Back from Easter Holidays, I am super excited to write this super easy recipe that comes packed with a lot of flavours and variations to work on. But before we dive into this, I want to tell you how I stumbled into this (in short). So, I was visiting my parents this Easter in Melbourne and there I met my aunty Annie – my sweetheart, who is by far one of the best cooks I have come across in my life. And is the one who inspired to be who I am today.
So, there I was back at my parents’ home after roaming 6 years around Australia and excited more than ever to take over the kitchen from my mom and to show off my skills to aunt Annie. But, it ended up another way. Aunt Annie stumped me with a very simple yet one of the most delicious dishes – the Chicken with creamy cheese sauce recipe. I was so much enamoured by its flavour and simplicity that upon return home, I went ahead and made some variations to it. They were splendid and I am sure you too will just love it.
Just so you know, this recipe has two variations one with cheese sauce and another with Mexican shredded cheese. Finding these cheeses in Australia seemed to be a bit problematic for me at the start but I realized that there are plenty of them online. Since I love cheeses, I ordered the 4 Mexican shredded cheese and the liquid cheese sauce in bulk from Pure Dairy. You can try theirs or any other cheeses available around you, mostly they are the same.
Ingredients
Chicken breast 4 halves (boneless and skinless)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Olive oil 2 Tablespoons
Non-stick Cooking Spray to sauté chicken
Garlic powder ½ Tablespoon
Cheese Sauce 2 Cups
Mexican Shredded Cheese 1 Cup
Water 1 Cup
Parsley ¼ Cup
Green Onions ¼ Cup
Instructions
- Take a bowl and marinate chicken with salt, pepper, olive oil and garlic powder and set aside for 15 minutes.
- Heat a sauté pan on medium heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray or por in some olive oil.
- Add chicken breast to the pan, cook each side for about 5 minutes in medium heat. Ensure that the chicken breasts are fried in the oil till they turn golden and are cooked through. Remember cooking the breasts to the right degree is very crucial as overcooked breasts turn very dry and I don’t think anyone loves dry chicken.
- Try avoiding adding water to the chicken breast – as this will spoil the flavour.
- Once the chicken is nicely browned and starts releasing juices, sprinkle some pepper on top of it.
- Pour in two cups of liquid cheese sauce and one cup of Mexican shredded cheese on top of it and cover the pan for 2 minutes. After two minutes, remove the lid and stir it gently over low flame. Remember we need to give the cheese to melt and embrace the chicken thoroughly.
- Garnish it with finely chopped parsley and green onions.
- Serve while it’s hot.
Quick Tips:
- Don’t over season the chicken as it will let the garlic overpower the flavour.
- If you are not using a non-stick pan, increase the quantity of spray you use.
- Keep some distance between the chicken pieces while cooking so that it doesn’t stick with one another.
- Make sure you don’t overcook the chicken, the chicken often becomes dry if overcooked.
- Serve it with pasta or rice to soak up the yummiest cheese sauce. I don’t mind serving them with half boiled green beans and broccoli (I know some don’t like it).
There you go, isn’t that super easy and I am sure you too will fall in love with it. So, go ahead and try it and let me know in the comments below your experience with the dishes and if you have fiddled with it, the way I did, let me know how it went. Would love to see that! Happy cooking.
About the Author:
Rosemary Kobe is housewife who loves to play with her two little twin-toddlers and is a one of the greatest burger fans around – heading off to burger joints once in a while and looking for the best burgers in Sydney. If you know one – let her know in the comments below or mail me at [rosemariikobe@gmail.com]
