pesto per chicken breast over the top of each breast.                                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
  3. Then wrap each piece in prosciutto slices to cover the entire breast.                                                             Place the wrapped chicken breasts into the prepared baking dish.                                                                                         
  4.   Bake in the preheated oven until the chicken is no longer pink,                                                      the juices run clear, and the prosciutto is lightly crisped, about 25 minutes.

This can be "assembled" ahead of time, and then popped into the oven to cook at the last minute, which also makes it an excellent choice for entertaining.   


~~OR we've also done this on the grill.  In that instance, I sometimes cut the chicken breasts halves in half again (where do they grow these gargantuan chickens these days??); so as to cut the cooking time down.  You want them to be done, certainly, but not-so-done that they are dried out.



This one always elicits some "Ooooo's" and "Ahhhh's" from onlookers as Mr. C pulls them off the grill.   Crispy on the outside, lots of flavor and still moist on the inside.  



Serve it with pasta or rice or whatever you wish; then slice the cold leftovers over a bed of salad the next day, and it's a two-fer.

I should have taken a couple of shots when it came out of the oven, but........they all dived in before I had the chance.  

I guess that's the best endorsement of all.


And the last tip is this:  All three ingredients can be found at your local Costco ~ gotta' love that!

17 comments:

  1. Gotta Love that Mrs. C

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  2. yum... I'm even more sad that we missed the dinner party!

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    Replies
    1. We are too! But there's always next time.......

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  3. That looks awesome!
    Jeff P ~ Spokane, WA

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    Replies
    1. So simple I think even you could do it, Jeffy!

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    2. Then it must be simple. What if I wanted to add cheese?
      Jeff P ~ Spokane, WA

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    3. Everything's better with cheese. I'd have to change the title of the blog post to "Not Eating So Smart With 4 Ingredients". Doesn't quite have the same ring to me......Just sayin'.

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    4. How bout "Eating Like Jeff..." lol! HYPOTHETICALLY, what kind of cheese? 😉
      Jeff P - Spokane, WA

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    5. Laughing ! Something melty (yes, that's an actual cooking term. I think.) like Gruyere? Or Pepper Jack. Or? Sharp cheddar, maybe. Oh Swiss would be good. What do you like?

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    6. Or......Substitutes for Gruyere cheese include plain Swiss, fontina, Gouda, Abondance, Appenzell, Emmentaler, mild provolone, Cantal, Graviera or raclette. Additionally, consumers can substitute standard Swiss Gruyere with Gruyere varieties, such as Beaufort and Comte. I must admit, I've never heard of some of these. But nobody can accuse Google of not broadening a person's horizons. I'm trying to figure out why some of them are capitalized and some are not. Are some more important than others? I wonder...........

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  4. Love your cooking !!!
    Karen S ~ Reno, NV

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    Replies
    1. I certainly don't compare to your "in-house chefs". But we all need something simple that goes together fast and comes out looking like we didn't throw it together fast.....

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  5. This looks amazing Sherrie! Can't wait to give it a try!!
    Diane R - Spokane, WA

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    Replies
    1. Super easy. Foolproof. Just keep an eye on it and the end, ('cause every oven is a little different), so you want it just a bit crispy but not overdone. Enjoy!

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  6. Such a good meal! Thanks for the reminder. I need to make this.
    Dianna L ~ Ft. Collins, CO

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    Replies
    1. I can't remember if I made this for you when you visited St. George ~ it was such a crazy week. If not, there's always next time.

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  7. I see artichoke hearts in the picture, how did you use these in your recipe? Did you use the blender and mix the pesto with them? I am going to use this for myself and I am diabetic now so, am learning how to choose and cook differently and your recipes are the best Sherri. Love to you, Deon McCracken.

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