Oreo Temptation and Italian Marinated Chicken

Oreo Temptation. No, it's not a dessert, it's what's going on in my house right now. Last night I was feeling awfully vulnerable as I walked by the unnecessarily large Oreo cookie display. Normally I would walk right on by without blinking an eye; it's a well-known fact that I never keep sweet snacks in the household. I could easily gorge myself for breakfast, lunch, and dinner on sweet treats.

I remember one time when I was a teenager we were on vacation, and we stopped in West Virginia to eat dinner at this really nice restaurant that was located in some old historic building. I am quite sure the menu had all kinds of expensive cuts of meat served a la carte and yummy homemade sides to compliment. I wasn't interested. I immediately spotted the dessert bar and about knocked down anyone in my path to pile my plate high with chocolate. That's what I had for dinner. That's what I wish I could have for dinner every night. But then I always remember I was born with the slowest metabolism ever. So I eat lettuce instead.

Ok, back to the Oreo story. I was walking by the forsaken Oreo display and remembered the double-stuffed Oreo I had eaten at my in-laws the previous day. I also remembered how yummy it was. I picked up a box of classic Oreos and thought what's one little box of Oreos going to hurt? Some people have a conscious that tells them not to do bad things. My conscious tells me not to eat bad things. Sometimes I don't listen. I didn't listen this time. I knocked that little sucker off my right shoulder and I'm pretty sure she fell into the bin of produce behind me. That's another thing, why would you put an Oreo display in the produce section? I mean here I am minding my own business, innocently picking out some corn on the cob, when I am bombarded by the freaking Oreo display. Now they sit in my cabinet calling my name in a not-so-subtle annoying way. I am just hoping Bryan eats them all tonight and I can wipe my hands of them. For the record I have only eaten 4 Oreos in the past 16 hours.

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On to the feature piece of this blog post. I am hoping it will keep my mind off those Oreos for at least 10 minutes. I am all about saving time for dinner. I often plan ahead and prepare all of or some of my meal the night before. This makes dinner so much easier the next day. I highly recommend this to working families. A little prep the night before makes dinner the next day a breeze. You don't always have to use the crock pot for easy make-ahead recipes. I make a yummy homemade marinade made with olive oil and red wine vinegar for this dish. I spice it up with some red pepper flakes. You can use the store bought Italian dressing but it's SO EASY to make your own, so why not?

I love to cut up chicken and marinate them for 12-24 hours. Really you can marinate any cut of meat overnight. I also love to marinate meat for fajitas. This chicken recipe is super easy. Anyone can do it. You can use fresh chicken or frozen (unthawed first). I used organic chicken from Whole Foods that I had frozen a while back. I always buy in bulk and freeze. It's cheaper and convenient, plus it saves time. I always pound out my chicken before I freeze to make things easier.

First I prepare the marinade for the chicken to go in. I always just make it in the glass dish the chicken will marinate in overnight. Feel free to double the marinade for more people or if you just want more marinade for your chicken. After my chicken has unthawed I cut it up into small strips. Remember to always use scissors are only designated for poultry. The same goes for cutting boards. Chicken bacteria is easily spread. I actually bought a plastic basket at the dollar store that holds my chicken while it is in the sink. I set my chicken in here so it doesn't slide all over the place. I don't like to set my chicken in the sink. I always make sure I clean the area super good afterwards. I also wash my hands a lot during the process.

When I am done cutting the chicken into strips I place it into the glass dish, cover with saran wrap and a lid, and place in the refrigerator. You can marinate for an hour or so but I always like to make sure I marinate over night. I feel like it makes the flavor that much more intense. Now you can bread this chicken afterwards or you can bake it as is on a baking dish. I always like to use a rack so air gets underneath the chicken. This is especially important if you used bread crumbs. It makes the chicken more crisp if you are baking in the oven, and more importantly, it is healthier.

This picture is after the chicken had been marinated for about 20 hours. I was going to post a pic of the end result, but sometimes things get a little crazy around here with me being a mom and all. I get distracted and forget to take pictures! I promise I'll get better at remembering to take pictures all the way down to the end result;).

Italian Marinade
Lucinda Scala Quinn (Mad Hungry)
Serves 2 (feel free to double or triple)
Pre-heat oven to 350*

2 chicken breasts, thawed and cut into strips
2 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup plus 1 TBSP red wine vinegar
1/2 TSP salt
1/2 TSP dried oregano (or Italian seasonings)
1/4 TSP red pepper flakes

1) Prepare above ingredients into medium-sized baking dish
2) Add chicken and let marinate for at least an hour (up to 48 hours)
3) When you are ready to eat set the chicken out on the counter for up to an hour
4) Use tongs to place chicken on a wire-rack baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Use a spoon to add extra marinade to chicken if desired
5) Bake in pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes or until juices are clear and chicken is not pink

If you prefer to bread your chicken follow these steps after step #3 above...

Chopped parsley (or dried)
1 cup bread crumbs (I usually use 1/2 Italian, 1/2 regular)
1 clove crushed garlic
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup romano cheese

1) In a flat dish combine above ingredients
2) Line baking sheet with parchment paper
3)Lightly dredge chicken in bread crumb mixture and lay on pan
4) Bake for 25-30 minutes or until chicken is completely done