Chicken Lime Tacos

This recipe comes courtesy of my sister-in-law Christy!

1 1/2 lbs chicken breast

1 Tbsp chili powder

3 Tbsp lime juice

1 can corn

1 can black beans

1-1/2 cups chunky salsa (I use my own canned salsa)

Taco Seasoning, to taste.

Place chicken in crockpot, mix together lime juice and chili powder and pour over chicken. Cook chicken for 5-6 hours on low. Remove chicken, shred and return to crockpot with the juices. Add corn, beans and salsa and enough taco seasoning to give it a bit more kick. Add more salsa if mixture appears a little dry. Stir and cook for 30 minutes on low or until heated through.

I serve this mixture with tacos, nachos, salads and quesadillas.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Mandy and I made this when she visited last month and I made it again last night. So tasty and easy. It's not really a recipe, but more a list of ingredients. Sorry, there are no real quantities.

1 recipe pizza dough (I used 1 1/2 cups wheat flour and 1 cup white flour instead of the 3 cups of flour)
BBQ sauce
rotisserie chicken, shredded and then coated with BBQ sauce (its a great way to use leftover chicken or you can cook your own chicken in BBQ sauce)
1 red pepper, sliced into thin strips
red onion, thinly sliced (about 1/3 to 1/2 depending on taste)
pineapple
black beans, drained and rinsed (optional)
pepperoni (optional)
shredded mozzarella (about 2 cups)
shredded cheddar (about 1/2 cup)

Heat oven to 400.
Assembly: Roll crust, or press into 10x15" jelly roll pan. **If you don't have a pizza stone, I recommend prebaking the crust for about half the cooking time. This will prevent your crust from getting soggy and will give you a nice crisp on the outside, soft on the inside texture.**
Pre-bake just the crust for about 10 minutes. While the crust is cooking, assemble all your pizza toppings. Remove crust from oven. Spread about 1/4 cup BBQ sauce on crust (its really personal preference) Top with whatever toppings you are using. I added black beans to make a vegetarian version for my roommate (so technically it is a BBQ black bean pizza). Top everything with mozzarella and then just a bit of cheddar cheese. Bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and hot (I'll also put under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes to brown the cheese slightly) Slice and enjoy!

**I made my pizza crust in the morning and covered and placed in the refrigerator (the recipe says it doesn't need to rise, but I always think letting a yeast dough rise once makes it softer) When you get home from work or about 1 hour before you want to start assembling your pizza, remove the dough to the counter to come up to room temperature.

Beach Street Lemon Chicken Linguine

Michelle is at it again--making another amazing meal. We had this last night at Sunday dinner and it was fabulous! My vegetarian roommate even said just the noodles with the lemony sauce were delish (no, she didn't eat the chicken!)

1 lb linguine
1/2 c olive oil
zest from one lemon
juice from one lemon
1/2 c chopped green onion
1/4 c parsley
salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese

Marinade:
1/2 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic
2 T Cajun seasoning
1 T lemon juice
2 T minced parsley
1 T brown sugar
1 T soy sauce
3 chicken breasts sliced ( or 16 large shrimp)

Combine marinade ingredients in a Ziploc bag, add chicken. refrigerate for 1-12 hours. Cook marinated chicken in skillet with all juices, until chicken is done.

Cook linguine in salted water, drain and rinse. Combine first 5 ingredients in bowl and add pasta and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss in Parmesan cheese. Serve chicken with juices over linguine. Delicious!

30-Minute Green Chicken Enchiladas

I got this recipe from a recent issue of Cook's Country magazine and added the half-and-half to suit my husband's tastes.  (He's become more and more anti-spicy over the years, even mild spicy, but I love him in spite of his deficiencies.)  This is quickly becoming one of our weeknight go-to meals because it's so quick and tasty.

2 (10-ounce) cans green enchilada sauce

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 rotisserie chicken, skin discarded, meat shredded into bite-sized pieces (about three cups) OR 2 (12.5-ounce) cans cooked chicken breast, drained and broken into pieces

2 ½ cups shredded Mexican cheese blend OR shredded cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper

12 (6-inch) corn tortillas

½ cup half-and-half, whipping cream, or whole milk, optional

Preheat oven to 400*F.

Puree enchilada sauce and 1 cup cilantro in a blender.  Combine 1 cup enchilada sauce mixture, chicken, and 1 ½ cups cheese in a large bowl and toss to combine.  Season with salt and pepper.

