Taco Chicken Bowls

Facebook is old news. Pinterest is the new internet addiction, it has everything! I found this http://budgetbytes.blogspot.com/2011/07/taco-chicken-bowls-1066-recipe-133.html gem of an it easy recipe recently, and it turned out great! I would add more spice though-it wasn't spicy enough for my liking:)

INGREDIENTS

1.5 lbs. chicken breasts

1 (16 oz.) jar salsa

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained

1/2 lb. (8 oz.) frozen corn

1 Tbsp chili powder

1/2 Tbsp cumin

1/2 Tbsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp salt to taste cracked pepper

2 cups dry rice

8 oz. shredded cheddar

1/2 bunch cilantro

DIRECTIONS

STEP 1: Add everything except the rice, cheese, and cilantro to the slow cooker along with 1/4 cup of water (for good measure). Give everything a good stir and make sure the chicken is covered in the mixture.

STEP 2: Secure the lid on your slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hrs.

STEP 3: Near the end of the cooking time, cook the two cups of rice according to the package directions (Bring the rice and 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot with a lid in place, as soon as it reaches a boil, reduced the heat to low and let simmer for 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving).

STEP 4: After 8 hours of cooking, carefully remove the lid of the slow cooker. Stir with a fork to shred the chicken (it should be super tender and will shred easily). Build the taco bowls by placing rice on the bottom, then the taco chicken mix, shredded cheese and fresh cilantro. (I forgot cilantro)

Crockpot Italian Chicken

Kevin really enjoyed this one! It was so-so for me:) I love crock pot recipes.

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts

1 packet dry Zesty Italian dressing (Regular is fine but I like zesty better. Sometimes I use a packet and a half.)

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

1-2 cans cream of chicken soup (depending how cream cheesy you want it)

I added salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and some other random spices.

Directions:

Place the chicken in a crockpot and sprinkle Italian dressing over it. Combine cream cheese and cream of chicken soup in a small pot over low heat and pour over chicken. Cook on low for at least 4 hours. You can leave it in there all day. If you feel the sauce is too thick you can thin it to your preferred consistency with a little milk. Serve over pasta or rice. We served over bow ties.

Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken

My friend Jaime gave me this one:)

Ingredients

Brown Sugar, 4 tsp unpacked

Chicken Breast, no skin, 12 ounces

Garlic, 1 clove

Butter, salted, 2 tbsp

Salt, 1 tsp

Pepper, black, 1 dash

Directions

This makes four servings, 3 oz per person

1. Melt the butter in a frying pan

2. Brown the garlic in the butter

3. Add chicken breasts to garlic and butter and cook thoroughly, adding salt and pepper as you like it.

4. When chicken is fully cooked add brown sugar on top of each breast

5. Allow the brown sugar to melt into the chicken (about 5 minutes)

6. Serve with your favorite carb, and veggie or salad. We usually have rice or noodles and carrots or green beans.

No clue why this picture is mini-sized:)

Herbed Oven-Fried Chicken

I enjoyed this one, I just never usually have buttermilk sitting around-but I had made bran muffins, so I needed to use it up. I made them into chicken tenders instead of breasts and served with cheesy potatoes and green beans. I found this recipe in Midwest Living Magazine.

Ingredients:

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (1-1/2 pounds total)
• 1 cup buttermilk or sour milk*
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt or 1/4 teaspoon regular salt
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 3 Tbsp. water
• 1-1/4 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs) or fine dry bread crumbs
• 3/4 tsp. ground sage
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme, crushed
• 1/4 tsp. dried savory, crushed
• 1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Place chicken in a resealable plastic bag set in a bowl.

2. For marinade: In a small bowl, stir together buttermilk and half of the salt. Pour over chicken. Seal bag; turn to coat chicken. Marinate in the refrigerator for 4 to 24 hours, turning bag occasionally.

3. Grease a 15x10x1-inch baking pan. In a small bowl, combine egg and the water. In a shallow dish, mix panko, sage, thyme, savory, pepper and the remaining salt. Drain chicken, discarding marinade. Dip chicken pieces, one at a time, into egg mixture; coat with crumb mixture.

