Creamy Italian Chicken

Yum! I'm sure most of you already have a recipe for this, but I LOVE it.... and it goes with my next post so I thought I'd add it here. Just a note, our crock pot cooks fast and doesn't take nearly as long. The chicken is usually cooked within 2 hours and then after adding the cream cheese mixture, we really just keep it long enough to heat everything up and get the cream cheese melted in.

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix
1/3 cup water
1 package (8 ozs.) cream cheese, softened
1 can (10 3/4 ozs.) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
Hot cooked rice or noodles

Place the chicken breast halves in a slow cooker. Combine salad dressing mix and water; pour over chicken. Cover and cook on LOW for 3 hours. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together cream cheese and soup until blended. Pour cream cheese mixture over chicken. Cook 1 to 3 hours longer or until chicken juices run clear. Serve Italian chicken with rice or hot cooked noodles.
Serves 4.

Chive Chicken

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise and pounded thin
8 oz pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup fresh chives, chopped
1/2 stick butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together cream cheese, chives, and butter. Lay chicken flat in baking dish and spread filling across chicken. Cook for 1 hour.

Sticky Rice with Chicken

1 C. uncooked jasmine rice
1- 13.5 oz. can Coconut Milk
2/3 C. sugar
1/2 t. salt
4 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed

In a medium saucepan bring 1 3/4 C. water to a boil. Add the rice and briefly stir.
Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer 15 minutes or until water is just absorbed.

Meanwhile in a small saucepan, combine Coconut Milk, sugar and salt. Boil for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.

Add the hot Coconut Milk sauce and cooked chicken to the rice. Cover. Let rest 30 minutes at room temperature.

*regular white rice works just fine. Jasmine rice is a little pricey.
*Also good: garnish with 2 ripe sliced mangoes.
*This can be used as a side, omitting the chicken, we had it as the main dish with the chicken.

Chicken Marinade

1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup soy sauce
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. rosemary
1 tsp. sweet basil
{soy sauce has lots of sodium so don't add salt!}
1/4 tsp. black pepper

I can marinate at least 4-6 chicken boobs or a pkg. of drumsticks. You can also use wings, thighs, or whatever.
Mix together and marinate your chicken for at least 4 hours. Get your grill out! Heat it up and rub oil on the rack and your chicken will be less likely to stick! Grill em' up on medium heat til juices run clear and enjoy! Yes, we grill with snow outside! :)

Chicken Tetrazzini

YUM! Someone made this for me after I had Sadie, delicious!
1/4 cups butter
1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp minced garlic
1/8 tsp pepper
2 cups milk
2 cups half and half
3 chicken bullion cubes
2/3 cups Parmesan cheese
2 cups cooked chicken, cubed
7 oz. vermicelli, cooked

In a large skillet, melt butter. Blend in flour, salt, garlic and pepper. Add milk and half half slowly while blending with a wire whisk. Add bullion cubes and cook, stirring constantly until smooth and thickened. Add 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, cooked vermicelli and chicken. Stir and pour into a shallow 2 quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese. Back at 375 for 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly.