Pesto with Farfalle Pasta with Roasted Chicken

Recipe created by Cristina Ferrare

Try this delicious pasta dish from Cristina Ferrare. It's the perfect solution for when you have leftover chicken.

Ingredients:

Pesto:

• 4 cups fresh basil leaves
• 4 cups Italian parsley springs
• 4 large cloves garlic
• 1 1/2 cups olive oil
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Roasted Chicken Salad:

• 1 cup diced Roasted Chicken
• 1 cucumber , peeled, seeded and diced
• 2 cups mixed greens
• 1/4 cup roasted pine nuts
• 1/2 lemon , juiced
• Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup sliced black olives
• 1/2 pound farfalle pasta
• Handful pomegranate seeds

To prepare the pesto: Chop basil, parsley and garlic in a food processor. Slowly add olive oil and keep chopping. Add salt.

To prepare the chicken mixture and final dish: Place Roasted Chicken, cucumber, pine nuts, 1 Tbsp. of pesto and olives in a bowl and mix together. Cook pasta until al dente. Add 2 tablespoons of pesto to the pasta and mix well. Top off with 2 cups of mixed greens and the juice of 1/2 a lemon. Add the chicken mixture to pasta and toss. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and pomegranate seeds

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Chicken Enchiladas

Recipe created by Cristina Ferrare

These chicken enchiladas make a great family meal—and they're simple to make!

Ingredients:

• 16 ounce bottle or can enchilada sauce
• 6 low-fat or fat-free tortillas
• 1 jar salsa
• 2 cans refried beans
• 1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded sharp Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/2 cup low-fat sour cream
• 1/4 cup kalamata olives , pitted
• 1 jalapeño , chopped and seeded
• Roasted Chicken

Heat oven to 400°.

Pour the can of enchilada sauce into a pie dish. Dip tortillas in the sauce to soften them.

On a cutting board, gently spread refried beans on one side of each tortilla. Add enough diced Roasted Chicken to cover the beans. Sprinkle with cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses. Add olives, chopped jalapeño and salsa (optional).

Roll up the tortillas and place seam-side down in a 9" x 13" baking dish.

Blend the sour cream into the remaining enchilada sauce in the pie dish. Pour over enchiladas and sprinkle remaining cheese.

Cover and bake for 25-30 minutes until hot and bubbly.

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Chicken Pot Pie with Cornbread Crust

Recipe created by Cristina Ferrare

This is a feel-good meal! It's traditional without a catch but very satisfying—not to mention easy and fast.

Ingredients:

Filling:

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 medium Onion , chopped
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups chopped Roasted Chicken
• 1/2 cup frozen sweet petite peas
• 1 potato , diced and boiled
• 1 1/2 cup chopped, cooked carrots
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• Cracked pepper
• Dash of Tabasco® sauce

Crust:

• 3/4 cup white or yellow cornmeal
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 large egg
• 2 Tbsp. canola oil

To make filling: Preheat the oven to 400°. Spray a 2-quart casserole with cooking spray. In a large sauce pan, heat olive oil and unsalted butter together. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 4 or 5 minutes. Add in flour until blended. Slowly stir in 2 cups of heated chicken stock, whisking well. Cook mixture over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, about 4 minutes. Stir in chicken, peas, potato, carrots, salt, pepper and Tabasco®. Pour into a 2-quart casserole dish coated with cooking spray and cook until heated and thickened. Spread evently into an ovenproof dish.

To make crust: In a bowl, stir cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Stir milk, egg and canola oil until well combined. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Spoon the batter evenly on the filling. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 22 to 25 minutes.

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Roasted Chicken

Ingredients:

Roasted Chicken:

• 2 chickens , 4 1/2 to 5 pounds each
• 6 lemons
• A poultry mix of fresh herbs: Rosemary, sage, thyme, parsley and oregano work well

Marinade for one chicken:

• 1 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup juice from fresh lemon (don't discard lemon rinds)

To make marinade: Place all ingredients in a nonreactive bowl. Whisk with a wire whisk until ingredients are incorporated well—the marinade should have a smooth and creamy consistency.

To make roasted chicken: Preheat oven to 425°.

Clean chickens well and pat dry. Place each chicken in its own baking dish.

Stuff cavities with lemon rinds and fresh herbs. A poultry mix is fine, usually consisting of rosemary, sage, thyme, parsley and oregano.

Pour marinade over chicken. Add cracked pepper and remaining herbs to the top of each chicken.

Place an oven thermometer in each chicken and cover with aluminum foil. Place on the lower rack of the oven. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, then remove the aluminum foil. Baste with a basting bulb. Keep basting often, ever 15 minutes until the thermometer reads 180°.

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