Sweet Teriyaki Pasta Salad

Sweet Teriyaki Pasta Salad

• 16 oz. bowtie noodles-cooked and marinated (2 hours in dressing)
• 2 cans mandarine oranges, drained
• 1 can water chestnuts, drained
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup honey roasted peanuts
• 1 1/2 bag small leaf spinach
• 4-5 cups cooked, chopped chicken breast
• 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
  Dressing
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup teriyaki sauce
• 2/3 cup white wine vinegar
• 6 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper

Mix dressing ingredients together in blender.  Marinate cooked noodles for at least 2 hours.  Combine all salad ingredients and stir dressing in.  Enjoy!

Chipotle Chicken Tacos

These tacos are a favorite for me and my family!  And they are one of the easiest and quickest dinners I make.

Chipotle Chicken Tacos

• 2 large chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 tsp. adobo sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 10-12 small flour tortillas
• 1 can black beans
• 1 white onion, chopped
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1/2 cup Mexican cheese blend
• 2 avocados, sliced
• 2 limes, quartered
• Sour Cream, opt.

Mix brown sugar, adobo sauce, and spices together.  Pour in ziplock bag with chicken and let marinade at least 3 hours. 

Cook chicken, and set aside.  Heat black beans on stovetop on medium-low heat.  Add a couple sprinkles of cumin, garlic powder, and salt to taste.  To assemble tacos, place chicken, black beans, onion, tomatoes, cheese, and avocados on a tortilla.  Squeeze lime juice over and top with sour cream if desired.  Enjoy!

Chicken Cordon Bleu

I don't have a picture for this recipe, yet!  It is SO good, that I always gobble it up before I remember to snap one.  But I will try to remember soon.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 12 thin slices of ham
• 12 slices Swiss cheese
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups bread crumbs

Alfredo Sauce

• 2 tsp. melted butter
• 1 tbsp. diced onion
• 1/2 tsp. chopped garlic
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk (I have used 2% before, and it turns out fine.)
• 1/2 + grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp. salt

I like to get everything out and ready before I start.  Beat eggs, and place in bowl.  Pour breadcrumbs in separate bowl.  Get the slices of ham and cheese out and place on a cutting board, or clean surface.  (You don't want to keep reaching in the bag or container to get your meat and cheese, because you will have raw chicken on your hands!)  I assemble it all on a cutting board, and I have the bowls right beside it.  Pound chicken breasts with meat tenderizer until about 1/4 inch thick.  Place 2 slices of ham and 2 slices of cheese on each breast.  Roll up and dip in egg, then dip in bread crumbs.  Place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 30 minutes, or until fully cooked.

For the Alfredo sauce, melt butter in small saucepan.  Add onion and garlic and cook for a minute or 2- careful not to burn.  Once cooked, slowly add cream and milk.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and add Parmesan cheese and salt.  Keep stirring until all melted together.  Serve on top of chicken.  (We love to make mashed potatoes with this and use the sauce as a gravy.  SO yummy!)

*This recipe was adapted from The Roof's cookbook.

Chicken Enchiladas with White Sauce

This recipe is one of our family's favorite!  I love all kinds of enchiladas- and have been known to try a lot of different recipes, but I keep coming back to this one because I know it's easy and it tastes amazing!  My kids (even the picky eater) gobble this up in seconds.  And I may or may not have licked my plate clean...and my kids plates...and the pan.  Aaaaanyway, try this recipe and I bet you will be adding it to your regular menu!

Creamy White Sauce Chicken Enchiladas

• 3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded*
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 small can chopped green chiles
• 1 can chicken broth (you won't need the whole thing)
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. minced dry onion
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 10 flour tortillas
• 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

In medium bowl, mix sour cream, soup, chiles, and chicken broth (I used half of a can, but you can use how ever much to get your desired consistency).  Next, add garlic powder, onion and cumin.  Pour sauce into a small bowl, leaving about 1/2 cup of sauce in the medium bowl.  Add chicken to medium bowl and mix to combine.  Fill each tortilla with a couple tablespoons of chicken mixture and add a sprinkle of cheddar cheese.  Roll up and place enchiladas in 9x13 baking dish.  Pour remaining sauce on top of enchiladas, and sprinkle 1 cup of the remaining cheese on top.  Bake at 400 for 20 minutes.  Turn off oven and broil on low for 1-2 minutes, or until cheese is lightly browned.

*My family prefers to use a shredded Rotisserie chicken.  I buy a whole one from Costco, and it is the perfect amount to make 2 pans (one to eat, one to freeze.)

Recipe from the Archives: Yucatan Chicken

This is a favorite at our house. I got the recipe from an old recipe book given to me by my mother-in-law. I don't know where this originates from, but I do know that it is gooooooooood! It's super easy to make too. Try it, you will love it!

Yucatan Chicken

Monterey Chicken Sandwiches

Here is yet another sandwich-on-a-croissant recipe. Like I have said before, and will say again, sandwiches are ALWAYS better on a croissant! I'm sure there are some exceptions, but for the most part...

