Mexican Chicken Skillet

I was going to make sloppy joes one night this week. About an hour before getting dinner started I checked my email and found this recipe from Kraft in my inbox. It was really good and really easy once I changed it up a little bit.

2 cups cooked rice, white or brown

       Prepare your rice using low sodium chicken broth instead of water. If you don't have reduced       sodium broth use 1/2 broth and 1/2 water in preparing your rice or this dish ends up too salty

 

1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup cream cheese or sour cream

1lb diced uncooked chicken 

1 jar of salsa, I used medium which was so good, but rendered this dish toddler/baby unfriendly

1/2 cup  KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese

 

In a skillet pour another 1/2 cup or so of broth and add the diced chicken. Simmer until chicken is cooked through, 8-10 minutes. The smaller your chicken pieces the faster it will cook. Add more broth if needed to keep chicken from sticking to the pan. Add the cooked rice and salsa. Stir in the sour cream and cheese. Serve on a plate. I think this would make a very good filling for a soft burrito as well!

 

Mine didn't really look anything like the picture since I diced the chicken and used salsa instead of a boring old chopped tomato, but what's a recipe without a photo!

Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatori

Traditionally you would use bone in chicken pieces like drum sticks and thighs for this dish. I just cook with what's in the freezer. There is no quick dash to the grocery store when it's 35 miles away! I used two diced chicken breasts, about a pound and a half of meat. And since this is crock pot style and supposed to be EASY there is no dredging the chicken in flour and searing in a skillet of hot butter or oil... although I am sure that would be delicious if you're up for the extra work!


Thanks Google images for this picture. There are over 6 pages of chicken cacciatori pictures, so why take my own?? :P 

3 lbs chicken pieces, thighs and drum sticks
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 can of Italian style diced tomatoes undrained
6 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
2 -4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil (we have basil in a squeeze tube, its amazing!!)
1/2 teaspoon celery powder
1-2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Dump all into crockpot and cook on low 7 hours. Serve over spaghetti

Baked Chicken Enchilladas

My mother in law sent me a box recently with all sorts of treasures... Including my favorite, cooking magazines! This came out of taste of home :) Next time I make it I will probably through in some corn. I cut the sour cream in half and substituted with fat free cottage cheese. It was still nice and creamy without being a calorie fest. Luke refused to eat this. I don't know if he was just being cranky, but mommy and daddy liked it! (oh and don't worry, Luke ate dessert so he didn't go to bed hungry)

Ingredients

• 4-1/2 cups chopped chicken (I threw two chicken breasts in the oven for an hour that morning)
• 1 can (28 ounces) green enchilada sauce
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup cottage cheese
• 9 corn tortillas (6 inches), shredded into 1-1/2-inch pieces
• 16 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I used a little less)

Directions

• Mix chicken together with enchillada sauce, sour cream, cottage cheese, and most of the shredded cheese 
• In a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish, layer the chicken mixture alternating with the shredded tortillas. The final layer should be torillas. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese
• Cover and bake at 375° for 40 minutes. Uncover; bake 10 minutes longer or until bubbly. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

I've been waaaay slacking on posting my latest recipes. But this one was amazing, definitely a keeper! The original recipe did not include the peppers and onion, but I thought it made a nice addition :-)

 

Here's what you need:

1 Tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 Tablespoon chicken broth ( I just sprinkle a little bouillon into warm water)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 can pineapple chunks (20 oz can--in juice)

2 Tablepoons plus 1/4 cup cornstarch

1 Tablespoon sugar

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup ketchup

1 Tablespoon canola oil

1 red pepper

1 green pepper

1/4 sweet onion

Step 1: Cut chicken into cubes. Then combine 1 TBSP soy sauce, broth, garlic and ginger; add chicken and marinate at least 30 minutes.Chop peppers and onion into chunks.

 Step 2: Drain pineapple, reserve juice. Add enough water to juice to measure 1 cup. In a bowl, mix 2 Tablespoons cornstarch, sugar and pineapple juice. Then add in the vinegar, ketchup and 2 tsp soy sauce.

Step 3: Discard any remaining marinade from chicken. Coat chicken in remaining cornstarch. Stir-fry in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Meanwhile, stir-fry the peppers and onion. (Or of course you could just wait till the chicken is done and re-use the same skillet...). When chicken/veggies are done, set aside.

Step 4: Stir pineapple juice mixture, add to the skillet that the chicken was in. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 2 minutes or until thickened. Add chicken, veggies, pineapple. Heat through. Serve with rice, if desired. 

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta

Happy Tuesday! Every week I welcome Tuesday, my day off, as a chance to catch up on laundry, errands, and...cooking!! Most importantly, I have time to try out new recipes. Today I followed my usual series of events called Dinner Planning Adventure...which usually goes something like this:

 1) Inspect the cupboard and raid the fridge to analyze the ingredients I have on hand.
 2) Look for recipes that utilize those things.
 3) Improvise/adjust/tweak/healthify the recipe to my heart's content.
4) Consider if hubby will like it
5) Apply apron to self, and start cooking!

Today's result was worth sharing. The basis of this recipe was borrowed from fellow blogger Cynthia Matzat .

