Baked Chicken Breasts

Jennifer S.

8 - 10 boned chicken breasts
1 clove garlic
2 cans of cream of celery soup (or cream of mushroom)
1 pound of fresh mushrooms, sliced

Place the chicken breasts in pan, cut side down. Squeeze juice from garlic into soup and pour over chicken. Add the sliced mushrooms and bake at 350ºF. for 45 minutes. Serve over rice or whole wheat pasta.

Herb Chicken

Elizabeth F.

¼ cup chopped parsley
1 Tbsp. chopped oregano
1 Tbsp. finely shredded lemon peel*
1 Tbsp. finely chopped garlic (about 3 cloves)
3 Tbsp. butter
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
¼ cup chicken broth*

1. In small bowl stir together parsley, oregano, lemon peel, and garlic. Set aside. Rub chicken with a pinch of salt and pepper.

2. In 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat cook chicken in butter for 6 minutes or until browned, turning once. Transfer to plate. Remove skillet from heat; stir in half herb mixture. Return to heat. Add broth; bring to boiling, stirring to scrape up browned bits. Return chicken to skillet; reduce heat. Simmer covered, 8 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and cooked all the way through.

3. Serve with pan sauce if desired; sprinkle with remaining herb mixture. Serve with rice and steamed veggies of choice. Makes 4 servings

*Alternatives
Marinated chicken with lemon, parsley, garlic and salt and pepper first. Also add another quarter cup of chicken broth to thicken and create more sauce. If needed substitute lemon juice for lemon peel, just double number of tbsp.

Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

Jennifer S.

This is very close to the one that Olive Garden serves.

1 cup chicken breasts, cooked and diced (you can use a rotisserie chicken)
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 quart half and half
1 14 ounces can of chicken broth
1/2 cup celery, finely diced
2 minced garlic cloves
1 cup carrots, finely shredded
1 cup onion, finely diced
1 cup fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoons extra virgin oil
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon parsley
Freshly grated Parmesan cheeses optional
1 pound potato gnocchi you can buy this in the gourmet section of many supermarkets, or in the frozen food section.


Saute the onion, celery, and garlic in the butter and olive oil over medium heat until the onion becomes translucent. Add the flour and make a roux. Let the butter and flour mixture cook for about a minute before adding 1 quart of half and half.
Cook gnocchi according to package directions.
Into the roux, add in the carrots and chicken. Once the mixture becomes thick, add the chicken broth. Once the mixture thickens again, add the cooked gnocchi, spinach, and seasoning;, simmer until soup is heated through.

You can add more chicken if you like. While you could use leftover cooked chicken breasts, I really think using the rotisserie chicken that are found in many grocery stores is the best way to get the optimal flavor of this soup. If you want to make the soup lower in calories, you can use milk instead of half and half. Half and Half does taste better though, and it also reheats better than milk does.

Quick and Easy Italian Chicken

Jennifer S.

8 pieces of chicken (any kind, bone in or out, skinless or on)
Your favorite bottle of Italian dressing
Zipper bag

Place chicken in zipper bag and pour 1 to 1 1/2 C salad dressing in to coat chicken. Place bag in fridge for a few hrs to over night.
Remove chicken from marinade and discard bag.
Grill on med heat until chicken is cooked through or bake in 375 degree oven for 30-45 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

Parmesan Chicken Bake

Jennifer S.

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste
Italian seasoning
Parmesan cheese
cooking spray

Spray cooking pan with cooking spray, arrange chicken in pan and spray chicken with cooking spray.
Sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder and Italian seasoning. Place 1-2 TBS of Parmesan cheese over the seasonings.
 Bake in a 400 degree oven for 30-40 minutes, or until chicken is cooked and cheese is browned.
Serve with pasta, rice or potatoes and a fresh green salad!

Chicken Cacciatore

Julie A.

