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2018 is in full swing!  The holidays have come and gone in a flash.  We are all back in the motion of school and work with all the chaos in between.

Do you wake up in the morning knowing that someone will ask, “What’s for dinner mom?” or is that YOUR first thought when you wake up?  Well, quick, easy, crockpot, pressure cooker (Instant Pot) and Pinterest have become my very best friends to ease dinner stress.  Trying to keep it healthy and kid-friendly is a challenge if you are low on time.  Pinterest, Allrecipes, and Yummly are great resources to find healthy, easy, low carb, and great tasting recipes.

Below are just a few dinners from Pinterest that my kids ask for again and again. They are low carb too!

(All recipes are from you can easily search on Pinterest)

PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED BAKED CHICKEN

This Prosciutto-Wrapped Baked Chicken recipe is a simplified version of traditional “saltimbocca”, made with a heavenly buttery-garlic-sage-white-wine sauce.

Total Time: 35 mins
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins

INGREDIENTS:

  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • Kosher salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
  • 8-12 slices prosciutto
  • 4 tablespoons melted butter, divided
  • 1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
  • 1 tablespoon finely-chopped fresh sage*
  • pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine
  • fresh lemon wedges
  • (optional garnishes: chopped fresh chives, grated Parmesan cheese, and/or extra crushed red pepper flakes)

DIRECTIONS:

  1. To brine the chicken: Simply fill a large bowl with 1 quart of warm water and 1/4 cup kosher salt.  Stir to combine until most of the salt is absorbed.  Add the chicken breasts and let them sit in the mixture to brine for 15 minutes.  Or you can also also cover the bowl and refrigerate for up to 6 hours.  Remove the chicken breasts from the brine, rinse them with cold water, then pat them dry with some paper towels.  (Again, though, if your chicken breasts are sold pre-brined in a sodium solution, skip this step.)
  2. To cook the chicken: Heat oven to 450°F.
  3. Wrap each chicken breast with 2-3 slices of prosciutto, so that the prosciutto covers most of the chicken.
  4. Place the chicken breasts in a single layer in a large baking dish.  Brush the chicken breasts evenly with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter.  Then season both sides of the chicken breasts with a quick pinch of salt and pepper, then lay the chicken back in a single layer in the baking dish.
  5. Bake for 18-20* minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink.  If you use a cooking thermometer to measure the temperature thickest part of the breast, it should be between 160-170°F.  (The FDA recommends 165°F.)
  6. Once the chicken is cooked, remove the pan from the oven and loosely cover the pan with aluminum foil.  Let the chicken rest for at least 5-10 minutes.
  7. Meanwhile, as the chicken is cooking, add the remaining 3 tablespoons butter to a small sauté pan, along with the garlic, sage and crushed red pepper flakes.  Sauté over medium-low for 6-8 minutes, or until the sage starts to get slightly crispy.  Slowly add in the white wine, and simmer for 5 more minutes.  Remove from heat.
  8. Once the chicken and sauce are ready to go, spoon the sage-butter sauce evenly over the baked chicken breasts.  Then serve immediately with fresh lemon wedges, sprinkled with optional garnishes if you’d like.  (Feel free to make your serving as lemony as you’d like!)

*Feel free to substitute any of your favorite Italian fresh herbs here.

DIFFICULTY: EASYCATEGORY: QUICK

All images and text ©Gimme Some Oven

SLOW COOKER CREAMY LEMON CHICKEN

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 5 hours
Total Time: 5 hours, 10 minutes

Slow Cooker Creamy Lemon Chicken with butter, garlic and lemon coating tender chicken breasts in a creamy sauce. Even great as a pasta topping!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 5 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 2 lemons, juiced and zested
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup half and half
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon chicken base (optional, but delicious!)

DIRECTIONS:

  1. In a large cast iron skillet add 1 tablespoon of butter to melt on medium high heat.
  2. Add the kosher salt, black pepper and Italian seasoning to the chicken and add it to the pan.
  3. Cook on each side for 4-6 minutes.
  4. Add the chicken to your slow cooker.
  5. Cover with lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic and the rest of the butter in pieces (I added the lemons in the before picture just for reference. Don’t cook the lemons in the slow cooker).
  6. Cook on low for 4 hours or on high for 2 hours.
  7. In a large measuring cup add the half and half, cornstarch and chicken base and whisk well.
  8. Add the liquid, mix, and cook an additional hour on high.

NUTRITION INFORMATION

Yield: 5 servings, Serving Size: 1 chicken breast, 1/5th of the sauce

  • Amount Per Serving:
  • Calories: 532 Calories

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