Creamy Italian Chicken, Potato and Vegetable Dinner (Tin Foil Dinner)

10-18-11 Muir Fresh Harvest Bundle recipe suggestion #3:

Ahhhh, the joy of cooking in the Fall mountains!

(This is me and my little cutie Elena.)

(Man! those are some pretty veggies!)

I have been all worried that I was going to miss enjoying the gorgeous fall leaves in the mountains this year, because I have been traveling, and have been so busy that I haven't made it up the canyon for a while! I promised myself that this last weekend I would make some "mountain time" for our family! Fall is just too amazing in Utah to not relish every moment of it!

I am so so glad that we went up Millcreek Canyon for an impromptu cook-out on Sunday... It was fabulous. The leaves were still so pretty, and the weather couldn't have been more lovely. I invited some of my family to join us, and we made tin foil dinners to cook over the fire! YUM! There really is something about cooking over a fire up in the mountains that feeds your soul. It is a happy thing if there ever was one. :)

It was a great opportunity for me to use up a bunch of my fresh produce from my Seasonal Harvest Bundle too! I have been loving the Cremini Mushrooms, and have almost eaten them all up!

Here is what I came up with for the tin foil dinners. They may have been one of my favorites I have ever made. They can get whipped up pretty quick too!

Creamy Italian Chicken, Potato and Vegetable Tin Foil Dinner:

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 Yukon Gold potatoes (pre-cooked), washed, and rough chopped

For veggie stir fry:

1 cup Cremini mushrooms, washed and sliced

1/2 large red onion, rough chopped

1 large whole carrot, peeled and diced

2 jalapenos, seeded and small diced

1/2 Anaheim pepper, seeded and chopped

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Sprinkle of cayenne pepper to taste

Juice of 1/2 lemon

For Chicken:

10 chicken tenderloins

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Sprinkle of either crushed, roasted garlic, or garlic powder

Sprinkle of cayenne pepper to taste

1/2 cup Creamy Italian Sauce, (prepared as directed)

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 lemon, washed and thinly sliced

Creamy Italian Sauce:

1 16 ounce container low fat sour cream

1 packet Good Season's Italian Dressing mix

(Mix these together well and set aside in the fridge.)

*You only need 1/2 cup of the prepared sauce, but the rest will be great for dipping raw veggies in, or with eggs at breakfast along with many other uses. :) 

Preparation:

1. Chop and prepare all veggies as suggested. In a medium pan, heat olive oil to medium heat. 

2. Add carrots and seasonings, cook for approx. 2 minutes, then add the rest of the veggies. (do not add the potatoes!)

3. Cook until carrots are almost done. Remove from heat and set aside.

4. Make sure you have your potatoes ready. 

**I have a little secret weapon that I use for my potatoes! My awesome sister Sandy gave me a home made "microwave potato bag" as a gift, and it is a miracle worker!!! All you have to do is wash your potatoes, wrap them in a wet paper towel and place them in the "potato bag". You can microwave them on your potato setting, and they come out perfect! It is a gem. Here is a link to a video on you tube that shows you how to make them: MAKING THE "POTATO BAG" They are so easy and a must in the kitchen!

5. In the same skillet add the other 2 tablespoons of olive oil and heat over medium heat. Meanwhile season your chicken with salt, pepper, garlic, and cayenne.

6. Add chicken to oil and brown on both sides.

7. Drizzle lemon juice over chicken and scatter lemon slices on top. 

8. Pour creamy Italian sauce over chicken and lemons. Cook for an few more minutes until chicken is cooked through. 

9. When chicken is done, remove chicken tenders and lemon slices and set aside on a plate. Simmer remaining sauce for about 2 more minutes, then set sauce aside.

10. Now it is time to get your food arranged into your tinfoil!

Get your potatoes, veggie stir fry mixture, chicken and additional sauce in an assembly line. 

Tear 8 12 inch sheets of tin foil and stack them in 4 piles of 2 each.

11. Divide food between the 4 doubled sheets of foil in this order:

A- Yukon Gold Potatoes

B- Veggie Stir Fry 

C- Creamy Lemon Chicken

D- Additional Sauce

12. Take the long edges of the tin foil, and bring them up to meet in the middle. Fold over several times to close the top. Roll up the sides of the foil. Now you are ready to get up the canyon and get cookin'!!!

13. To cook your tin foil dinners over the fire:

Get some coals ready in your fire pit, place a grate over the fire and arrange your tin foil dinners over the coals on the grate. You don't want to cook them over a huge flame or they may burn. Your food is pretty much pre-cooked, so you don't need to have them over the fire for too long, just long enough to heat them through well. 

Enjoy!

*** This meal would be great as a tin foil dinner, or just served in your own kitchen.  I made some delish Blackberry and Blueberry Cobbler served with vanilla ice cream for dessert!

:)

Happy fall everyone! I hope you are savoring your fall weather before it is gone!