6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
1 tsp salt, divided
1 Tblsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp pepper
1- 1/2 tsp of dried basil
2 Tblsp olive oil, divided
1- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 medium green pepper chopped,
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, optional 
2 tsp sugar
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (15 ounces) tomato puree
1 can (14 ounces) stewed tomatoes, cut up

1 package spaghetti or noodles of your choice, cooked

Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 tsp salt and pepper.  In a large nonstick skillet, brown chicken in 1 Tblsp oil.  Remove and set aside.  In the same skillet, saute the green pepper and garlic in remaining oil until vegetables are tender.  Add the tomato puree, stewed tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, remaining salt and reserved chicken.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 min.  Stir in parsley.  Simmer, uncovered 15 minutes longer or until sauce has thickened.  Serve over  spaghetti.

Dutch Oven Coca-Cola Chicken

Jennifer S.

2 liters coca cola
10 -14 chicken drumsticks
2 bottles barbecue sauce

Place chicken in Dutch oven and cover almost completely with BBQ sauce and Coke. Cover with lid and set Dutch oven on a hot bed of coals.
Cook 15-20 minutes or until chicken is cooked and caramelized.

Add more Coke to cover chicken as it cooks.

CHICKEN TORTILLAS CASSEROLE

Jessica S.

1 whole chicken cooked and shredded
1 cup milk
12 corn tortillas quartered
1/2 cups chopped olives
1 can cream mushroom soup
1 can cream chicken soup
1 can chopped green chiles
1 lb grated cheddar cheese

mix soups, milk, chiles, and olives. Butter 13x9 baking dish. Add a small amount of broth or water. Layer tortillas, chicken, soup mix, then cheese. Repeating until all is gone. Bake 1 hour at 325.

serves 6

SOUR CREAM ENCHILADAS

Jessica S.

1 lb. chicken cooked and shredded
2 pkgs flour tortillas
1 family size can cream mushroom soup
16 oz. sour cream
4 oz can diced green chiles
2 cups grated cheese

combine soup, sour cream, and green chiles. place about 1 TBS chicken and 1 tsp soup mix in tortilla and roll. repeat for rest of tortillas placing them in shallow casserole dish. cover with remaining sauce and cheese. Bake at 350 fr 25 minutes.

can substitute 1 lb ground beef or 1 large can re-fried beans for chicken.

Chicken Enchiladas

Jessica S.

My Mexican family raves over this recipe that I brought from my time in Salt Lake City

1 dozen flour tortillas (soft taco size)
3 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can enchilada sauce
grated cheddar cheese
4 cooked chicken breasts cut in to small pieces
chopped onion (optional)

Mix chicken and soup. separate. Use half of mix to Spoon across middle of tortillas, sprinkle with cheese. Roll-up and secure with a tooth pick. Mix other half of soup/chicken mix with enchilada sauce. Pour over rolled tortillas. sprinkle with more cheese and onions. Bake @400 for 20 minutes.

Taco Chicken

Summer S.

1 lb. chicken breasts or thighs (I can tell you right now that I'm a breast girl and Matt prefers thighs.)
A couple of juicy limes (thin skinned are juicer)
A splash of red wine vinegar
2-3 cloves garlic, pressed or coarsely chopped
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Juice the limes and combine with a couple splashes of red wine vinegar. Add garlic. Pour over chicken. This will not completely cover the chicken; just turn it occasionally as needed. Marinate for at least 4 hours, no longer than 8.

Heat an outdoor grill (you can also use a grill pan inside. Or your broiler in your oven.) Combine salt, chili powder, cumin, and black pepper in a small bowl. Remove chicken from marinade and rub the spices all over the chicken.

Grill about 7 minutes per side.

Remove from heat and allow to stand a few minutes so it doesn't lose its juiciness. You can either eat the chicken as it is, maybe with Mexican rice and beans, or use slice it up and use it as you would taco meat.

Mexican Egg Rolls

Jennifer S.

photo credit simplecomfortfood.com

2 cups grilled boneless skinless chicken breasts (I marinade mine in 1 T oil, 2 cloves garlic, 1 t cumin, and the juice of one lime)
2 cups Monterrey jack cheese or 2 cups Mexican blend cheese, shredded
1 (15 ounce) can drained black beans
2 cups frozen sweet corn (unthawed and drained of liquid)
1/2 chopped sweet red pepper
4 -5 diced green onions
2 minced fresh garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin (can put 1/2 t more if desired)
1 (16 ounce) package egg roll wraps
oil (for frying)

Chop the chicken into small dices.
Mix all ingredients, except egg roll wrappers and oil, together.
Moisten the edges of an egg roll wrap and put approx 2 tablespoons of filling in the middle.
Fold like you would an egg roll (directions and picture are usually on the egg roll wrapper container).
Make sure the flap is sealed to keep the filling inside.
Heat oil to 350°F and cook just until golden browned (approximately 3-5 minutes). Cut diagonally and serve with guacamole, salsa and sour cream.

