Monday, March 25, 2013

Chicken, Spinach and Feta Frittata for 2 People

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I love a Frittata... That's an Italian version of an egg omelette and they are wonderful.  I started a series called "52 Authentic Italian Recipes" earlier this year.  It only took a couple of months to reach the goal of the series.  While cooking like an Italian grandmother is fast becoming a way of life for my kitchen, the Frittata has become a couple of times a week staple for me.  They are that good, that easy and a perfect way to turn leftovers into gold and dribs and drabs of extra ingredients into a money saving full meal for pennies.

There really is no set recipe for a Frittata, there is a proper technique which I will get to in a second/

For this particular dish, I used the meat from the wings of a Rotisserie Chicken.  Yeap, this delicious fluffy breakfast, a dish that I enjoy the most is made from the least of the store bought, pre-cooked, pre-seasoned bird.  Speaking of series, this is the fifth dish I have made from a single rotisserie chicken.

It started as a challenge, now I am pondering a new series... So far, here's the 4 dishes I made from the single bird...

Breakfast, Cheesy Chicken Monkey Bread for Two People, click the blue letters or the photo to see the recipe blog post.  FANTASTIC, sort of a French toast, savory bread pudding loaded with cheese, chicken, onion and spices.

Made with just the meat from a single Chicken thigh.

I also made fancy sandwich that dressed up a bowl of left over soup...  The Chicken Salad Roll up for Two People happens to be my wife's favorite sandwich.  Made easy with a can of store bought refrigerator biscuits   Creamy cream cheese is the glue that holds more onions, chicken, mushrooms and seasonings.

Made with the meat from the other single chicken thigh.

Needing a main course I came up with a FANTASTIC Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese for Two People.  If you are a fan of those famous bar snack chicken wings you will love this dressed up version.  Tabasco sauce is used to spice up the chicken.  There is even some blue cheese added to copy the dipping sauce.

Made easy with just a single breast from the beloved bird!

I made a lunch recipe. Just about the easiest, fastest lunch recipe you could imagine.  But even better, the recipe for FAST FOOD Smashed Potato and Chicken for 2 People comes in at an affordable $1 a serving. My own version of fast food dollar menu.

And this satisfying delicious cheap  inexpensive meal is made from the meat from both chicken legs.

And yesterday I made another main course, Chicken and Pasta with an Herb Tomato Sauce for 2 People dish (OK, Spaghetti).  Using fresh made or store bought sauce and pasta, equally easy and fast dinner perfect for a weeknight meal.

Made easy with just a single breast from the rotisserie chicken!

So, a breakfast, a lunch, sandwich and a couple of main course dishes... Still plenty of meat left... well, no there is not.  If you add it all up, I only have a couple of chicken wings.  Now honestly more times than not I just start gnawing away on these red headed step children of the meaty bird.  But in fact, each of the wings holds about 1/2 a cup of chicken meat.  More than enough to make a serving. More than enough to make my new favorite breakfast.

And more than enough to make a Frittata.


OK... Here's what I did...


Chicken, Spinach and Feta Frittata for 2 People


Ingredients
  • Meat 2 Wings from 1 Rotisserie Chicken About 1/2 cup Each
  • 4 TBS Butter (Divided, 2 TBS each if making smaller, individual 3 egg frittatas, just about 3 TBS if making a single large 6 egg Frittata).
  • 1/2 Cup Spinach, stems removed, again, 1/2 in each individual Frittata
  • 6 Large Eggs Divided, 3 in a single serve or all 6 in a large Frittata
  • 2 TBS Half and Half, divided if needed
  • 4 TBS Crumbled Feta Cheese, also divided if needed
  • 1 TBS Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
  • Paprika and Basil slivers for garnish
Cooking Directions
  1. This recipe and the amounts of ingredients shown is for either a single 6 Egg Large Frittata or two smaller single serve 3 Egg Frittata. The directions and photos are for the single serve option, but are easily adapted for the larger one...
  2. Pre-heat the oven to the broiler setting
  3. In a NON-STICK Coated oven safe small saute pan (if making a single large Frittata, use the large saute pan), melt the butter over medium high heat.
  4. Add the spinach and saute for a few minutes until the spinach has wilted completely.
  5. Add the chicken and saute for a minute. Spread the spinach/chicken around the saute pan bottom evenly.
  6. Whisk together the eggs a splash of Half and Half.
  7. SLOWLY and gently pour the egg mixture over the chicken/spinach. If you pour too fast, the eggs will push the meat to the sides. Pour gently and the meat/spinach stays as you arranged them.
  8. Sprinkle the Feta on top of the eggs evenly
  9. Continue to cook the eggs over medium high heat until the the edges begin to set, about 2-3 minutes
  10. Move the pan to the oven (re-heated on broil), about 6 inches from the heating element. Close the door and allow to cook for about 2 minutes. the eggs should now be completely set and just beginning to brown.
  11. Remove from the oven, swirl to be sure that the eggs have loosened from the bottom and flip onto a plate. This takes a bit of practice, but soon you can flip onto the center of the plate so the chicken/spinach is now on the top.
  12. Garnish with a sprinkle of Paprika and a few slivers of a couple of Basil leaves
  13. Serve HOT and ENJOY!

