Cheesy Bacon Ranch Pasta (one skillet)

Ingredients:

6 strips bacon, uncooked (or 3 Tblsp bacon grease + 1/2 cup bacon crumbles)
3 cups boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces

1/8 cup Ranch seasoning mix

16 oz. penne pasta, uncooked

6 cups chicken broth (low sodium preferred)

1/2 brick cream cheese, room temperature

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or similar)

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

4 Tblsp. dried parsley

Preparation:

1. Cook the bacon in a large skillet until crispy.

2. Remove bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, but leave bacon grease in skillet.

3. Cook chicken in bacon grease, turning frequently, until chicken is completely cooked.

4. Add Ranch seasoning to chicken, and stir to coat it.

5. Leaving checking in skillet, add pasta and chicken broth. Stir.

6. Bring broth and pasta to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low.

7. Cover and cook pasta, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes, until pasta is soft. 

8. Add cream cheese, and stir until melted.

9. Crumble bacon. Add bacon and parsley to chicken pasta mixture.

10. Stir in mozzarella cheese and half of the cheddar cheese until melted and well combined.

11. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese on top of the pasta, then cover and allow cheese to melt before serving.

Creamy Garlic Chicken Pasta

Ingredients:

10 ounces dry pasta, penne suggested

Chicken:

2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast
1 tsp garlic powder (approx.)
1 tsp Italian seasoning (approx.)
1 tsp paprika (approx.)
Salt and pepper

2 Tblsp. olive oil

Sauce:

3+ cups skim milk

1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup shredded or grated fresh Parmesan cheese

1 Tblsp. garlic powder

1 Tblsp. Italian seasoning

2 tsp. onion powder

Salt and pepper

1 Tblsp. butter
4 Tblsp. minced garlic

1 cup diced tomatoes
2 cups spinach (optional)

Preparation:

1. Cook pasta to desired level of tenderness while completing rest of recipe preparation. Drain and set aside.

2. Season both sides of chicken breasts with garlic powder, Italian seasoning, paprika, salt and pepper.

3. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, and cook chicken breasts until cooked through. Remove from heat and set aside, covered to keep them warm.

4. While chicken is cooking, thoroughly mix the water and flour.

5. In a saucepan, heat the skim milk and flour mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, to make a roux. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add additional skim milk as needed to get roux to the consistency of heavy cream.

6. Once the chicken is cooked, add Parmesan cheese to the roux. Stir or whisk constantly over medium-low heat until all cheese is incorporated smoothly. 

7. Add the seasonings to the cheese sauce; adjust to taste, then remove sauce from heat.

8. In the same pan where the chicken was cooked, add the butter and garlic. Cook for 1 minute or until fragrant.

9. Add the tomato and spinach to the skillet (if desired). Cook 2-3 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

10. Gently stir the cheese sauce into the skillet and stir until vegetables and butter are fully incorporated. Turn heat to low/simmer.

11. Slice chicken into bite-sized pieces or thin slices.

12. Add chicken pieces to sauce and stir to mix evenly.

13. Gently add pasta to sauce and chicken mixture, and fold in pasta until it is thoroughly covered with sauce and vegetables and chicken are evenly incorporated. 

14. Serve immediately. Can garnish with additional Parmesan cheese and parsley, if desired.

Spicy Korean Chicken

Ingredients:

1/3 cup gochujang sauce
1/2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
4 Tblsp. sesame oil
4 Tblsp. rice vinegar
4 Tblsp. light brown sugar, packed
4 tsp. ground ginger
4 Tblsp. minced garlic
2 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced into bite sized pieces
2 Tblsp. olive oil
2 Tblsp. cornstarch
4-6 Tblsp. cold water
1/2 cup green onions, thinly chopped

3 Tblsp. sesame seeds, if desired

Optional: 

Thinly sliced onions, red/yellow/orange peppers, carrots, celery, zucchini, etc.

Additional olive oil

Preparation:

1. Combine gochujang sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, brown sugar, ginger and garlic in a bowl to make a marinade.

2. Set aside 1/3 of the marinade if cooking the optional vegetables.

3. Take the remaining marinade and mix the chicken into it, stirring thoroughly to ensure the chicken pieces are fully covered with the marinade. Marinate the chicken for at least an hour in the sauce.

4. If cooking vegetables, heat some olive oil and the remaining marinade in the skillet. Add vegetables and stir. Cook vegetables on medium heat (covered, if tenderness is desired; uncovered, if crispiness is desired), then remove from skillet and keep warm.

5. Heat 2 Tblsp. olive oil in a large skillet (can use the same skillet). Cook chicken on medium-high in skillet with marinade. Flip/stir to ensure even cooking.

6. While the chicken cooks, mix cornstarch and water.

7. Once chicken is fully cooked. move it to one side of the pan, leaving the marinade in the other side. Turn the heat down to very low.

8. Add the cornstarch mixture to the skillet, and quickly stir it into the marinade to thicken the sauce. If the mixture is too think, add a little water slowly until it is to the desired consistency.

9. Once the sauce is thickened, gently mix the chicken into the sauce. If vegetables were cooked, add them to the mixture.

10. Turn off the heat, then add the green onions and sesame seeds.

11. Serve over rice, if desired.