Matt’s Chili Verde

Matt S. (Submitted by his wife Summer S.)
8 Servings

3 Pounds boneless pork loin or chicken thighs, medium dice
1/3 Cup corn oil
3 Tablespoons flour
3 Cups hot chicken stock
4 Large cloves garlic, peeled
2-5 Jalapeno chilies (deseeded, deribbed)
1 ½ - 2 Pounds Anaheim and/or Poblano chilies, roasted, peeled, seeded (canned work well too)
1 onion (rough chop)
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1 Teaspoon oregano
1 Teaspoon salt
1 Teaspoon pepper
Chopped fresh cilantro, diced onion and diced tomato for garnish (cheese & sour cream*)

Season and then brown chicken cubes in 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Depending on skillet size, this may require two or three batches.

Remove cubes with slotted spoon to a bowl large enough to accommodate all of the chicken cubes. Deglaze the pan with ¼ cup water, scraping up browned bits, and then pour the liquid over the reserved chicken cubes. Set chicken aside.

Heat the balance of the oil in same skillet set over medium-low heat and slowly whisk in the flour to make a roux. Simmer four minutes then begin whisking in the hot stock in 3 parts, whisking the sauce smooth each time, until all of the stock has been incorporated.

Meanwhile, in a food processor fitted with the steel blade, drop the garlic then the jalapenos and onion down the feed tube until finely minced. Then add the Anaheim chilies and puree. Add the chili puree mixture to the flour gravy and whisk together. Add the cumin, chili powder, oregano, salt and pepper.

Adjust all seasonings to taste. Add the meat to the mixture along with the deglazing liquid and simmer slowly for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to see nothing sticks or burns on the bottom.

Serve with hot, fresh flour tortillas and garnish with cilantro, onion and chopped tomatoes (*and I’m a gringo so I like sour cream and cheese with mine).

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

Summer S.

1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese (I do fat free and you can't tell)
1/4 C green salsa
1T fresh lime juice
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t granulated garlic
3 T chopped cilantro
2 T sliced green onions
2 C shredded cooked chicken
1 C grated pepper-jack cheese* or if you like it less spicy
1 C grated Monterrey jack cheese
12- 14 small corn or flour "soft taco" sized tortillas
kosher salt
cooking spray

Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.

Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or come unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.

Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges.

Then roll it up as tight as you can.

Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

Dip 'em in salsa, sour cream, guacamole, or cilantro/lime dressing (recipe to follow)

Slow Cooker Chicken Burritos

Jennifer S.

1 clove garlic, minced
1 small red onion, chopped
14 1/2 oz canned diced tomatoes, with chiles
15 oz canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dried oregano, crushed
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 pound skinless chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
3/4 cup canned chicken broth
12 medium tortillas, about 7-inches in diameter each
3/4 cup shredded Mexican-style cheese
salsa
sour cream

Place garlic, onion, tomatoes, beans, chili powder, salt, oregano and pepper in a 3-quart slow cooker; stir well. Add chicken and broth. Cover and cook on low setting for 5 hours; drain off liquid (there should be about 6 cups of burrito mixture).

To serve, spoon about 1/2 cup of burrito mixture down center of each tortilla; top with 1 tablespoon of cheese. Fold bottom 1/3 of tortilla to center. Fold left side to center; fold right side to center, covering filling. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Southwestern Chicken Layered Salad

Jennifer S.

This salad is really close to the one they serve at Paradise Bakery.

