Chicken Tikka Masala

Does anyone else feel intimidated when trying a new cuisine? I had never made Indian food before and tried it for the first time on a group of about 10 people. It could have gone horribly wrong, I know. It's the first rule of cooking for a group of people, to not cook a new recipe -I should know better. But thank goodness, this recipe was so easy, it turned out just fine.

Actually, it's a good thing that "fundamental" rule has never actually turned out to be true, because just about every time I cook for a group of people, I cook something new. I don't think I have made the same recipe twice in over a year. It keeps my mouth from getting bored, I guess.

By the way, if any of your are looking for a way to clear your head and help get in touch with your body in an attempt to eat intuitively, I highly suggest trying a bikram yoga class. I just started going last week and really feel much more in tune with my body's nutritional needs afterwards. I suppose clearing your mind, meditating, or doing any mind-body focused activity would help with getting in touch with that kind of thing, but I have found the past few days extremely satisfying when analyzing my emotional, fullness, and hunger levels.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Adapted from Alton Brown

Serves 5-6

• 2 tablespoons garam masala*, divided
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
• ½ teaspoon toasted, ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon toasted, ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 ½ pounds chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon ginger*
• 1 medium serrano chile, seeded and minced
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup coconut milk
• Fresh cilantro leaves
• Cooked rice for serving

*If you are serving to kids or those who don't like very spicy things, you can halve both or either the amount of garam masala and of the ginger, that way you get the flavor, but not really a "kick"*

Combine 1 tablespoon of the garam masala, 1 teaspoon of the salt, cumin, coriander, and pepper in a 1-gallon resealable bag. Seal and shake the bag to combine. Add the chicken and shake to coat. Add the yogurt to the bag, seal and squish to coat. Refrigerate the bag in a leak proof container for 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.

Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a 12-inch straight sided saute pan over medium-high. Add the onion and remaining teaspoon of salt, and cook until the onion is browned around the edges, 11 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the garlic, ginger and chile. Cook, stirring constantly, until the onions have softened and browned completely, approximately 7 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of garam masala and stir several times to coat.

Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until they have reduced slightly and deepened in color, 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, remove the chicken from the bag, leaving as much yogurt on the meat as possible, and spoon into a large skillet that has been coated with cooking spray or oil over medium heat (you may have to do this in batches to fit all of the chicken in). Cook until the yogurt has slightly charred and the chicken is cooked all the way through, about 3-5 minutes on each side. Add the lamb and coconut milk to the tomato mixture and stir to combine and heat through. Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with cilantro, serve over rice.

Turkey and Leek Risotto

It just snowed for the first time this year. I honestly really wasn't paying that much attention, as I was running late for class and more excited that I had just dropped off some white bean soup and lemon pie for a sick friend, but seeing snow in the air is always nice, no matter how distracted I am.

I hope your December is going smoothly and your Christmas shopping is complete -unless you are one of those crazies who actually finds pleasure in spending the entire morning hunting for a parking spot at the mall, only to be elbowed every 3 seconds in the overcrowded mall while searching for that "perfect gift" that never seems to appear. 

Can you tell I don't like crowds and am a notoriously bad gift-giver?

Because I am absolutely horrible at picking out gifts, I have decided to keep it simple this year. I ordered spices from Penzey's and self-sealable tea bags on Amazon and put together homemade mulling spices. Who doesn't want homemade mulling spices? Everyone can use them. You simply put cider or wine in a pot on the stove, add the bag of spices, and you're good! Here's to hoping I actually do an alright job with gifts this year. And yes, everyone on my list is getting mulling spices, no matter how special (or not special) they are to me. Maybe that's the sign of bad gift giving again... oops.

Turkey and Leek RisottoPerfect for the leftover turkey from thanksgiving and the leftover leeks that were not used up for a fish bouillabaisse last week.

Serves 6. Adapted from Cooking Light

• 5 ½ cups chicken broth 
• 1 tablespoon butter, divided
• 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 3 cups thinly sliced leek (about 3 large)
• ¾ teaspoon salt, divided
• ¼ cup finely chopped shallots
• 1 ½ cups uncooked Arborio rice or other short-grain rice
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 2 cups chopped cooked turkey (light and dark meat)
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried fresh sage
• ⅓ cup grated fresh pecorino Romano cheese
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Bring chicken broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan (do not boil). Keep warm over low heat.

