Yesterday was St. Patrick’s Day.  For many people it is a day to wear green, maybe have a green beer or two and watch a parade.  In our house it is usually at least a 4-5 day celebration.  My in-laws have deep Irish roots that they have traced back for generations.  My daughter Irish dances.  So, we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in a big way.

Over the weekend and yesterday my daughter danced in a parade, a bar or two and several schools and nursing homes.  She has always has loved dancing in the schools but on our way out of the last nursing home yesterday she realized her perspective on dancing in nursing homes has changed over the last year.  She was always scared of the older people when we went to nursing homes.  But, yesterday she realized how sad she was because the last home reminded her of her grandmother, who died a year ago March 29th, and how her grandmother would have loved to have seen her dance in her nursing home.  So, she realized that the people probably all wished that someone would come see them and talk to them and as long as she could she would stop and talk to them too.  Ah, growing up.

Of course we partake in the Irish foods too!  I haven’t been home in four days so we had Irish Nachos while my daughter was dancing.  These were amazing!  I am hoping to duplicate the recipe.  They were crispy waffle fries, corned beef, piquant peppers, Dubliner cheese sauce and scallions.  Sounds simple but they were one of the best dishes I have ever eaten!

So, how does the Creamy Italian Chicken come in? It was our meal on Friday. I have not had a chance to post it yet.  This was a last-minute meal that was on the table within 45 minutes of me deciding what to make for dinner.  Normally I can tell you what we are having for dinner for the next week but no one wanted fish on Friday so I had to come up with something different.  As I looked through my month plan this dish jumped out at me.

Verdict:

This was such an easy meal to make and had tons of flavor.  I cooked it in my wok, which I LOVE because it can go from stove top to oven.  So this meal was made in a wok and a saucepan to make the rice.  Super simple!

It was great for my mostly gluten-free son because the entire meal was gluten-free!

I served this with a chopped vegetable salad as a side to complete the meal.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 -3 lbs. chicken thighs and drumsticks
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 (15 oz.) cans petite diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 2 teaspoons basil
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 ½ cup cream(heavy or whipping cream)
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven 450 degrees
2. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Set aside
3. In a large skillet heat oil over medium heat.  Add chicken and brown on all sides.  Chicken does not need to be cooked completely through as it will be baking later on.  But brown it well.  I cooked mine in two batches to make sure it had enough room to get browned.
4. Remove chicken and set aside. Drain oil and leave about 2 tablespoons in the pan.
5. Add onions to pan and cook for 3-5 minutes until starting to soften a bit.   Add the minced garlic stir for about 2-3 minutes and the onions are soft and the garlic is fragrant.
6. Then add cream, tomatoes, paprika, basil, onion powder, garlic powder, and pepper.  DO NOT ADD CHICKEN STOCK!  Stir well.  Add chicken back into the pan.
7. Place pan in the oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes until chicken is fully cooked.
8. Remove pan from oven and stir well.  Taste and adjust sauce thickness and seasonings with chicken stock, salt, garlic, etc… according to preference.
9. Serve over hot rice or noodles.