Chicken Stew and Dumplings

This continued cold weather had me in the mood for something hearty and yummy. So, off to my recipe stash to find something to make! I came across and Chicken Stew with Dumplings from the Williams Sonoma One Pot Cookbook. This recipe is listed under the 30 minute meals and it is very simple to make!



This recipe was good...no make that GREAT! The texture and taste of the dumplings was perfect and the stew part was wonderful. Everyone had at least seconds of this one! We had a small amount leftover that my daughter and I shared for lunch the next day. VERY good and very easy!

If you would prefer a crock pot recipe, try this yummy Chicken and Dumplings recipe.



Ingredients

Stew
1 1/2 lb skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces (I used 2 boneless chicken breasts)
2 tbsp unsalted butter
3 carrots, thinly sliced (or about 10 baby carrots)
1 yellow onion, diced
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
2 tbsp flour
4 cups chicken broth (I used low sodium)

Dumplings:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

Melt 2 tbsp of butter in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add to the hot pot. Cook, stirring often, until golden brown, about 4 minutes.


Add the vegetables and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the vegetables begin to soften and the chicken is cooked through, about 4-5 minutes.

Add the flour and cook, stirring for about 2 minutes.

Slowly add the chicken broth and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, make the dumplings. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Using a pastry blender (I use my hands), work the butter into the flour until the mixture forms coarse crumbs the size of peas.

Add the milk and cheese and stir until combined. This should form a soft, slightly sticky dough.

Drop heaping teaspoons of the dough into the boiling stew.

Reduce the heat to low and cover the pot.

Cook over low heat until the dumplings have nearly doubled in size, about 8-10 minutes. Serve immediately.

ENJOY!

Barbeque Chicken Fajita Tacos

There are so many things you can make with chicken and so many ways to make fajita tacos as well! I wasn't sure what I wanted to make, but had some barbecue sauce and chicken so I came up with a chicken taco. I basted the chicken with the sauce and it gave it a hint of flavor without being overpowering. You really could use any sauce you like to baste the chicken with and come up with a tasty fajita taco (or quesadilla, or...). We served the fajita tacos with Mexican Rice and it was a very tasty meal. I found that a sweet sauce worked best for our tastes.


Ingredients (4 servings)

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
your favorite barbecue sauce
1 onion, cut in strips
1 green bell pepper, cut in strips
salt and pepper to taste
flour tortillas
shredded cheese
sour cream (optional)

Directions
Grill the chicken breasts until done, basting as they cook. Remove from pan to cool slightly before slicing (or shredding).

Add onions and peppers to skillet and saute over medium heat until tender. Add salt and pepper.


Heat up tortillas and assemble fajita tacos with meat, onion and peppers and cheese. Top with desired toppings (sour cream, guacamole, etc). You can also pour on a little more barbecue sauce to enhance the flavor.


ENJOY!

Chicken Sandwiches

Have you ever seen a recipe or picture of food in a magazine and think that you just have to make it? I saw a "pulled chicken" sandwich in a magazine a few months ago and really wanted to make it. Since I couldn't remember where I saw it, I had to make a stab at making my own version. This type of recipe is very versatile so try your own version as well! The first time we had this, I used Monterrey Jack cheese and the second time Sharp Cheddar Cheese. Both were good, but I preferred the Cheddar. I think it would be good with Swiss Cheese too...well (as my Dad always says) that is if you like Swiss Cheese! :-) The sour cream/ tomatillo mixture does give it a little tang or kick. If you don't like that, you can simply stir fry some onions, peppers, garlic and chicken and top with cheese- yummy!

Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small red onion, cut in strips
2 cloves garlic, chopped
juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp honey
1 1/2 cups tomatilla salsa (green salsa)
1/4 cup sour cream
meat from 1 rotisserie style chicken, shredded
4 sandwich rolls, split
1 cup cheese, shredded

Directions

Preheat broiler.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and honey, then stir in salsa and heat through. Mix in the sour cream. Stir in the chicken to coat.