6 cups torn romaine lettuce
2 cups shredded deli rotisserie chicken (from 2- to 2 1/2-lb chicken)
1 can (11 oz) Southwestern style corn, drained, liquid reserved
2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix (from 1-oz package)
1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend (2 oz)
1/2 cup ranch
1/4 salsa or BBQ sauce
1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup corn chips (1 1/2 oz)
1/2 cup tomato, seeded and diced


Arrange lettuce on large platter. In 10-inch nonstick skillet, place chicken and reserved liquid from corn. Sprinkle with taco seasoning mix. Cook over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until blended and thoroughly heated.
Arrange chicken mixture over lettuce. Sprinkle with cheese, corn and beans.
Combine dressing and salsa (or bbq sauce) together.
Drizzle with dressing; top with corn chips. Garnish with tomatoes.

Quick Chicken Quesadillas

Jennifer S.

2 lbs of shredded chicken or 2 12.5-oz can chicken, drained
6-oz shredded cheese (cheddar, Monterrey-Jack, Mexican blend). Your choice. I always use WAY more cheese!
2 TBS Taco seasoning (or from envelope)
4 green onions, thinly sliced with green parts
12 6" flour tortillas
salsa, sour cream, and guacamole (optional)

Mix chicken, cheese, taco seasoning and onions together in a bowl.
On 6 tortillas divide the mixture up and spread to the edges. Cover with remaining tortillas.
Heat a non-stick pan to med-high. Place assembled tortillas in pan (one at at time, turning once) until both sides have been browned lightly, and crispy.
Cut into wedges and serve with salsa, sour cream, and guacamole.

Easy Enchiladas

Mileka T.

Enchilada Sauce (from a can, your favorite)
Tortillas, corn or flour
Shredded chicken (cooked in crock pot)
shredded cheese

Coat tortilla with sauce on both sides (using a spoon on a large plate)
Sprinkle shredded chicken in a line in the center
Sprinkle shredded cheese on shredded chicken
Roll into a burrito
Line up in pan with fold side down
Sprinkle top with shredded cheese
Bake at 350 for 15-20 min.
Serve with salsa, spanish rice, refried beans, corn, veggies, sour cream, etc.

Note: cook a whole bunch of chicken in your crock pot and freeze the extra for later...so easy!

Fiesta Chicken and Rice Bake

Jennifer S.

Recipe can easily be doubled.

1 (10.75 ounce) can Cream of Chicken Soup or
1 cup Chunky Salsa or Picante Sauce
1/2 cup water
1 cup whole kernel corn
3/4 cup uncooked regular long-grain white rice
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
paprika
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Directions
1.Mix soup, salsa, water, corn and rice in 2-quart shallow baking dish. Top with chicken and sprinkle with paprika. Cover.
2.Bake at 375 degrees F for 45 minutes or until done. Sprinkle with cheese.

Pollo Relleno

Jennifer S.

First time I made this recipe I KNEW it was a keeper!!

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1-1/2 pounds total)
1/3 cup cornmeal
1/2 of a 1-1/4-ounce package(2 tablespoons)taco seasoning mix
1 egg
1 4-ounce can whole green chili peppers, rinsed, seeded, and cut in half lengthwise (6 pieces total)
2 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, cut into six 2x1/2-inch sticks.
2 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro or fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 8-ounce jar taco sauce or salsa
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese (optional)
Fresh cilantro sprigs (optional)

1. Place each chicken breast half between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Pound lightly into a rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. Remove plastic wrap. HINT:sprinkle chicken with a little bit of water before pounding to keep from tearing.
2. In a bowl combine cornmeal and taco seasoning mix. Place egg in another bowl; beat lightly.
3. For each roll, place a chili pepper half on a chicken piece. Place a cheese stick atop chili pepper near an edge. Sprinkle with some of the cilantro or parsley, black pepper, and red pepper. Fold in sides; roll up jelly-roll style, starting from edge with cheese .
4. Dip rolls into egg and coat with cornmeal mixture. Place rolls, seam sides down, in a shallow baking pan. Bake, uncovered, in a 375 degree F oven for 25 to 30 minutes.
5. Heat taco sauce. If desired, sprinkle chicken with shredded cheese. Serve with taco sauce or salsa. If desired, garnish with cilantro sprigs.