OK, this WONDERFUL breakfast does indeed finish up he meat portion of the Rotisserie Bird.  But I still have one more rotisserie trick up my sleeve as I will be using the bones, gristle and bits and pieces of meat to make Chicken Stock... Come back tomorrow for that post.

But in the mean time, I have a few guidelines for my Rotisserie Chicken Challenge...

First, eat well. Anyone can slice the chicken, add bread and mayo and make a sandwich. I like to use the bird as a base for a good tasting meal... Like this good tasting breakfast.

Second, make these dishes for 2. Old farts like Jackie and myself, as well as young couples see lots of recipes that feed 6-8 (or more). In fact, if you read over those "52 Uses for a Rotisserie Chicken." you will see that most of those recipes indeed would feed not only Jackie and myself but our neighbors on both sides as well. Much as I like leftovers, for a change, here's some recipes aimed at two people. This also allows me to stretch my food budget, which leads me to...

Third, even though the base of the meal is the same (chicken), I should be able to get 4 or 5 dishes out of a single bird. So let's see what type of variety I can get out of the rotisserie poultry.

Fourth, keep track of costs. Now this is a little difficult as how much does a couple of TBS of flour cost? So, instead of figuring pennies, let's just agree that pantry items (like flour, sugar, spices) will not be included. Also, I am cheap and I almost always buy things on sale. Case in point, the first recipe I made, the Cheesy Chicken Monkey Bread for Two People,  calls for refrigerator biscuits. If I were going to the store to buy them for a recipe I was going to make today, I would probably buy a generic brand to save money. BUT if you watch the sales like I do and buy extras when I see a good price, you can get a can of Pillsbury "Grands" biscuits, not at the normal $2.50 a can but for $0.99 cents a can.

This culinary intellectual challenge is as much about stretching your dollar as it is about eating good.

And Fifth and finally, I want to do a few very very basic posts meant for non hobbyist cooks. Look over this post. You will see not only my recipe, a few in focus photos that hopefully make you want to give this a try, but also if you scroll past the recipe you will see some more detailed photos and some detailed explanations of what I did, why and how.

So, here's the cost break down...

This is the sixth recipe I made from the Rotisserie Chicken.  I have already listed the cost of the meat as a dollar in each of the recipes.  I buy my birds from Sam's Club, 3 pounds each for $4.88 (rounded up to $5). SO the meat for this recipe is FREE!

I am counting the Basil and Paprika as pantry items (no charge) as the spice is just a sprinkle, the basil I grow from seeds and each is simply a garnish, optional if you are truly making these on a budget.

6 Eggs are about $0.75
The Half and Half is about a quarter... $0.25
1/2 cup Spinach is about $0.50
a couple TBS of Feta is about $0.50
Parmesan Cheese is about another quarter... $0.25

Making the dish cost about $2.25 for two
or just a hair over a dollar per serving.

And as to making the dish... I went into details on the recipe, it really is not difficult at all.  But here are plenty of photos to give you an idea of what I was talking about...












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This simple recipe has been added to my growing list of "52 Breakfast Ideas!"

It's the most important meal of the day.  From fancy to simple, there are always ways to dress up a breakfast dish.  These are the meals that make Bed and Breakfast Inns legendary (and usually easier than you think).

Here's your chance to make your guests Ooh and Aah!
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This recipe has also been added to my growing list of "52 Uses For a Rotisserie Chicken"  (Now close to 100!)...I am so confused... $5.49 for a fully cooked, fully seasoned Oven Roasted, Rotisserie Chicken. Yet shop in the raw meat department and most raw chickens are at best $8 each and usually far closer to $10. Anyone have an answer??? Me either. So, I can either rail against the machine, or learn to embrace the beauty that is the $5 chicken! In this pin are recipes I have made, and recommend. MORE than 52 (I just can't stop)..
You get the idea.  From Scratch Pizza to Chinese Take Out recipes, Lots of Soups and Chili... Appetizers to Main Courses (Still can't find a dessert, but I am looking).  More than enough ideas for that store nought bird to shine with just a little extra work

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