This incredible garlic chicken breast resting on a bed of spaghetti with roasted eggplant tomato sauce was one of the best meal plans I have made this week! I highly recommend this meal plan either as a combination or even separate, though together they were stellar!
Garlic Butter Baked Chicken Breast
https://www.primaverakitchen.com/garlic-butter-baked-chicken-breast/#wprm-recipe-container-28120
I consider myself a relatively decent home chef. I have a great palate and natural instincts in the kitchen. I made this recipe with hardly any guidance or thought. As though I have made it 100 times. I have every confidence that a beginner home chef could make this recipe with ease!
Ingredients
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 4 tbsp butter — melted — use Ghee if you’re doing Whole30.
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley — chopped
- 2 cloves garlic — minced
- 1 tbsp. olive oil — extra virgin
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Season chicken breast with salt, pepper, paprika and set aside.
- In a small bowl mix together the butter, Italian seasoning, parsley, and garlic. Set aside.
- In a cast-iron skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.
- When the skillet is really hot add chicken breast. Sear until golden. It’s about 1-2 minutes on each side.
- Pour garlic butter mixture over the chicken breast.
- Place the skillet in the oven and cook until cooked through. It’s about 20-30 minutes or until chicken breasts get to an internal temperature of 165F.
- Remove from the oven. Using a spoon, pour some of the butter sauce left in the skillet onto the chicken breast before serving.
This recipe was a surprise! I’m a huge eggplant fan but many people can’t handle the texture.
Pasta with Eggplant Sauce {Pasta Alla Norma}
This recipe was a surprise! I’m a huge eggplant fan but many people can’t handle the texture. I was afraid that the texture of the roasted eggplant would turn my husband off of the dish and I was pleasantly surprised to see that he ate the whole thing!
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Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta
- 4 small eggplants cut in half
- cooking spray
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves
- 14 ounces can plum tomatoes
- 1 cup white wine
- fresh basil A big handful
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400F. Place the eggplant halves face down on a baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray and roast for 30-35 minutes (you’ll know they’re done when the skin shrivels). When ready, carefully scoop out the fleshy center with a spoon and run a knife through it to cut into strips.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a roaring boil, and cook the pasta until about 2 minutes underdone.
- While the pasta cooks heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large, deep sauté pan. Add the garlic and cook until just brown.
- Add tomatoes followed by the wine. Raise the heat and allow the alcohol to cook off the wine. While the wine cooks down, crush the tomatoes with a potato masher or the back of a spoon.
- Add the eggplant and basil to the tomatoes and mix well to combine, lower the heat and allow to simmer while the pasta finishes cooking.
- Before straining the pasta, with a ladle or strainer, use a mug to remove a cup of pasta water. Then drain the pasta and mix it into the sauce in the pan with half the cooking water. Cook for 2 – 3 minutes (adding more pasta water if it starts getting a bit dry). Check to see if the pasta is cooked. When done, add freshly grated cheese to the pasta and mix well to incorporate.
- Taste for seasoning and season with salt and pepper as needed. Serve with more grated cheese.
