chicken cordon bleu cassrole

This is going to be a lame, pictureless post for all of you, but I’m writing it down so I can remember to put it in my recipe binder.

I pinned a recipe for Chicken Cordon Bleu casserole and Sunday when we wanted chicken cordon bleu (but I didn’t want to do the work) I remembered the recipe. Looked it up: it was kind of complicated. I was looking for help in being…lazy. Googled, found a few more, but they all had substitutes for cream of chicken soup or fancy toppings. Blah.

We just pounded down some chicken breasts and put them in a baking dish. Topped with cheese (I had mozz, I’d use swiss if I had it). Topped with Canadian bacon since we didn’t have ‘real’ ham. Mixed up 1 can of cream of chicken soup and maybe a cup of sour cream, then poured about half or a bit more than half of that on top of the bacon. Then I had bread crumbs in the freezer. I melted a few tablespoons butter, and threw into that some dried onion, some of Paula Deen’s House Seasoning I had in a bag leftover from something else, and 2 cups of bread crumbs.  Stir.  Put that on top of the the sauce.  Cover with foil. We baked it for an hour.

NEXT TIME: I’d leave off the bread crumbs until the last 20 minutes or so, they got a bit over-browned on the edges.

Yum.

OH MY GOSH: I just had a thought: I bet that would be easy to do in the CROCK POT!! Boo ya.

chicken tikka masala

I didn’t think I liked Indian food, but to be fair, I’ve only tried it once.  When I saw this recipe, the picture looked so good and the ingredients were really tame, and things we almost always have on hand.  Nathan frequently eats out Indian on business trips and loves tikka masala, so I was really hoping this would at least taste familiar to him since I had nothing to compare it to. WE LOVED THIS.  Next time I’ll double the sauce, though, since the kids like more sauce in the rice.  SO GOOD.

Adapted from here.

Marinade

1 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Tikka Masala Sauce
1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 cup fat free half and half*
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Combine all marinade ingredients, and marinade for 1-8 hours. Grill or cook chicken on stove top, making sure to get almost all (but not all) the marinade off of the chicken before cooking.

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for one minute. Add cumin, paprika and salt. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken and simmer for 10 minutes. Garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve over hot rice and with naan.

*The original recipe called for cream – I substituted half and half to save on calories and fat since I was too busy having a heart attack about frying the naan in butter. :) It was really good as it was but with cream it would be sinfully delicious.

chicken tamale casserole / dinner tonight 3.23.11

It cracks me up to post a really bad picture (again!) but a few months ago I did our “what we ate for dinner” calendar as we went and did a picture each night – super nice to go back and get dinner ideas from pictures.

There’s a better picture at Cooking Light, where I got the recipe.

Dinner: chicken tamale casserole/yellow saffron rice/(not fancy black beans because we ran out of cans!! whoops)

- – - – -

Cooking Light’s Chicken Tamale Casserole (we LOVED this)

• 1  cup  (4 ounces) preshredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese, divided
• 1/3  cup  fat-free milk
• 1/4  cup  egg substitute
• 1  teaspoon  ground cumin
• 1/8  teaspoon  ground red pepper
• 1  (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
• 1  (8.5-ounce) box corn muffin mix (such as Martha White)
• 1  (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
• Cooking spray
• 1  (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce (such as Old El Paso)
• 2  cups  shredded cooked chicken breast
• 1/2  cup  fat-free sour cream

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Combine 1/4 cup cheese and next 7 ingredients (through chiles) in a large bowl, stirring just until moist. Pour mixture into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

3. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until set. Pierce entire surface liberally with a fork; pour enchilada sauce over top. Top with chicken; sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces; top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

354 (36% from fat)

Fat:

14.1g (sat 7.1g,mono 3.3g,poly 1.2g)

Protein:

18.9g

Carbohydrate:

36.3g

Fiber:

2.5g

 

Michelle’s Chicken Enchilada Casserole

My friend, Michelle, brought this over when Emerson was born.  New favorite, also because we usually have all these ingredients on hand. SO GOOD.  I made it last night, halved the ingredients and baked it in an 8″ square pan.

4 cups chicken breasts, cooked and diced or shredded (or if you like more meat, do that – 1 chicken breast per person)

28 oz green enchilada sauce

1-2 cans of cream of chicken soup (original recipe called for 1, if you like it more saucy, add 2)

1-2 cans (4 oz each) diced green chiles (depending on personal pref)

1/4 c chopped green onions

2 c shredded cheese

1 small bag corn tortillas

Mix enchilada sauce, cream of chicken soup, green chiles, and green onions.  This is your sauce. You’ll layer everything in a casserole dish.  First layer is tortillas – enough to cover the bottom of the pan, tear to fill in gaps. Second layer is half the chicken, third layer is half the sauce, fourth layer is half the cheese.  Repeat.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until warmed through.