4. In prepared baking pan, arrange chicken so pieces are not touching. Sprinkle with any remaining crumb mixture.

5. Bake, uncovered, in a 375 degree F oven about 30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink (170 degrees F). Do not turn pieces while baking. Makes 4 servings.

Mozzarella Mushroom Chicken

My mom gave me this recipe! One of my favorites and super simple.

Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts-split into 6
1 egg
1 cup or so of seasoned bread crumbs
Mushrooms (usually fresh, sliced, but Kevin prefers the can)
Butter for browning chicken
6 or more slices mozzarella cheese
1 can chicken broth

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Coat in egg, then breadcrumbs. Brown chicken in butter in skillet.

Spray the bottom of your baking dish with pam. Put browned chicken in pan, cover with mushrooms, then place a piece of cheese(or one and a half pieces) on each chicken breast. Pour chicken broth over chicken.

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and golden.

We served over brown rice:)

Chicken before serving:


Ready to eat!

White Chicken Chili

My friend Melissa gave me this great recipe:) It was great! Maci even enjoyed some beans and cheese!

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced jalapeno peppers
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
• 3 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
• 3 (15 ounce) cans white beans
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Slowly cook and stir the onion until tender. Mix in the garlic, jalapeno, green chile peppers, cumin, oregano and cayenne. Continue to cook and stir the mixture until tender, about 3 minutes. Mix in the chicken broth, chicken and white beans. Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Remove the mixture from heat. Slowly stir in the cheese until melted. Serve warm.

*Sometimes I add a can of corn to this as well, and omit the jalepenos. I cut the spices in half from the original recipe, because this is pretty hot. I like to top it with sour cream, a little extra cheese, and crushed up tortilla chips. Yum!

BBQ Chicken Burgers

Original Recipe: http://www.howsweeteats.com/2011/04/bbq-chicken-burgers/

BBQ Chicken Burgers

makes 4 burgers

1 pound ground chicken breast

1/4 cup finely grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup BBQ sauce – use homemade or your favorite!

4 whole wheat buns

1 onion, sliced

1 tablespoon olive oil

BBQ sauce for topping

gouda cheese for topping

In a large bowl, combine chicken, BBQ sauce, paprika, onion and garlic powder, salt, pepper and cheddar cheese. Mix until just combined, then form 4 patties. Preheat the grill or a skillet and cook the burgers until fully cooked through. I used a skillet and cooked mine about 8 minutes per side – they were juicy and not dried out, but cooked thoroughly.

While burgers are cooking, heat a skillet on medium heat and add olive oil. Add sliced onions with a pinch of salt and saute until caramelized, about 10 minutes.

When burgers are ready, top with gouda (or more cheddar), onions, BBQ sauce and fresh romaine. I also toast the buns!

Very tasty! Picture to follow-looks nothing like the picture in the link, but still, yummy!

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Thanks again to Ashley for this idea, I LOVE buffalo chicken anything:) This is a nice unhealthy version!

Ingredients:
Pizza Crust
Cooked, cut up chicken (I used leftover from the night before!! Save $!)
Franks Red Hot or other hot sauce
Blue Cheese crumbles
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Cream Cheese

Directions:
Follow pizza crust instructions. (I used Pillsbury) Soften cream cheese. Mix chicken and hot sauce. Layer pizza with cream cheese, chicken mixture and top with some mozzarella and blue cheese.

Yum! :)

Chicken Broccoli Braid

Thanks to my friend Andrea for this one:)

Ingredients

• 2 cups diced, cooked chicken meat
• 1 cup fresh broccoli, chopped
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped **I omitted**
  
• 1 clove crushed garlic
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise **I used plain yogurt, I really despise mayo**
  
• 2 teaspoons dried dill weed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons slivered almonds
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 2 (8 ounce) packages refrigerated crescent rolls
• 1 egg white, beaten

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees F).
2. In a large bowl, toss together chicken, broccoli, red bell pepper, garlic, Cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, dill weed, salt, almonds and onion.
3. Unroll crescent roll dough, and arrange flat on a medium baking sheet. Pinch together perforations to form a single sheet of dough. Using a knife or scissors, cut 1 inch wide strips in towards the center, starting on the long sides. There should be a solid strip about 3 inches wide down the center, with the cut strips forming a fringe down each side. Spread the chicken mixture along the center strip. Fold the side strips over chicken mixture, alternating strips from each side. Pinch or twist to seal.
4. Brush braided dough with the egg white. Bake in the preheated oven 25 to 28 minutes, or until golden brown.