Wrap tortillas in a clean kitchen towel and microwave until hot and very pliable, 30 to 90 seconds.  Top each tortilla with approx. ¼ cup chicken mixture, roll tightly, and place seam-side down in a greased 9”x13” baking dish.  Spray tops of enchiladas lightly with cooking spray.

If desired, mix half-and-half, whipping cream, or whole milk with remaining enchilada sauce. Pour 1 to 1 ½ cups sauce mixture over top of enchiladas, then top with remaining 1 cup cheese.

Bake until cheese is melted and enchiladas are heated through, 15 to 20 minutes.  If desired, sprinkle with additional chopped cilantro and pass remaining enchilada sauce at table.

Healthified Crispy-Coated Chicken

From www.eatbetteramerica.com

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 25 minutes

1 c finely crushed multigrain tortilla chips

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp pepper

1 egg

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

shredded romaine

salsa (I really like it with Mango salsa, my husband liked regular)

Avocado slices

In a shallow bowl combine tortilla chips, oregano, cumin and pepper. Place egg in another shallow dish, beat lightly. Dip chicken in egg and then chips.

Place chicken on a cookie sheet sprayed with nonstick spray. Bake about 25 minutes until chicken is no longer pink. Serve on a bed a shredded romaine with salsa and avocado slices.

* Whenever I make any type of crispy, breaded chicken I put a cooling rack on my pan and put the chicken on top of it. This cooks underneath and keeps the bottom from getting soggy.

Tiny Spicy Chicken

It's not really spicy- more like sweet and sour.

3/4 c sugar
4 tbsp ketchup
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 c vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
* 1 undrained can pineapple tidbits (the recipe doesn't actually call for this- I just add it and really like it)

Mix all ingredients and pour over 2-3 chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. Serve over rice.

Go-to meals: Hawiian Chicken

This is SOOO yummy and takes no time to prepare in the crock-pot! My mom showed it to me while visiting for during the Christmas break.

Put some boneless, skinless chicken thighs in a crock-pot.
Add:
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup (or slightly less) soy sauce
1 can of pinapple tidbits (8 oz)
Cook on High for about 3 hours

Serve over rice and some stir-fry veggies (I just buy a bag of my favorite frozen kind of stir fry veggies--cooking them in some of the juices from the crock pot when it's done cooking adds a little bit of extra flavor.) Enjoy!

To go Meals: Southwest Chicken Casserole

This is the quickest, easiest casserole I've come across. It uses almost all pantry items and it's pretty tasty too! Hope you like it!

1 can chicken chunks, drained
1 can diced green chiles (approx 4oz)
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 cups shredded cheese (chedder or mexican blend)
2 Tbsp dried minced onion
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/4 cups water
2 cups instant rice

I just mix all of the ingredients in a microwave safe casserole dish, approx. 9X13", adding the rice last. The mixture is about the consistency of soupy pancake batter. Cover the dish and microwave for about 15 minutes. All done!!!

Skillet Chicken with Broccoli, Pasta & Parmesan

This is the closest thing to Macaroni Grill's Pasta Milano I've tried. The recipe makes it look more difficult than it actually is, I promise. It's really, really good right after you cook it and the leftovers are fantastic.

2-3 chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 T olive oil
1 onion, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
12 ounces penne {I used whole wheat}
4 1/4 cup water
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
4-5 cups broccoli {I used 4 and didn't think it was enough}
{I think I'll add 8 oz. of sliced mushrooms next time}
1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed & coarsely chopped
3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup grated parmesan
1 1/2 T lemon juice

Season the chicken with salt & pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook for 1 minute without stirring. Stir the chicken and continue to cook until most, but not all, of the pink color has disappeared, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to a clean bowl and set aside.

Add the remaining tablespoon of oil, the onion and 1/2 tsp salt to the skillet. Return to medium-high heat and cook until the onion is softened. Stir in the garlic, oregano and red pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the pasta, 3 cups of water and the broth. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until the liquid is very thick and almost completely absorbed, 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes and remaining 1 1/4 cups water. Cover, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the broccoli turns bright green and is almost tender, 2-3 minutes.

Uncover and return the heat to medium-high. Stir in the cream, parmesan and reserved chicken with any accumulated juices and continue to simmer, uncovered, until the sauce is thickened and the chicken is cooked and heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with more parmesan cheese.

I printed this recipe off a blog several months ago but have no idea which one. If I figure it out, I'll update this post to give credit where credit is due.

Chicken and Rice Burritos

This is really simple but we all love it. Use leftover chicken and leftover rice and it only takes 10 minutes!