Pile the chicken mixture on the roll bottoms. Top with the cheese and broil to melt. Serve immediately.




ENJOY!

Roasted Chicken

Have you ever made a Rotisserie Style chicken? That seems to be one of those things I have never made. But after making this one and seeing how incredibly easy and YUMMY it was, I will definitely be making it again! There are so many recipes that call for chicken that this would be excellent for! I roasted 2 chickens and froze half for another meal. The second meal I made with it was just as moist and yummy! Now that I'm not scared of making one, I can experiment with some different flavors!

Ingredients

4 tsp salt

2 tbsp paprika

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp white pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 onions, quartered

2 (4 lb) whole chickens

Directions

In a small bowl, mix together salt, paprika, onion powder, thyme, white pepper, black pepper, cayenne pepper and garlic powder. Remove and discard giblets from chicken. Rinse chicken cavity and pat dry with paper towel. Rub inside and outside with spice mixture. Place 1 onion into the cavity of each chicken. Place chickens in resealable bag or double wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight, or at least 4-6 hours.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Place chickens in a roasting pan. Bake uncovered for 5 hours, to a minimum internal temperature of 180 degrees. Let the chickens stand for 10 minutes before carving or shredding.

ENJOY!

Chipotle Grilled Chicken

I seem to spend a lot of time perusing food blogs and recipe sites these days! Sometimes I am on the search for something specific and other times just whatever seems to look good. I love spicy food and this Chipotle Chicken sounded like it was right up my alley- and it was!! This is a really easy recipe and the chicken can be used in a lot of different dishes such as tacos, quesadillas, sandwiches or just slice it up and eat it like this! Very yummy!!

Ingredients

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp honey
1/4 tsp cumin
2-4 Chipotle Chiles in Adobo, roughly chopped (with seeds)
pinch of salt and black pepper
squeeze of lime juice


This is the type of pepper to use. I was able to find it in the Mexican Food aisle at our local Kroger Marketplace. Just make sure to wash your hands well after handling the peppers!

Directions
In a food processor or blender, add the olive oil, honey, salt, pepper, cumin, garlic and chopped chipotle peppers. Process until the marinade is thick but not chunky. Pour over chicken and marinate for 2 hours in refrigerator.

Remove to counter 30 minutes prior to grilling. Heat grill to medium high and grill until done (internal temperature of 170 degrees). Let rest for 30 minutes before slicing. (I didn't want to do this on the outdoor grill or pull out the George Foreman, so I just used a grill pan)

ENJOY!

Chicken and Vegetable Lasagna

I have mentioned before that my husband loves lasagna, so I wanted to try a twist on the original version. After scouring many, many recipes, I came up with this Chicken and Vegetable Lasagna. He was a little skeptical at first since it wasn't "normal" lasagna, but he definitely liked it and had several servings! The kids even liked this one!! This recipe is a keeper!

Ingredients (makes 8 servings)

12 lasagna noodles (regular or oven ready)

6 cups low sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp dried basil (divide into 2)

1/2 tsp dried oregano (divide into 2)

1/4 tsp dried thyme

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp unsalted butter

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in bite size pieces

1 medium onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups shredded carrots

2 cups frozen spinach, chopped (do not thaw)

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. **Omit this step if you are using oven ready lasagna** Place lasagna noodles in a 9x13 inch pan. Fill pan with hot water and a splash of olive oil. Let noodles soak while you prepare the filling.

3. In a large saucepan, combine chicken broth, flour, thyme and 1/4 tsp oregano and 1/4 tsp basil. Whisk together and bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium low and let sauce thicken while you prepare remaining ingredients.

4. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium- high heat. Add cubed chicken, 1/4 tsp oregano and 1/4 tsp basil, salt and pepper. Saute chicken until cooked through (about 5 minutes). Remove chicken to a paper towel lined plate. Add the butter to the skillet to melt. Add chopped onions, garlic and carrots. Cook and stir until tender (about 5 minutes). Add the chopped tomatoes and frozen spinach and cook until heated through. Return chicken to skillet and combine with vegetables.

