Honey Molasses Chicken

I made this recipe for Caitlin, Janet and Kevin this month.  I made it with the drumsticks and with chopped up chicken breast for cleaner eating. Both turned out great!

Find Recipe Here

Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Cream Sauce

This recipe comes from one of my favorite food blogs (but she hasn't been posting for quite a while).  It's a quick meal if your chicken is fresh, or already defrosted--and not the size of Rhode Island like the ones from Sam's Club can be sometimes..  Cut them down smaller if they are, and then they'll bake in 30 minutes for sure!

Dave loves this one, and as long as you've got Chive and Onion Cream Cheese on hand, it's likely you could whip it up without even planning for it!

http://amyscott.squarespace.com/journal/2008/2/9/parmesan-crusted-chicken-with-cream-sauce.html

PARMESAN CRUSTED CHICKEN WITH CREAM SAUCE

1 can reduced sodium chicken broth (I just do 2 cups chicken stock with boullion)
6 Ritz crackers  (I just crush up as many as I need--which is not ONLY 6)
2 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese (I just use the ever-exact method of "dump some")
4 bonesless skinless chicken breast halves
1/3 cup chive and onion cream cheese spread  (I probably dump about half the container and just thin as necessary)

Mix cracker crumbs and parmesan cheese in bowl.  Rinse chicken with cold water, shake off excess water.  Dip chicken in some melted butter, egg white, or plain yogurt and then in cracker mixture turning to coat.  Place in greased baking dish and bake at 350 for about 35-45 minutes or until chicken is done.

For the sauce pour 1/4 cup of chicken broth and cream cheese into skillet.  Cook, stirring constantly.  Simmer 3 minutes or until sauce thickens.  Note: this happens fast and if you let it go it gets thick and clumpy so as soon as it's all melted and slightly thick, it's good to go.  Serve sauce over chicken.

**I melt down the cream cheese and then start adding the broth as necessary to thin to desired consistency.

Mexican Chicken and Rice

Mom got this recipe off of the side of something...meaning, she cut it off of something, somewhere, at some point in her life. Regardless, it's super quick and yummy--and makes great leftovers to take to lunch at school or work!

Mexican Chicken and Rice

1 T Oil
1 ob cubed boneless chicken
1 each small onion & green pepper, chopped
1 10 oz package sweet corn, thawed (I always throw it in frozen)
1 c chicken broth
1 c mild salsa
1 1/2 c minute rice
1/2 c cheese

Heat oil--add chicken, onion, pepper & cook until chicken is done.  Add broth, corn, salsa--boil.  Stir in rice.  Cover.  Let stand 5 minutes.  Add cheese on top.

**I have made this in both an electric skillet and on the stove top in a skillet.  Both work great. Mom traditionally uses the electric skillet. :)

Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas

I use this recipe if I need to feed a large group or if I want to take food to another family and still have some for us.

3-4 c. Chicken, cooked & shredded

2 (8 oz) pkgs. cream cheese

1 c. Sour Cream

¼ c. Onion, finely chopped

1 tsp. Chili Powder

1 tsp. cumin

2-3 c. Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1 can Rotel Tomatoes

Tortillas

2 (20 oz) cans Enchilada Sauce, red or green

In a sauce pan, melt cream cheese, all but 1 cup shredded cheese, and sour cream, when smooth add chili powder, cumin, rotel, onion, and chicken.

In 2 9x13” pans pour a small layer of enchilada sauce.  Spoon chicken mixture into the tortilla, roll and place seam side down in the pan.  Continue till the mixture is gone.  Pour the remaining sauce on, then top with cheese.  Bake uncovered at 350° for 20-25 minutes.

*If you really fill up the tortillas, you only need 1 9x13” and 1 9x9” OR cut it in half.

*This can also be made ahead of time or frozen.  Just bake covered and increase the baking time (45ish minutes for refrigerated).  Uncover for the last 5-10 minutes to let the cheese melt and bubble.

Bacon Wrapped Orange Chicken

4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1/4 tsp Dried Sage
1/4 tsp Thyme
Salt and Pepper
4 strips Bacon, partially cooked
1/4 c Butter, melted
1/2 c Orange Marmalade

Preheat oven to 350 and line a baking dish with foil.

Sprinkle each chicken breast with sage, thyme, salt, and pepper.  Wrap each chicken breast with 1 slice of bacon and arrange tin the pan with the bacon ends tucked under.

Melt together the butter and marmalade in a sauce pan over medium heat and stir until combined.  Pour over bacon wrapped chicken breasts.  Bake, uncovered, for 45-50 minutes. or until bacon is crisp and chicken is done.  Makes 4 servings.

*When I made this for our Bacon Night, I used chicken tenderloins and had equivalent strips of bacon. Then it will only cook for about 30 minutes instead.

