5 way Chicken Santa Fe

I got this recipe from a really great friend over at The Hungry Mamma (Hi Chels!) her sister in law made this for a party we had around christmas time, and I fell in LOVE! 

4 large Chicken breasts

1 jar of medium salsa

1 can Black Beans, drained

1 can Corn, drained

5 TBS taco seasoning (or 1 package)

1 (heaping) cup of shredded cheese

Spray crock pot with cooking spray.

Place chicken on bottom of crock pot.

In a small bowl, add salsa, black beans, corn and taco seasoning and mix well. Pour over chicken and cook on high for 4-5 hours.

When chicken is done, shred and add cheese. continue to cook until cheese is melted.

This filling is SO versatile! You can basically use it for anything... but here are the 5 ways we've used it.

DIP: This is the easiest way! Top with sour cream and cilantro, and use as a dip for tortilla chips!

TACOS: Spoon into taco shells, add lettuce and sour cream.

BURRITOS: Spoon into tortillas and fold up to close. Cover with enchilada sauce and cheese. Top with sour cream.

NACHOS: Dollop filling over corn chips, and cover with cheese. Bake at 300 for 10 min or until cheese is melted.

ENCHILADAS: Spoon into corn tortillas and roll up. Place into a 9x13 pan and cover with enchilada sauce and cheese. Bake at 350 for 10-20 min.

Chicken & Pesto Panini

MMM. Sandwiches have to one of my all time favorite meals, eating out, or eating in. Paninis have become a staple in our house after we got a George Foreman grill not too long ago! It's so nice to be able to throw leftovers in-between bread and have a delicious meal!

Chicken & Pesto Panini

2 slices sourdough bread

sliced (cooked) chicken

2 TBS pesto

1/4 cup mozzarella cheese

butter

Butter one side of each slice of bread, and place on slice, butter down, on a preheated panini press (or George Foreman) add 1 TBS of the pesto to the bread and spread around, then layer the cheese and chicken, and spread the remaining pesto on the other slice and add it to the top of the sandwich. Close panini press and cook until golden.

Dip in extra pesto, or ranch dressing.

*yes, I realize I added an extra N in panini on the photo, that's what I get for blogging so late!

Cajun Baked Alfredo

I love any kind of pasta. I'm pretty sure every one on the planet loves pasta. But I LOVE LOVE LOVE loaded pasta. Tons of veggies and pasta in a yummy, creamy sauce... could it get any better!?

1 lb uncooked pasta

2 cups shredded carrots

1 green bell pepper - sliced

1 large head of broccoli

1 onion - sliced

1 jar alfredo sauce

1/4 cup milk

2 tsp cajun seasoning

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375. boil pasta according to package directions. In a skillet, with a little butter or oil, saute onion, peppers and carrots until tender. Steam or boil broccoli. Toss everything into a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, mix alfredo sauce, milk, and seasonings. Pour over pasta and veggies and mix together. Transfer to a baking dish and top with cheese. Bake for about 10 minutes.

BBQ Chicken Panini

You know when you get something new, oh say, a kitchen gadget, and you wonder how you ever lived without it!? Well, my friends, I got a George Foreman. Holy Moly. I love that thing! After the usual chicken and meat, I tried making paninis, and they were SO yummy we've been making them in every possible combination ever since! This one has definitely been a favorite!

Sourdough bread

Shredded/Rotisserie Chicken

BBQ Sauce ( I like honey)

Mozzerella Cheese

Mayonnaise (trust me on this one)

Okay, so preheat your grill/george foreman/panini press, or whatever you're using. On the outsides of each slice of bread, spread a thin layer of mayo. You CAN use butter if you want, but I heard this tip on The Chew, and it's wonderful!! In a bowl, mix the chicken and bbq sauce, and place a big scoop on the bread and spread it out. Top with cheese and the other piece of bread. Grill on med/high until the cheese melts and the bread is golden and crispy. Serve with RANCH! Yum! Or, whatever dipping same you want! ;)

Butter Biscuit Chicken Pot Pie

 I am always looking for prep-ahead meals! You know, the ones that you can do most of the prep work ahead of time, and then right before you eat, you have minimal work and mess! I put all the ingredients into the crockpot in the morning, and then when we got home from church, all I had to do was throw the biscuits on top and bake it! So easy and it was the perfect meal for a cold autumn day!

You could also leave out the chicken and switch for cream of celery soup to make this a vegetarian dish!