Melt 1 teaspoon butter and 1 teaspoon oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add leek to pan; cook 7 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in ¼ teaspoon salt. Place leek mixture in a a bowl and set aside. Melt remaining 2 teaspoons butter and remaining 1 teaspoon oil in pan. Add shallots to pan; cook 2 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add rice; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in wine; cook 1 minute or until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Stir in ½ cup stock and ¼ teaspoon salt; cook until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Add remaining stock, ½ cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of the stock is absorbed before adding the next (about 28 minutes total).

Stir herb, turkey and leeks into the rice; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat; stir in remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, pecorino Romano cheese, and pepper. Serve.

Gluten-Free Dinner for a Crowd II

If any of you have gluten-free friends and don't know what to serve them for dinner, I've got you covered. This menu has vegetables, protein, and fun dessert that is perfect for fall. If you want another side, I highly suggest mashed potatoes to mix the chicken into. These dishes will serve roughly 20 people. Also, vanilla ice cream is great with the apple crisp, but I had to keep my meal under $50, so that's the  primary reason why there are no mashed potatoes or ice cream.

If you want to make this for a "normal" gathering, say 4-6 people and not 20, halve the roasted vegetables recipe and quarter the chicken recipe. As for the apple crisp, an 8x4 pan will require 4 apples, 6 tablespoons of margarine and brown sugar, 1/4 cup flour of choice, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and 1/2 cup of oats.

Roasted Vegetables
 ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil

12 medium carrots 1 ½-inch thick circles 

1 ½ cups brussel sprouts (about ½ pound), halved 

6-8 cups red bliss potatoes (about 2 pounds), cut into bite-size cubes

6 medium parsnips (about 2 pounds), cut into 1 ½-inch thick slices 

1 cup sweet potatoes (about 1 pound), cut into 1 ½-inch thick slices 

1 1/2 lbs of green beans, snapped/cut

3-4 tablespoons herbs de provence

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 

Grease 2 large baking sheets. Place vegetables in a bowl and add the oil, herbs, salt and pepper. Toss well, evenly coating all the vegetables with the seasonings and oil. Add more oil if the vegetables seem dry 

Spread the vegetables evenly on the large baking sheet. Place on middle rack in oven and bake for 35 to 45 minutes. 

Mom's Rosemary Chicken
2 (40oz) bags of chicken tenders (not breaded, just plain, frozen, raw)
4 large onions, cut into eights
Enough apple juice to cover the chicken or so (1/2 a bottle?)
4 tablespoons of dried rosemary

Divide chicken evenly among two medium crockpots, or place into one extra large crockpot.
Pour apple juice in just enough to leave only a centimeter of chicken showing in each crockpot.
Place onion slices on/around chicken and sprinkle the rosemary on top in each crockpot.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Mom's (Gluten-Free) Apple Crisp
*you can make this regular, non-GF crisp by swapping out GF flour for all purpose flour and the GF oats for regular oats

14 medium apples. I suggest a mixture of gala, golden delicious, and/or granny smith.

3 sticks+3/4 stick margarine, room temperature

2 cups brown sugar

1¼ cup all purpose gluten free flour, or any

2 tablespoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons nutmeg*optional

2 1/2 cups gluten free oats (old fashioned, plain)

Peel and core apples, slice into eighths or however small you like. Divide evenly among two lightly greased 9x13 metal plans.

Mix remaining ingredients together so they are crumbly. Sprinkle on top of apples.

Bake at 350F for about 40 minutes.

Cherry Almond Chicken Salad

My photography skills are pretty limited, but when it comes to chicken salad, they completely disappear. However, if you are looking for a cold salad to spread on a couple pieces of toast for lunch, this is quite yummy and good for you.

I brought this to work yesterday for my lunch and was happy I did -definitely better than another fast-food breakfast burrito and those preserved apple slices.

Oh, and just a fair warning, I am driving home to Florida next week, which means I will be going through Georgia. There might be a pecan or peach week in the near future. Or I might actually control myself for once. We'll see.

Cherry Almond Chicken Salad

2 chicken breasts (6oz each or so), boiled and chopped/shredded
½ cup greek yogurt, or more to preference
⅓ cup tamari almonds, chopped
⅔ cup fresh bing cherries, pitted and stemmed and chopped
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon paprika
1 dash onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Suggested, pieces of whole wheat toast for chicken salad sandwiches

Mix together all ingredients in a bowl. Chill. Spread on bread, if you want a sandwich. Ta Da.