From 101 Things To Do With Bacon by Eliza Cross

Chicken Pot Pie

As you can tell from my posts, we're still having winter weather up here in Wisconsin, so we're still eating heavier meals for dinner.  This week is supposed to be springy, so I've got lighter meals planned.  Until then, I'll catch up on the recipes we've been eating lately--and that includes Chicken Pot Pie.

This recipe is from the same food blog Marisa introduced me to.  It's pretty easy.  I don't bother making my own crust, although I have before.  I just buy crust from the store.  Sometimes I've used rotisserie chicken, too.  Depending on my mood, I tend to double the amount of potatoes and veggies and then double the sauce ingredients.  It still fits in my pie plate, albeit a big "pie," and then it's nice and moist for reheats.

Chicken Pot Pie

Sesame Chicken (that I call Orange Chicken)

This is a recipe that Caitlin made for me and mom last summer when we visited her and Ryan in NC.  It's a quick and easy meal.  And, like most Lukes, Caitlin edited the recipe from its original form, and I make it like she did for us.  This recipe originally comes from the Food Network: Sesame Chicken.

I call it orange chicken because of the orange marmelade, and with the changes, there are actually no sesame seeds used. :)  The recipe below is how I (and Caitlin, I think) make it.  If you want to see the original recipe, see the link.

Sesame Chicken (Orange Chicken)

3 chicken breasts, nearly thawed
2 T soy sauce
2 T orange marmelade
1 T rice wine vinegar
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs and coconut  (I just dump half and half of each, without measuring)
Rice, for serving

• Preheat oven to 375.  Line a baking sheet with foil
• Cut chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes
• In medium bowl (ziploc bag) mix together soy sauce, marmelade, vinegar and red pepper flakes.  Marinate chicken at least 10 minutes and up to 8 hrs in fridge.  (I usually do this early in the day--then it's super fast to put together at dinnertime).
• In other bowl (bag) mix together panko and coconut.  Drain chicken and toss in flour.
• Spread chicken on baking sheet (I spray with pam)
• Bake til chicken is crispy but not dry, about 20 minutes turning halfway through.  Serve with rice
• I mix up extra sauce (ingredients 2-5) and drizzle over the the chicken and rice when eating.  When I make the extra sauce, I usually triple all the ingredients, except for the soy sauce, which I usually double.

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

I'm making these for dinner tonight.  They're one of our regulars (again from Our Best Bites...).  It's also another good use for the Green Enchilada Sauce.

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

 

Mrs. Pardee Chicken

This is from the Little Kids' elementary school librarian. It's great for feeding the missionaries. I always forget it takes so long to bake though...

1 can cream of mushroom soup (10.5 ounces)

1 can of cream of chicken soup (10.5 ounces)

1 can of cream of celery soup (10.5 ounce)

1 box wild rice and herb mix (uncooked)

1/2 cup French dressing

1/2 cup melted butter

Parmesan cheese

slivered almonds

4 – 8 chicken breasts (depending on size) I usually use 8

Mix soup with rice mixture. Place rice and soup mixture into greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Mix French dressing and melted butter. Pour 1/2 dressing and better over rice mixture. Arrange chicken on top of rice. Top with remaining dressing and butter mixture. Bake, uncovered, for three hours at 275°. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese and almonds (can leave off). Serves 6-8

Gold Medal Sizzling Fajitas

These are the fajitas I always make.  They are a Paula Deen, Food Network recipe.  I essentially use the marinade recipe for chicken and then I grill my chicken on our George Foreman. You can use multiple kinds of meat, and the instructions for doing so are in the recipe.

 It's a super quick dinner, actually, and my go-to when I have leftover peppers in my fridge.  Most of the time I don't even bother with guacamole...just cheese and sour cream and sometimes salsa here.  But then again, that's because I always have those things in my fridge!

We were given a tortilla warmer for our wedding, and I have to admit, it makes eating fajitas much more fun!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/gold-medal-sizzling-fajitas-recipe/index.html

Buffalo Chicken Dip

They made this at the Superbowl party at the dorms every year and I thankfully got the recipe and make it for almost every Husker's game.  (Healthy, I know).  Lately Mom has been making it for our Christmas Eve/New Years Eve feasts!

1 lb. chicken breasts cooked and shredded (I use 1-2 of the giant Sam's size breasts depending on how chicken-y I want it)
1 cup Frank's hot sauce
1/2 cup ranch dressing
8 oz package cream cheese
2 cups shredded cheese

While the chicken is cooking, throw everything else in a crock pot on low.  Add chicken.  If you put it on high, it'll only take about an hour to melt, longer obviously on low.  Just keep an eye on it and switch it to warm or it'll start to burn.

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

The first weekend Dave and I were in Wisconsin, we were sick and our bishop's wife brought us this yummy soup.  It makes a LOT, and you'll need a huge pot.  My biggest pot wasn't big enough and I was carefully stirring so as to not make THAT big of a mess.  I didn't bother cutting it in half when I made this this week, so instead I'm putting some in the freezer for later.