Chicken Crostina

Got this from the Olive Garden website per my friend LeeAnne:) I think it made way too much crust and dredging mixture, but it was yummy:)

http://www.olivegarden.com/Connections-to-Italy/Recipes/Main-Dishes/Chicken-Crostina/

Ingredients

1. 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2. 2 cups & 1 Tbsp flour
3. 1 Tbsp salt
4. 1 Tbsp pepper
5. 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
6. 1 Tbsp roasted garlic, minced
7. 1 cup white wine
8. 1 ½ cups heavy cream
9. 5 Tbsp Colavita® Extra Virgin Olive Oil
10. 1 lb linguine
11. 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
12. 1 cup roma tomatoes, cored & diced
13. 2 Tbsp parsley, chopped
14. POTATO CRUST
15. 1 ½ cups seasoned breadcrumbs
16. ¼ cup melted butter
17. ½ tsp garlic powder
18. ¼ cup parsley, chopped
19. 1 small potato, peeled & grated
20. ¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated
21. Salt & pepper to taste

Procedures

1. MIX all ingredients for Potato Crust in a bowl and set aside.
2. MIX 1 ½ cups flour, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken in the mixture, shaking off any excess. Heat 3 Tbsp oil in a large skillet. Cook chicken breasts 2 at a time over medium-high heat until golden brown and crisp, or until internal temperature reaches 165°F. Add more oil for each batch as necessary.
3. PLACE cooked chicken breasts on a baking sheet or dish and top with potato crust mixture. Transfer baking sheet to a pre-heated broiler until golden brown (1-2 minutes).
4. COOK pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
5. HEAT 2 Tbsp oil in a sauce pan. Add roasted garlic, cook for 1 minute.
Stir in 1 Tbsp of flour and wine and bring to a boil. Add cream, parmesan cheese, 1 Tbsp parsley, and tomatoes. Sauce is done when it is bubbling throughout and has started to thicken.
6. COAT pasta with sauce, then top with chicken and remaining sauce. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Chicken Parm Meatball Subs

These were delicious! Thanks Jessica P. for sharing with me:)

Original Recipe:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/chicken-parm-meatball-subs-recipe/index.html

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds ground chicken
• 1 tablespoon grill seasoning blend (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick)
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
• Handful of chopped parsley leaves
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for liberal drizzling plus, plus 3 tablespoons, 3 turns of the pan
• 2 large cloves garlic, cracked from skin and split
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, a healthy couple of pinches
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, (recommended: San Marzano)
• 1 cup chicken stock
• Salt
• Pepper
• 8 to 10 leaves fresh basil, torn or shredded
• 4 (6 to 8-inch) crusty sub rolls
• 1 1/2 cups shredded provolone

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Place chicken in a bowl and season with grill seasoning. Add egg, half of the grated cheese, bread crumbs, parsley, and a serious drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil to the bowl. Mix the meat and form 12 large meatballs. Squish the balls to flatten them a bit like mini oval meatloaves. Be careful not to form the balls wider than your bread. The flattened balls will stay put on your sub, no roll-aways! Bake the meatballs 15 minutes until golden and firm. Switch the broiler on.

While the meatballs bake, heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and garlic and cook 5 minutes then remove the cloves. Add crushed red pepper flakes then tomatoes and stir in the chicken stock. Season the sauce with salt and pepper and simmer 10 minutes, adjust seasonings and stir in the basil. Reserve a extra sauce for dipping on dinner table.

Remove the meat from oven and loosen with a thin spatula. Turn meat balls in sauce.

