Chicken Gravy

I think I liked this better than my family did.  Ok, I *know* I liked this better than my daughter, because her definition of "gravy" is the pepper gravy that comes in the little yellow packets - you know, the powder you mix with water?  She loves that stuff, adds a ton more pepper to it, and would eat the whole batch out of a bowl like soup if I'd let her.  What can I say...she likes what she likes. 

Anyway, I read a couple of Amish blogs and I ran across this post last week.  I was intrigued by the recipe for "Dixie Chicken Shortcake."  Looking at it, I knew I would have to make a few changes to suit my tastes.  I'm glad I did - it was delicious!

I did serve it over cornbread.  I used some cornbread mix that I had in the pantry, and it was way too sweet to handle the gravy.  I was thinking it would be fantastic over homemade noodles (the thick kind), or biscuits.  If I was going to do cornbread again I'd make my own and leave out the sugar.  My family ate their cornbread on the side, so they didn't have the same experience with it that I did. 

Here is my revised recipe:

Chicken Gravy

2 T. fat (chicken fat, butter, oil - it all works)
1 pound mushrooms, sliced
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. flour
1 t. ground black pepper
2 c. chicken stock (I used homemade, and half my fat was the chicken fat I pulled out of the stock as it thawed)
4 c. cooked, shredded chicken
cornbread, biscuits, or cooked noodles for serving

Heat the fat in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onions and mushrooms, and cook until the onions are soft, about five minutes.  Add garlic, pepper, and flour and cook for two more minutes.  Add stock, bring to a boil, and cook until slightly thickened.  Add chicken and continue to cook until heated through.  Add salt to taste and serve over hot cornbread, biscuits, or noodles.

Enjoy!

Italian Chicken and Cabbage

I've had this recipe on the menu so many times, but I never made it!  Mainly because it's definitely a weekend recipe, because it takes a good hour and a half or longer to cook.  I finally made it today, and loved it.  In true Karen fashion, however, I modified it a little bit.  Here's my version.

Italian Chicken and Cabbage

1 large onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 T. olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
3 - 5 cloves garlic, minced
3 T. Italian seasoning
1 t. paprika
1/2 t. chipotle powder
2 T. dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste
28 ounce can crushed tomatoes, with juice
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
2 T. white wine vinegar
1 T. brown sugar
12 ounce package chicken tenderloins
1/2 head savoy cabbage, cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 cup sliced mushrooms
hot cooked pasta, such as egg noodles

In a large skillet, saute onions and bell pepper until onions are soft, about five minutes.  Add wine, garlic, and seasonings and cook for two minutes more.  Add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, vinegar, sugar, and chicken.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 40 minutes.

Remove chicken from the sauce.  Add cabbage and mushrooms and simmer for 30 more minutes.  Meanwhile, shred the chicken using two forks.  After 30 minute cooking time is up, return the chicken to the pan and cook for five more minutes.  Serve over hot cooked noodles.

Chicken Pot Pie

This year, for the first time, we bought 1/4 of a pig.  With it, I bought the leaf lard so I could render it, because I've always heard that lard makes the best pie crust, but I've never tried it.  After I rendered it, the whole house smelled, well, piggy, as did the lard, and I knew I wasn't going to be using it for fruit pies! 

Yesterday I pulled some of that wonderful snowy white lard out of the freezer and decided to try it out.  I made up the crust and, sure enough, it smelled piggy, enough so that I had to bake a test piece to make sure it wasn't just going to be disgusting.  In fact, it was delicious!  Just a hint of pleasant porkiness and wow - the texture!  Amazing!  So I decided to make this recipe.

Chicken Pot Pie
Adapted from Allrecipes
Makes 1 9-inch pie

Crust for a 9-inch pie (my recipe is very similar to this one)
1/2 large onion, diced
1 c. sliced celery
2 large carrots, sliced
4 oz. sliced mushrooms
1/4 c. butter
4 cloves minced garlic
2 1/2 c. chicken broth
1/4 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/3 c. flour
2/3 c. water
2 cups shredded chicken
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Prepare crust, placing the bottom crust in a pie pan (I made this in a deep-dish 9.5 inch pan and it would go just fine in a regular 9 inch pan).

In a large skillet, saute onions,celery, carrots and mushrooms in butter until carrots are just beginning to soften.  Add garlic and saute two minutes more.  Add chicken broth, celery seed, and thyme.  Simmer for five minutes.  Add chicken.  Mix the flour into the water until smooth.  Pour into vegetable mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and boils.  Turn off heat and let cool for 15 minutes.  Transfer to pie crust.

