Chicken Tamale Pie

Since I am such a Cooking Light fan, I'm not sure how I missed this recipe but I'm glad Pinchofyum brought it back to life! 

This will go into the weekly meal rotation file.  Perfect for work night's and another recipe for store bought Rotisserie Chicken! Whooo hooo!

NOTE: You can substitute the spice mixture for one package of Taco Seasoning mix using 1/2 for the cornbread and 1/2 for the chicken.

Ingredients

1/3 cup milk
1 egg
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (14 oz) cream style corn
1 (8 oz) box corn muffin mix (I used Jiffy)
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies
1 (10oz) can enchilada sauce

2 cups cooked chicken - shredded
1 cup grated cheese
Optional: chopped fresh cilantro and Cojita cheese to sprinkle on top

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Spray 9" pie plate with non stick spray.
Mix together chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper and set aside.
In medium bowl, mix together milk, egg, 1/2 of spice mixture, cream corn, muffin mix and chopped green chilies. Stirring just until moist.  Pour into prepared pie plate and bake 20-30 minutes or until top springs back easily. 
Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes. Toss shredded chicken with remaining spice mix.
 Pierce entire service of baked muffin mixture with fork (gets a little sticky but don't worry, nobody will notice!).  Pour enchilada sauce on top.  Top with seasoned chicken and cheese.  Bake an additional 20 minutes and sprinkle with Cilantro and Cojita cheese if desired. 

Tweet

Caprese Grilled Chicken

Apparently I need two new categories for my recipes: Titled RFM and RFR.  That would be 'Recipes from Mom' and ' Recipes from Rob'!  This one is an RFR but the next one will most likely be an RFM!

Doesn't get much better than this...easy, healthy, fast!  I'd say those are three requirements that make this a perfect recipe.  Great for weeknights but fancy enough for guests.  

I tossed some fresh asparagus in a bit of olive oil and threw it on the grill with the chicken.  Reduced a bit of Balsamic Vinegar on the stove to top it off and Chicken Perfection!


Ingredients

4 chicken breasts
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 thick slices of fresh mozzarella
4 slices fresh tomato
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

Instructions

Heat your grill to medium high heat.  Rub  chicken with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. As chicken is cooking, pour balsamic vinegar into sauce pan  and simmer until reduced by half. Set aside. (this takes only about 3-5 minutes once it starts to simmer).

When chicken is thoroughly cooked, top with mozzarella, basil, tomato slice and about a tablespoon of the balsamic reduction.  Serve warm or chill chicken and serve cold the next day...made a perfect lunch for me!

Tweet

BBQ Chicken Soup with Cornbread Croutons

Soup with a twist and a secret ingredient...I LOVE secret ingredients! 

 I've never heard of BBQ Chicken Soup until I had it at SODO Kitchen, a lovely restaurant located in the Seattle Starbucks Headquarters building. The food is fresh from local Farmers and the staff is lovely! The Catering Manager was nice enough to share this recipe with...Thank you Laura! 

 This has turned out to be one of my all time soup faves and I love me some soup so that says alot.

So, what is that secret ingredient??  It's a cup of brewed coffee and of course I used Starbucks...I got a few pounds of it hanging around.

NOTES:

• This soup is as good as the BBQ sauce you use...so be sure and use one you like.
• Perfect recipe to use grocery store purchased Rotisserie Chicken!

Tweet

Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup

I love secret ingredients!  Something that makes a recipe really different and stand out.  The secret to this soup is... a bottle of beer!  Beer instead of broth, now that's my kind of recipe! (especially if you throw this together in the morning and take a little taster before dumping it in the pot..who doesn't like a little beer breath in the morning?).

You can't really 'taste' the beer but it does add a certain depth of flavor.  If you don't drink alcohol, you can substitute chicken broth...but try the beer, the chances of any alcohol being left after 5 hours in a slow cooker are pretty slim.

You can also substitute kidney beans for chili beans, regular canned diced tomatoes instead of those with green chilies, I  think you could go with just about anything you got in your cupboard on this and not mess it up too bad!

