Creamy Chicken Breasts

These chicken breasts are so delicious and easy to make. Be sure to use the brine for the breasts, it keeps them moist and delicious. It will take 4 hours to brine the breasts so do this step early in the day. You can also assemble this recipe and freeze to be cooked later from frozen. 

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 4 slices Swiss cheese
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese divided
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder

Brine:

• 2 1/2 cups water
• 2 Tbs Salt
• 5 pepper corns
• 1 bay leaf

Side:

• Riced Cauliflower (Optional)

Directions:

Brine the chicken:

1. Dissolve the salt into the water and add the pepper and bay leaf.
2. Place the chicken breasts in a zip-lock bag and pour in the brine and burp out the air and seal.
3. Place the bag in a bowl in the fridge
4. Let the breasts soak for at least 4 hours but not more than 8 (they may get mealy)

Assembly and Cooking:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Pat chicken dry and place in a greased 13x9 baking dish or foil pan.
3. Add cheese slices to the top of chicken breasts.
4. In a bowl, mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese, pepper and garlic powder.
5. Spread the mixture over chicken and sprinkle the top with remaining Parmesan cheese.
6. If freezing, cover tightly and freeze for cooking later.
7. Bake for 1 hour or until a thermometer inserted in the breasts reads 165.  
8. Serve over riced cauliflower or serve alone. The sauce is delicious, so you want to be sure to have a side dish that can soak it up.

Yield: 4 chicken breasts with sauce.

Boston Baked Beans in Ceramic Pot

Hey gang, I needed a place to post my recipes so I decided I would start a blog. So the first recipe is, fittingly, taken from my big brother, Tad. This is a variation of the recipe that he and his wife gave us along with the authentic ceramic bean pot as a Christmas gift this year. I have made beans in the pot several times and I use his specified preparation of the beans, onions and salt pork. The changes I made are in the sauce preparation.

This recipe calls for an authentic ceramic bean pot with lid. My brother and his wife gave us an antique one, they being pretty abundant on Flea-Bay. You can also find them at kitchen stores new, like this one. The is recipe will fill a 3 quart pot.