The Tastes from Home with Frito-Lay Recipe Contest & Giveaway!

I was asked to, by invitation-only, to be apart of The Tastes from Home with Frito-Lay Recipe Contest! To be a part of this contest I just needed to submit a recipe that reminds me of home. I chose to come up with my own recipe, combining tastes from my dad's garden, and a chicken recipe that my mom always used to make. Whenever I'd come home from school, on some days, my mom would be baking chicken for dinner, and I have to admit it was delicious. Just recently my dad started growing his own garden in the backyard, filled with peppers, onions, tomatoes, eggplants, basil, green beans, and even strawberries! I can honestly say that the vegetables and fruit taste so fresh and delicious. I would suggest to anyone who wants to grow their own food, or wants to cut their grocery bill down, definitely start growing your own fruits and vegetables.

So anyways, here's my recipe - inspired by my backyard, and my parents, in Jersey.

Bruschetta Chicken with Pasta

yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

for the Chicken:
4 chicken breasts
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup whole wheat seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated cheese, plus extra for serving
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper
2 large eggs
cooking spray

for the Bruschetta:
8 tomatoes on the vine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup basil leaves
salt and pepper
1 baguette of french bread

for the Pasta:
1 box pasta, I chose penne
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Butter

Directions:


1. Adjust an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 475 degrees F.
2. Combine the breadcrumbs in a shallow dish, then add the parmesan cheese.
3. In a second shallow dish, combine the flour, garlic powder, 1 tbsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. of pepper together.
4. In a third shallow dish, whisk together the eggs.
5. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray the foil with vegetable/canola oil spray.  Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper.  Lightly dredge each chicken piece in the flour to coat completely, shaking off the excess.  Then dip into the eggs and finally coat with the breadcrumb mixture.  Press on the breadcrumbs to make sure they adhere.  Place the chicken pieces on the prepared baking sheet and put aside.

6. Parboil the tomatoes for one minute in boiling water. Drain, and using a sharp knife, or your fingers, take the skins off. Once peeled, cut them in half and quarters and remove the seeds and juice from their centers. Cut and discard stem area.

7. Chop the tomatoes finely.
8. Mix tomatoes, garlic, 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, and balsamic vinegar in a bowl. Add the chopped basil, and salt and pepper to taste. 

9. Put chicken into the oven for 15 minutes. 
10. Start the pasta - when done drain and add butter. 
11. Cut baguette and add butter. Toast baguette in the oven, while chicken in still cooking. 
12. Take chicken out when done. 


To prepare the plate:


1. Take a good amount of pasta and put on the plate. 
2. Add 1 piece of chicken over the pasta. 
3. Place the bruschetta on top of the chicken. 
4. Place a piece of toasted baguette on top
5. Season with salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese, if wanted. 

The Contest & Giveaway

Now although I have yet to try any of these delicious new Region Inspired Frito-Lay chips, I can just tell by the description below that they are not only going to be delicious, but they're going to be healthy, healthier than a plain bagel to be exact, and who doesn't like to be healthy now-a-days, especially when you can eat chips!

• These chips were inspired by popular American regional cuisine and include:

• Northeastern U.S. – Lay’s Honey Mustard
• Midwestern U.S. – Lay’s Creamy Garden Ranch
• Northwestern U.S. – Lay’s Balsamic Sweet Onion
• Southwestern U.S. – Lay’s Chipotle Ranch
• Southeastern U.S. – Lay’s Cajun Herb & Spice
• All of the Lay’s Regional Flavored potato chips are made with all natural ingredients, and are cooked in healthier oils so they contain 0 grams of trans fats per serving! 
• There’s also less sodium in them than you might think – a 1-oz serving of our Lay’s Regional Flavored potato chips contains less salt than a plain bagel!

If it were up to me, I'd want to try the Lay's Balsamic Sweet Onion, and Lay's Cajun Herb & Spice. I'm also quite fond of honey mustard, but I know that I could buy that in my local store, since it's in my region ;]

So I have, for my readers and followers, a variety pack of Lay's Regional Flavors potato chips!

How To Enter:

Be a follower of my blog and let me know in a comment a flavor or recipe that reminds you of home!  

*Be sure to include your email so I can contact the winner.

I will be choosing a winner a week from today on August 30th, at midnight using a random number generator - so get your entries in before then! You will have 48 hours to respond. If there is no response, I will randomly select another winner. Open to US residents only. Good luck!

*Note of Disclosure: Frito-Lay provided me with the chips, as well as any information about the chips, and my blog post is a form of entry for the contest.