Monterey Chicken Sandwiches

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 bottle "homemade" ranch dressing (I use the Hidden Valley mix)

2 cups bread crumbs

4 slices Monterey Jack Cheese

1 tomato, sliced

Lettuce

Avocado

4 large Croissants, sliced in half

Dip the chicken breasts in ranch dressing, then in bread crumbs. Cook in skillet on medium-high heat, turning once until cooked through. Place a slice of cheese on the chicken right after you are done cooking it, but so that it still melts. Place chicken breast on bottom half of croissant, and top with lettuce, tomato and avocado. Smear a little Ranch dressing on top half of croissant, and place on top of sandwich. Enjoy!

Chipotle Chicken Skewers

Chipotle Chicken Skewers

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut up into large bite-size pieces
• 10 bamboo skewers, soaked for at least 4 hours
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 tsp. adobo sauce (+ 1 minced chipotle chile, for more spice-optional)
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper

In a large ziploc bag, combine brown sugar, adobo sauce, salt, chili and garlic powder, and black pepper. Add chicken pieces, then seal bag and toss to coat. Let marinade for at least 4 hours. Take about 5 pieces of chicken and pierce with skewer. Repeat until all the chicken is on the skewers. Grill on medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until cooked through.
My kids loved to dip theirs in ranch, but honestly, the flavor is amazing by itself. WILL be making this again soon!

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

This is one of my favorite recipes to make. Just look at that flaky croissant. Sandwiches are always better on croissants. Always. These sandwiches follow my 3 magic rules: Fast & Easy. Cheap. Delicious. And they make great left-overs. If you are not a left-over person, like myself, then you will love these.

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

• 4 chicken breasts
• 1 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup mayo
• 2-3 Tbsp. white vinegar
• salt, pepper, and garlic salt to taste
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 3 ribs of celery, chopped
• 1 cup grapes (red or green), halved
• 12 croissants

Place chicken breasts in crock pot and cover with 1/2 cup of water. Cook on low 8 hours. Place chicken in large bowl and shred. In separate bowl, combine sour cream, mayo, vinegar and seasonings. Add to chicken. Next, mix in green onions, celery, and grapes. You may want to add more sour cream/mayo mixture depending on how moist or dry you want your sandwiches. Refrigerate. Serve on croissants.

Pesto & Artichoke Stuffed Chicken

Do not let this picture deter you from trying this recipe. This chicken is so good, but the picture doesn't do it justice. I don't know what's wrong with my house. When it comes to pictures, the lighting is always terrible. And right now I could go on and on about my love/hate relationship with food photography. Who knew I would care so much. So, I digress.

Back to the chicken. Usually when stuffing chicken, recipes have you pound it out flat and roll it up. I hate doing that. It's time-consuming, keeps unrolling, and never turns out how I want it to. But in this recipe, the stuffing process is soooo much easier. We'll get to that.

Also, I should note that my daughter, "Miss Sass" usually takes up to an hour to eat a piece of meat. Not exaggerating. So when I served her a whole serving, I set the timer and got ready to start evoking privileges or toys when she didn't finish (that's how we roll around here.) But to my surprise, she was the first one finished! In fact, we all gobbled it down quickly! This recipe is quick, tasty and pretty darn easy! Enjoy!

Pesto & Artichoke Stuffed Chicken

• 4 chicken breast halves
• 1/2 cup prepared pesto
• 6 marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• bread crumbs

Carefully slice each chicken breast in half horizontally, keeping one edge connected (I think the correct term is to butterfly.) Combine pesto, artichoke hearts, lemon juice and cheese. Spread a couple tablespoons of pesto mixture onto bottom half of chicken breast. Place the top half of chicken breast on top. Carefully dip each chicken breast into butter, then bread crumbs. Place on baking sheet and bake at 400 for 35 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Chicken Tortellini Salad

This is one of my go-to summer meals! It is fast, easy, and really yummy! (Please, no jokes...okay- maybe a few, but only in your head.) It is especially delicious if you make it in the morning and let it sit in the fridge all day, marinating it its own yumminess. And the leftovers are great too (which is saying something, because I am NOT a leftovers kind of person.) So if you have a fun summer day planned with activities to fill the day, then whip this up quickly and don't worry about it until it's time to eat!

• 1 package Cheese Tortellini, cooked and drained
• 1 package Grape Tomatoes, halved
• about 5 oz. fresh Spinach, chopped
• 2 Chicken Breasts, cooked and cut into bite-size pieces
• 3/4 cup Creamy Caesar Dressing
• 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated

Combine all ingredients into a large serving bowl. Mix to combine. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. When you are ready to serve, splash a little more dressing on, and stir. Garnish with more Parmesan Cheese.

Spinach Alfredo Pizza

Doesn't that look divine? It is!! It's way easy too.

First, start off making this Pizza Crust.
Then, bake it on 450 for about 7-8 minutes.

Then, when it comes out of the oven, poke holes in the crust with a fork.
Next, pour on this yummy Alfredo Sauce.

Top it off with grilled chicken seasoned with oregano and garlic salt, and dried spinach, and mozzarella cheese.

