basil

All posts tagged basil

For real, I’m back. With Chunky Tomato Basil Soup.

Published February 15, 2016 by jenmatteson

Can you believe it – it’s me! I’m back(ish). I’ve had far too many requests for me to return to my blog, so that is precisely what I’m going to do (trying…). It’s easy to become distracted and/or complacent, which is exactly what I’ve been up to the last year. I have had a wonderful year of memories with my family, closest friends and new friends! In case you’re curious, here’s a quick hit list of the year’s events in hindsight:

Ladies winter wine party 2015
A trip to Sonoma County, CA with some of our best friends
Lake time at cabins which are not ours 🙂
Ladies summer wine party
My first trip to Moondance Jam with a mini-flood and tons of rockin’ music
State softball tournament with our first place team
Annual canoe trip down the Namekogen River in WI
Annual end of the summer party
Las Vegas for bachelor/bachelorette party
Wedding in beautiful Saint Paul for aforementioned bachelor and bachelorette
Apres Ski themed Friendsgiving
Hunger Games marathon party
New Years Eve bash
Snow tube soiree
Scuba diving trip to Bonaire
and finally, a yet another ladies winter wine tasting party

Wow, quite a year! And these are only highlights. Oddly many ending in “party”.

It’s now the deepest part of winter, and the current temperature as I write this is 5 degrees. I don’t even want to mention the wind chill over the last few days. My tan from Bonaire is fading fast, and I have been craving something to warm me to the core. Soup seemed to be the answer here…

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Tomato soup. Chunky tomato soup. Chunky tomato basil soup. What could be better. I choose a recipe with canned tomatoes for two reasons. 1. Its the middle of winter, so I don’t have an overwhelming amount of tomatoes flourishing in my garden (try none). 2. I find that fresh tomatoes tend to be a bit more watery than their canned counterpart. I used whole peeled tomatoes so I could control chunkiness, but you could use diced if you prefer. It would be far less messy!

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I loved this soup because it tastes creamy and rich, but there is no cream. There is a touch of butter, which surprisingly adds a luxurious texture. The basil gives a nice fresh balance to the acidity of the tomatoes. Overall a perfect soup to cure your winter blues!

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Chunky Tomato Basil Soup

Source: Adapted from The Roasted Root
Servings: 10-12

Ingredients:

olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
8 cloves garlic, minced
3 oz fresh basil leaves, chopped
3 28 oz cans whole peeled tomatoes with juices
2 cups vegetable stock (I used chicken broth as that’s what I had on hand)
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tsp baking soda
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until soft and slightly browned, about 10 minutes.
Add garlic and cook another 3 minutes.
Open canned tomatoes and dice, reserving juices. Add tomatoes and juices, stock, basil and butter to the onions. Stir until butter is melted and incorporated.
Add baking soda (*Note: this will cause the soup to bubble up, but bubbles subside after stirring for a minute).
Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Meatless Monday: Basil Portobello Hoagie

Published April 14, 2014 by jenmatteson

Final trial veggie sandwich before the shower…

I must say, it was wonderful, but I sure wish I had more Portobello, because not only does the hoagie look slightly un-plump, but I could have really used a little more veg and less bread. Don’t get me wrong, the entire thing was wonderful, but I wouldn’t have been upset with more mushrooms. Who could be?

I roasted my own peppers for this sandwich (soups easy), as well as used homemade hummus. Feel free to speed up the process with jarred roasted red peppers and/or pre-made hummus. This was another vegan try for the baby shower, and while I think taste-wise this was my favorite, it would be too difficult to keep warm and leave out for several guests. So, I’ve decided on the Hummus Supreme!

But go ahead and give this one a try too. I made this when it was still freezing in MN, which wasn’t too long ago, so I didn’t grill the Portobello. I just sautéed them in some olive oil quickly on the stovetop.

Portobello Hoagie

Source:
Servings: 2

Ingredients:

4 large Portobello caps
2 hoagies, or about 2 5-inches pieces of French bread, cut in half lengthwise
1/4 cup hummus
6-8 fresh basil leaves
1 roasted red pepper (approximately 1/2 cup jarred)

Directions:

1. If grilling, preheat grill to medium high heat. Brush mushrooms with olive oil, and grill until just tender, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove from heat, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and let rest. Slice into 1/2-inch strips. If you are using your stovetop, Slice mushrooms into long strips, about 1/2-inch thick. Preheat olive oil in a small skillet over medium high heat. Add mushrooms and cook over moderate heat until just softened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest.

2. Meanwhile, divide hummus evenly and spread on both sides of bread. Layer with basil leaves, roasted red pepper and sliced Portobellos. Close and enjoy!

Meatless Monday: Balsamic Roasted Veggie Wrap

Published February 24, 2014 by jenmatteson

I am getting really tired of this winter. All these veggie sandwiches makes me excited to start planting my garden and having fresh produce at my fingertips daily! But alas, it’s still awful cold out 😦 To try to get into the spring state of mind, I wanted to try another veggie option for my friend’s baby shower, and this time, it’s a roasted wrap! This takes a bit longer than the hummus supreme sandwich, as you have to first salt the eggplant and let the excess water drain, then wait for the vegetables to roast 😦 But don’t worry, the wait is worth it.

The veggies are soft and sweet and the arugula adds a little crunch and extra freshness. I would make a large batch of the roasted veggies so you can have this wrap every day for lunch, ready to go. Cold or warm, it’s delicious. You could use lavish, pita or tortilla wrap, like I did.

Roasted Vegetable Wrap

Source: Inspired by Vegan Soul Power
Servings: Makes about 4 wraps

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant (or 2 small), peeled and cut into 1/2″ dice
kosher salt
2 zucchini, cut into 1/2″ dice
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 pint button mushrooms, rough chopped
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (I used blood orange balsamic, but use what you like/have)
fresh cracked pepper
16-20 basil leaves
1 cup arugula
4 tortilla wraps

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Place diced eggplant in colander and sprinkle generously with salt. Toss to coat evenly. Set over bowl or sink and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Excess water will begin to drain from eggplant.

2. To a large bowl, add eggplant, zucchini, cherry tomatoes and mushrooms. Drizzle with olive oil and half the vinegar. Add salt and pepper and toss to coat evenly. Transfer vegetables to prepared baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes. Halfway through, flip vegetables. With 5 minutes remaining, drizzle additional vinegar over vegetables. Remove from oven and cool slightly.

3. Divide basil and arugula among tortilla wraps, and top with roasted vegetables. Wrap as desired and enjoy!

Pesto Chicken and Quinoa Salad (Gluten-Free)

Published January 23, 2014 by jenmatteson

Do you ever feel overwhelmed with the amount of odds and ends in your refrigerator that are on the edge of going bad? Maybe ‘overwhelmed’ isn’t the correct word – terrified seems more like it. At least for me. I hate wasting, and I despise throwing food away because I’ve let it go bad. In fact, it even irks me when other people let food go bad and have to throw it away. I know, this is a bit of an issue. But, there are starving kids in …. well, you know. Don’t get me wrong, if it has gone bad, throw it out. But, my point is that you should be aware of what you’ve got and what needs to be used up before meeting it’s demise.

I truly just threw this salad together one day with a ton of leftover stuff in my fridge (cooked quinoa, shredded chicken and shredded cabbage), and it was so good, I had to re-create it and share it with you. This is a fantastic, healthy, fresh salad. It is packed with flavor, it’s quick, and is a perfect weekday lunch! It’d even be great to bring camping, on a picnic, or even to a potluck. Bonus, it’s gluten-free! Don’t have these leftovers in your fridge, it’s okay, you could use rice or couscous instead of quinoa (of course, these alternates aren’t GF); turkey or beans instead of chicken; and broccoli slaw, arugula or spinach instead of cabbage. Get creative!

What has been your favorite recipe you’ve made with leftovers?

Pesto Chicken and Quinoa Salad

Source: Pigzilla Original
Servings:

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked quinoa
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded
1/2 cup shredded cabbage (broccoli slaw would be great, too!)
2 tbsp. basil pesto
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper
2 green onions, chopped

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together quinoa, chicken, cabbage and sun-dried tomatoes. Stir in pesto until evenly coated.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar and olive oil. Pour over salad a little at a time until coated as desired. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with green onions.

Thai it, you’ll like it! Thai Basil Chicken

Published April 3, 2013 by jenmatteson

When I lived in lowertown St. Paul, I had an abundance of options for food (if I wasn’t in the mood for cooking, of course). Not only that, but most of them would deliver. Score! Now that I live out in the ‘burbs, our delivery is limited to Chinese or pizza 😦 One of my favorite places to get take out from was Sawatdee. I fell in love with this Thai place after the first time a friend of mine brought me there. I couldn’t believe what I’d been missing, and it was just up the block from me! One of the best things about it is was you could order anything on the menu, with a pepper number (1-5, 1 being very little heat, 5 being insane hot). So for example, I’d get the vegetable curry fried rice, with four peppers. It always seemed to depend on who the chef was, as sometimes a 4 pepper was too hot for me, and sometimes it was perfect. Since they had such huge portions, I ordered most stuff a 3 pepper so Nate and I could share whatever we got.

One of my favorite dishes that Nate ordered was Thai basil chicken. I love basil, but it didn’t really appeal to me on the menu. I think of basil and I think of only one flavor. I don’t at all think to pair it with spice. Until I tried that dish. It was out-of-this-world flavorful and amazing! Which is exactly why I saved this recipe as soon as I saw it.

One ingredient I will never understand is fish sauce. That stuff smells so disgusting, its terrifying putting in dishes because you are afraid to ruin it. However, while it smells like nasty dead fish that have been sitting in the sun for the last week, it actually adds a delicious rich flavor to dishes. It’s pretty much a staple for Thai cooking. One thing I just learned is that the longer the fish sauce ferments, the less horrible smell it has. This means it’s not a bad idea to invest in something a little more pricey – assuming it’s been fermented longer (which is usually the case). Now I know for next time!

I had some leftover basil in my fridge that I wanted to use up (though it wasn’t Thai basil), and everything else is definitely a staple in my kitchen, so I didn’t even have to go out of my way to make this. The result was just as good as the take out, with the benefit of knowing exactly what went in it. I’d likely use Thai chilies instead of Serrano chilies, but I still had two left from making coconut lime chicken with chilies from a few nights ago. I cannot wait to have this again very soon!

Thai Basil Chicken

Source: Adapted from Cooking by Moonlight
Servings: 4

Ingredients:

olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, chopped
1 Serrano chili, chopped finely (seeded for less heat)
1 red bell pepper, sliced thinly
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced (about 1″)
3 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp lime juice
1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped basil
1 cup basmati rice, cooked

Directions:

1. In a large skillet or wok, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic, shallot, Serrano chili and red bell pepper. Saute until they begin to soften, about 3-5 minutes.

2. Add chicken and saute until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes total.

3. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add fish sauce, lime juice and brown sugar. Stir and let simmer until sauce begins to thicken, 10-15 minutes. The longer you simmer, the thicker the sauce. Once the sauce reached desired consistency, remove from heat and stir in basil. Serve over rice.

Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup

Published February 26, 2013 by jenmatteson

When the cat’s away, the mouse will play! Nate is gone fishing again this weekend, which means I get to keep myself busy with some cooking. It’s not exactly prime tomato season, but it certainly is perfect soup season! We just got a small snow storm, which was super awesome for traffic, but even better for sitting at home with a kitty or two, and some homemade soup.

Roasting the tomatoes for this soup really amp up the flavor. It’s key! I adapted Nicole’s recipe only by adding basil. This would be great with a little cream (add after boiling) for an added rich flavor. For those of you who like cheese, this is a wonderful soup to go along with your gourmet grilled cheese. I thought this crusty sourdough bread was perfect for dipping in my soup!

If I get a bazillion tomatoes from my garden or from my dad’s this summer, I’ll be making much more of this soup to throw in the freezer so we can have it anytime! It’s so simple and so delicious!

Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup

Source: Adapted from Prevention RD
Servings: 4

Ingredients:

3 lbs plum tomatoes, halved and seeded
4 cloves garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
kosher salt and cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme (fresh would work, but I didn’t have any on hand)
1/4 cup fresh basil, minced
5 cups low-sodium vegetable stock

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place tomatoes and garlic cloves on a foil lined baking sheet, cut side up. Sprinkle generously with salt and black pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and roast for 60 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. Peel garlic cloves.

2. Transfer tomatoes, garlic and any accumulated juices into a food processor or blender. Pulse until they form a chunky puree. Transfer to a medium stock pot and add thyme, basil and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 25 minutes. Remove from heat and adjust seasonings to taste.

TBA (Turkey, Bacon, Avocado) on Tomato Basil

Published February 12, 2013 by jenmatteson

If you haven’t tried this tomato basil bread yet, you’re really missing out. What are you waiting for? Of course I just made it on Saturday night, and so I was dying to make a sandwich with it for lunch on Sunday. It snowed all day on Sunday, and while Nate headed out to shovel for the second time, I started these sandwiches. To take it to the next level, I even broke out the Panini press! Oh yeah 😉

I added a little mozzarella to Nate’s sandwich (we had a tiny bit in the fridge that I just wanted to use up), but of course I loved it without . There was so much flavor, I wouldn’t even know where to begin explaining it. Crisp salty bacon, creamy avocado, oven roasted turkey, and fresh, fluffy tomato and basil bread. It was a perfect little lunch on a snowy day. I also brough one for lunch today – minus the bacon and Panini pressed part. Looking forward to lunch in a few minutes…

TBA on Tomato Basil

Source: Pigzilla Original
Servings: 2 sandwiches

Ingredients:

4 slices tomato basil bread
2 tbsp low-fat mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
16 leaves fresh spinach
sliced red onion
1/2 lb oven roasted turkey
4 slices cooked bacon
1/2 avocado, sliced thin
mozzarella (if desired)

Directions:

1. Spread 1 tbsp of mayonnaise on two slices of bread. After the mayonnaise, layer each slice with 8 spinach leaves, sliced red onion, 1/4 lb oven roasted turkey, two slices bacon and avocado slices (add mozzarella if desired). Top each with remaining slices of bread.

2. Place sandwich on heated Panini grill. Press and cook for 2-4 minutes. Keep an eye on it so the bread doesn’t burn. Remove, slice, and enjoy!

Tomato Basil Bread: Panera Copycat

Published February 10, 2013 by jenmatteson

I have been eyeing a KitchenAid stand mixer for a few months now. When they first came out – okay, when they first came out again a few years back – I wasn’t buying into all the hype. But I also didn’t cook and bake nearly as much as I do now. I was completely satisfied with my hand mixer – seriously.

Nate and I moved in together in the summer of 2011, which meant the marrying of our stuff. He had an old Krups stand mixer that was a hand-me-down from Mama Marsha. I’m quite sure he never used it. But, I made some really good use out of it over the last year and half. Here’s what it looks like:

Once I started baking a little more, I realized that it didn’t have quite as much power as I thought it should – it couldn’t handle large bread doughs and thick cookie doughs. Finally, I came to the conclusion that I should invest in a new stand mixer for myself (I rarely spend a lot of money on anything, let alone kitchen gadgets – unless you count my awesome fridge!). Like almost any large purchase I make, I did a lot of research before making a decision on what I wanted. From what I found, the new Cuisinart and KitchenAid were fairly similar. Part of the reason I went with the majority and wanted the KitchenAid was because Mama Marsha had one, so we could swap attachments.

