Some Banquet Recipes for You!

I've had several requests to share recipes from the Christmas Banquet back in December, so I'm finally getting around to it!  The most-requested recipes were the Parmesan Roasted Potatoes and the Chicken in Basil Cream Sauce, so I thought I'd post those two.  The potatoes actually come from one of our old church cookbooks. . .a recipe shared by Jean Fleming and Deanna Wylie.  The chicken recipe was one of the zillions I've found off the internet (I'm a bit of a recipe collector).

Parmesan Roasted Potatoes (a.k.a. Golden Parmesan Cheese Potatoes)

6 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed (that's 2 1/2 to 3 lbs.)
1 c. Bisquick
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 stick butter
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Combine Bisquick, Parmesan and ranch dressing mix in a large bowl or a Ziploc bag.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Toss the potatoes in the mixture (shake them in the bag if you're using a Ziploc).  Place them into a 9 x 13 dish.  Melt butter and pour it over the potatoes.  Bake about 30-40 minutes, turning occasionally, until potatoes are tender and golden brown.  Note:  you can also sprinkle the ranch dressing mix on after the potatoes are in the pan--it will work either way.

Chicken in Basil Cream Sauce

1/4 c. milk
1/2 c. dry bread crumbs
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast (4 halves)
3 T. butter
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 4 oz. can sliced pimientos
1/4 cup fresh basil, minced
1/2 cup grated parmesan (you can use the jarred stuff, but freshly grated will probably give you a better flavor)
1/8 tsp. pepper

Heat skillet over medium high heat.  Place milk and bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls.  Dip chicken in milk and then coat with crumbs (I added a little salt and pepper to the crumbs).  Add chicken to the skillet with half the butter and cook about five minutes.  Flip the chicken, add the remaining butter and cook another five minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  Remove chicken from pan and keep warm.

Add broth to the skillet.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, scraping the bottom of the pan.  Stir in cream and pimientos; boil and stir for one minute.  Reduce heat and add parmesan, basil and pepper.  Cook and stir until heated through.  Serve chicken with sauce poured over the top.

Christina's notes:  Because I was cooking this recipe for 300, I made multiple batches of sauce in a separate pan, but it's better if you can make it in the same pan that the chicken was cooked in.  I cut the basil and pimientos down a bit, partly for cost reasons and partly because basil is a fairly strong herb, especially to those who do not love basil.

To help my chicken be tender and cook evenly, I pound it to an even thickness.  Use the flat side of your meat mallet, and don't obliterate the poor chicken!

ENJOY!!  Cook without fear!