Cut sub rolls making the bottom a little deeper than the top. Hollow out a little bread and lightly toast the sub rolls under broiler. Fill the bottoms of the breads with flattened balls and sauce. Combine the provolone and remaining Parmigiano. Cover the subs with cheese and return to broiler to melt the cheese until golden.

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

Holy crap, these turned out a little spicy for my liking-I would use less sauce and we added some cream cheese to try and cool it down:)

Original recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Slow-Cooker-Buffalo-Chicken-Sandwiches/Detail.aspx

Ingredients

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1 (17.5 fluid ounce) bottle buffalo wing sauce, divided
• 1/2 (1 ounce) package dry ranch salad dressing mix
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 6 hoagie rolls, split lengthwise

Directions

1. Place the chicken breasts into a slow cooker, and pour in 3/4 of the wing sauce and the ranch dressing mix. Cover, and cook on Low for 6 to 7 hours.
2. Once the chicken has cooked, add the butter, and shred the meat finely with two forks. Pile the meat onto the hoagie rolls, and splash with the remaining buffalo wing sauce to serve.

Chicken & Dumplings - Crockpot

Thanks Bonnye for sharing this with me:) Kevin and I both really enjoyed it, and it was super easy!

Chicken & Dumplings - Crockpot

• 4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
• 1 can Fat Free Cream of Chicken Soup
• 6 biscuits (Pillsbury Golden Homestyle Buttermilk canned biscuits -2pt per biscuit)
• 1.5 cups of water
• 1/2 bag of frozen corn, green beans, carrots
• 1 Tablespoon chicken bouillon

Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces. Add all of the ingredients except for the biscuits and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Add salt, pepper and any other seasonings that you would like. In the last 30 minutes of cooking, turn your crock-pot on high and tear biscuits into 1 inch pieces and add to slow cooker.

Makes six 3/4 cup servings at 6 WW pts per serving.

Chicken Spaghetti

A pioneer woman classic:)

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/chicken_spaghet/

Ingredients

• 2 cups Cooked Chicken
• 3 cups Dry Spaghetti, Broken Into Two Inch Pieces
• 2 cans Cream Of Mushroom Soup
• 2 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• ¼ cups Finely Diced Green Pepper
• ¼ cups Finely Diced Onion
• 1 jar (4 Ounce) Diced Pimentos, Drained
• 2 cups Reserved Chicken Broth From Pot
• 1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
• ⅛ teaspoons (to 1/4 Teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 1 cup Additional Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Preparation Instructions

Cook 1 cut up fryer and pick out the meat to make two cups. Cook spaghetti in same chicken broth until al dente. Do not overcook. When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except additional 1 cup sharp cheddar.

Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining sharp cheddar. Cover and freeze up to six months, cover and refrigerate up to two days, or bake immediately: 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil).

Chicken Cordon Bleu Pizza

My dad made this treat for us! Yummy:)

Ingredients:
1 tube refrigerated pizza crust
1 jar Alfredo
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
10 breaded chicken nuggets thawed and cut into pieces

Directions:
Unroll dough and spread onto greased pizza pan. Bake at 425 for 8-10 minutes until edges are browned. Spread with Alfredo sauce, sprinkle with garlic salt and Swiss cheese. Top with ham, chicken nuggets, and mozzarella. Bake 8-10 minutes until golden brown.

Crockpot Chicken With Broccoli

Easy Crockpot Meal

Sorry for no picture, I have no idea where it is on my computer:)

http://southernfood.about.com/od/crockpotchicken/r/bl122c2.htm?r=et

Cook Time: 4 hours

Total Time: 4 hours

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless chicken breast halves
• 2 envelopes Good Seasons Italian Dressing
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened
• 1 can (10 1/2 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 can (4 oz.) mushrooms, drained
• 8 oz. frozen broccoli cuts
• 1 pound linguini, cooked and drained

Preparation:

Cut chicken in pieces and place in the crockpot. Mix the salad dressing mix with the water and pour over the chicken. Cover and cook on low for about 3 hours. In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and soup until blended. Stir in the mushrooms and pour the mixture over the chicken. Add broccoli cuts and cook for about 1 more hour. Serve the chicken sauce over the hot cooked cooked linguini.