Buffalo Chicken Mac N Cheese

I refuse to eat any more fast food for the rest of my life. Well, kind of.

If it weren't so impossible to avoid (especially when driving 13.5 hours from KY to FL), I would totally stick to that declaration. At any rate, I did not eat much fast food before, but after working in fast food for a mere 3 months, just for the summer, I am definitely no more inclined to become one of the millions of Americans who regularly consume pounds of deep fried potatoes and gallons of soda pop.

Ok, sorry to rant. The reason I brought fast food up is because the above picture is of the leftovers of buffalo chicken mac n cheese that I ate for lunch at work instead of eating the $7 worth of free fast food that is made available to me.

Green beans are a great side for this, by the way =).

Buffalo Chicken Mac N Cheese

Adapted from How Sweet Eats

serves 4-6

1 pound pasta (I used shell pasta from a local pasta company)

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cut into chunks

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon flour

11/2 cups milk

1/2 cup grated monterey jack cheese (half of an 8oz brick) + more for topping

1/3 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese (a third of an 8oz brick) + more for topping

2/3 cup buffalo wing sauce

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

salt and pepper to taste

for garnish: ¾ cup chopped green onions, ½ cup fresh cilantro, ½ cup gorgonzola cheese, additional buffalo wing sauce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Prepare water for pasta and cook according to directions.

While pasta is cooking, heat a medium or large saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter, and once it’s melted and bubbly add the flour. Whisk together to create a roux and cook for 1-2 minutes until mixture gets a bit golden in color. Add milk, stir and turn down heat to low. Continue stirring until milk thickens. Add in grated cheeses and continue to stir until mixture is smooth. Stir in buffalo wing sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.

Grease a baking dish (9 x 13 is fine, ir even a 4-inch deep dish). Add pasta and chicken to the cheese sauce over and mix throughly until everything is coated. Spoon or pour into baking dish. Sprinkle with additional grated cheese and bread crumbs. Bake for 25 minutes or until cheese is golden brown. Remove from oven and immediately top with gorgonzola, green onions and/or cilantro. Drizzle with extra buffalo wing sauce, if desired.

Chicken Burgers with Herbed-Feta Spread

Fairly low-fat and very high in calcium and protein, these burgers and dip are one of my favorites. They are easy and pretty fast to make. The dip is also great with tortilla chips when you are in a snacking mood. I went out and got some delicious corn fromt the local co-op and was so glad I did. Along with some watermelon, lemonade, and sitting on the step of my front porch to eat all of it, this meal was near perfect.

Chicken Burgers

From Food and Wine January 1997

1 ½ pounds ground chicken

2 cup dry bread crumbs

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

Salt

¼ teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

2 tablespoons milk

1 egg, beaten to mix

2 tablespoons cooking oil

Herbed-feta dip for topping (directions below)

Whole wheat buns

In a medium bowl, combine the ground turkey, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, scallions, ¾ teaspoon salt, the pepper, milk, and egg. Form the mixture into four patties, each about 1-inch thick.

In a large nonstick frying pan, heat the oil over moderate heat. Add the turkey burgers and cook for 5 minutes. Turn and then top each burger with the provolone cheese. Cook until just done, about 6 minutes longer. Spoon generous portions of herbed-feta dip on top of burger and eat on sandwich buns.

Herbed-Feta Dip

¾ cup nonfat plain yogurt

½ cup crumbled feta cheese

1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

2 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Place yogurt, feta, beans, garlic, and lemon juice in the bowl of your food processor and blend until smooth. Add parsley, dill, chives, mint, and pepper; pulse until they are well combined. Chill, if desired.

Chicken Enchilada Bake

Chicken Enchilada Bake

Serves 4-6 Hands-On Time: 15m Total Time: 45m

1 10 oz can green or red enchilada sauce

¼ cup heavy cream

4 8-inch flour tortillas

2 cups (8 ounces) grated Monterey Jack, plus ¼ cup for the top

1 3 ½- to 4-pound rotisserie chicken, shredded

½ small red onion, finely chopped

1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced*

1 cup salsa as a condiment

1 avocado, diced as a condiment

1 cup fresh cilantro leaves as a condiment

*Add corn, green and red peppers and/or leave out zucchini if desired.

Heat oven to 400° F.

