White Chicken Enchiladas

I've seen these posted on Pinterest and repinned all the time. My friend has made them a few times and claims that this is the best enchilada recipes ever. So I decided to make them the other night for dinner. The flavor was good but not great and the tortilla on the enchilada seemed a little soggy. I will definitely try this again but with a little tweaking. I will probably add some jalapenos in addition to the green chilies to kick it up a notch and a little less sauce.

White Chicken Enchiladas
slightly adapted from Plain Chicken

Ingredients
8 flour tortillas, soft taco size
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup light sour cream
2 (4-oz) cans diced green chilies

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spray a 9x13 glass pan with cooking spray. Mix chicken and 1 cup of cheese. Roll up in tortillas and place in pan seam side down.
3. In a small sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter. Whisk in flour and cook 1 minute. Add broth and whisk until smooth. Allow sauce to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream and green chilies.
4. Pour sauce over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese. Bake 20-25 minutes and then broil for a few minutes to brown the cheese.

Cilantro Lime Crock-pot Chicken

This is an extremely easy chicken dinner recipe that my friend Karen shared with me. Just throw everything in the crock-pot in the morning and you will walk into your house after work to the most delicious aroma! I tried serving these with flour tortillas but they are, by far, best served with corn tortillas. The leftovers would probably be delicious in a tortilla soup or enchiladas.

Cilantro Lime Crock-Pot Chicken


Ingredients:

1 jar of your favorite salsa
Juice of 1 large lime
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 pack taco seasoning
3 boneless chicken breast

Directions:

Place combine first 4 ingredients in crock-pot. Stir to combine.
Add chicken
Cook on low 6-8 hours
Shred chicken, place back in crock-pot and stir. Keep warm until ready to serve.
Serve on corn tortillas

Chicken and Rice Soup

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped small
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
3 celery stalks, chopped small
2-3 cloves garlic
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
2 cups cooked rice
64 oz chicken broth
1 tbsp dry ranch dressing
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp hot sauce
Season to taste (salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, tony chacheries)

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium heat. Sauté onions, celery, and carrots for 7-8 minutes. Add garlic, sauté 1 minute.
2. Stir in chicken, rice, and broth.
3. Add ranch dressing, Dijon, hot sauce, and seasonings.
4. Simmer on low for about 20 minutes or until ready to serve.

Boudin Stuffed Chicken Breasts

One of my favorite foods is boudin. My dad has been making lots of homemade boudin and brought some over the last time he and my mom visited. I really wasn't in the mood to grill outside, which is the way we normally cook our boudin, so I had to think of another way to cook the boudin. As I researched on the internet I came across a Manda recipe for boudin stuffed chicken breasts. I adapted it slightly adding a little more seasonings and it came out delicious! Hope you enjoy.

Boudin Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts, pounded out to get an even thickness
2 links of boudin, removed from the casing
1/2 can cream of chicken
Seasoning to taste (just salt and pepper works here)

Directions:
1. Mix the boudin and cream of chicken in a small bowl
2. Lightly season both sides of the chicken and place a couple of spoonfuls of boudin on the chicken.
3. Roll the chicken with the boudin inside and secure with toothpicks
4. Grill (I used an indoor grill pan) the chicken for about 25-30 minutes or until no longer pink. Make sure you flip the chicken over several time to ensure even cooking.

**Next time I make this I am going to wrap the stuffed chicken breasts with bacon and then cook them.

Fried Chicken with Mac and Cheese

I'm babysitting a friend's daughter and she loves chicken tenders and macaroni. I decided to make fried chicken tenders with mac and cheese for her. Definitely an "unhealthy" meal but I'll make up for it the rest of the week (hopefully). This was my first attempt at making a sauce for the mac and cheese instead of just putting cheese on the pasta. It came out good but still needs some tweaking.

Fried Chicken Tenders

Ingredients:
1 pound chicken tenders
~ 1 cup buttermilk
1 cup flour
Oil
garlic powder
onion powder
salt
pepper

Directions:
1. Season chicken with salt and pepper, place in a large bowl and cover with buttermilk. Sometimes I add a little hot sauce to the buttermilk to add a some heat. Let sit for about an hour.
2. Place flour in a shallow bowl. Season heavily with salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder. If you like a little heat you can add cayenne pepper as well.
3. In a large skillet, over med-high heat, heat enough oil so that the chicken tenders will be covered when placed in the oil.
4. When oil is hot, (test with a little water-if it bubbles it's ready), Coat chicken in seasoned flour and add to oil. Cook until golden brown, about 6-8 minutes. Remove chicken from skillet and drain on paper towels. You may need to work in batches.

