Pan Seared Chicken Breast with Wilted Spinach originally published as Taste is the Real Test on Food and Fond Memories on November 29, 2010 by sandyaxelrod 1 Comment (Edit)
Pan Seared Chicken Breast with Wilted Spinach
Pan Seared Chicken Breast with Wilted Spinach, Angel Hair Pasta and Pesto
Recently I was asked to test a recipe from the School of Culinary Arts at Baltimore International College. I even got to choose from a myriad of items to prepare. By the time I chose my recipe I was starving because so many of them sounded mouth-wateringly good. Finally I opted to prepare an entree of Pan Seared Chicken Breast with Wilted Spinach, Angel Hair Pasta and Pesto. The dish was relatively easy to prepare though I did find the directions to be a bit lacking. I was not instructed as to when to add the wine and lemon juice so I decided to add it to the basil, pine nut, Parmesan and pasta mixture to thin the pesto a bit. I also felt that the chicken was a bit bland. My suggestion would be to pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness and marinate them in fresh lemon juice for 20-30 minutes. Then I would season them on both sides with salt and pepper before sautéing the chicken breasts. They also would cook faster that way. The last suggestion that I have would be to give the entire dish a little more zing. I was thinking maybe some slivers of sundried tomatoes packed in olive oil would do the trick. I will definitely make this dish again but of course I would make the changes I just mentioned.
Pan Seared Chicken Breast with Wilted Spinach
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
Ingredients
2 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, 3-4 oz. each, pounded to an even thickness
2 tbsps. vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 oz. white wine
1 tbsp. lemon juice
3 oz. bacon, fine dice
1 oz. onion, fine dice
1 tbsp. fennel, fresh, fine dice
3 cups spinach, fresh, stemmed
1 cup angel hair pasta, cooked and drained
2 tbsps. extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsps. basil leaves, chopped
1 tbsp. pinenuts, toasted
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 lemon slice
1 basil sprig
salt to taste
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil and cut into slivers
freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
1) Season oil by cooking the crushed garlic clove in a sauté pan over medium/high heat for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
2) Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper on both sides and add to pan. Sauté until lightly brown, approximately 3-5 minutes on each side.
3) Remove chicken from pan and keep warm.
4) Add bacon, onion and fennel to pan, saute until bacon is crisp.
5) Add spinach and sauté until spinach wilts, seasoning with salt.
6) In a second sauté pan heat extra-virgin olive oil and add pine nuts and chopped garlic. Saute until garlic is tender.
7) Add basil leaves, sun-dried tomatoes, pasta and Parmesan cheese (this is where I added the wine and lemon juice).Toss to combine all ingredients.
8) Place pasta mixture on heated dinner plates. Top with spinach mixture and chicken breasts.
9) Garnish with lemon and basil.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Fowl
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: American
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