Cilantro Turkey or Beef

We really liked this, and it came together very quickly.

CILANTRO BEEF (or, in my case, turkey)

• 1-2 tbsps vegetable oil
• 1/2 of a large onion, diced
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 bunch of cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 lb of ground beef or turkey (we used turkey)
• 2 tbsps of oyster sauce (can use soy sauce)

Sauté the onion and ginger in the oil over medium-high heat until onions are soft and just starting to turn color, about 5 minutes. Add beef or turkey and sauté until cooked through, breaking it up into crumbles. Add in oyster sauce. Cook for about a minute. Dump in all the cilantro at once, give the dish a final stir then remove from heat.

Serve over rice, brown rice, or rice noodles.  We had it on brown rice, which is still new for us, but we really liked it.

Adapted from CityMama

Creamy Southwestern Chicken Nachos

The kids devoured these, so…success.

• 1 small bag frozen corn
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 large frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 16-oz jar medium salsa  (Medium salsa is a must, mild isn’t flavorful enough)
• 1 8 oz package of cream cheese
• tortilla chips
• Any other additional toppings you desire such as chopped cilantro, diced avocado, diced green onion, sliced olives, etc.

1. Pour bag of frozen corn in bottom of crock pot. (Can corn can be used in place of the frozen.  Just drain it and put the chicken in first followed by the corn)
2. Place frozen chicken breasts on top of corn and cover with rinsed and drained black beans and jar of medium salsa.
3. Cook on high for 1 hour, and then on low for 4 hours.
4. Shred chicken with forks and mix in cream cheese until melted and creamy.
5. Serve with tortilla chips and add toppings to individual servings.

From Real Mom Kitchen.

Real Simple’s 10 Ideas for Leftover Turkey

In case you don’t get the Real Simple magazine, here’s the link to November’s article on what to do with leftover turkey.  Some great ideas – and you can use them all year with chicken breasts, too.

Those turkey samosas above are on my list for dinner this weekend.

Chicken (or Turkey) Divan

How’s this for an old school casserole? I roasted a turkey this week and needed a casserole to dump some leftovers in. It’s quick and easy, and I was surprised it tasted so good!

2 – 10 oz packages frozen chopped broccoli
3-4 cups chopped, cooked chicken breast or turkey
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon adobo seasoning
2 1/2 – 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Defrost broccoli in the microwave, then comvine with the meat, soups, mayp, milk, lemon juice and adobo seasoning.  Add half the cheese.  Place in a 9X13 dish.  Cook at 350 for about 35-40 minutes.  Top with the rest of the cheese and bake for another 5 minutes.

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

I had wanted to try these ever since Melanie at My Kitchen Cafe posted them in March.  They were so good! I only made two changes.  This recipe is a keeper.

6 tablespoons honey
5 tablespoons lime juice (1 large lime)
1 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded (I used 3 small chicken breasts)
8-10 flour tortillas
1 pound monterey jack cheese, shredded (I had only cheddar today, so used that)
16 ounces green enchilada sauce
1 cup heavy cream (I used 1/2 cup sour cream instead)
Mix the first four ingredients and toss with shredded chicken. Let it marinate for at least 1/2 hour (I tossed mine together in a ziploc bag in the morning and let it sit in the refrigerator all day). Pour about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9X13 baking pan. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese, saving about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas. Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the cream and leftover marinade. Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until brown and crispy on top.

Greek Chicken

Easy dinner I’m just putting out here to remind myself about.  It’s really easy and most of the ingredients are normal pantry staples.  We sauteed chicken breasts (or your can grill them), then I put a bit of Caesar Vinegratte on the warm chicken, after it was cooked, and topped with about a cup of halved cherry tomatoes and a handful of halved Kalamata Olives.  I put the lid on the pan until the tomatoes and olives are warmed through, then toss in a handful of feta cheese, and a couple torn leaves of fresh basil on top.  Serve with cous cous.

Cilantro Lime Chicken Rice Bowl

I saw this recipe on Good Things Utah and didn’t think too much of it.  They had the girl back on to do an ice cream recipe, and one of the hosts kept talking about how she had made this rice bowl after the last show and it was unbelievable.  So I made it.  And we think it’s pretty darn yummy, too.  It goes together quite fast – don’t be intimidated by all the directions and sub-recipes below.  I made half the dressing, and we had plenty of leftovers.  I froze some chicken in the marinade for later, so it will be a quick dinner one night.