3 Cheese Mac and Cheese



Ingredients:
1/2 box (1/2 pound) whole wheat penne rigate pasta
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup fontina cheese
1/2 cup monteray jack cheese
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne powder

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350. Coat a 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta to boiling water. Cook until al dente. Drain and set aside.
3. In a large bowl toss cheeses together to mix.
4. In a medium sized sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and whisk until smooth and slightly bubbly. Whisk in milk and stir in seasonings. Let come to a boil then reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes, stirring to prevent lumps. Remove from heat and add 1 cup of cheese mixture. Stir to combine
5. In pasta pot, Stir together pasta and cheese sauce. Pour half pasta into baking dish. Cover with 1/2 remaining cheese. Pour remaining pasta on top and cover with remaining cheese.
6. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Increase heat to broil and cook 3 minutes, until top is lightly browned. Cool slightly before serving.

Creamy Chicken and Rice

One of my favorite foods is rice. I love it with just about anything so I am always looking for new recipes that can be served with rice. This dish is fairly versatile. You can play around with the vegetables and seasonings to change it up to suit your taste buds.

Creamy Chicken and Rice


Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut in strips)
1 can chicken broth
1 1/2 cans cream of chicken
1/2 can peas
1 tbsp parsley (dry or fresh)
salt
pepper
garlic powder
onion powder
tony chachere's

Directions:
1. Season chicken with salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder, and tony chachere's
2. Over medium high heat, heat oil in large skillet. Add onion and saute until soft (about 5 minutes)
3. Add chicken to skillet and brown on all sides
4. Add chicken broth and cream of chicken. Stir to combine. Add parsley. Reduce heat to low
5. Let chicken simmer for about 30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.
6. Add peas. Serve over cooked rice.

BBQ Chicken Foil Packs

This is hands down one of the easiest dishes to make. My friend from college shared this recipe with me and I have been making it ever since. So simple, yet packed with so much flavor.

BBQ Chicken Foil Packs


Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
1 bottle BBQ sauce (whatever your favorite is)
1 onion, cut in strips
1 green bell pepper, cut in strips
seasonings (garlic powder, onion powder, tony chacheres, salt, pepper)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Season chicken to your preference
3. On a large sheet of aluminum foil, place one chicken breast. Place the onion and bell pepper over the chicken. Cover the chicken with 1/2 bottle of BBQ sauce.
4. Fold the foil up to seal everything in. Place onto a cookie sheet.
5. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour, or until chicken is no longer pink.

This is best served with a baked potato, but since we are dieting I served it with a salad...boring I know but still a delicious meal!

Mexican Chicken Lasagna

In preparation for our upcoming wedding DJ and I have decided to change our eating habits. We are trying to stay away from all the starchy carbs and include healthier meals in our diet. I recently subscribed to Cooking Light magazine and have been throughly impressed with lots of their recipes. This one is a healthier version of a traditional Mexican beef casserole. It serves 8 and is only 331 calories per serving. Very delicious!


Mexican Chicken Casserole
adapted from Cooking Light 


Ingredients: 


Salsa:
8 plum tomatoes, halved
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 small onion, chopped
1 seeded jalapeno pepper, quartered
Cooking spray
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
3 tbsp lime juice
1/8 tsp black pepper

Lasagna: 
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup diced zucchini
3 cups cooked chicken breasts, shredded
1 tbsp garlic, minced
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 (10 oz) can green chili enchilada sauce
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chiles
12 (6 in) corn tortillas
1 cup shredded Monterey pepper jack cheese
1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat broiler
2. Prepare salsa, place tomatoes, garlic cloves, small chopped onion, and seeded jalapeno on a baking sheet that has been coated with cooking spray. Broil 20 minutes, or until charred. Remove from oven; cool slightly. Place mixture into food processor; add cilantro, lime and pepper. Process until smooth. Set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 350
4. Prepare lasagna, heat large nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Lightly coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion, corn, bell pepper, and zucchini; saute 6 minutes or until tender.
5. Add chicken and next 5 ingredients (through green chiles); saute 2 minutes or until throughly heated. Remove from heat.
6. Spread 1/2 cup salsa over the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange half of the tortillas over salsa. Spoon 1/2 chicken mixture evenly over tortillas. Top with 3/4 cup salsa and 1/2 cup cheese. Repeat layers beginning with tortillas, ending with cheeses.
7. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes, until bubbly.