Just last week, I got my 20% off one item coupon for Bed, Bath, and Beyond, plus I saw that KitchenAid had a $30 mail-in rebate, which made the $350 Artisan Series $250 – a $100 savings! I immediately told Nate that I was going to get it, to which he responded, “no”. After a conversation, he said he didn’t think it was money we needed to be spending now, which I understand, but was sort of annoyed as I rarely buy myself anything, I’ve wanted this for a while, and I had the patience to wait until I could get it $100 less than regular price. But, I agreed, and begrudgingly decided not to buy it. 😦

Turns out, his parents had purchased one for us for his birthday/our Valentine’s Day gift. I found out the next day. I was so surprised and super excited to start using it. Mama Marsha said it wasn’t the Artisan Series, which I didn’t really mind – as far as I know, the only difference is the Artisan has more power and a larger work bowl. Anything was an upgrade from what I’d been using! Here is my new baby:

I knew the first thing I wanted to make was bread – my sworn enemy. I had recently had lunch at Panera Bread, and I have always loved the tomato basil bread. I get it on any sandwich I order. It’s so light but packs so much flavor! After a quick Google search, I found quite a few copycat recipes. I’m not sure why, but I settled on a recipe from The Keenan Cookbook. It was a fantastic choice on my part, because this bread turned out so tasty! It was hard to be in the kitchen while this was baking. The tomato and basil combo smelled heavenly, which is exactly how the bread tasted. Someday, I’ll master this bread thing…but I think this is a great start!

Tomato Basil Bread

Source: Adapted from The Keenan Cookbook
Servings: 1 loaf

Ingredients:

2 1/4 tsp dry active yeast
3/4 cup warm water (110-115 degrees)
1/4 cup fresh basil, minced
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
2 1/2 – 2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a dough hook, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add basil, parmesan, tomato paste, sugar, olive oil, salt and crushed red pepper. Gently stir until ingredients are combined. Add 2 cups flour and start mixer. Once dough begins to come together, add an additional 1/2 cup flour. Add additional flour if needed to form a stiff dough. Continue kneading dough for 1-2 minutes in mixer, or by hand for 3-5 minutes.

2. Transfer dough to greased bowl, turning once to cover all sides of dough with oil. Cover with damp cloth and let rise until doubled in size, about one hour, in a warm place.

3. Punch dough down and knead for 1 minute. Shape into a round loaf and transfer to a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise for another hour.

4. With a sharp knife, cut a large “x” into the top of the loaf. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

B.L.T. with Poached Egg and Basil Mayo

Published September 30, 2012 by jenmatteson

I’m still on tomato overload and finally made our first B.L.T.s with them (I really can’t believe it’s taken this long!). However, I wanted to make them a little fancy, so I added a poached egg and basil mayo. Not that B.L.T.s alone aren’t good enough, because let’s face it, bacon and fresh from the garden tomatoes, YUM! But, I thought the egg would add just a little bit of class (because “money can’t buy you class”, right Countess LuAnn?). I love basil on my B.L.T.s, but didn’t have any on hand. I went for the next best thing and mixed an equal amounts of basil pesto and Miracle Whip (mayonnaise would work just fine, but we prefer the tangy zip of the Whip).

Taking a picture of this beauty was another story. Of course, as mentioned previously (and probably in many posts to come this winter), the pictures aren’t very good since it gets so dark so soon now-a-days (yes, I’m blaming light, not my photography skills, and I can because I haven’t yet invested in one of those super fancy lights). Not only does the lighting suck, but I was afraid to put the top of the sandwich on and cut it, because of course, the beautifully poached egg would puncture. That’s the point of the sandwich in the first place, but trying to capture that moment when the yolk leaks out of the egg and all over the rest of the sandwich is an art. Which is precisely why I am not a food photographer, or even a photographer in general!