You can make homemade noodles for this, or, if you're like me, I just bought the homestyle egg noodles.  I would use only half a bag if you want it soupy, or a full bag if you want it more like a stew. When I made it I used the whole bag and the first night there was enough broth for us, but for leftovers there is essentially none.

This isn't difficult, just takes some time with all the veggie chopping, simmering and noodle cooking, FYI.

5 small chicken breasts (I used 3 Sam's sized, frozen ones)

12 cups water

12 bouillon cubes

1 large onion, chopped

8 stalks celery, chopped

3 cups sliced carrots

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup flour

1 can cream of chicken soup

4 cups milk (I did a combo of milk and cream, since I had cream to use up in my fridge)

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp pepper  (I think you'll need more salt and pepper afterwards)

1 tsp parsley

3/4 to 1 bag (16 oz) noodles 

Combine chicken, water, bouillon cubes, onion, celery and carrots.  Simmer for 30 minutes.  Remove chicken and chop, then return to mixture.  Add noodles and boil until al dente.  In a saucepan melt butter, and add flour to make a roux.  Add a little water to roux then slowly add roux into chicken and vegetables, stirring constantly (mine wasn't thick like a paste, so I didn't have to thin it down; I just added it to the soup).  Add cream of chicken soup and milk.  After thickened add seasonings.

Lemon-Herb Zucchini Fettuccine

This one takes a lot of coordination. You have to be doing a lot of things at once but it is MY favorite.  I can eat til I'm stuffed and I'm never like that with any dish.

Lemon-Herb Zucchini Fettuccine
recipe by Our Best Bites

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 lemons
2 T Red Wine Vinegar
Olive Oil
1/2 lb Fettuccine (that’s just 1/2 of a normal box like in the picture)
2 medium zucchini
1 C shredded parmesan cheese
5-6 cloves garlic
Fresh Basil (about 1/2 C) - I also substitute dried. I don't measure... just dump :)
Fresh Oregano (about 1/4 C) If you don’t have fresh oregano, just add a little dried.
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper
Prepare grill. You could also do this on the stove top in a skillet, or a grill pan.

Place chicken in a zip-lock bag with the juice of one lemon, a couple tablespoons of olive oil, and a couple tablespoons of red wine vinegar. Smoosh around and set bag aside while you get your other things ready. (If you’ve got time to spare, let the chicken marinade for 30 minutes, if you don’t, just take what you can get. I did mine for 15 min and it was great.)
Put the pot on the stove to boil water for the pasta. While you’re waiting for the water to boil, slice the zucchini in half length-wise. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Ryan and I put on A LOT of lemon-pepper (which is why I think we like it so much).

Press, or finely mince garlic cloves. In a small sauce pan on the stove, place 1/4 C olive oil and add garlic. Turn burner onto low-med heat. It shouldn’t be popping and frying, it should just slowly warm, infusing the oil with the garlic and removing that zing fresh garlic has.

When water boils, add pasta and a spoonful of salt

Remove chicken from bag and salt and pepper both sides. Place chicken, and zucchini on grill (or stovetop in my case). 

While chicky and zuchs are grilling and pasta is boiling, chop herbs and get out cheese. Zest both lemons and juice the one that hasn’t been juiced.

See, now you’re all ready. When everything is done cookin’ you can throw it together! Keep an eye on that garlic. You DON’T want it to get brown and crispy. It should still look nice and white. Give it a stir. If it starts really cooking, just take it off the heat and set aside. 

When zuch and chicken are done take them off the grill and chop ‘em up.
Reserve about 1/2 C pasta water. Drain pasta and immediately place in a big bowl. Place chopped zuch and chicken on top. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, cheese, herbs, and garlic-olive oil mixture. Just pile it all in there. Then stick your face up real close and inhale. Ahhhh, heaven.

Now take some tongs and give everything a big toss. If you feel it needs more moisture, add a little of the pasta water, or a little more olive oil. This will make 4 generous servings.

Garnish with a little more Parmesan on top and another squeeze of lemon if you have any left. Then sit back, relax, and imagine you’re sitting in some gorgeous Tuscan villa!

Honey Lime Enchiladas

This is one of Ryan's absolute favorites! Marisa thinks it's too sweet for her. :)

 

6 tablespoons honey
5 tablespoons lime juice ( 1-2 limes)
1 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded (about 3 small chicken breasts)
8-10 flour tortillas
1 pound monterey jack cheese, shredded
16 ounces green enchilada sauce
1 cup heavy cream

 Mix the first four ingredients and toss with shredded chicken. Let it marinate for at least 1/2 hour
(if you can let it set several hours EVEN better).  Pour about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9X13 baking pan. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese, saving about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas. Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the cream and leftover marinade. Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until brown and crispy on top.  

My notes:  The sauce makes A LOT. So I normally use some and freeze the rest to use for another time.  Also, I don't always have cream or want to buy it so I've substituted with just milk before and it's not too bad.  It's even better with a homemade enchilada sauce. I'll post that, too!