 

Butter Biscuit Chicken Pot Pie

 

3 cans of cream of chicken soup

1/4 cup milk

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 cup frozen lima beans

1 cup chopped carrots

3 medium potatoes, diced

 (added at the end)

1 cup frozen peas

2 cups shredded chicken

2 cups biscuit mix (like bisquick)

 plus what you need to prepare the mix ie. water/milk/eggs

1/4 cup melted butter

 

In the crock pot, mix together your cream of chicken soup, milk, seasonings, lima beans, carrots, and potatoes. (leave the peas and chicken out) Cook on high for about 4 hours, or low for about 6, or until the potatoes are tender.

 

Right before you are ready to bake, stir in the shredded chicken and peas. The reason I do this at the end, is the chicken will start to disintegrate into the sauce if its in for too long, so adding it at the end helps it stay together.

Mix together your biscuit dough, and set aside.

Transfer the mixture to a 9x13  and spoon biscuit dough on top.

With a basting brush, spread half of the melted butter on top.

Bake at 450 for about 25 minutes until the top is golden brown.

(check your biscuit instructions, mine said 450, but if yours says a lower temp, stick with what it tells you!)

When the pot pie is done, brush the remaining butter on top.

Aloha Chicken Sandwich with warm pineapple salsa

I made these sandwiches the other day for dinner when I had NO time to make dinner. And they were amazing! Definetly a keeper!

For 2 Sandwiches:

1 large chicken breast

2 burger buns

1 cup Kraft toasted sesame asian dressing

2 TBS thick teriyaki sauce

Salsa:

1 can pineapple chunks

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

1 red bell pepper - large dice

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp garlic powder

another 1/4 cup of the asian dressing

Butterfly chicken breast, so you have 2 thin fillets. In a gallon sized ziplock bag, place chicken, Kraft dressing and teriyaki sauce. Marinade in the refrigerator for 2-6 hours. or however long you have! ;)

Preheat a skillet to medium, and add marinated chicken. Cook 8-10 minutes, until no longer pink.

While your chicken is cooking, in a smaller skillet, add pineapple, mushroom and red pepper, then add the remaining dressing and seasonings. Heat through on med/low until chicken is done.

Assemble sandwiches. We used mustard and mayo, and garnished with lettuce.

Skinny Chicken Parmesan

2 Chicken breasts
1 extra large egg
1tsp water
1 cup italtian bread crumbs
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp parsley
2 TBS parmesan cheese
Thin Spaghetti
spaghetti sauce (Bertolli's is my favorite)
Preheat oven to 400.
Mix egg and water in a shallow bowl, and in a separate bowl, mix bread crumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, parsley and parmesan cheese.
 Dip chicken into the egg mixture, and then into the breadcrumb mixture and coat evenly.
Place on greased cooling rack OVER a baking sheet and bake at 4000 for 20min-30 min or until the chicken if FULLY cooked. While chicken is baking, cook spaghetti noodles. When noodles are done, mix with enough spaghetti sauce to coat the noodles. Place cooked chicken on top on of spaghetti and top with sauce.
Serve with salad and breadsticks.

Side note... a friend mentioned to me something about my plated always being 'staged'... haha well, one plate does get staged... the other one looks like this. ;)

Italian Roasted Chicken

You ready for he EASIEST marinade EVER!?

Take 8-10 drumsticks...

Dump 1/2 a bottle of Zesty Italian dressing over the top.

Let it sit (covered) for 3-5 hours.

Place on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for 1 hour.

THATS IT! How stinkin' easy!?

And it's AAAHHH-MAZING! 

Baked Chicken Nuggets with 'The Sauce'

These chicken nuggets take me back to my childhood faster than watching an episode of My Little Pony. I loved these nuggets as a kid, and I love them even more now! She used to tell us we were eating out at 'McCarlson's' for dinner! It's still one of my favorite dinner memories! My mom pan fried them, but I like to bake them (less mess and of course, a little healthier!) And I love that my little guy actually EATS them! He is the pickiest eater, and any meat is immediately tuned down from him. But he gobbles these up like they were straight from the happy meal bucket! Can't complain with that!

 

Baked Chicken Nuggets

*2 large chicken breasts sliced into "discs"

1 egg

2 TBS water

2 cups Italian breadcrumbs

garlic powder

onion powder

salt and pepper

* to make slicing chicken a little easier, place it in the freezer for 20ish minutes so its firm, but not frozen.

Preheat oven to 400.

In a shallow bowl, mix egg, water and a sprinkle of each, onion and garlic powder.

In a separate shallow bowl, mix breadcrumbs and  a sprinkle of each, onion and garlic powder.

Season sliced chicken with salt and pepper, and dip them, one by one, into the egg mixture, and then the breadcrumbs. Place on a cookie sheet, sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake for 20-30 minutes, depending on the size of your nuggets.

PLEASE make sure the chicken is fully cooked, especially before serving this to your little ones!

And here's the best part about homemade chicken nuggets... The Sauce! I don't really even think it has a name, we just always came to expect it when we had chicken! Funny story, the day I made these nuggets, I was watching The Pioneer Woman, and she made this sauce as a sandwich spread! But my mom was making it LOOONG before that ;) Haha, but really, if your going to make the nuggets... make the sauce.

Here's how it works...

Mix equal parts miracle whip (or mayo) and yellow mustard.

Easy! right!? And SOO yummy!

 



Spicy Cajun Mac and Cheese

I have a confession.

Very, and I mean veeery rarely, do I ever follow a recipe.

Gasp. I know.

I got it from my mom to be quite honest. I've said it before that she could go to the pantry at any given time and whip up something amazing. She has talent, and I like to think she passed a little of it on to me! ;)

Anyways, moral of the story, this is how I came up with this delicious bowl of scrumptiousness. It's spicy, and cheesy and FILLED with veggies! What's not to love!?

 

1/2 box of pasta (I used penne)

1 C chicken ( I used leftover)

3 large carrots, cut into matchsticks

1 large red bell pepper, cut into matchsticks

1/2 a yellow onion sliced thinly

1 cup of frozen peas

6 TBS of butter

2 T flour

1 t Cajun seasoning

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

2 C Milk (+ a little more at the end)

1 TB Franks Hot Sauce

1 C Mozzarella Cheese

 

Cook pasta according to package. And chicken if you aren't using pre-cooked.

In a large skillet, melt 1 TB of the butter, and the add carrots, bell pepper, and onion. Sauté until the veggies are tender. Once veggies are tender, add the rest of the butter, and melt it down. Then sprinkle in the flour and mix well, cook for 1-2 minutes. Add milk and stir until sauce is smooth. Add hot sauce, Cajun seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, mix well. Add peas  and allow to heat through. Add cheese at the very end, and allow it to melt, stirring well.

Serve with breadsticks.



Quick and Easy::Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

These were a HUGE hit at our house! I kind of expected my husband to turn up his nose at this kind of 'chick' food, but he LOVED them! I will most definitely be making these over and over again!

 

1 large chicken breast, diced

2 small zucchini, cut into a small dice

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp of each salt and pepper

1/3 cup of Kraft Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing

6-8 lettuce cups, I used romaine

1 large carrot, finely diced

1/2 cup finely chopped peanuts

 

In a sauté pan, cook chicken in a little vegetable oil. When the chicken is about 1/2 way done, add your zucchini, garlic, and s+p. Allow to sauté for about 10 minutes until chicken is cooked through and zucchini is softened. Then add the dressing and simmer for about 5 minutes until the dressing is mostly absorbed.

Add about 1/4-1/2 cup of the filling to a lettuce cup, and top with carrots and peanuts. Top with siracha hot sauce if you like.



Baked Chubby Chicken Flautas

I made these for lunch today and after my first bite, I couldn't WAIT to get the recipe up! These were so darn easy and yummy!

 

2 cups shredded chicken

1 can pinto beans- drained and rinsed

1 small can of green chilies

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 cup salsa

1/2 cup shredded cheese

10-12 fajita size flour tortillas

 

Preheat oven to 400.

In a bowl, add all ingredients and mix well. Spoon 2 spoonfulls of filling into softened tortillas and roll tightly, place onto a greased baking sheet SEAM SIDE DOWN.  Spray tops with a good amount of coming spray and bake about 20 minutes until golden brown.

{Easy} Crockpot Chicken Tacos

I am always looking for an easy weeknight meal that doesn't require much thought! We have tacos a lot in our house, and this has to be my favorite variety!! The filling could actually be used for a lot of dishes; enchiladas, burritos, taco salads... but the tacos seem to be our favorite!

4 chicken breasts

4 cups chicken broth

Seasonings: garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, parsley...

Throw your chicken into the crockpot and cover with broth, sprinkle with seasonings and cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 7-8

 

When then chicken is almost done cooking, add 2 TBS of Taco seasoning, 1/2 sup salsa, a can or beans (I chose red kidney) and a can of sweet corn. Stir and allow to heat all the way through.

 

We like these on corn tortillas, with lettuce, spanich rice, salsa, and sour cream.

Apple Pecan Chicken Salad

Chicken salad is one of those things I always forget about, until it's the only option for lunch! I made this the other day last minute when I had to take my husband lunch, and we were out of lettuce to have regular ham sandwiches. They were a huge hit with my husband, and a nice change from the norm!

2 cups cookes, shredded and cooled chicken

1 apple, diced

1/4 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup miracle whip

salt & pepper

Mix everything in a bowl and chill. Serve on wheat bread (our favorite) or on crackers.