Add top crust, crimping however you prefer.  Cut 4 - 6 slits in the top crust for ventilation.  Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until crust is nicely browned and you can see the filling bubbling under the slits. 

If the edges of your crust start browning too quickly, make some 4-inch wide strips out of aluminum foil and wrap them around the edges of your pie pan.  This will help keep it from burning. 

Parmesan Chicken and Sauteed Pasta

Tonight was one of those "head into the kitchen and find something easy" nights.  We're out of milk at the moment, so creamed tuna and biscuits, my original idea, was out.  Finally decided I'd cook some chicken tenderloins because they're so quick, and wanted some pasta to go along with it.  So I whipped this up and it was perfect! 

Side note:  A few weeks ago I made my own dried breadcrumbs from some "day old" bread a friend gave me.  Such a difference from the stuff in a canister!  I keep it in the freezer and it has such a nice texture to it!  I may never go back...

Parmesan Chicken

12 ounces chicken tenderloins
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup grated parmesan (the kind in the green can)
2 T. brown mustard (dijon would also work well here)
1 T. dried minced onion
1/2 t. garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup dried breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 375.  Place the chicken in an 8x8 pan.  In a small bowl, mix remaining ingredients except bread crumbs.   Spread the mixture over the chicken and sprinkle breadcrumbs over the top.  Bake 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Sauteed pasta

I love the way this turned out.  The flavor of the onions, the crispy edges on the pasta, so delicious!

8 ounces dried pasta (I used small shells)
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 T. olive oil
3 T. butter, divided
1 t. dried thyme
1/2 t. garlic powder (you could also use fresh garlic - add it at the end of the onion cooking time).
salt to taste

Cook the pasta according to the package direction.   Meanwhile, heat olive oil and one tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat (cast iron works well here).  Add onion and cook until soft and just starting to brown.  When the pasta is cooked to al dente, drain it well.  Add remaining butter to the skillet.  When melted, stir in thyme and garlic powder.  Add pasta and saute, stirring frequently, until it starts to brown.  Add salt to taste and serve. 

Chicken and Dumplings - the Easy Way

Sorry about the picture - the lighting was all off!

The other day I found a chicken in the freezer that was obviously about to be past its prime, so I decided to make chicken and dumplings.  Usually this is a meal I make with a leftover carcass, but I decided I'd try the "whole chicken" method this time and see how it worked.  Here's what I did:

Chicken and Dumplings
Serves 6

1 whole chicken, giblet packet removed and discarded (or do whatever you do with those)
3 medium carrots, scrubbed and cut in 1/2 inch slices
3 celery ribs, cut in 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
7 cloves garlic, chopped
8 cups water
1 T. kosher salt
3 bay leaves
1 tsp. pepper
1/4 c. flour
3/4 c. cold water
1 1/3 c. Bisquick or other baking mix
2/3 c. milk

Put the chicken in a 5 - 6 quart dutch oven or stockpot.  Add vegetables, water and seasonings.  Cover and simmer over medium heat for 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  Remove chicken and let sit for 20 minutes or until cool enough to handle.  Remove bay leaves and discard.

While chicken cools, mix flour and cold water until there are no lumps.  Add to soup mixture and cook until slightly thickened.

Remove half the meat from the chicken and return to the pot.  Reserve remaining chicken for another use (and you can save the carcass to make stock).

Mix Bisquick and milk.  Use soup spoons to drop batter into the broth (about 1/4 cup per dumpling).  Cover pot and cook 20 minutes or until dumplings are cooked through. 

Butter Chicken

I ran across this recipe in an online cooking school I signed up for a few years ago.  I've had butter chicken (Chicken Makhani) in a local Indian restaurant and this isn't really anything like that, but this is good in its own way.  I've adapted it from the original to fit our family's taste.  For example, the original recipe doesn't blend the tomatoes, but my girl is currently trying her darndest to become a picky eater, so so no longer likes chunks of cooked tomato in her food.  So I put the tomatoes in the blender.  No biggie.

Butter Chicken
Serves 6
Adapted from Stone Soup Virtual Cooking School

2 T peanut or canola oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced into 1/2 " pieces
1 cup minced onion
2 T garam masala (I use the punjab style from Penzey's
2 t. chili flakes
1 14.5 oz. can roasted diced tomatoes
1 14.5 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
2 - 4 T heavy cream
salt
ground black pepper
Hot cooked rice

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chicken and onions.  Cook until chicken is lightly browned on one side; flip and brown the second side.