5. Spread some of the thickened sauce in the bottom of a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Top with a layer of noodles. Add 1/3 of the chicken and vegetable mixture and top with 1/3 of the sauce (about 2 cups) and 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat this layering twice ending with mozzarella cheese. Top with the Paremesan cheese.

6. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is golden brown. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

ENJOY!

Chicken Tetrazini

Between my recent crazy cleaning project and training for a half marathon (oh yeah, and taking care of 2 kids and a husband), things have been busy around here. So, I was looking for something good that I could throw together for dinner. I kept coming back to Chicken Tetrazini for some reason- maybe because I had all of the ingredients? I compiled some things from different recipes for this one. Most of the recipes called for either cream of chicken soup or cream of mushroom soup. I seem to have an aversion to those for some reason and almost dismissed the idea altogether. But, I decided to go ahead and give it a try- at least if it was a failure, I could mark it off my list. Well, as much as I didn't want to like this one, it was really good. Even my husband had at least seconds and took some for lunch as well! This is really easy to throw together with things you probably keep on hand- a nice meal for those busy nights! I used one can of cream of chicken and one can of cream of mushroom- use whatever combination you like.

Ingredients (Makes 6 servings)

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

8 oz spaghetti

8 oz sour cream

1/2 can chicken broth

2 cans cream soup (chicken, mushroom or one of each)

salt and pepper to taste

shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Boil the chicken breasts until done; about 20 minutes. Shred chicken into bite sized pieces.

2. Break spaghetti in half and cook according to package directions. Drain.

3. Prepare a baking dish with cooking spray. Add all ingredients (except cheese) to baking dish and combine. Cover with shredded cheese.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.

ENJOY!

Italian Chicken

A new past time seems to be searching through recipes for ideas! After seeing quite a few "Foil Packet" recipes, I thought I would give this one from Amber's Delectable Delights a try. This chicken turned out VERY moist and flavorful and was super easy to put together. I will definitely be making this again and I also have some ideas for changing up the flavors so stay tuned!!




Ingredients
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
3 red potatoes
1/4 cup marinara sauce
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Lay 2 pieces of foil on a flat surface and spray with cooking spray. Wash, scrub and slice potatoes very thin (I used a mandolin slicer). Arrange the sliced potatoes in an oval shape on the foil. You want to make this about the size of the chicken breast. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

3. Mix all of the seasonings in a small bowl and sprinkle both sides of chicken. Place chicken on top of potatoes. Top each chicken breast with half of the marinara sauce and half of the cheese.

4. Raise up the sides of the foil and fold down to create a seal. Place packets on a baking sheet.

5. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until chicken reaches 170 degrees. Remove from oven and let set a few minutes. Poke a hole in the foil to release the steam and open. Move to a plate and serve.



ENJOY!

Chicken Stir Fry

After a day of heavy house cleaning, I wanted to make a dinner that would come together quickly. We had some chicken and fresh veggies so I thought a stir fry would be a good fit! You can change up a stir fry so much depending on what you like. It can be a good way to use up some vegetables before they go bad too! This turned out tasty and made a nice lunch the next day!! But note to self... when doing heavy house cleaning, make something in the crockpot that morning!! (Sorry about the picture- the food was steaming and made it look blurry)





Ingredients

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in bite size pieces
soy sauce
cooking oil
2 cloves garlic minced
1 bunch of broccoli, chopped
1/2 cup shredded or chopped carrots
1 red bell pepper, chopped
8 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup chicken broth
pinch of ground ginger
4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
cooked rice (I used a sticky rice, but use what you like)


Directions
Before cooking, you can add a few dashes of soy sauce to the chicken.

Heat a large wok or skillet with a tbsp of oil and add 1/2 of the chicken. Cook until done and remove to a paper towel lined bowl. Cook remaining chicken and remove.

Mix the sauce: chicken broth, ginger, soy sauce, sugar and cornstarch. Set aside.