This was really good. Nate didn’t even speak a word while putting it down. Very quick, very easy, and if you can’t or don’t want to poach an egg, you can always use a fried over easy egg. Works the same!

B.L.T. with Poached Egg and Basil Mayo

Source: Pigzilla Original
Servings: 2 sandwiches

Ingredients:

2 tsp distilled vinegar
2 eggs
2 tbsp basil pesto
2 tbsp Miracle Whip (or mayonnaise)
4 slices whole wheat bread, toasted
16 leaves spinach, washed and dried
1 large tomato, sliced
6 slices bacon, cooked

Directions:

1. Fill a large sauce pan with water and add vinegar. Bring to a low simmer. Slowly add eggs, one at a time (tips for a perfectly poached egg). Cook for about 3 minutes, until whites are set and yolks are warm and runny.

2. Combine pesto and Miracle Whip in a small bowl. Spread on one side of the four slices of toasted bread. Layer one slice of bread with spinach, tomato, bacon, and top with poached egg. Add second slice of bread and serve immediately.

Chicken and Basil Stuffed Twice Baked Potatoes

Published August 28, 2012 by jenmatteson

I’ve had this recipe on my “to try” list for a while, but since we don’t eat a lot of potatoes, I haven’t had any on hand recently. Until a few days ago, when I got a bag on sale (SCORE!), and I had this recipe in mind. Plus, I had bunches of basil – seemingly my only hearty herb to grow this summer – to use up.

This recipe comes from Nicole, at Prevention RD. I love her recipes and she’s so incredibly awesome, she’s working on her first cookbook! I had to laugh as I made this last night, and this morning was the big reveal of the most recent Recipe Swap: Bloggers Choice. You don’t know who has your blog until the day the swaps are revealed, but I woke up this morning to find that Nicole had my blog. Wow! I was really excited because I’ve made tons of her recipes, but then I thought, it must have been hard for her to pick something from my blog, since so many recipes are already hers! But, she settled on my Pesto Chicken Pinwheels, and made Pesto Chicken Roll-Ups. Sounds like it was a hit!

Her recipe was a hit in the Pigzilla household, too! If you don’t already have cooked chicken on hand, these can be a little putzy, but totally worth it. You could always use rotisserie chicken or some leftover from another meal. I didn’t have any, so I had to cook the chicken first, then the potatoes. I was shocked by how flavorful these were. The lemon juice in the sauce really pops, so don’t omit it! I omitted the parmesan in my own, not Nate’s, so I’m sure his was extra flavorful. Not only are these really easy, but it’s an incredibly cheap meal! I love saving a few bucks 😛 You could even use another herb if you have it on hand. I think rosemary would be delicious, and that may be going in my next batch of these stuffed tatters!

What is your favorite meal to make on a dime?

Chicken and Basil Stuffed Twice Baked Potatoes

Source: Adapted from Prevention RD
Servings: 4

Ingredients:

2 large baking potatoes, scrubbed and dried
olive oil
kosher salt
1/2 onion, diced
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup milk (or half and half)
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
small handful basil, chopped
1/2 cup parmesan, divided
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper to taste
1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Prick potatoes all over with a fork and place on baking sheet. Spray with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Flip and repeat. Bake until tender when pricked, about 45-60 minutes, depending on size of potato.

2. While potatoes are cooking, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute for 3-4 minutes, until tender. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in milk and broth and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

3. After sauce has simmered for 10 minutes, add basil, 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese and lemon juice. Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

4. Once the potatoes are finished baking, cut them in half, lengthwise. Let cool for a few minutes until you are able to handle them. Scoop out the insides, leaving a thin shell around the outside. Combine the insides of the potatoes with the chicken, then add the sauce. Stir to incorporate all ingredients, then scoop mixture back into the potato shells, over-filling them by an inch or so. Top each stuffed potato half with remaining parmesan cheese.

5. Place stuffed potatoes back in the oven for 10 minutes, turning the oven to broil for the last few minutes to brown up the parmesan. Remove and let cool for a few minutes before serving.