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 ½ C cilantro lime marinade, recipe below or bottled Cilantro lime rice, recipe below
• 1 C Mango salsa
• ¾ C Sour cream
• ½ C finely chopped cilantro
• 1 ½ C Shredded Pepper Jack Cheese
• Tomatillo Ranch Dressing, recipe below
• Extra cilantro and limes, for garnish

1. Place chicken breasts in a re-sealable plastic bag.  Add prepared marinade and mix to coat.  Marinate for 4 hours to overnight.
2. While chicken is marinating, prepare tomatillo ranch dressing and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.
3. 30 minutes before removing chicken from marinade, prepare cilantro lime rice as directed. Set aside for later use.
4. Remove chicken from marinade and grill in skillet or on the grill.  Allow to cool for 10 minutes then shred with fork.
5. While chicken is cooking, mix sour cream and ½ C chopped cilantro together.
6. To compile rice bowl, place desired amount of rice in an oven safe bowl. (Preferably the same bowl you’ll serve it in)  Top rice with the following in this order: shredded chicken, cilantro sour cream, mango salsa, and finally shredded pepper jack cheese.
7. Place rice bowl under the broiler just until cheese is melted and the dish is warmed through.  Serve with a drizzle of the tomatillo ranch dressing, garnish with cilantro and lime then enjoy!

Cilantro Lime Marinade

Ingredients

• ¾ C vegetable oil
• Juice and zest of two limes
• 1 Tbs minced garlic
• 2 tsp sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• ½ C finely chopped cilantro

Preparation

1. Add all ingredients except oil to a food processor or blender.
2. Slowly drizzle oil in while food processor is running.
3. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Tomatillo Ranch Dressing

Ingredients

• 1 buttermilk ranch dressing packet
• 1 C mayo
• 1 C buttermilk
• 5 sml-med tomatillos
• 1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
• 2 tsp garlic, minced
• Juice and zest of 2 limes
• 1 jalapeno (seeded or not depending on how spicy you like it)
• 2 tsp sugar
• ½ tsp salt

Preparation

1. Use a food processor to blend all the ingredients thoroughly.
2. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

*This makes about 4 cups of dressings but will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
*Leftover dressing is fabulous on any fresh ‘south-of-the-border’-style chicken or pork salads.

Cilantro-Lime Rice

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked rice
1 Tablespoon butter or margarine
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
zest of one lg lime
2 cups hot water
1 chicken bullion cube
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

1. In a saucepan melt butter over medium-high heat.
2. Add hot water and bullion.
3. As soon as water comes to a boil and bullion is dissolved, stir in rice and reduce heat to medium.
4. Cover and cook 15-20 minutes or until rice is tender.
5. Remove from heat and add lime zest, juice, cilantro, garlic and sugar.
6. Fluff rice with fork, stirring ingredients together as you do so.  Enjoy!

Stanford’s Chicken

Nathan ordered this almost every time we went to Stanford’s in Walnut Creek.  He probably still does.  When he goes there (home).  On business.  Without me.  Anyway, this is our version.

Cook chicken breasts on stovetop or in the stove in your favorite bbq sauce (we like Cattleman’s).  Five minutes before you’re ready to plate them add crumbled bacon, diced tomatoes, diced green onions and shredded cheddar cheese to the tops of each breast, and cover so cheese will melt.  Ooh, avocado would be good, too.

Yum.

Italian Crockpot Chicken / Ranch Crockpot Chicken

You can make this healthy using fat free (or low fat) soup and cream cheese.  Serve over rice.

8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup water
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can mushrooms, drained (for Italian version, I haven’t tried it with Ranch)
1 packet dried salad dressing mix (in a packet), either Italian or Ranch
1 pound-ish chicken breasts

Peanut Crusted Chicken with Pineapple Salsa

Combine and set aside:
1 cup chopped pineapple
2 T chopped fresh cilantro
1 T finely chopped red onion

Combine in a food processor until finely chopped:
1/3 cup peanuts*
1 (1 ounce) slice white (or whatever) bread

Sprinkle 4 (4 ounces each) chicken breasts with salt and pepper, then dredge in peanut-bread mixture.

Either use 1 1/2 t oil to cook the chicken stovetop, or bake in a 350 oven for 30 minutes or until done.

If you cook it in the oven (my favorite way), spray the tops of the chicken with Pam spray for a crunchier crust.

Serve chicken with pineapple mixture, warm dinner rolls and steamed broccoli or roasted cauliflower.

4 servings (1 chicken piece and 1/4 cup salsa), each with 219 calories, 7.4 g fat, 29 g protein, 9 g carbs, 1/3 g fiber

From Cooking Light March 2008

*The original recipe made a big deal of using unsalted peanuts – I grab our peanuts out of a bag of very salty trail mix and we love it.  Use whatever you’ve got.

Cheesy Artichoke Chicken and Pasta

YUM.

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
4 oz roasted peppers, chopped
15 oz artichoke hearts, quartered
8 oz American cheese (I use Velveeta)
2 t worcestershire sauce
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
4 cups hot cooked pasta
salt and pepper to taste

Combine chicken, peppers, artichokes, American/velveeta cheese, Worcestershire suace, and soup in the crockpot.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.  About 15 minutes before serving, add shredded Cheddar and hot pasta.  Add s/p as needed.