Add the broccoli, carrots and bell pepper to the skillet with a small amount of oil. Cook until tender crisp. I wanted the vegetables to be a little softer, so I added a small amount of water and put a lid on the pan for about 5-8 minutes. Add green onions and chicken.

Pour the sauce over the chicken and vegetables and stir well. Heat to boiling to thicken. Serve over hot rice. Add soy sauce to taste.

ENJOY!

Chicken Nachos

If you know me, you know I'll take any excuse for making Mexican food (or rather Tex-Mex). For New Years Eve, we had Tamales, Chicken Nachos and plenty of chips and dips! These nachos are so easy and not really one you need a true recipe for, but I thought I would share how I made them. I have listed the ingredients below, but the amounts will depend on how much you want to make. I made a large dinner sized plate full of nachos and it was just the right amount for this meal. You can easily customize this and make smaller plates depending on what people like on their nachos.


Ingredients

Boneless skinless chicken breast (I used 1)
Refried beans (I used about 1/2 cup)
Salsa
chopped pickled jalapenos (or fresh)
shredded cheddar cheese
tortilla chips
taco seasoning
black olives
sour cream
guacamole

Boil the chicken breast in a pot of water until done (around 20 min). Remove from pan and shred with two forks. Place shredded chicken in skillet and add 2 tbsp water and 1 tbsp taco seasoning. Cook over medium-low heat until water is absorbed.

Heat refried beans over low heat. Add 2 tbsp (or more) salsa to the refried beans. This gives it a good flavor and also thins it out enough to be able to spread easily.

Spread tortilla chips evenly on an oven proof plate or baking sheet. Spread refried beans over tortilla chips. Top with shredded chicken. Top this with sliced black olives (if desired), sliced jalapenos and shredded cheese. Place this in the oven under the broiler until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Topping suggestions are: pico de gallo, tomatoes, sour cream, guacamole, salsa. Customize it however you like and ENJOY!

Barbeque Chicken

Sometimes I just get tired of making the same dishes for dinner every week, so I set out to find something different. I ran across a Barbeque Chicken recipe that sounded good and went perfect with corn on the cob and baked potatoes. The chicken was very moist and flavorful. This will definitely be added to the rotation!





Ingredients
4 tbsp water
3 tbsp ketchup
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp chili powder
12 chicken thighs, skin removed or 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir together the water, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce. Add salt, mustard powder and chili powder. Simmer the sauce for 15 minutes.

2. Place the chicken into an oblong baking dish, and pour the sauce over making sure to cover all chicken. Cover tightly with foil.

3. Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, the reduce the temperature to 300 degrees and bake for 1 hour. Remove cover, stir and bake uncovered for 15 minutes. Serve sauce over chicken.



** If the sauce seems to runny after baking, you can pour it into a saucepan and add about 1/2 tsp of cornstarch, stirring constantly until thickens.

Chicken Pot Pie

I have a growing list of dishes that I want to try to make and Chicken Pot Pie happened to be high on that list. So, I delved into recipes to find one that suited my tastes. Maybe I analyze things too closely because I rarely find a recipe that I completely like. So, I tweaked a few recipes and came up with this one (see my notes below):

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cubed

1 cup frozen green peas

1 cup sliced carrots

1 cup diced potatoes

1/2 cup sliced celery

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp black pepper

2 cups chicken broth

1 cups milk

2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts or homemade pie crust

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a saucepan, combine chicken, peas, carrots, potatoes and celery. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk while whisking. Simmer over medium-low heat until thickened. Remove from heat and set aside.

**If you would like a bottom crust, line the pie plate with one pie crust before adding filling**

Place the chicken mixture in the bottom of a greased pie plate or glass dish. Pour chicken broth mixture over. Cover top with crust and seal edges. Make several small slits in the top to allow the steam to escape during cooking. If desired, you can brush the top with one egg white mixed with a tablespoon of water.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes: 1) I boiled the chicken and vegetables in chicken broth which gave it a little richer flavor.