 

 

 

Tweet

Chicken Enchilada's in Creamy Avocado Sauce

Another home run recipe from my pal Rob...he is a bloggers best friend!  Rob knows that the best recipes come from home cooks and he finds a lot of his favorites on Pinterest and, if they are a winner, he sends them on to me to post...like I said, a bloggers best friend! Rob found this recipe on  Closet Cooking. It is my new favorite blog.  He has some really easy, yummy stuff. 

I used store bought Rotisserie Chicken for these Enchilada's.    I'm mildly obsessed with Rotisserie chicken. (can you be 'mildly obsessed' or is that like being a 'little bit pregnant'?)  I've even dedicated a Pinterest Board to it, ( not to being a 'little pregnant' but to Rotisserie chicken...jeesh, where am I going with this???)

I modified this recipe slightly.   The original called for fresh Jalapeno.   I knew it would be too much heat for my family.  Turns out Rob excluded the Jalapeno as well and achieved the same great results.  But, if you want more heat, seed and chop a Jalapeno,  toss it in the food processor with the rest of the sauce ingredients.  Either way, give this recipe a try!

Tweet

Eula's Sunday Casserole

This was one of my first posts....I thought I would republish.  It's a perfect use of leftover turkey and my original photo was just terrible!  This recipe is totally worth a face lift!

I'll bet most people have a 'go to' casserole in their family recipe box...they almost all include a can of cream of ka-ka (cream style soup), and this one is not much different, but every time I make this, I get asked for the recipe! It feeds a crowd and has a fresh flavor that not all creamy casseroles have.
Eula was my mother-in-law, probably one of the nicest people I have ever had the privilege of knowing...she had a true heart of gold. She was a wonderful cook, and I'm not so sure she would be thrilled to know that her name is attached to one of the simplest dishes she made, but we started calling it Eula's Casserole years ago and it's too late to change now!
This feeds about 6 people and is delicious with a side of french bread.

Ingredients

2 cups cooked turkey or chicken, cubed
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 1/2 cups grated swiss cheese
4 cups cooked rotini noodles
2 cups broccoli florets
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray 9 x 13 casserole dish with non stick spray. (or for easy clean up line the dish with foil).
In large bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream and chicken soup. Add chicken (or turkey), noodles, 2 cups of the cheese, broccoli and lemon juice, mix well. Pour into prepared casserole dish, cover with foil. Bake for about 45 minutes or until bubbly in the center. Remove foil, top with remaining 1/2 cup of swiss cheese and bake until cheese is melted.

Tweet

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

 

 

I know, another soup recipe!  But I got a hankerin' for some soup. It's fall and we had a longer than normal summer and I'm ready for winter food!   I've been making this soup for years, it's adapted from an old Cooking Light recipe.  ( FYI: old Cooking Light recipes are the bomb...new ones?... not so much).

 

The secret ingredient...are you ready?  It's Light Velveeta cheese...oh you shut up you cheese snob, you know you love Velveeta! Who doesn't?...and it's LIGHT cheese, yup, it's healthy. Who knew?  :)  

 (secret: if you can't find Velveeta Light Cheese or the $7.00 per block price tag is a bit high.  You can either: a.) use the full blown fatty stuff or, b.)  substitute 12 slices of American light cheese.  (ie: 2% American cheese slices).

My husband says he can tell when I cheat and use the slices...so be warned.  He has a cheezy palate so he might be right. (who can resist a cheezy joke?)

 

Trader Joe's carries a wonderful, precooked wild rice.  It's what I recommend for this recipe.  But in a pinch you can use a blend like Uncle Ben's Wild Rice, but don't add the seasoning packet.  

 

Oh, and this would be another perfect recipe to use grocery store Rotisserie Chicken. Love that!