In a small bowl, combine the enchilada sauce and cream. Spoon ¼ cup of the sauce mixture into the bottom of a shallow 2-quart casserole or 9-inch springform pan. Top with 1 tortilla and a third each of the cheese, chicken, onion, and zucchini. Repeat twice to form a total of 3 layers. Top with the remaining tortilla, sauce mixture, and cheese.

Cover loosely with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes more. Slice into wedges and serve with the salsa, avocado, and cilantro.

First Real Meal in the new place

The past weekend was spent in a rush of family arriving, further unpacking of the house, graduation stuff, and yummy food (including a bit of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail). It was good to see my family and get my house organized, though it was a bit stressful to have people over, unpack, try to do normal household chores, and go to graduation events. Ah well, it was awesome and I can't complain one bit due to the graduation present I received from my parents: a new mac book pro! My old computer could not even support Skype, but this new one is crazy! It's so fast and sleek. Not really sure how to use it yet though.

Before my family left Kentucky, I made them my take on Giada's Chicken Carbonara. It went over very well. We were all tired from doing a bit of the Bourbon Trail and visiting some vineyards, but this meal came together easily and fairly quickly.

Chicken Carbonara

Adapted from Giada
5 servings

2 teaspoons olive oil3 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 1/2 cups whipping cream
1 cup freshly grated parmesan
6 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon dried basil
Salt
2/3 pound spaghetti
3 cups coarsely shredded chicken (from 1 roasted chicken)
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
2 teaspoons lemon zest

Heat the oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and garlic and saute until it is brown and crisp, about 8 minutes. Cool slightly.

In a large bowl, whisk together the cream, cheese, yolks, and basil.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the spaghetti and cook until it is just tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Drain.

Add the chicken to the pan with the pancetta and stir to combine. Next, add the spaghetti and the cream mixture and toss over medium-low heat until the chicken is heated through and the sauce coats the spaghetti thickly, about 4 minutes (do not boil or you might end up scrambling the eggs). Season the pasta, to taste, with pepper and salt if needed (the pancetta will likely add all the salt you need). Transfer the pasta to a large wide serving bowl. Sprinkle the walnuts and lemon zest over, and serve.

A Classic

It seems that many of my friends have been in a state of perpetual sickness since January, so I finally decided to try my hand at a homemade, chicken noodle soup. I am so glad I did. The canned stuff just doesn't compare!

I made a batch of this stuff and ended up with about a quart for myself and 2 quarts for friends. Actually, I ended up eating 1 quart, freezing another, and giving the last one to a good friend who was sick. This is a fairly hearty soup, since I like to be able to eat one bowl and feel fairly full.

So good that all of it was eaten up before I got picture, sorry folks.

Classic, Get-Better-Now, Chicken Noodle Soup

Adapted from USA Weekend

2 quarts chicken broth

1 quart water

1 store-bought roast chicken

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 large onions, cut into medium dice

6 large carrots, peeled and cut into rounds or half rounds, depending on size

4 large stalks celery, sliced 1/4 inch thick

1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

3 cups egg noodles

2 cup frozen green peas

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring broth and water to a simmer over medium-high heat in a large soup kettle. Meanwhile, separate chicken meat from skin and bones; reserve meat. Add skin and bones to the simmering broth. Reduce heat to low, partially cover and simmer until bones release their flavor, 20 to 30 minutes.

Strain broth through a colander into a large container; reserve broth and discard skin and bones. Return kettle to burner set on medium-high.

Add oil, then onions, carrots and celery. Sauté until soft, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add chicken, broth and thyme. Bring to a simmer.

At this point, you have a chicken soup base that can be made and refrigerated up to 3 days in advance. Return to a simmer before adding the rest of the ingredients, if you choose to make this in advance.

Once at a simmer, add the egg noodles and simmer for 10-20 minutes.

Before removing from heat, stir in frozen green peas and parsley.

Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Quick, Fairly Healthy Dinner

Every once in a while, I cook dinner for the family who I babysit for. It's rather exciting, since I get to cook, but it's also a challenge to create a meal using a pantry that I didn't stock and, to my knowledge, was not stocked with any particular meal in mind.

Trying to rack my brain for a tasty, nutritional meal that would only require the ingredients that I have on hand, I decided on a broccoli chicken divan and whole wheat dinner muffins. I used my own whole wheat flour in the muffins, which allowed me to eat the left over muffins for breakfast the rest of the week =). I was totally fine with that.

The broccoli chicken divan is good. It's definitely a recipe to keep around due to it's ease, yumminess, and requirement of pretty much no fresh food (yay pantry recipes).