 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
6 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
1 and 1/4 cups skim milk
1 packet Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix
2 Tbsp flour
1 bunch broccoli
8 oz whole-wheat pasta (I used Penne)
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Parmesan cheese, to taste.

(Next time I make this, I'm going to add in 1/4 cup chopped onion and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes)

Cut chicken into cubes and cook in skillet with onion until barely browned.Sprinkle flour and dressing mix over chicken, stir to coat. Add milk and continue to cook over medium heat, stirring until mixture becomes thickened and bubbly.  Meanwhile, boil pasta in a separate pot. Add broccoli to boiling pasta for the last 8-10 minutes of pasta-boiling time. Drain pasta/broccoli. Combine with chicken/sauce mixture. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, red pepper and/or Parmesan cheese

Baked Chicken Nuggets with Honey Mustard.

Wow these are good! They aren't heavily breaded like the ones from the freezer and are so good. I made a honey mustard dipping sauce to go with. The blend of seasoning in the chicken is really nice and not something I ever would have though of.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 pound, boneless chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 2 tbsp warmed milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Cut chicken breasts into 1 1/2-inch sized pieces. In a medium bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, cheese, salt, thyme and basil. Mix well. Put melted butter in a bowl with milk for dipping.
3. Dip chicken pieces into the melted butter first, then coat with the breadcrumb mixture. Place the well-coated chicken pieces on a lightly greased cookie sheet in a single layer, and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. 
4. Turn on the broiler and bake for 3-5 more minutes until the tops are golden brown

Honey Mustard Sauce (3 servings)

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, honey, and lemon juice. Store covered in the refrigerator.

 

Butter Chicken

This one was so good we ate it before I took any pictures. Same goes for the leftovers! It's an Indian dish, a type of cuisine I am completely unfamiliar with. It calls for a spice blend called garam masala which I have never heard of. Allrecipe's came to the rescue with a substitute blend of spices I could use instead. We ate it with brown rice, so good! I did skip the 1/4 cup of heavy cream at the end. It seemed creamy enough with the yogurt.

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 onions, thinly sliced
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup plain yogurt (not nonfat)
• 2 teaspoons garam masala or substitute (1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp ground cloves)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, optional

Preparation

1. 1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring, until softened and beginning to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Scrape into slow cooker. Place chicken pieces on top.
2. 2. Combine ginger, garlic, almonds, yogurt, garam masala and salt in a food processor and process until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl with a flexible spatula as necessary. Add tomatoes and pulse once to combine. Pour mixture over chicken. Cover and cook in crockpot on low until chicken is tender, 4 to 5 hours. Stir in heavy cream, cover and cook until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro just before serving, if desired.

Orange Beef (or Chicken!)

I love stir fry, and this one was amazing. It calls for top sirloin which can be a bit pricey, about 5.39/lb here. Well it just so happened to be on sale this week, and since I only needed one pound I didn't mind buying it. Did I mention our grocery store is attached to an open to the public meat processing plant? Don't feel like butchering your own deer or turkey? Well just drop it off here and pick it up later! The meat case is also stocked with interesting things like gizzards, fresh pig feet, and other things I'd prefer not to eat.

I never used fresh ginger before but it was really easy and smells great. You could probably substitute dried ginger. Rice vinegar is worth picking up. Its cheap and has a mild almost nutty smell. It isn't nearly as acidic as other vinegars.

• 1 pound beef top sirloin, thinly sliced (or chicken)
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons orange zest
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1/4 cup oil for frying

Directions

1. Cut beef into small inch pieces. Allow to sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. 
2. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, rice vinegar, orange juice concentrate, salt and soy sauce. Set aside.
3. Heat oil in a wok  or large skillet over medium-high heat. Toss beef in flour to coat. Fry in the hot oil until crispy and golden brown; set aside.
4. Add orange zest, ginger and garlic to the remaining oil, and cook briefly until fragrant. Add the soy sauce mixture to the wok, bring to a boil, and simmer till thickens, about 5 minutes. Add beef, and heat through, stirring to coat. Serve immediately over steamed rice, and garnish with broccoli.

Apricot Chicken

This is really really good!! It reminded me a bit of Chinese takeout. The sauce is so good. Serve with broccoli or green beans and be sure to steal some sauce from the chicken to drown drizzle your veggies


Apricot Chicken

1 tablespoon chili powder
2 tablespoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 pounds bone-in chicken thighs or boneless breasts
3/4 cup apricot preserves
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1 tablespoon lime juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Preparation

1. In a bowl, mix chili powder, 1 Tbsp. ground ginger, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Pat chicken dry and rub seasoning mixture into chicken. Cover; chill for at least 2 hours.
2. In a small pan, mix preserves, barbecue sauce, remaining ginger, lime juice and garlic. Stir over low heat until well combined.
3. Preheat oven to 350°F; mist a large, shallow baking dish with cooking spray. Warm oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken, turning often with tongs, until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to baking dish and pour apricot glaze over, turning chicken to coat. Bake until chicken is cooked through, about 40 minutes. Let chicken rest for 10 minutes before serving