2) I wasn't crazy about the thought of a gooey bottom crust, so I omitted it completely. I poured the mixture into a greased pie plate and covered with the crust. If you want a bottom crust, I would suggest pre baking it for about 6 minutes before adding the chicken mixture. 3) Probably since I added more liquid than the original recipes called for, I had enough to fill an 8x8 square dish and a pie plate (not deep dish style). Since I only used a top crust, I had one for each dish.

Everyone in the family liked this one and it was great as leftovers too. I packed away single servings of this for our lunches later in the week. I also froze a couple and they were good reheated as well.

Chicken Parm Meatballs and Spaghetti

Some of my free time lately has been spend perusing recipes all over the Internet. When I came across this one for Chicken Parm Meatballs and Spaghetti on Rachel Ray's site, I knew I needed to make it soon! The recipe looked good and it did not disappoint.

The main change I made was to use ground turkey because that's what I had on hand. The recipe says to shred the garlic and onion, but I found it easier to finely chop both. I also used chicken stock rather than white wine. I didn't have fresh basil, so I used a tbsp of dried.

We both really enjoyed this dish and will definitely add it to the rotation!

Ingredients

1 lb ground chicken (or turkey)

1 box chopped frozen spinach (defrost and ring dry in towel)

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 cup milk

1 large egg

1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

salt and pepper

3 tbsp tomato paste

3 tbsp olive oil

1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup chicken stock (or dry white wine)

2 tbsp butter

1/2 cup basil leaves, torn or shredded

1 lb spaghetti

Directions

1.Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place a piece of parchment paper over a baking sheet (I didn't do this step, but really recommend it as they really stick to the pan otherwise).

2. Place chicken and spinach in bowl. Add 1 clove garlic and 3-4 tbsp onion to the bowl. Combine 1/2 cup of the cheese and breadcrumbs with nutmeg. Add milk to barely moisten- no more than 1/4 cup. Sprinkle the bread-cheese mixture into the chicken mixture then add the egg, parsley, salt and pepper and 2 tbsp tomato paste.

3. Combine 1 tbsp tomato paste with 1 tbsp olive oil in a small bowl. Mix and combine the chicken with breadcrumbs and section the meatball mix into quarters. Shape each section into 3 meatballs. Arrange meatballs on baking sheet as you work. Using a pastry brush, brush meatballs with tomato paste and oil mixture and roast for 18-20 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Finely chop 2 cloves of garlic and remainder of the onion. Add the garlic and onion to the olive oil and gently cook for 8-10 minutes. Add tomatoes and stock to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in basil and allow the sauce to reduce while you cook the pasta. Cook the pasta to al dente. Drain pasta and place back in hot pot with butter, remaining cheese and sauce. Toss pasta to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve with chicken meatballs.

Enjoy!

Ziti with Chicken and Brocolli

While browsing recipes the other day, I found this one for Ziti with Chicken and Broccoli in a White Wine Cheddar Sauce that looked interesting. I debated on whether to post this one or not because I didn't really care for it...but taste is very subjective and one of you may fall in love with it! I didn't care for the wine sauce or the white cheddar...or the combination of those two maybe. I can see the potential of the recipe and think that I would like it minus the wine and with a different cheese sauce. I'll have to put that on my list! But if you enjoy white wine, this recipe might be right up your alley! :-)





Ingredients
1 lb Ziti
3 tbsp butter
1/2 cup roasted garlic paste (roast garlic in oven)
3 tbsp flour
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups chicken stock
1 large head of broccoli, cut in florets
2 cups cubed or shredded cooked chicken
3 oz extra sharp cheddar (preferably white), grated
4-6 thin strips of Parmesan cheese (optional)
salt and pepper to taste



Directions
1. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil and cook Ziti to al dente.
2. Lightly steam broccoli and set aside.
3. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. When butter starts foaming, add garlic paste and cook about 1 minute. Add flour and cook about 2 minutes. Add wine and cook for 1 minute. Stir broth into pan and simmer sauce until thickened- about 2 minutes. Add cheddar and stir while returning to a boil. Fold in cooked Ziti and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add broccoli and chicken and stir.
4. Plate and top with Parmesan slices if desired.

