Balsamic Caprese Chicken Recipe

For some reason Caprese reminds me of summer. Whether it be Caprese salads, sandwiches, or entrees. 

I think the first time I discovered Caprese goodness was at an Italian restaurant in Dominican Republic. Then, every time we went to Miami, I would order a Caprese sandwich by the pool. 

There's something about me, sun, water, and Caprese. 

So, since it's in the middle of summer, it's hot, and we seem to be in our bathing suits 24/7; what better time than now to make Caprese Chicken!?

This recipe is really simple. Marinate the chicken, cook the chicken, and top the chicken.

To make your own balsamic reduction to drizzle on the chicken, it takes some dedication to get the right consistency.
If you don't want to make your own, you can buy it already made! I've used the Trader Joe's brand and really like it. 

Balsamic Caprese Chicken

What you'll need:
2 organic boneless skinless chicken breasts 
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup EVOO
3 cloves garlic, minced
Salt & Pepper OR FlavorGod Garlic Lovers Seasoning
1 Ball of Mozzarella, sliced
2 tomatoes, sliced
Fresh basil leaves
Balsamic reduction

What you do: 
Combine the vinegar, evoo, and minced garlic in a large ziploc bag. 
Wash and slice chicken breasts to make 4 thinner chicken filets. 
Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper or FlavorGod Seasoning
Place chicken in ziploc bag with marinade. Let marinade in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes up to 8 hours. (I let mine marinade for 3 hours)
Preheat a large grillpan on the stove.
Place chicken on grillpan and cook on one side for about 5 minutes. 
Turn chicken over and top with sliced mozzarella, tomato, and basil leaf.
Let cook for another 5 minutes.
Remove chicken and drizzle with balsamic reduction. 
Enjoy!


Balsamic Reduction:
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar

Combine 2 ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to simmer and stir constantly for about 8 minutes. Set aside. 

XOXO

RECIPE: Lemon Chicken & Asparagus

Hey y'all!!

It's Tuesday afternoon and this is my first post this week! I love when I get texts from family and friends saying, "ummm where's the daily blog post?!" It makes me feel like I actually write this for someone besides myself. I like to think that anyways.. :)

The stomach bug has officially left our household and probably moved on to many others, unfortunately. It continues to go around and around and will eventually make it's way back to us...hopefully not for quite some time!

Since I didn't come into the office on Friday, yesterday was spent catching up on my catch up work. I'm still not fully caught up from the whole move and writing this right now certainly isn't helping. BUT I can't leave my blog readers too long!! Right?! Priorities. 

Then this morning was a PTA meeting at school, so it's about noon and I just sat down at my desk for the day. Just one of those weeks where you feel like nothing is getting done but you're actually doing A LOT! 

Anyways, I come to you with gifts. TWO Recipes! Double dose of food today and I hope you like them!!

This first one was adapted from SkinnyTaste.com

Lemon Chicken & Asparagus

What you’ll need:

2 tsp. grapeseed or olive oil
3-4 organic skinless boneless chicken breast, cut into bite sized cubes or strips
½ cup chicken broth
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tbsp water

3 tbsp lemon juice
1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed and cut into small pieces
6 cloves garlic, minced

Salt & Pepper to taste
What you do:

Clean, cube, and season chicken with salt.
Heat 2 tsp oil a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Add asparagus and garlic.
Cook for 3-5 minutes until garlic is golden. Set aside.
In a small cup mix together water and cornstarch
In the same skillet, add the other tsp oil and chicken. Turn and cook thoroughly. Set aside with asparagus once cooked.
Add the soy sauce and chicken broth into the empty skillet and bring to boil. Add cornstarch mixture and lemon juice and stir well.
Add back the chicken and asparagus into the skillet and mix well with sauce.
Serve & Enjoy!

XOXO

Lemon Garlic & Gin Chicken Wings

As a small business owner and Florida native, I am a HUGE supporter of locally owned businesses. When I heard about Florida Cane Distillery, and read about the founder who lives in my hometown (Valrico, FL) I was beyond excited to meet him and learn more about his business. 

Florida Cane Vodka takes everything amazing and local to Tampa and bottles it up for us to enjoy. Every ingredient in their vodka, gin, and moonshine is from Florida. Flavors are made using Plant City Strawberries, blueberries from Hernando county, and tangerines from the founder's own backyard! They have opened Florida's FIRST Vodka tasting room! To book your Distilling Experience, click HERE.

Last week I was invited to EATS American Grill to enjoy a meal and presentation of Florida Cane Distillery. We ate & drank delicious creations (both food and beverage) using Florida Cane products. 

We had Tamiami Gin Lemon chicken wings, Drunken Key West Lemon Line Shrimp over Rice Pilaf, Blackened Chicken Pasta with Florida Cane Premium Vodka Sauce, and Florida Cane Okeechobee Cherry Chocolate Ganache Tart. 

While all the food EATS provided was absolutely mouth watering, the chicken wings have.not.left.my.mind. They were my absolute favorite and I knew I wanted to create something similar at home. So I did. I had never made my own chicken wings before so I was smiling from ear to ear when both my husband and kids ate the meat clean off those chicken bones! Success!

Lemon Garlic & Gin Chicken Wings 

What you’ll need:
3 pounds chicken wings
Juice of 1 lemon (3 tbsp)
1/4 cup Florida Cane Tamiami Gin
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon sea salt
ground black pepper (to taste)
1 tbsp FlavorGod Lemon Garlic Seasoning

What you do:

Preheat your oven to 425°F.
Whisk all the ingredients together, except the wings and lemon garlic seasoning
Toss the wings in the mixture, making sure they are completely coated.
Line a baking sheet with foil and place the wings on the foil in a single layer.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until cooked through. (I like mine a little crispy so I kept them in a little longer)
When done, toss wings in bowl with any extra sauce on baking sheet and lemon garlic seasoning.

Serve & Enjoy!

XOXO

**Disclaimer: Thanks to the Tampa Bay Bloggers, I was invited to dinner by EATS and Florida Cane Distillery, and provided with food and drinks in exchange for a review and recipe. All opinions and recipes are my own.

Spinach Chicken Parmesan

Chicken Parmesan got a makeover by Popeye!

Yep...him!

Spinach Chicken Parmesan

What you’ll need:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (cut in half to make 8 thin chicken filets)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ tsp FlavorGod Garlic Lovers Seasoning (or Italian seasoning)
¼ cup chopped green onions
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp whole wheat flour
½ cup almond milk
2 tbsp chopped garlic (about 6 cloves)
10 oz bag of fresh spinach
Salt & Pepper
What you do:
Preheat oven to 375.
Lightly salt and pepper each chicken filet.
In a small bowl, combine parmesan cheese and seasoning.
Roll chicken filets in mixture to coat and line up on a slightly greased baking sheet.
Bake chicken for 15 minutes. (Depending on chicken thickness)

While chicken is baking: In a saucepan, sauté green onions, garlic, and butter until tender.
Stir in flour and milk. Simmer until bubbling, stirring constantly.
Add spinach to pan and mix with garlic with wooden spoon.
Let cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all spinach is wilted.

Take chicken out of oven, spoon spinach mixture over chicken and sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese.
Place back in over for 5 minutes.

Serve with brown rice or vegetables.

Enjoy!

XOXO