Today, I am going to talk about recipes, and sites like Pinterest and Food Gawker, and now Facebook is being flooded with recipes with everyone sharing them over and over. There is one particular recipe that may be shared more than any other and the picture is beautiful and looks so good that of course everyone wants to try it, including me. That recipe is for this chicken made with yogurt and parmesan cheese.
I have several trepidations about Pinterest and the first one is that people pin recipes and craft DIY's without going to the original source. Many times, they are simply pictures with no recipe or instructions on how to make said DIY. Lots of times when you go to the original site, they will tell you the site has been reported as suspicious so I stay away from those. I always, always try to go to the original site before I pin something so that later, when I want to try the recipe or craft, it will actually be usable. I wish everyone did that so they would not be disappointed when they later find there is no recipe or instructions.
Let's talk about this chicken recipe. I decided I would try it. It is very simple. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, some yogurt, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt. Baked. The picture shows this beautiful brown chicken that makes your mouth water. As Chef Anne Burrell of the Food Network always says, "Brown food tastes good." It surely does. And, here is the conundrum. When you make this recipe, it is NOT brown, not even close. It is pale and anemic looking and not very appetizing actually. I was distraught. I don't like pale, anemic food. To me, it is very unappetizing. I had to come up with a solution fast. (Perhaps they had used a torch to brown the chicken for the picture? I don't know. Mine sure didn't look like the picture.)
What would make it brown? Bread crumbs! So I covered the chicken breasts with some Italian seasoned bread crumbs and put them back under the broiler for a couple of minutes just to brown them up a bit. It helped. As you can see in the picture, it still isn't very brown.
Now, the reality is the chicken is delicious. It was tender and moist. (I know, gross word, sorry) It was SOOO flavorful. Dan, who does not care for yogurt or parmesan cheese LOVED this chicken. Really loved it. I even used the left overs for sandwiches made in pita pockets the next day. Yum.
We enjoyed this chicken with mashed potatoes and heirloom tomato salad. The acidity and color of the tomatoes was a fabulous compliment to the pale chicken and potatoes. We eat with our eyes too and I like some color on my plate. Don't know about you.
Here is what you need to make this chicken recipe:
3 or 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (mine were very large, so I used 3)
1 cup plain greek yogurt
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic powder (I prefer fresh garlic to garlic powder, so I used 3 cloves, minced)
1 tsp salt
Spray a baking dish with cooking spray. Place the chicken breasts in the dish and cover with the yogurt mixture. *My suggest - sprinkle with bread crumbs now if you want brown chicken.*
Place in a 375 degree oven for 40-45 minutes until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle.
I placed mine under the broiler for about 2 minutes to brown the bread crumbs. Remove from the oven and let sit for a few minutes and serve.
Yes, this recipe is worth making. It is easy and delicious. I have made it a second time it was so good, but I did use the bread crumbs because it still wasn't brown. Still used the broiler after baking them to brown up the bread crumbs.
Bread crumbs or no bread crumbs is your choice. If you try this recipe, let me know if yours comes out all golden brown. I would be interested in knowing.
Everyday Donna
Things to Remember:
Sometimes you have to "doctor" a recipe to make it what you want it to be. donna