While the chicken cooks, put tomatoes in the blender.  Whir until smooth (if you want a chunkier sauce, you could leave both cans whole or just blend up one).

Once the chicken is browned, add garam masala and chili flakes.  Continue cooking for one minute, then add tomatoes.  Bring to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes.  Stir in cream, salt and pepper to taste.  Continue cooking until cream is heated through.

Serve over hot cooked rice. Enjoy!

Baked Chicken Taquitos

By request...

I made these for dinner the other night.  It's been a long time - so long I'd forgotten all about them until I was leafing through a stack of old recipe printouts looking for my potsticker recipe.  I didn't have all the ingredients called for in the original, so I improvised with what I had, and it came out even better than before.

The number this recipe makes all depends on the size of your tortillas.  I used fajita-size flour tortillas and got about 12.

Baked Chicken Taquitos

4 oz. lowfat cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. salsa
1/2 t. cumin
1/2 t. chili powder
1/2 t. garlic powder
1 T. minced onion
3T. chopped fresh cilantro or parsley (yes, I realize they are completely different animals.  I didn't have cilantro so I used parsley and it worked out just fine).
3 scallions, chopped
2 c. chopped or shredded cooked chicken
1 1/2 c pepperjack cheese, shredded
flour or corn tortillas (the smaller the better).
vegetable oil
kosher or coarse salt

Preheat the oven to 425.  Lightly grease a 10x13 baking dish.

Combine cream cheese, salsa, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and minced onion until well combined.  Add cilantro or parsley and scallions.  Stir in chicken and cheese until everything is well mixed.

In a dry skillet, warm the tortillas, one at a time, until pliable.  Fill with 2 -3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture, then roll tightly and place seam side down in the baking dish. 

Once all taquitos are rolled, lightly brush the tops with vegetable oil and sprinkle with salt. 

Bake 15 - 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Chicken potstickers

I have been asked to include pictures with my recipes to make them pinnable, so I'll do that, as long as you'll forgive me for my elementary photography skills!

We are big potsticker fans in this house.  That's all my daughter wants when we go to our favorite teriyaki restaurant (though I do make her eat a side order of veggies while she's at it), and I love them for quick dinners at home since they cook in less than 15 minutes.  We like the Ling Ling brand, but they're almost $8 a bag at our regular grocery store now!  I used to make them from scratch frequently (once in a while even making my own wontons), but have gotten out of the habit.  We're focusing more on our budget once again, so I dusted off my old recipe and got to work.

My food processor makes quick work of mixing everything together, but if you don't have one, just start with ground chicken and finely chop the veggies.

Chicken Potstickers
Makes approximately 60

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I'm sure thighs would work just fine as well)
2 green onions
1 T fresh ginger, sliced
4 cloves garlic
1 T. soy or tamari sauce
1 T. rice cooking wine, dry sherry, chicken broth, or water
1 egg
1 heaping T. cornstarch
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
60 gyoza wrappers (ours come in packs of 48 so that's how many I make - see note at end)
vegetable oil to saute
water or chicken broth to simmer

Place chicken, onions, ginger and garlic in the bowl of a food processor.  Process until nearly smooth.  Add soy/tamari sauce, wine or broth, egg, cornstarch, salt and pepper and process again until blended.

Lay gyoza wrappers on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Place a scant tablespoon of the meat mixture onto the wrapper, just off center.  Wet a finger and run it around the edge of the wrapper.  Fold in half, pressing out as much air as possible.

 
 Crimp the edges by folding over slightly and pressing together.



If you won't be eating them right away, lay them in a single layer on the baking sheet and freeze overnight or until solid.  Place in a freezer bag until you're ready to cook and serve. 

To cook, heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large skillet.  Lay the potstickers in a single layer, until the bottoms are golden.  Add water or chicken broth just to cover them.  Cover and simmer 10 - 12 minutes.  Serve immediately.

If you run out of wrappers (or just want that great filling flavor without all the work of making the potstickers), you can shape the filling into patties and fry them until cooked through.

Buffalo Chicken Strips

I was in the mood for something spicy for dinner tonight, and this fit the bill perfectly - quick and easy, with plenty of heat!

