Bowtie Crockpot Chicken

4 cans cream of chicken soup
8oz package cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 pkg ranch dressing mix
3 Tbs parmesan cheese
2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 Tbs italian seasoning
1 Tbs minced garlic
About 7-8 chicken breasts

Cut up chicken into bite size pieces or strips. Put in crockpot with all ingredients. Cook on low 6-8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Serve over bowtie pasta with grated parmesan cheese or mozzarella.

Spinach Feta Florentine Chicken

1 lb boneless skinless chicken tenders
6-8 oz baby fresh spinach
8 oz sliced fresh mushrooms
3-4 Roma tomatoes, sliced
4 oz container feta cheese
8 oz bottle fat free Balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing

In greesed 9x13 layer spinach, chicken, mushrooms, tomatoes, then feta. Pour bottle of dressing over all of it. Bake at 350 for 30 mins uncovered.

Serve over angel hair pasta.

Flautas

Chicken Flutes - Yields 12 flautas

These are as easy to make as a taco salad. And can be quite a filling meal if topped heavy.

Ingredients:

1 cup finely chopped cooked chicken
12 7”-8” flour tortillas
Oil for frying.

Spoon 1 rounded tbsp. of the chicken across bottom of each tortilla. Roll up tightly; secure with wooden picks. Heat 1-in of oil to 350º in a 4-quart Dutch oven. Cook tortillas in oil, turning once, until golden brown, about 2 minutes; drain. Remove wooden picks.

Top with desired condiments:
Salsa, Guacamole, Sour cream, Sliced olives, Chili peppers, Grated Cheese, Shredded lettuce, Chopped tomatoes, etc.

Chicken Noodle Soup (Asian Style)

Wok & Stir Fry Cookbook
Yields 4-6 servings

9 oz. dried egg noodles or equivalent amount of
freshly made noodles
1 tbsp. oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, diced
1 bunch scallions, sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh root ginger
3 1/2 cups chicken bouillon
1 cup scant coconut milk
3 tsp. red curry paste
3 tbsp. peanut butter
2 tbsp. light soy sauce
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup frozen peas
Salt
Pepper

Put the noodles in a shallow dish and soak in boiling water as instructed on the package.

Heat the oil in a large preheated wok or pan. Add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes, stirring until lightly browned. Add the white part of the scallions, garlic, and ginger, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Stir in the chicken bouillon, coconut milk, curry paste, peanut butter, and soy sauce.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, stirring, then simmer for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the red bell pepper, peas, and green scallion tops and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the drained noodles and heat through. Spoon the chicken noodle soup into warmed bowls and serve with a spoon and fork.

Tara's Notes:
We always make homemade noodles and add curry paste to the dough, but usually end up doubling or tripling the bouillon water. We always add one whole can of coconut milk and use chunky peanut butter, extra bell peppers and frozen peas. With our revisions this soup easily serves 6-10, depending on how many noodles you make.

Fragrant Indian Butter Chicken

Tara invited me to join her in going to the Taste of Home Cooking School show in Loveland last month. We had a lot of fun. For the show they demonstrated 10 recipes and it was like watching Food Network EXCEPT you could ask questions about subsitutions etc. and you could SMELL it. mmmm... We came home with lots of new recipes to try. I really needed something like this to pull me out of yet another dinner rut.

This recipe is one of the one's they demonstrated. I went home and tried it and we really liked it. It has a different taste than my usual cooking. Josh kept going on about how it tasted authentic (not that he is an expert in Indian food). The recipe is super easy, fast and yummy.

2 Tbs butter
1 cup chopped onion
2 tsp minced garlic (I used it from the jar)
1 Tbs grated fresh gingerroot (I used ground ginger spice, gingerroot is expensive and I don't use it enough to warrent buying it though supposedly you can freeze it whole)
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground turmeric (this I bought special for the recipe, it gives it that great yellow/orange color)
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 Tbs tomato paste (I didn't have, I subsituted in some tomato sauce)
1 Tbs brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 whole cooked rotisserie chicken, skin removed and cut into chunks (I just put two chicken breasts in a small crock pot with a little water and cooked them all afternoon then shredded them)
1/3 cup half-half cream (I used fat free half and half, also great for soups)
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 Tbs minced fresh cilantro (I omited this because I didn't have it)

Hot cooked rice for serving

In a large skillet, melt butter ove medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir until onion in tender, about 5 minutes. Add gingerroot, chili powder, turmeric and cinnamon; cook and stir 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, brown sugar, salt and pepper.

Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes; stirring occasionally. Add chicken, cream and sour cream; simmer, uncovered for 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro. Serve over rice if desired.

Koula's Best Ever Chicken Gyros

Here's another one from allrecipes. It's probably against some cosmic law to make gyros with chicken, but when it's all you got, it's all you got! These were so good, though!

INGREDIENTS
3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1/2 inch strips
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder, or to taste
4 pita breads, cut in half
2 cups mixed salad greens
1 cup plain yogurt

DIRECTIONS
Place the chicken strips side by side in a broiling pan. In a cup or small bowl, stir together the ketchup, olive oil, white wine vinegar, oregano, mustard powder and curry powder. Pour over the chicken. Allow the chicken to marinate while you preheat the oven's broiler.
Broil uncovered for 15 minutes with the meat about 6 inches from the heat. Just until the chicken is cooked through, but not browned. If left too long, it will turn stringy and dry.
Place hot chicken into pita pockets and spoon some of the juices from the pan over it. Top with salad greens and plain yogurt.

Easy Tomato Baked Chicken

A quick fix dinner with showy results. This is a Taste of Home Cooking School recipe. I tried this after their presentation in the fall of 2007 and loved it. An easy recipe to adjust for what you have on hand.

(I typically use extra onions, home-canned tomatoes with a fresh tomato chopped and sprinkled on top, a mix of balsamic vinaigrette & favorite Italian spices.)

1 red onion, thinly sliced
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.)
1 can (14 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup light balsamic vinaigrette reduced fat dressing
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425°F. Place onions in bottom of 13x9 baking dish; top with chicken.

Combine tomatoes, dressing and garlic powder; pour over chicken. Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Makes 4 servings.

Creative Leftovers: Store drained liquid from tomatoes in the freezer to use in soups and stews at a later date.

Chandra's Hawaiian Haystacks

This is my best friend's mother's recipe. It's super easy and makes a great use for leftovers and can be quite filling.

2 cups shredded chicken
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup water
Cooked rice

Toppings: broken almonds, cheddar cheese, chow mein noodles, diced celery, diced tomatoes, pinapple chunks, raisins, shredded coconut, soy sauce, etc.

Mix chicken, soup, broth and water over medium heat.

Pour over individual servings of rice. Top with desired toppings.

Cheesy Chicken Skillet Dinner

This is a really good and REALLY EASY dinner. We used frozen veggies instead of fresh, which made it even easier.

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 10 min.
1 teaspoon canola or vegetable oil
1 ¼ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4–inch pieces
2 large carrots, cut into ½-inch slices (2 cups)
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/8-inch slices (2 cups)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
8 medium green onions, sliced (1/2 cup)
2 cups shredded sharp reduced-fat cheddar cheese (8 ounces)

Heat 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil; rotate skillet to coat bottom. Add chicken; stir-fry 4 to 5 minutes or until no longer pink in center. Remove from skillet.

Add carrots and zucchini to skillet; stir-fry 4 to 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add chicken and soy sauce; toss until chicken and vegetables are coated with soy sauce.

Sprinkle with onions and cheese. Cover skillet until cheese is melted.
Makes 6 servings
Fiber 2g
Fat 16g (Sat 8g)
1 Serving: 285 calories
Sodium 600 mg
Protein 31g

Fajitas

This is a fresh-simple recipe, great for using bell peppers when they are on sale. I have discovered uncooked tortillas (at Costco) that you cook yourself in minutes in a hot skillet. They are warm, soft and melt in your mouth good. They are great for fajitas, tacos, taquitos etc.


2-3 chicken breasts, cubed
2-3 bell peppers (any color), thinly sliced
1 onion, sliced in thin wedges
2 tsp minced garlic
1-2 Tbs taco seasoning
1/4 cup lemon juice


Heat 1 Tbs olive oil in skillet. Cook chicken in olive oil until cooked through. Add peppers, onion, garlic, seasoning and lemon juice. Continue to cook until peppers and onion are tender.


Serve with warm torillas, sourcream, and cheese.

Chicken Taco Soup (Crock Pot)

This recipe I got from a sister in my ward. I made it tonight and we all loved it! It's super easy and smells so good all day long, plus it mostly uses canned or frozen ingredients.