2 1/2 c. shredded chicken
1-2 c. cooked rice
1 3/4 c. water
1 package taco seasoning
1 8oz. can tomato sauce
1 large tomato diced
1/3 c. sliced green onions
8 burrito size tortillas

Optional extras
Shredded cheese
Guacamole
Sour cream
Salsa

Heat chicken, rice, water, taco seasoning, and tomato sauce until warm and thick. Add tomato and green onions. Spread desired amount and filling and extras on tortilla, roll up burrito style.

Green Chili Chicken

I made this on Sunday in the crockpot and it was really good. It was super easy to throw together in the morning and was ready when Matt got home. I'm sure you could cook it in the oven for an hour or so, too, if you prefer.

3-4 large chicken breasts
2 cans cream of chicken soup
4 oz can chopped green chilies
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic herb blend seasoning (or plain garlic salt would work, too)

6 cups steamed rice
blue corn tortilla chips

Place chicken, soup, chiles, cumin, salt, pepper and garlic blend in crockpot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. When done, shred chicken with two forks. Spoon over bowls of rice and garnish with crumbled blue corn tortilla chips.

4 servings

from Picky Palate

Shredded Chicken Pitas

I've been struggling to come up with meal plans the past few weeks and decided to update my recipe list. There are a few recipes I haven't posted here that are going into our regular rotation, so I thought I'd share the wealth!

First up? A great, light, summery meal from here.

2 T balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 T sun-dried tomato oil
1 T chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
4 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 cup chopped tomato
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
6 (6-inch) pitas, cut in half
3 cups mixed baby greens

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in chicken, tomato, cheese, and basil. Line each pita half with 1/4 cup greens. Divide chicken mixture evenly among pita halves.

Sweet and Sour Pork (or Chicken)

Dip chunks of pork (or chicken) in egg, then in a mixture of 1c. flour and 1 tsp. baking powder. Cook in oil.

Add:
2 c Ketchup
1/4 c vinegar
3/4 c sugar
chopped onion
2 chopped green peppers
1 can pineapple tidbits w/ juice

Steam until vegetables are tender. In needed thicken with cornstarch (I never do). Serve over rice.

*I never do the egg, flour step. I just brown the meat in oil. It saves a little time, and still is REALLY good!

Chicken Pot Pie

A little bit of work, but well worth the effort! I double this recipe and it makes 4 potpies in an 8" square foil pan that freeze very well!

Pie Crust
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 sticks butter (unsalted)
4-10 Tbsp ice water -- add water by the Tbsp until it is pie crust consistency (The amount fluctuates depending on the temp and consistency of your butter.)

Filling
2 1/2 cups cooked cubed chicken (or turkey)
2 cups fresh/frozen peas
1/4 cup chopped onion
3 large carrots sliced
2 med/large potatoes peeled, cubed and parboiled

White Sauce
6 Tbsp butter
6 Tbsp flour
2 cup half-half
1 cup chicken broth
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Instructions:
Roll out 2/3 of pie dough and place in the bottom of two 8" square foil pans. (Save 1/3 for the tops of the pies.) Make white sauce in sauce pan by melting butter and stirring in flour with a whisk until smooth and bubbly. Whisk in half-half, chicken broth, salt & pepper. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally until sauce thickens. Stir hot sauce into a large bowl with the remaining filling ingredients. Pour filling ingredients into pie crust. Roll out remaining pie crust and place on top of filling. Flute edges to seal. Make three small slits in the top of the crust and lightly brush with milk. Bake for 50-60 minutes at 375 degrees.

These freeze REALLY well. However, they must be THAWED before baking. I will usually pull mine out a day ahead of time and put in the fridge. . . . Enjoy!

Chicken Enchilada Soup

This is one of those recipes that I can't wait for the next day so I can eat the leftovers!

3-4 chicken breasts, boiled and cubed
1/2 c. diced onions
1 T. garlic, minced
4 c. chicken broth
1 c. tomato sauce
1 c. fresh, diced tomatoes
16 oz Velveeta cheese
1 tsp. chili powder
1 small can diced green chilies (optional)
salt and pepper to taste (I never add any)
1 1/2-2 Tbsp Taco seasoning
1/2 tsp. cumin (optional)

Mix together before adding to pot:
1/2 c. corn starch
2 c. cold water

Add all ingredients together. Cook over medium heat until heated through, stirring occasionally. Serve with corn chips, sour cream, grated cheese and salsa.

Creamy Mushroom and Chicken Soup

This is really YUM! Perfect for a cold day!