Buffalo Chicken Strips

1 pound chicken tenderloins (cut lengthwise if you like a skinnier strip)
1 cup flour
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce (we like Frank's Red Hot)
1 cup panko bread crumbs

For serving:  extra wing sauce (mix with a bit of melted butter if you'd like), ranch dressing, or blue cheese dressing, as desired.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.   Grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.  Set up your dredging station - in one bowl, mix your flour with the garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.  Put your wing sauce in a second bowl, and the bread crumbs in a third bowl.

Take a tenderloin and dredge it in the flour to coat.  Dip it (completely) in the wing sauce, then roll in the bread crumbs.  Place on the baking sheet and repeat with the remaining tenderloins.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until cooked through.  If desired, serve with extra wing sauce and ranch or blue cheese dressing.

Chicken and Bows

After having this on my menu plan weekly for almost a month, I finally got around to making it.  It just sounded so GOOD - like creamy, rich, comfort food, perfect for a chilly fall evening.  And I was right - it was.  I tweaked the recipe a bit (since I'm incapable of NOT tweaking a recipe), so here's what I came up with.

Chicken and bows
Adapted from Taste of Home

8 ounces bow tie pasta
2 T. olive oil
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups cooked shredded chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup milk
1 tsp. dried thyme
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions, leaving it fairly al dente.  Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large straight-sided skillet or dutch oven.  Add the bell pepper and onion and saute until soft.  Add garlic, chicken, soup, peas, milk and thyme.  Bring just to a boil, and simmer 5 - 10 minutes until the mixture is thick and the peas are heated through.  Stir in cheese and add salt and pepper to taste.  Add cooked pasta, stir to combine, and serve.

Homemade Chicken Bake

Whenever I have the opportunity to eat a meal at Costco (which isn't often, since I'm a horribly compulsive grocery shopper and therefore forbidden to have my own card), I always go for the "Chicken Bake".  Basically a calzone, it's chickeny, bacony, cheesy good.  A month or two ago my mom took me shopping there, and I discovered Chicken Bake in the freezer section.  I immediately snatched up a box for eating at home.

Last week we ate the last of our Chicken Bakes, but, when asked what my daughter wanted to eat for dinners this week, that was her request.  "CHICKEN BAKE!!!"  Strange, because she didn't seem all that enamored of it when we had them for lunch, but of course I was happy to oblige and figure out a way to make them myself.

There are no measurements in the assembly because, in my typical pizza fashion, I just sprinkled things on till it looked right.

Homemade Chicken Bake
makes 4 large calzones

2 tubes pizza crust in a can (could also substitute homemade pizza dough - I was in a hurry so I used the prebought).
Caeser dressing, ranch dressing, or alfredo sauce
1 cup cooked, shredded chicken
1/2 pound bacon, diced and fried
2 green onions, chopped
shredded parmesan cheese
shredded mozzarella or Italian blend cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease a cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper or a Silpat.

Divide each pizza crust in half.  Roll out into a rectangle, about 6 inches by 8 inches.  You want to be looking at it the long way, not the tall way (i.e. "landscape", not "portrait", if we were talking about printing).

Spread dressing or sauce over crust, stopping about 1/2 inch from the edges.

Spread toppings in a 4-inch-wide strip down the middle of the crust, stopping about 1 inch from the top and bottom.  Keep a little extra parmesan cheese for the top. 

Fold left and right edges over; pinch the ends together and tuck under.  Place seam side down on your baking sheet.  Repeat with remaining three pieces of crust.

Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.  Spread a little bit of additional dressing or sauce on top, and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.  Bake an additional 5 - 8 minutes until cheese is melted and brown.

Excellent served with salad on the side.

If you want to make this in the morning, just assemble it and put it in the fridge until time to make dinner.  Add an additional 5 minutes to your initial baking time.

Pad Thai

I made this for dinner tonight. The original recipe came from Hungry Monkey, but I tweaked it a bit so here's my version.

Sauce (makes enough for two batches):

12 T tamarind concentrate (sour soup base)
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup canola oil
6 T fish sauce
1 T rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar

If your tamarind concentrate is free of seeds, just mix all the ingredients together, stirring until sugar is dissolved.

If your tamarind still has some seeds (mine did), put it in a wire mesh strainer over a bowl and pour the water through it. Press it through the sieve with the back of a spoon, scraping the underside frequently, until all of the tamarind has been strained and just the seeds remain. Mix in remaining ingredients, stirring until sugar is dissolved.

The remaining sauce can be frozen.