 

 

Ingredients

 

1 cup uncooked quick-cooking wild rice (or a rice blend in a pinch, see note above)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon Thyme (fresh or dried)
3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups cubed peeled baking potato
3 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
10 ounce light processed cheese, cubed (such as Velveeta Light)
2 cups chopped chicken (Rotisserie chicken from your grocer works great!)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (optional)

 Directions

Cook rice according to package directions,
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with olive oil.
Add onion and garlic; saute 3 minutes. Add Thyme.
Add broth and potato; bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until potato is tender.
Combine milk and flour, stirring well with a whisk.
Add the milk mixture to potato mixture; cook 5 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; add cheese, stirring until cheese melts.
Stir in rice, chicken, pepper, and salt.
Garnish with parsley, if desired.

Tweet

Lasagna Soup!

I know, this looks like every other soup I love to make...but this one is different.  It' has a secret....a yummy, gooey secret.  Shhhh, come closer, let me whisper in your ear...it's called YUM!  A scoop of yummy, gooey goodness lies underneath the quiet tomatoey exterior and it is heaven my friends.

I can hardly wait wait for my fellow soupateer Jamie to try it.  She is hooked on my Gnocchi "crack soup" but I this might just become her new addiction!  Let me know Jamie!

So what exactly is this secret yum you ask?  It is a scoop of ricotta cheese that has been mixed with parmesean,  a bit of oregano, salt and pepper. (make your own ricotta if you have an extra 10 minutes).  You add a dollop to the bowl, ladle the soup over and top with mozzarella! 

What kind of pasta?  For this photo I used broken up lasagna noodles and it worked pretty good but you might find it easier to use a rotini type pasta...up to you, you still get the same results.

I recommend boiling the pasta separately then adding to the each soup bowl. Normally, I'd say...whatever... just dump it all in the pot, but this soup is pretty thick and it's hard to get the pasta too not get mushy. 

Here is to fall and soup...I love you both!  (oh and the yum...I do love the yum !)

Ingredients
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
16 oz chicken sausage
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced red pepper
1/3 cup parsley, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons dried basil
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/3 cup grated parmesean
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 cups (uncooked) rotini pasta or broken up lasagna noodles (which is what I used)
pinch of salt and pepper

Directions
Brown and crumble chicken sausage in large dutch oven .  Remove from pan and set aside.  Boil water for pasta.
Heat olive oil to the same pan you cooked the sausage in and add onion, red peppers and saute until onions are soft.  Add garlic and parsley, saute for another 2-3 minutes.  Add the crushed and diced tomatoes, along with basil - cook 5 minutes.  Add broth and cooked sausage. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 15 minutes before serving. 
Add pasta to water and cook until al dente.  Drain and rinse. (rinsing will keep the pasta from sticking together until you are ready to serve)
Meanwhile back at the yum station.  Mix together the ricotta, Parmesan, garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper to taste.

Add a dollop of yum to the bottom of a soup bowl, add  your pasta and ladle the soup over it.  Top with mozzarella and serve!  Yummmmmm!

Tweet

Thai Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing and Crispy Wontons

What I love about this salad:

• Rotisserie chicken from supermarket
• Easy
• Low calorie/healthy
• Thai peanuty goodness
• Inexpensive
• Ingredients you probably have on hand
• No cook
• Great lunch leftovers
• But mostly...really, really tasty!  The crunch of the cuc's and the peanuty sauce with the crispy Wontons really pack a punch!

Tweet

Grilled Ginger-Soy Chicken

Simple, simple, simple!  Just a few ingredients plus an hour to marinade and "Bob's Your Uncle"! 
I used  organic chicken thighs with fresh ginger and garlic...but you could easily substitute chicken breasts (try to stay organic if  you can) and ground, garlic and ginger...you get near the same results!


Ingredients

2 pounds chicken thighs (bone in or out, doesnt matter)
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup soy sauce

Directions

Toss everything in a ziploc type bag.  Seal the bag and mush it around so everything is coated.

Refrigerate for an hour or overnight.

Heat up your favorite grill and cook until done!

Tweet

Perfect Crispy Oven Fried Chicken!

