WFD: August 8, 2011 - Chicken, pasta, asparagus

I wanted to make a nice dinner for my dad (and the rest of the family) to thank him for fixing the latch on the trunk of my car, and this is what I came up with...

First I marinated the chicken (I think it was 6 boneless, skinless breasts) in this:

1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp black pepper (ground)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup white wine

We don't keep fresh herbs in the house, but we have a TON of dried herbs and spices, so that's what I use.  After marinating the chicken for about 3 hours, I cooked them a bit on both sides (in a grill pan) until they became opaque on those sides, then I popped them into the oven to finish cooking. I had preheated the oven to 370 degrees (Fahrenheit) and baked them for 25 minutes (covered in foil for 20, and uncovered for the last 5), checking them periodically. They stayed really moist which was my goal, and they weren't over or underdone, so hurray!

For side dishes, I just did a rotini pasta with a garlic butter sauce (just butter and garlic powder, honestly) and some veggies in it, and then some steamed asparagus with grated Parmesan cheese on it. The vegetables are all frozen ones.

Normally I'm more of a crock pot person/casserole, so while this isn't a fancy meal, it's not my usual thing. I still baked the chicken versus grilling or boiling or anything, but it went over well.