1 med onion, chopped
1 can chili beans
1 can black beans
1 can corn
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
2 cups chicken broth (I used 2 cups water and boullion)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can diced green chilies
1 package taco seasoning (I eyeballed it, about one tbs.-- adjust to taste)
3 chicken breasts
shredding cheddar cheese (optional)
sour cream (optional)
crushed tortilla chips (optional)

Put drained beans and corn, onion tomato sauce, chicken broth, diced tomatoes, and green chilies in crock pot. Add taco seasoning and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the ontehr ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover and cook for 5 hours. (I cooked it on high 3-4 hours)

Remove chicken breasts from the soup, and allow to cool long enough to be handled. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup, and continue cooking for 2 hours (1 hour on high or until ready to serve). Serve topped with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips, if desired.

Roasted Chicken

Until a few years ago I was totally intimidated by the thought of roasting an entire chicken. I avoid dealing with the whole bone thing. But I saw this recipe demonstrated on pbs Everyday Food, saw how easy it was, and decided to try it. Now whenever chickens are on sale I grab a couple and Josh helps roast them for Sunday dinner.

Original recipe found at Everyday Food
(I have altered it a bit from the original)

Suggested ingredients:
3 pounds small red potatoes, halved
3 tablespoons olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
¼ cup fresh thyme leaves (or other herbs)
1 or 2 whole chickens (3-½ to 4 pounds each), rinsed and patted dry
(I usually only roast one chicken which will feed 4 adults with the potatos)

Preheat oven to 450°. On a large rimmed baking sheet (line it with aluminum foil or your pan will go black and be hard to clean like mine), toss the potatoes with 2 tablespoons oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Prepare and season chickens. Create a pocket by separating the skin from the meat on the breasts and thighs. Insert the herbs and seasonings under the skin directly on the meat and in the cavity. We use whatever spices we have on hand- thyme, rosemary, garlic, lemon juice, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, etc.

Nestle chickens, breast sides up, among potatoes (The potatos get covered in the chicken drippings and are really yummy. You can roast the chicken without potatos, either flat on the pan or on a wire rack) ; rub chickens with remaining tablespoon oil, and season each with salt and pepper.

Roast in oven, tossing potatoes occasionally and brushing chicken with pan juices, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh (avoiding bone) registers 165°, about 1 hour.

Let chickens rest in a warm spot 10 minutes before serving.

Here's a video demonstration on how to carve a chicken (apparently it works for turkey's too).

The carcass and left over chicken also make really good chicken noodle soup. Just boil to death, strain, add veggies and egg noodles or homemade noodles

Fajita Rice Bowl

This one is a favorite of our family and guests. It is easily adjusted to feed more people (like missionaries that eat and eat) and doesn't require much prep during the dinner crunch. My brother-in-law called it a glorified poor mans dinner.

2-3 Chicken breasts
½ cup water
1-2 T. Taco or Fajita seasoning
Put together in crock pot and cook on High for 3-4 hours, until chicken is tender and shreds easily.

Half hour before desired eating time:

Cook rice as directed on package. (1 ½ -2 cups uncooked)

In another sauce pan mix:
1 can black beans, drained
1 can corn, drained
12 oz jar of Tomato Salsa of desired heat
Simmer mixture over medium heat until the rice is done cooking. Meanwhile shred chicken in the water/spice mixture left in the crock pot (the chicken with soak up some of the water when shredded).

To serve pile the chicken and the bean mixture on top of rice in individual bowls. Serve with cheese, sour cream, and diced avocado

Italian Stir Fry

This is one of our summer favorites that is also good all year round. The amounts of ingredients are suggestions. I usually just add what I have and eyeball it. I definatly add more italian seasoning than it suggests.

1 pkg Linguine
2 med tomatoes, chopped (canned diced tomatos work too)
1 med onion, chopped
2 med zucchini, sliced (yellow and green)
1 Tb olive oil
1 tsp garlic
1 Tb Italian seasoning
Salt/pepper
Cooked, cubed chicken
½ cup fresh parmesan cheese (mozzarella works as well)

Chop vegetables. Cook linguine. (Cook chicken if desired.)
Heat oil in skillet and had onion, zucchini, and garlic. Stir fry for 3 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and heat until tomato starts to break down. Mix in noodles and remove from heat. Serve with cheese.