6 Tbsp butter
1 medium onion, chopped
3 Tbsp flour
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
6 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
3/4 cup celery, chopped
3/4 cup carrots, chopped
2 cups quartered baby red potatoes
1 cup yellow squash
1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
2 tsp thyme
2 cups light cream
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 cups chopped cooked chicken

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 6 minutes. Stir in the flour, salt and pepper and mix until smooth. Gradually add the broth, then turn up the heat up to medium high and bring the soup to a boil. Add the mushrooms, celery, carrots, potatoes, squash, corn and thyme. Reduce the heat and simmer the soup, covered until the vegetables are tender.

Add the cream, Parmesan and chicken. Heat the soup for an additional 10 minutes -- do not let the soup boil. Makes about 15 cups.

Mulligatawny

Don't ask me how to pronounce it -- just trust me it's pretty good. We are freezing our behinds off here in Idaho this week so I've got a couple of soup recipes to add to the blog!

4 Tbsp butter (or 2 Tbsp EVOO)
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 green pepper chopped
1 apple, cored, peeled & chopped (I used a gala -- but would use a granny smith in the future)
1 1/2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts chopped
1/2 cup flour
2-3 tsp curry powder
5 cups chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
salt & pepper to taste
hot cooked rice to serve soup over

Melt the butter, in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, green pepper, apple and chicken and saute for about 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked. Turn heat to low.

In a small bowl mix together the flour and curry powder. Add the mixture to the pot, then stir and cook for 3-5 minutes. Add the chicken broth and tomatoes. Partially cover the pot and simmer the soup for about an hour, stirring occasionally. Add the salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, place about 1/4 cup of rice in a bowl and ladle the soup over the rice.

Roasted Chicken with Red Potatoes and Asparagus

Dont be shocked Mandy-- I am actually going to post something!

Andrew and I love this meal and it is super easy, healthy, (and no dairy ).

• Cooking spray
• 3 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, chopped into 2 inch cubes
• 2 lb red potatoes, chopped into 2 inch cubes (4-5 medium size)
  
• 1 1/2 cups chopped Roma tomatoes (2-3)
  
• 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 3/4 cup fresh basil, chopped (dried is fine too)
  
• 8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
• Ground pepper to taste

METHOD:
Preheat oven to 400°F and spray a baking dish with cooking spray. Add chicken, potatoes, tomatoes, asparagus, basil, garlic and olive oil. Sprinkle with rosemary. Add pepper if desired. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, turning occasionally until tender. Serve.

Smothered Chicken

4 chicken breasts
MOntreal Steak seasoning
1 T veg oil
8-16 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 c srdedded cheddar cheese
1/2 c green onions
1/2 c crumbled bacon
1/2 c chopped tomatoes
1 bottle BBQ sauce ( I use sweet baby rays)

Flatten chicken to 1/4 in thick ( optional)
Sprinkle with montreal steak seasoning, in a skillet brown chicken in oil for 5 min. Cook in a seperat pan the bacon till done, Drain grease and crumble. Then add muchrooms to saute with bacon. top the cooked chicken with BBQ sauce , mushroom/bacon, and onions. Sprinkle smothered chicken with cheese and tomatoes cover and cook until chicken is doen and cheese is melted. About 10 minutes, Serve with Garlic Mashed Potatoes.

The recipe tells you tao also make Honey mustard sauce to have with it, I didn't do this when I made it and wasn't sure you really need it, but here it is if you want to try it with it.

1 C mayo
1 c dijon mustard
1/2 c honey
1/8 tsp cayane pepper
1/4 c lime juice
1 tsp ginger powder

Honey LIme Chicken Enchiladas

This is my new favorite mexican dish! Sweet and spicy at the sime time so different!

6 TB honey
5 TB lime suice ( 1 large lime)
1 TB chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt

3 chicken breasts
Montreal steak seasoning ( packets sold by taco seasoning, etc)
1 can black beans
8-10 flour tortillas
1 lb monterey jack cheese, shredded
16 oz green enchilada sauce
1 Cup heavy cream ( or whole milk)

Mix first four ingredients together and set aside. Place chicken in a saute pan and season with half package of montreal seasoning, and cook till almost done, add honee lime mixture to chicken pan and shred chicken. saute until Chicken is completely cooked.

Pour half of enchilada sauce on bottom of 9 x 13 dish Filll flour tortillas with chicken beans, and cheese, save some cheese for top. mix the reamaining enchilada sauce with the cream and leftover sauces from the chicken. Pour sauce on top of enchiladas ( they will be swimming in liquid its okay) and sprinkle with cheese. Bake 350 for 20-30 min until brown and crispy on top.