Ho hum, another recipe for oven fried chicken...but not so fast my foodie freinds! 
My oven fried chicken recipe can beat up your oven fried chicken recipe!
What makes mine so perfect you ask?  Buttermilk. Not the kind you find next to the weird milk products in the dairy case, but the kind you make at home, out of milk and vinegar...that's it. 
 Milk + Vinegar = Buttermilk...it's genius I tell you!  You can use it in all recipes that call for Buttermilk, perfect for baking!
Other secrets to perfect oven fried chicken: Panko crumbs, smoked paprika and chicken thighs...leave the breasts in the freezer! ( killing me to not say something really stupid right now....).

Tweet

Jalapeno Popper Chicken

Oooey gooey, spicy, creamy, tasty yumminess!    This is one tasty chicken recipe.  You can adjust the heat by adjusting the amount of jalapeno.  I used two large ones but I'm a hottie, what can I say?

Most of the heat of a pepper is in the seeds and veins,  once removed you get a nice mellow heat, coupled with the creamy cheese it's a winner, winner, chicken dinner!

I use low fat cream cheese, only because I prefer the texture.  If I liked full fat, I'd use it, it just seems a little thick to me but you can do either.

The recipes that I have seen for this say to ' make a pocket' in the thickest part of the breast...but I didn't think it held enough goo, so I sliced it open all the way down and about 2/3 through the breast....much better! I crammed in as much cheese mixture as I could and pressed down to form a seal.  The egg and bread crumbs formed a nice crust, and I didn't have to use toothpicks to hold it all together.

NOTE: Bake and chill over night, slice and serve cold...makes a great appetizer!!

Tweet

Lemon Chicken with Artichokes

I think the mark of a true 'home chef', is making a great meal out of stuff you already have in your cupboard.  Not wanting to go to the store...again,  (I swear the checkers at Safeway all know me by name!)    I did a quick inventory of the pantry,  went on-line and typed in chicken, lemon and artichokes.  Let me tell you that there is no shortage of lemon chicken recipes. Another hour or two spent surfing for the perfect recipe...I sure do that a lot lately.

I took the best features of 2 or 3 recipes and came up with this one pot wonder!  It comes together quickly and is perfect for a weeknight meal and very healthy too.  There is no doubt I will be making this again. 

Servings: 4

Calories: 260

Fat: 5.4

Carbs: 22.2

Fiber: 2.7

Protein: 26.3

WW Points+: 6

Ingredients

3/4 cup reduced sodium chicken broth

2 teaspoons lemon zest

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon sugar

1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breast, thighs or a combination of both

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 teaspoons olive oil

14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained

Directions

Combine the broth, zest, lemon juice, cornstarch, and sugar in a small bowl; set aside.

Sprinkle both sides of each chicken breast with the salt, and pepper. Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned and almost cooked through, about 3 minutes on each side.
Add the broth mixture and cook until the mixture boils and thickens, about 1 minute. Add the artichokes and cook until chicken is cooked through and artichokes are warm, about 8 minutes.

Serve with Angel Hair pasta or rice.  Asparagus would work very nice with this as well.

       

Tweet

Eula's Casserole

I'll bet most people have a 'go to' casserole in their family recipe box...they almost all include a can of cream of ka-ka (cream style soup), and this one is not much different, but every time I make this, I get asked for the recipe!  It feeds a crowd and has a fresh flavor that not all creamy casseroles have. 
Eula was my mother-in-law, probably one of the nicest people I have ever had the privilege of knowing...she had a true heart of gold.  She was a wonderful cook, and I'm not so sure she would be thrilled to know that her name is attached to one of the simplest dishes she made, but we started calling it Eula's Casserole years ago and it's too late to change now!  
This feeds about 6 people and is delicious with a side of french bread.

Ingredients

2 cups cooked turkey or chicken, cubed
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 1/2 cups grated swiss cheese
4 cups cooked rotini noodles
2 cups broccoli florets
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray 9 x 13 casserole dish with non stick spray. (or for easy clean up line the dish with foil).
In large bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream and chicken soup.  Add chicken (or turkey),  noodles, 2 cups of the cheese, broccoli and lemon juice, mix well.  Pour into prepared casserole dish, cover with foil.  Bake for about 45 minutes or until bubbly in the center.  Remove foil, top with remaining 1/2 cup of swiss cheese and bake until cheese is melted.

Tweet