Enjoy!

Cheddar Baked Chicken

Sometimes you want to have a recipe you can whip up quickly with ingredients that you usually have on hand and this Cheddar Baked Chicken is one of those recipes. This is one of my go to recipes that I have made many times. The changes that I make to the written recipe is slightly cutting down the butter and omitting the cereal for the coating. While I am sure that this would give the chicken an even crunchier texture, I seem to have an aversion to cereal coatings! And honestly, the chicken has a great texture without it so I don't bother! The end result is a very moist and tasty dish!





Ingredients
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 egg
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 egg
1 tbsp milk
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 cup crispy rice cereal
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 tbsp butter, melted



Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a medium baking pan with 1/4 cup melted butter. **I place the butter in the dish into the oven while it preheats to melt the butter.
2. In a bowl, mix the flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. In a separate bowl, beat together the egg and milk. In a third bowl, mix the cheese, bread crumbs, cereal.
3. Dredge chicken pieces in the flour mixture, dip in the egg mixture and then press into the bread crumb mixture to coat. Arrange in the baking dish. Drizzle 2 tbsp melted butter over chicken.
4. Bake 35 minutes or until coating is golden brown and chicken juices run clear.

Enjoy!

Chicken Chile Rellenos

On my quest for a recipe for Chile Rellenos, I was intrigued by this recipe for Chicken Chile Rellenos.

I had high hopes for this recipe, but unfortunately , as written, it didn't quite live up to those hopes. My first issue was chef error- I should have pounded the chicken a little more as specified in the recipe. I do like the idea of the recipe and can see using other ingredients to stuff the chicken with to make a yummy dish. If you like a more mild pepper taste, this may be perfect for you. But I tend to like things much spicier and would need to kick it up a few notches next time. We did like the texture and crunch of the batter. As I wrote below, I recommend dipping in flour, egg and then flour again to achieve a better crust. Although it wasn't perfect, it was a good recipe. Oh, and don't forget to remove the toothpicks before serving ;-)

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

salt and pepper

3/4 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese

3 tbsp diced onion

3 tbsp minced fresh cilantro

1 tsp chili powder

4 oz can diced green chiles

1 egg, beaten

1 tbsp milk

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1 tbsp flour

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray baking pan or shallow baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Wrap in plastic wrap and pound to 1/4 inch thickness. Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper.

3. In a small bowl, combine cheese, onion, cilantro, chili powder and green chiles. Divide this mixture evenly over flattened chicken and spread to within 1/4 inch of edge. Roll up chicken, folding in edges and secure with toothpicks.

4. In a shallow dish, combine the egg and milk. In another dish, mix together bread crumbs, flour, chili powder and salt. Disp the chicken rolls into the flour mix, then egg mix and again in flour mix. Place in prepared pan. Brush or drizzle with olive oil. Bake, uncovered for 25-30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Makes 4 servings.

Enjoy!

Chicken Parmesan

My all time favorite food is Mexican (or Tex Mex to some), but I do love some good Italian food as well. My husband likes Chicken Parmesan so I set off to find a good recipe! Again, I couldn't find one recipe that I just really loved, so I changed things here and there and came up with this recipe:

Ingredients

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup Parmesan cheese

1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 cups spaghetti sauce (homemade or jarred)

1 cup mozzarella cheese (or Monterrey jack)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Put the beaten eggs in a shallow dish. In another dish, combine Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. Dip chicken into bread crumbs, eggs and bread crumbs again.

3. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add chicken and saute until chicken is cooked through (about 8 to 10 minutes each side).

4. Pour spaghetti sauce into a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Add chicken and top with cheese. Bake for 20 minutes until cheese is completely melted. Serve over cooked pasta.