Bake for about 10 more minutes, or until brown and bubbly :)
Enjoy!!

Caccitore Casserole

I just made this recipe up in my head and it sounds good to me, so hopefully it tastes good too. I will let you know later.

1 lb. ziti pasta (or any kind of pasta you want)
2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1 egg yolk
1 roll ritz crackers (crushed)
1 jar spaghetti sauce
2 cups mozzerella cheese

Cook pasta, drain, and place into 9x13" baking dish. Cover the chicken chunks in egg yolk, then cover in ritz crackers sprinkled with garlic powder and parmasen cheese. Layer chicken, then spaghetti sauce, then cheese in baking dish and bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes (or until cheese is melted.) You could either stir everything together or keep it all layered. I will probably layer it.

Chicken Salad

2 cups cooked, chopped chicken (or shredded)
3/4 cup mayo
2 squirts of mustard
1/2 cup (or more) diced apple
3 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 stalk celery, chopped

Mix all together and serve on croissants or in pitas.

*You can really throw whatever you want into your chicken salad. I also like slivered almonds, but they can be pricey for what you get (I think.) And doing it yourself is too much work. Of course, I am lazy.

Sweet & Sour Chicken

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
(Mix together)

3 or 4 beaten eggs
4-6 bonless, skinless chicken breasts-cut into chunks

Dip chicken in beaten eggs and then in flour mixture. Brown lightly in oil in frying pan on medium heat. Place in oblong glass baking dish. Pour sweet & sour sauce over chicken. Bake in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes, turning once or twice.

Sweet & Sour Sauce
1 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
8 tbsp. ketchup
2 tbsp. soy sauce

Bring all ingredients to a low boil. To thicken sauce, use cornstarch and water.

Chicken & Broccoli Casserole

1 frozen bag of broccoli
2 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed

Sauce:
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tbsp. lemon juice

Put frozen broccoli in microwaveable casserole dish and cook. After it is cooked, spread with chicken. Pour sauce over top and spread evenly. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with paprika before baking if desired.
*Add rice to help fill up teenagers or growing children.

Yucatan Chicken

2 boneless chicken breasts cut into chunks...
Sprinkle with:
2 Tbsp. lime juice
1 Tbsp. Mexican Seasoning or:
1/2 t. cornmeal
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. oregano
1/2 t. paprika
1/4 t. cumin
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
Cooke, either in the microwave or in a non-stick skillet.

Sauce:
1 pt. stewed tomatoes
1 small onion chopped
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 can chopped green chilis
1/4 t. garlic powder
Add sauce to chicken and serve with tortilla chips. Top with shredded cheese, lettuce, sour cream, olives, tomatoes, etc.

Chicken Pasta Salad

1 lb. chicken breast cut into chunks
1 cucumber, chopped
1 can olives - chopped
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 tomato - diced
mozerella cheese
parmesan cheese
1 lb. spiral pasta
1 packet Good Seasons Italian dressing mix

Cook chicken in 1 Tbsp. olive oil, season with garlic salt, onion salt, peper and Italian seasoning. Just as it is done, add soy sauce and brown well. Cook pasta and cool. Combine all ingredients. Mix dressing as directed and pour over all and mix.

Parmesan Chicken

2 cups crushed Ritz cracker crumbs
3 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese
2 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. seasoned salt
1 cup plain yogurt (I use sour cream)
6-8 chicken breasts

Skin and wash chicken breasts. Pat dry. coat each piece with plain yogurt. Coat in mixture of crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and salts. Arrange in buttered 9x13 inch baking dish. Drizzle with butter if desired. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Hawaiin Haystacks

I got this recipe from my friend, Katie! Thanks Katie!

2 cups rice
1-2 cups cooked chicken, cut up
1 cup pineapple
chow mein noodles
olives
(whatever else you think would be good)

Sauce:

1/2 c. sugar
1 c. vinegar
1 c. chicken stalk (you can just make it from bouillon cubes/granules)
7 TB ketchup
2 TB soy sauce
3 TB corn starch
Whisk all ingredients together and heat until it boils and keep it boiling until it thickens.

Layer all ingredients however you like. Pour sauce on top.

Buffalo Chicken with Blue Cheese

~4 boneless chicken breasts cut into chunks
~16 ounces cream cheese (light is fine, but not fat free)
~1 (12 ounce) bottle blue cheese dressing
~1/2-3/4 cup hot sauce
~8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese

Place the cooked chicken in a large baking dish. (For a party, I usually use the disposable aluminum pans)
Pour your desired amount of hot sauce over the chicken, and season with salt and pepper if desired.
Set this dish in the refrigerator to let the chicken absorb the flavor.
Preheat your oven to 350.
Next, over medium heat in a large pan, melt the cream cheese. (If you are pressed for time, cream cheese can be melted in the microwave.)
Pour in the blue cheese dressing and stir until they are completely combined.
Pour this mixture over the chicken.
Bake for 10 minutes and remove, but don't turn the oven off.
Sprinkle the cheddar cheese evenly over the top and return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and starting to brown just a little.
Serve with celery sticks