Pad Thai (serves 4)

2 large chicken breasts, diced
1/4 cup canola oil
8 ounces pad Thai rice noodles
2 large eggs
1/2 recipe pad Thai sauce
1 T. minced garlic
3 scallions, sliced
1 cup bean sprouts, blanched for 1 minute in boiling water
lime wedges
chopped peanuts

Soak the noodles in hot tap water for 30 minutes, then drain. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute chicken in 2 T. oil until cooked through. Remove chicken and set aside, and add remaining 2T. oil to the pan. Add eggs and scramble. Add noodles, chicken, sauce, garlic, scallions, and bean sprouts and stir well until all the sauce has absorbed.

Serve with lime juice squeezed over and peanuts sprinkled on top.

Chicken Corn Chowder

I made this for dinner last night, and now have leftovers for several lunches this week. So easy, and so good!

4 chicken tenderloins
2 tablespoons oil
1/4 cup butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 cans creamed corn
2 large potatoes, diced
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 can evaporated milk
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons corn starch
2 tablespoons cold water

In your soup pot, saute the chicken in the oil until they are brown on both sides. Remove and dice. Add the butter to the pot, then add the onion and saute until it starts to brown (I like to add a pinch of salt to this step if I'm using unsalted butter).

Add the garlic, corn, potatoes, chicken broth, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Heat just until boiling; reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are cooked, about 15 minutes.

Add the milk and diced chicken and heat five minutes more. Check your seasoning and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Mix the cornstarch and cold water and add to the pot. Continue to cook until slightly thickened, about five more minutes.

Chicken and Dumplings

This is the perfect meal for a day or two after you've eaten a roasted chicken. Save the carcass and keep it in the fridge till you're ready for it (no more than four days or so though!).

If you don't have a chicken carcass, just skip the stock-making step and use six or so cups of chicken broth.

To make the Stock:
1 leftover chicken carcass
8 cups water
1 carrot, cut in 1-inch chunks (peeling not necessary, just scrub it well)
2 ribs celery, cut in 1-inch chunks
1 small onion, cut in 1-inch chunks
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons salt
5 - 7 whole black peppercorns

Pick as much meat off the carcass as you can, and set it aside (you'll add it back in later). Break the carcass up into chunks (you'll want it fairly flat in the pan), and put it in a large pot. Add the remaining ingredients, and pour the water over the top (if it's not enough to cover, just keep adding more water till it is). Cover and simmer on medium-low heat for two hours.

After two hours, strain it into a bowl using a fine-mesh strainer to catch all the little herb bits (don't worry if some remain, it doesn't have to be completely clean, just make sure you at least get all the peppercorns out!). If there is a lot of fat, skim it off the top (you can use the fat in place of the butter in the dumplings). Pour it back into the pan and return it to the heat.

To make the soup:

2 carrots, sliced (peeled if desired)
2 celery ribs, sliced
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
2 cups chopped cooked chicken (use what you pulled off the carcass)
1 cup frozen peas
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 can evaporated milk, divided (I use evaporated skim milk)
salt and pepper to taste

Add the vegetables and poultry seasoning to the stock. Cover and let simmer 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile, make a roux: in a small skillet, melt the butter. Add the flour, stirring constantly. Cook for two minutes. Open the evaporated milk and measure out one cup. Set this aside (you'll need it for the dumplings). Add the remaining milk to the butter and flour mixture, stirring until the mixture thickens.

When the vegetables are done, stir in the chicken, peas, and roux. Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired. Cook, stirring constantly, until the roux is dissolved. The mixture will thicken slightly, but will remain fairly soupy (if you like a thicker base, just make more roux). Cover and let simmer while you make the...

Dumplings

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 cup evaporated milk
3 tablespoons butter

In a medium-size bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and parsley. Melt the butter and stir in the milk (this is the milk you reserved earlier). You can do this in the microwave or on the stovetop, doesn't matter. You just want the mixture to be warm, not hot. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture all at once, stir just to combine.

Drop by spoonfuls onto the soup. Cover and cook over low heat for 17 minutes, or until dumplings feel firm when you press on them. Don't take off the lid while they cook! They rely on the steam to cook the tops.

Chicken Paprikash

I don't have a whole lot to say lately (life is pretty much same-old, same-old)...but Linda asked for my Chicken Paprikash recipe so I figured I could at least post that!

