Doctor-ing "Green Balls"

I'm a scientist. Not a doctor- per se.

But specifically, I am NOT a medical doctor..nor a PhD..

.....and don't EVEN get me started about how I was once told by a college mentor:

 "if you don't have your PhD than no one will respect you".

Please.

Side note: If someone isn't going to respect me because I don't have a few letters after my name, than I don't really want to know that person anyways.

Go.To.Hell

...'Nuff about that.

..but the "doctoring" I like to do is to food.

Think: Sandra.Lee.

Think: Working-Full-Time-Mom

Think: Need -fast- dinner- so my 2 kids under 4 aren't in the pantry "just looking" for snacks IMMEDIATELY after pulling at each other's hair and screaming for 10 minutes straight upon entering the house.

And...I'm NOT a short order cook. Kids eat what we eat.

Period.

Or they go to bed hungry.

Inner monologue: "waa-haaa- haa" in scary voice.

and I want it to be tasty and healthy.

Am I asking too much?

Pour wine and begin to scour refrigerator for ingredients.

Ah ha! Chicken Tenders!

Open Pantry.

Isreali Couscous!

Brilliant!

Now for the recipe.

And by recipe, I do mean "Last Minute Concoction"

And, I mostly do not measure.

Get.over.it.

I'm not baking, I'm cooking.

So here it is, my

 "Michelle's Let's-Call- It- Tuscan Chicken with Basil-Herb Isreali Couscous" Recipe  Concoction

Ingredients:

For the chicken:

Chicken Tenders (HATE.CHICKEN.BREASTS. = Too big= only good for soups, according to me.

Egg wash (for non cooks, this means crack the eggs and then lightly mix up the egg in a bowl that you can dip the chicken tenders in)

Italian breadcrumbs supplemented with Parm cheese--

For the sauce:

Yellow Onion, sliced.

Cherry Tomatoes---a lot of them---sliced in half

minced garlic--2 cloves?

1 cup? chicken Broth

2 tablespoons butter. BUTTER.

Fresh basil "chiffonade" (this means chop up the basil, people)

Step 1: Bread Chicken Tenders by dipping first in egg wash then in Italian Bread Crumbs that have been supplemented with Parm cheese and more basil chiffonade.

           

Step 2: Heat Olive Oil in Pan and brown chicken on both sides---not cooking all the way--just to soak up  the yummy olive oil and secure the breading on the chicken.  Maybe 2 minutes per side? Place browned chicken into a olive oil sprayed pan into a 350 degree pre-heated oven to begin cooking.

Step 3: Thinly slice yellow sweet onion and cook in olive oil until tender. Add half-ed sweet cherry tomatoes and cook until they "burst"...add and some minced garlic (don't want to overcook garlic = bitter!!) Add chicken broth and bring to a boil.

Step 3b: Once some of the liquid has boiled off and it's a little thicker, add the BUTTER and allow to melt.

Do.it. 

Add the Butter. Don't be scared. It's 2 tablespoons in the WHOLE sauce.

Step 4: Take Chicken (which has been cooking for approx 10 minutes) and add sauce to top of chicken.

Back into the Oven it goes! --for about another 10 minutes

Step 5: Add basil to to top of the chicken when done cooking

Serve with:

Pearled Basil-Herb Isreali Couscous


Isreali Couscous is not the typical couscous you are thinking of.
It's more like little pasta balls.
And this recipe, due to the basil, of course, my kids call it "green balls"

Choose whichever name you'd prefer:  In the Gaylord household, We call it "Green Balls" 

Ready for the recipe? 

You are going to LOVE this:

Step 1: Buy the box. Follow Directions

Step 2: Add a bunch of Parm Cheese to make it more of a Risotto...or not..whichever you'd like

Step 3: Add more basil chiffonade
Step 4: Add roasted garlic (oops, forgot to tell you to roast a WHOLE ear of garlic in olive oil for until it's soft in your oven at 350--then add a few cloves...)

Now, in the Craziness that IS my every night,...

...I did not take a photo.

However, I took a photo this morning of the leftovers (one chicken tender and a bunch of couscous because we tripled the recipe (i.e. cooked 3 boxes)

Disclaimer: Iphone photo at 4:30 am and only 1 chicken tender left because:

We ate chicken and green balls.

We shared with Kathleen and Jack...who THOUGHT he wouldn't like the green balls, but LOVED it.

We brought 3 tenders and couscous over to Ms. Doris who is on Hospice and her husband companion, Mr. Don.

It was DELICIOUS.
Make it.