Food for Thought – January 31, 2017

By NANCY ZAMBELL

For The Vista

This recipe started off as Bruschetta Chicken Bake, but it didn’t look like it had enough sauce, so I just started adding more sauce and extra cheese! By the time I was finished, it tasted a lot like Chicken Parmesan, so I served it over angel hair pasta. And it was delicious!

Modified Chicken Parmesan

1 1/2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – cubed

1 tsp salt

1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes with juice

1/2 c water

1 T minced garlic

1 (6 oz) box chicken-flavored dry bread stuffing mix (or 1⁄2 pkg. of Pepperidge Farm stuffing of your choice)

3 c shredded mozzarella cheese

1 T Italian seasoning

1 jar spaghetti sauce

1/4 c Parmesan cheese (optional)

Serve with angel hair pasta, or the spaghetti noodle of your choice.

Preheat oven to 400°. Spray a 9×13-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. Toss the cubed chicken with the salt in a large bowl. Place the chicken in a layer into the bottom of the baking dish. Stir together tomatoes, water, garlic, and stuffing mix in a large bowl; set aside to soften. Sprinkle 1/2 the cheese on top of the chicken, then sprinkle with the Italian seasoning. Spread the softened stuffing mixture on top. Pour spaghetti sauce on top of that and sprinkle with remaining cheese. (You can also add some shredded Parmesan cheese for added flavor).

Bake uncovered until the chicken cubes have turned white and are no longer pink in the center, about 40-45 minutes.