Chicken Paprikash-Topped Potatoes

12 ounces skinless boneless chicken, cut into bite size pieces
2 T. flour
2 t. Paprika (I like to use the sweet Hungarian paprika)
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. ground red pepper (optional, though it doesn't give it too much of a kick)
1 T. butter
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced, or two small cans of sliced mushrooms
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 c. chicken broth
1/4 c. sour cream

1. Combine chicken with flour, paprika, salt, and red pepper until coated.

2. Melt butter over medium-high heat. Add chicken, onion, mushrooms, and garlic and saute five minutes (if you are not using a non-stick skillet, you may need to add additional butter or some oil). Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cook six minutes or so until chicken is done and the sauce thickens, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream.

3. Serve over hot baked potatoes.

Creamy chicken pasta

Made this up as I went along for dinner tonight. Turned out it was pretty darn good if I do say so myself!

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can sliced mushrooms
1/2 can artichoke quarters, chopped
1 1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
6 ounces cream cheese (neufchatel works fine), cubed
1 1/2 cups rotini pasta (I like brown rice pasta)

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, boil the chicken breasts in lightly salted water until cooked through. Remove chicken from pan, cool, and dice.

Dump water out of pan, return to heat, and add olive oil, onions, and garlic. Saute until onions are transluscent, about five minutes. Add mushrooms, artichokes, soup, milk, and herbs; salt and pepper to taste. Stir in cream cheese; cook and stir over medium heat until cheese is melted. Add chicken, and bring just to a boil. Stir in dry pasta; reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 17 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally. Add more milk if necessary as it cooks.

Note: Normally, I like to keep boiled, shredded chicken in my freezer, ready to go. This would be an excellent substitute for the chicken breasts and would make preparation that much quicker.

Salsa Chicken

One of the world's easiest recipes!

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salsa
Shredded cheese

Put chicken breasts in a baking dish. Top with salsa (I use about half a cup per breast). Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until just cooked through.

Remove chicken from pan. Drain the excess liquid out of the pan, keeping as much of the solid bits (from the salsa) as you can.

Put the chicken back in the pan. Top with a bit more salsa and shredded cheese. Bake
for 10 more minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Chicken and Black Beans

This is one of my absolute favorite quickie meals. Makes about five servings.

1 tablespoon oil
3 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeds and veins removed, diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 small can diced green chiles, drained
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add chicken and saute until cooked through. Remove chicken from pan and add onion, bell pepper, jalapeno and garlic, sauteeing until the onion is transluscent. Add remaining ingredients, stirring to combine. Let simmer five minutes. Add chicken back to pan, stir to combine, and let simmer five more minutes or until chicken is heated through.

Serve topped with shredded cheese, sour cream, and diced avocado. Would also make excellent burrito filling, I believe!

Easy Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

I made this tonight with a mix of leftover grilled chicken breasts and shredded boiled chicken from the freezer. It is definitely better with the grilled chicken!

2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 cup salsa
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
6 flour tortillas
2 cups shredded cheese, divided (I used a mix of cheddar and jack)
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup flour
1 cup evaporated milk
1 small can diced green chiles

In a medium size skillet, combine the first six ingredients (chicken through chili powder). Simmer until nearly all of the liquid is gone. Spoon 1/6 of the mixture into each tortilla, top with a hearty pinch of cheese (I use about 1 cup of the cheese total inside the enchiladas). Roll each tortilla and place seam side down in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes or until tortillas are browned.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat the chicken broth over medium high heat until bubbly. Stir flour into evaporated milk, mix until smooth. Pour the milk mixture into the broth, stirring constantly. Add chiles. Cook and stir until the mixture boils; continue to cook and stir two minutes or until thickened.

After the enchiladas have baked for 15 minutes, pour the sauce over them, sprinkle the remaining cup of cheese on top, and bake five minutes more, or until the cheese is bubbly.

Pasta with sausage cream sauce

I made this up for dinner tonight. Yum, it was good!


1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 can mushrooms
1 can sliced olives
1 small jar diced pimento
1 pkg. chicken sausage, cooked (if necessary) and sliced (I got some pre-cooked mushroom asiago sausage from Trader Joe's)
1/3 cup heavy cream*
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
pinch salt
hot cooked pasta (I used egg noodles)

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and saute until the onion becomes translucent. Add mushrooms, olives, pimento, and sausage; cook and stir until heated through. Add cream and parmesan cheese, cook and stir until cheese is melted (you can add a little cornstarch slurry if you want it thicker). Mix into hot cooked pasta. Cover and let stand 5 minutes before serving.

*Note: if you want to lighten it up a little, just use evaporated milk in place of the cream. I happened to have some cream I needed to use up - that's a rare occurrence in our house! Evaporated milk is thicker than regular milk and so it acts more like the cream.