Sweet Corn and Chicken Enchiladas

These are the Enchiladas I made when I used the previous enchilada sauce recipe. They were SO good! the corn was a great addition! I'll definetly be making these again!

 

6 corn tortillas

1 cup shredded chicken

1 cup sweet prozen corn

2 cups shredded cheese (divided)

2 cups (or 1 can) enchilada sauce

sour cream (for topping)

 

In a bowl, mix chicken, corn and 1 cup of cheese.

Spoon a few ladels of enchilada sauce in the bottom of an 8x8 casserole dish to prevent sticking, and pur the rest of your enchilada sauce into a shallow bowl or a pie plate.

Wrap tortialls in a damp paper towel and microwave for 1 minute to soften. Once they are softened, one by one, dip a tortilla in the enchilada sauce, coating completely, then fill with chicken and corn mixture and rolld up, placing seam side down in the casserole dish. It's messy, but SO worth it! Repeat with all tortillas. Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes, then remove and top with cheese and bake until cheese it melted.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Today seems like the perfect day to post this recipe! It's been chilly all weekend and I've been crazing soup! And Chicken Noodle Soup has always been one of my favorites. This recipe is so simple and is one of the easiest soup recipe's I know! Perfect for a crisp fall day, or a day when you feel a cold coming on!

 

4-5 cups chicken broth (I use low sodium)

3 large carrots, sliced

2 stalks of celery, sliced

1/2 and onion, diced

2 cups shredded chicken

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 bay leaf

1/2 bag wide egg noodles

 

In a large pot, bring chicken stock, bay leaf and garlic powder to a low boil. Add carrots, onion and celery and simmer until carrots are soft. Add chicken and egg noodles and continue to boil until noodles are cooked through. Remove bay leaf and enjoy.

 

*If you need more soup than this makes, just add more water to the broth, and add more noodles.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Wrap

Lunch is hard at our house. My husband doesnt come home from work for the time being, and my 2 year old's nap is at 12, so he eats earlier. That just leaves me. I never really want to make a huge fuss over lunch, but if I don't eat something substantial, I'll snack all day long. Not good.

Wraps and sandwiches are usually my favorite lunch food, and I try to switch them up quite often so they dont get too boring. My husband got the chicken rach quesedillas from Chili's a couple nights proir, and they were still on my radar (thank you pregnancy) so I decided to do a slightly lighter version.

 

Makes 1 wrap

1 large wrap or tortilla

1 TBS ranch dressing

3 oz grilled chicken (eyeball it)

2 slices monterey jack cheese

2 slices of turkey bacon

lettuce

red onion

Siracha hot sauce (optional)

 

Cook your bacon until crisp. If you chicken is leftovers (like mine was) heat it in a skillet until very warm.

Spread the ranch dressing evenly over the tortilla.

 Once the chicken is heated, place on the tortilla and imedietly cover with the cheese. This will allow the cheese to melt slightly.

 Follow with all the other ingredients. Roll and Enjoy.

 

Mini BBQ Chicken Pizza

I love anything mini. :) And I love pizza. So mini pizza? This was right up my alley ;)

You could really do this with any kind of pizza, I just happened to have a hankering for bbq chicken that night.

Mini BBQ Chicken Pizza

makes 4 mini pizzas

Pizza dough (I used this recipe)

2 cups shredded chicken

BBQ sauce

shredded mozzerella cheese

Once you have made your pizza dough, divide into 4 equal portions, roll into cirlces and bake according to recipe directions until crusts are about 3/4 done. (mine took about 10 minutes)

While crusts are cooking, mix chicken and bbq sauce, I didn't put an amount because it depends on how 'saucy' you like it, and how dry your chicken is.

Remove crusts from oven. Spread about 2 TBS of bbq sauce on each crust, and top with 1/2 cup of the chicken. Top with cheese and return to the oven until cheese is melted and crusts are done cooking.



Fuji Chicken Sandwich

I get a lot of odd looks when I mention that one of my favorite sandwich toppings is... apples! Yes, apples! Especially in summer! It just adds a nice crisp, sweet taste that you don't get from anything else!
Makes 2 sandwiches
4 slices Whole Grain Bread
Chicken breast lunch meat
1 fuji apple
letttuce
red onion
miracle whip (or mayo)
yellow mustard

I think making a sandwich is pretty self explanitory ;)
I just sliced the apple in 1/4 inch slices and added it to the middle of the sandwich.
Soooo yummy! Try it!

Pan Seared Lemon Chicken

2 chicken breasts, butterflied (cut in 1/2)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 cup lemon juice

 After you butterfly your chicken, season with S&P. In a pan, heat a few tsp of olive oil. Add chicken and cook for about 10 minutes, turning every once in awhile. When chicken is no longer pink, add lemon juice and cook for 5 more minutes, turning once.