Chicken, Pasta, and Cheesy Garlic Bread

Ever heard of 'monkey bread'? If not, you should look it up. It's a delicious cinnamon and sugar pull apart bread.

(Not my picture..)

While browsing Pinterest, I found a recipe for a savory version of this monkey bread. Instead of cinnamon sugar goodness, it has an Italian flair with its garlic and parmesan deliciousness. The recipe originally came from The Virtuous Wife. I pretty much followed her directions as written on her blog, but I'll write them out for you here!

Garlic Parmesan Bread

• 1 can refridgerated Grands biscuits (not the flaky kind..)
• 1/2 stick of butter
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp basil
• 1/2 tsp parsley
• 1/2 tsp oregano

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Throw a cold stick of butter into a bundt pan while the oven preheats. While this is happening, cut the biscuits into quarters. Throw them into a bowl with all the seasonings. Spread the seasoned biscuit chunks into the bundt pan over the melted butter, sprinkling the remaining seasonings on top of the bread. Bake for 20-22 minutes until golden brown. Turn out onto a dish and enjoy!

(I didn't use a bundt pan and I had issues with it being cooked the whole way through - I had to flip the bread and bake it 10 minutes longer.. so I'd really stick to using a bundt!)

I also came across a recipe for skinny chicken and broccoli alfredo. I was a little skeptical about this because sometimes things labeled 'skinny' end up not tasting too great. However this turned out SO great! It was creamy (through the wonderfulness of Greek yogurt instead of heavy cream!). I omitted the chicken in this recipe because I was making the mozzarella stuffed chicken breasts. I found this recipe on pinterest as well.. can you tell how much I LOVE pinterest?!

Broccoli Alfredo

• 2 c. roasted broccoli florets
• 8 oz. fettuccine (I used 16 and it turned out fine)
• 2 Tbsp. EVOO
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1 cup chicken broth 
• 6 oz. container plain Chobani Greek yogurt
• 1/4 c. milk (I used almond, but skim works as well)
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• pinch ground nutmeg
• 3/4 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese

Begin to boil salted water for pasta. 

Cut broccoli into florets, and roast in 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. Take out of oven, set aside. 

In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring until garlic has browned a bit. Whisk flour into the oil and garlic until a roux has been made. GRADUALLY whisk in the chicken broth, so to avoid lumpy sauce. Slowly whisk in the yogurt, milk, pepper and nutmeg. Bring to a low boil, stirring all the time. Lower the heat and continue to stir as the sauce simmers and thickens - about 4-5 minutes. Stir in parmesan cheese. Mix in broccoli, then toss with pasta. 

Nana showing off my creations

Mozzarella Chicken

• boneless skinless chicken breasts
• fresh mozzarella - preferably a block
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp basil
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1 tsp orgenao
• 1/3 c. chicken broth (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. 

Mince the cloves of garlic, and mix together with seasonings and EVOO in a small bowl.

Rinse the chicken breasts and cut off any undesired extra fats. Lay the chicken breasts with the smooth side down and cut a short line longways down the center of the breast, then as if you were making a capital 'T' and making a pocket in the thickest part of the breast, cut up and down (perpendicularly to the first cut). You want the second cut to go more inside the breast than just being on top of the breast. 

Take some of the garlic and oil mixture, and rub into the cuts you've made on the chicken breast. Cut off bite sized chunks of the mozzarella and stuff desired amount into the pocket you created. Roll the breast and put in a pan. Rub remaining oil mixture on the top of the breast. 

Add optional chicken broth into the baking pan to keep the chicken moist. Bake for 40 minutes, or until juices run clear and internal temperature hits 160 degrees.