Chicken Stroganoff

A simple variation of beef stroganoff:) I wanted it, but the beef was still frozen, and I had chicken defrosted.

Ingredients
Chicken strips/tenderloins/breasts cut up-whatever size you prefer
Olive Oil
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
A can of water
1 package of dry onion soup mix
16 oz sour cream
Wide egg noodles
Butter

Directions
Cook chicken in oil in skillet, after chicken is cooked through, mix in mushroom soup, onion soup, and a little water-maybe a can or so. Stir until all combined and bring to a boil. Let simmer until tender (cover and turn temp down). When close to serving time, cook noodles according to package, and when done, drain and add some butter to them. Right before serving add the sour cream to the beef mixture, and stir in. Once its all warm, serve over the noodles.

Grilled Chicken with Spinach Pesto

It was originally Grilled Chicken with Arugula Pesto, but I didn't have any arugula, so I used spinach, find the original recipe here http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/grilled-chicken-with-arugula-pesto-recipe/index.html. We had this with the Caesar Spaghetti.

With the spaghetti...

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds or shelled pistachios
• 1 cup packed fresh arugula leaves(Spinach)
• 1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 clove garlic, grated or minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast

Directions

Heat a grill pan to high.

Toast the nuts lightly in small skillet over low heat, then add them to a food processor.

Add the arugula, basil, lemon juice, garlic, and salt and pepper, to taste, and pulse to combine.

With the processor on, stream in the extra-virgin olive oil to form thick pesto.

Lightly pound out the chicken, then rub all sides with the pesto. Spray the grill pan with cooking spray or rub with a little oil and grill the chicken 2 to 4 minutes on each side.

Cook's Note: Serve sliced on top of Caesar Spaghetti or, pile it onto ciabatta bread with sliced tomatoes and mozzarella for an outta-sight sammy.

Chicken Enchiladas

After I had Maci, our friends Heather and Adam brought us these enchiladas-which was awesome. I just made up another pan today for tomorrow's dinner:)

Before baking!


Ingredients
1 Can of Green Chili Enchilada sauce
3 Chicken Breasts (poached and shredded) (I just used the can chicken because I am extra lazy)
1 package of Cream Cheese
1/4 C Milk
1/2 C Salsa or Rotel
1/2 C Shredded Cheese (mexican blend)
1/2 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp Chili Powder
Salt and Pepper to taste
6-8 Tortillas

Directions (or freeze/refrigerate for a meal another day!)
Pre-heat oven to 375 Pour half the can of Green Chili sauce in the bottom of baking dish. In a skillet melt cream cheese and milk. Then add rest of the ingredients til light simmer. Spoon into tortillas and place them in baking dish. Pour the rest of the Green Chili Sauce on top. Top with 3/4 C shredded Cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Bacon Wrapped Chicken with Blue Cheese and Pecans

We tried this last night! I enjoyed it, you can find the original recipe here http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/bacon-wrapped-chicken-with-blue-cheese-and-pecans-recipe/index.html!

Ingredients

• 4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup blue cheese crumbles
• 1/4 cup toasted pecans, chopped
• 2 scallions, sliced on bias
• 4 slices good-quality center cut bacon
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 cup half-and-half or cream
• 2 tablespoons grainy mustard
• Special equipment: toothpicks

Directions

Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Butterfly the chicken breast pieces by cutting across the breast but not all the way through. Open the breasts up and pound lightly between parchment paper. Peel paper away and season the meat with salt and pepper.

Cover the seasoned chicken cutlets with blue cheese crumbles, pecans and scallions in equal amounts. Roll the chicken, wrap each roll with bacon and secure with toothpicks. Season the outside of the rolls with salt and pepper.

Heat the olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken evenly all over, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a small baking sheet, place in the oven and cook 10 minutes more.

Melt the butter in the same skillet pan the chicken was seared in over medium heat. Whisk in flour, cook 1 minute then whisk in stock. Let thicken a minute then whisk in the half-and-half and grain mustard, season with salt and pepper, reduce heat to warm.

Halve the chicken and stack to show off the center. Set chicken in gravy or pour over top. Serve with rice and greens, if desired.