The muffins might be the yummiest complex carbohydrate addition to any dinner. They are also good for you! I think my favorite part about them is that they are just as delicious for a quick snack or breakfast as they are for dinner.

Wheat Dinner Muffins

1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour or graham flour

2 Tbs. yellow cornmeal

3 Tbs. firmly packed light or dark brown sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 eggs, separated

3 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted, or sesame oil or olive oil

1 cup buttermilk (or, pour 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a large measuring, then fill to the 1 cup line with milk)

2 Tbs. sour cream or plain yogurt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Unsalted butter or jam for serving

Preheat an oven to 375°F. Grease 9 standard muffin cups; fill the unused cups one-third full with water to prevent warping.

In a bowl, stir together the flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In another bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, butter, buttermilk, sour cream and vanilla until blended. Stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture just until evenly moistened. The batter will be slightly lumpy.

In a clean bowl, using a mixer with spotlessly clean beaters on medium speed, or a balloon whisk, beat the egg whites just until they form soft peaks. Using a large rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the batter until blended.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each one level with the rim of the cup (seriously, fill to the top).

Bake the muffins until they are golden, dry and springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Unmold the muffins and serve warm or at room temperature, with butter. Makes 9 muffins.

Adapted from The Williams-Sonoma Cookbook, Edited by Chuck Williams (Free Press, 2008).

Broccoli Chicken Casserole (serves 4-6)

3 cups frozen broccoli

1 1/2 pounds chicken, raw, cubed

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1/2 teaspoon wet garlic

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of *whatever* soup

1/3 cup milk

1/2 cup sour cream or mayo, whatever you have on hand

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup dried bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).

Cook broccoli according to decorations on bag (I put mine in a microwave safe bowl with a 1/2 cup of water and cook in the microwave for 3 minutes and then drain). Place the cooked broccoli in a 8x8 inch baking dish.

Place onion and garlic in a sauce pan over medium heat and cook for 3-4 minutes. Season chicken with paprika and oregano, then add to the saucepan and cook about 10 minutes or until white all the way through.

In a bowl, mix the soup, sour cream, and milk, and pour over the chicken. Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese and then sprinkle bread crumbs over the cheese.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly brown.

Chicken Lasagna

Tonight I made a version of Emeril's chicken lasagna. I halved it, used ground chicken instead of shredded chicken, and used cornstarch instead following his directions to use lots of butter for a roux.

It turned out very well, though I am not quite sure if I think lasagna in general is worth all of the effort. It makes for a pretty presentation, but I think it is easier and just as yummy to use rigatoni or something and just toss it all together and bake it.

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 lb mushrooms

1/2 cup yellow onion, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon wet garlic

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 1/2 cups milk

2 tablespoons cornstarch (may need 3, depending on how/if it thickens)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 lb spinach, stemmed, washed, blanched, and roughly chopped

1 1/2cup Parmesan, grated

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for coating dish

1 lb ground skinless chicken

1/2 tablespoon Essence

1/2 box of oven-ready lasagna sheets (I needed 8 whole grain sheets)

Directions

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring often until the mushrooms are browned and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the onions and garlic to the pan and saute until soft and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon about 2 minutes. Whisking constantly, slowly add the milk and then the cornstarch and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until thickened, 5 minutes. Add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, spinach and half of the Parmesan and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the bechamel sauce until ready to assemble the lasagna.

Set a large, 12-inch saute pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Season the chicken with the Essence and place in the hot pan. Stir and break up the chicken until golden brown and cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Coat a 11x7 casserole with olive oil, and spread about 2/3 cup of the bechamel sauce on the bottom of the dish. Lay 2 sheets of pasta across the bottom of the dish and spread 1 cup of the bechamel sauce over the pasta. Sprinkle 1/3 of the chicken over the bechamel sauce, then sprinkle with 1/8 cup or so of the remaining Parmesan. Lay another 2 sheets of pasta over the chicken. Repeat one more time with the remaining bechamel sauce, chicken, Parmesan, and pasta, ending with a layer of pasta covered with bechamel sauce. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan over the bechamel sauce. Place the casserole on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake, uncovered, until bubbly and well browned, about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Note: You may be able to fit more than 2 pieces of pasta in each layer, depending. The pasta can be broken into smaller pieces to fill in the gaps.

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):

2 1/2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried thyme

Directions

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.