We both really enjoyed this recipe! The chicken was very moist with lots of flavor. This will definitely be added to the book for future meals! The kids liked it as well...although Arianna was a little more interested in the broccoli- she'll fight you for some broccoli :-) We served it with this Focaccia Bread for a great meal!

Enjoy!

Baked Chicken Nuggets

We had a great Family night last night! We put together a puzzle while dinner was cooking, watched a movie and played a few Disney trivia games- what a night!! Daniel helped pick the recipes for the night. We had Baked Chicken Nuggets, salad, waffle fries and strawberry banana smoothies.

I looked at a few different recipes for chicken nuggets, but didn't find one that I completely liked. The closest was this one from Allrecipes.com. The only thing I changed on this one was the 1/2 cup butter that it called for- I replaced that with 2 beaten eggs and a little milk. I didn't want to negate the benefits from baking (vs frying) by adding all of that fat. After they were baked, I had a few doubts about how they would taste. Even though he didn't say anything, I could tell my husband was a little skeptical as well. But, we were all pleasantly surprised that they were quite tasty! Yay!! The only thing I would do differently next time is to watch them a little closer and possibly shave off a couple of minutes from the baking time.

Ingredients
3 skinless boneless chicken breasts
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp dried basil
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup milk

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut chicken into 1 1/2 inch size pieces. In a medium bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, cheese, salt, thyme and basil. Mix well. In another bowl, combine eggs and milk.
3. Dip chicken pieces in bread crumb mixture, then egg mixture and again in bread crumb mixture. Place pieces on a wire rack over a baking sheet.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Sadly, the waffle fries were frozen as I didn't have waffle cutter...but they will be homemade next time :-). Enjoy!

Chicken Burritos

On my search for chicken enchiladas, I came across this recipe on Allrecipes.com. Now, I realize that they call it enchiladas, but in my mind, enchiladas are made with corn tortillas and burritos are made with flour. So, I'm going to call this a burrito dish to make myself feel better! I made some changes to the recipe as written below.

My husband and I both thought that the chicken filling had a good flavor. I wasn't crazy about the soup mixture for the topping and would change that to a homemade cheese sauce. Some reviewers thought this was spicy, but we didn't think it was spicy at all. I would kick up the spice factor with Rotel added to the chicken filling or maybe even some jalapenos on top. With a few changes, I think we would like this one more!



Ingredients
1 (10.75 oz) can cheese soup
small can of chile verde sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tbsp margarine
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp chili powder
2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chile peppers, drained
8 (8 inch) flour tortillas
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix soup, sour cream and chile verde and set aside.
3. Melt margarine in medium saucepan over medium high heat. Add onion, garlic and chili powder, and saute until tender. Stir in the chicken, chile peppers and 2 tbsp of the soup mixture. Cook and stir until heated through.
4. Spread 1/2 cup of the soup mixture in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Spoon 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla (can also top with a little cheddar cheese). Roll up tortillas, and place, seam- side down, in the baking dish. Spoon remaining soup mixture on top, and sprinkle with cheese.
5. Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until bubbly and lightly browned.


Enjoy!

Chicken Tacos

Sometimes you just need an easy meal with a few simple ingredients and this recipe fits the bill. I found this recipe in the Fix-It and Forget-It Lightly cookbook and it was also recommended on my favorite rewards site- Sunshine Rewards. I also like that it uses ingredients that I usually keep on hand so it can be a good fall back recipe when needed.


Ingredients (for 6 servings)
1 1/2 lbs frozen, boneless, skinless chicken breasts
14 1/2 oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 package low sodium taco seasoning


Directions
1. Place chicken breasts in slow cooker.
2. Mix tomatoes and taco seasoning. Pour over chicken.
3. Cover. Cook on low 6-8 hours.
4. Serve in soft flour tortillas. Top with salsa, shredded cheese, guacamole and tomatoes.


**I usually use about 4 chicken breasts and mine seem to be done around the 4 hour mark. I usually take them out and shred the chicken with two forks. This chicken can be used in tacos, quesadillas or burritos.





Enjoy!