Pumpkin Chicken Enchiladas

8 corn tortillas

A few tablespoons of cilantro

Chicken, shredded (maybe a pound)

Optional: roasted green chiles, chopped small

6 oz. of white sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Sauce

1 can of pumpkin puree (15 oz)

3-4 cloves of garlic, peeled

1 jalapeno (remove seeds and membranes if you don’t need extra heat)

1 teaspoon chile powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoons of salt

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

1 1/2 cups of chicken stock or water

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. In a blender, puree pumpkin, jalapeno, chicken stock, garlic, chile powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Place 1 cup of this sauce in the bottom of an 8 inch glass casserole dish. In a bowl, combine shredded chicken with green chiles, cilantro, and/or scallions and season with salt and pepper. Place some of the chicken mixture on each tortilla and then lay the tortilla seam side down in the casserole dish. Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas. Top with cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes until cheese is melted and casserole is bubbly.

Chicken Parm Meatball Subs

So. Stinking. Good. And super easy to make a lot ahead of time and freeze. I even threw them in the crock pot right out of the freezer with a can of Marinara for a couple of hours (just ignoring the cooking/tomatoe-y part, basically) and it was perfect!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon grill seasoning blend (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick)
1 large egg
1 1/2 pounds ground chicken
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
Handful of chopped parsley leaves
Extra-virgin olive oil, for liberal drizzling plus, plus 3 tablespoons, 3 turns of the pan
2 large cloves garlic, cracked from skin and split
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, a healthy couple of pinches
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, (recommended: San Marzano)
1 cup chicken stock
Salt
Pepper
8 to 10 leaves fresh basil, torn or shredded
4 (6 to 8-inch) crusty sub rolls
1 1/2 cups shredded provolone

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Place chicken in a bowl and season with grill seasoning. Add egg, half of the grated cheese, bread crumbs, parsley, and a serious drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil to the bowl. Mix the meat and form 12 large meatballs. Squish the balls to flatten them a bit like mini oval meatloaves. Be careful not to form the balls wider than your bread. The flattened balls will stay put on your sub, no roll-aways! Bake the meatballs 15 minutes until golden and firm. Switch the broiler on.

While the meatballs bake, heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and garlic and cook 5 minutes then remove the cloves. Add crushed red pepper flakes then tomatoes and stir in the chicken stock. Season the sauce with salt and pepper and simmer 10 minutes, adjust seasonings and stir in the basil. Reserve a extra sauce for dipping on dinner table.

Remove the meat from oven and loosen with a thin spatula. Turn meat balls in sauce.

Cut sub rolls making the bottom a little deeper than the top. Hollow out a little bread and lightly toast the sub rolls under broiler. Fill the bottoms of the breads with flattened balls and sauce. Combine the provolone and remaining Parmigiano. Cover the subs with cheese and return to broiler to melt the cheese until golden.

Buffalo Chicken Bites

Ingredients:

3 cups shredded cooked chicken
1/4 to 1/2 cup hot sauce (to taste)
3 1/2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 3/4 cups sharp shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs, lightly beaten
3 – 4 cups Corn Flakes cereal, crushed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine chicken, cream cheese and hot sauce, cheddar cheese and green onions. Roll a heaping tablespoon of mixture into a 1½-inch ball and place onto a plate or separate baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining mixture.Place flour in a shallow dish. In a second shallow dish, place eggs. In a third shallow dish, Place cornflakes. Dip each chicken ball first into the flour, then the egg and ending with the Corn Flakes. Place on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm with ranch or blue cheese dressing.

Super Easy Super Yummy Crock Pot Soup

Can of Rotel (any kind)
Can of corn
Can of black beans (drained & rinsed)
2 frozen chicken breasts
8 oz cream cheese
1 packet dry ranch dressing
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon chili powder

Put all ingredients in crock pot and cook 6-8 hours. Shred chicken. Enjoy! (Good with tortilla chips!)

Zesty Slow Cooker Barbecue Chicken

This was pretty good! I was going to make barbecue chicken anyway, so I thought I'd try something just a tiny bit different. It added a little bit of a kick to it-I don't think I'd make it every time because I really like using honey barbecue sauce with my chicken, but it's good for a change! Recipe found here.

• 6 frozen skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1 (12 ounce) bottle barbeque sauce
• 1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Place chicken in a slow cooker. In a bowl, mix the barbecue sauce, Italian salad dressing, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over the chicken. Cover, and cook 3 to 4 hours on High or 6 to 8 hours on Low.

Cheese-Stuffed Chicken

This is an absolute favorite in our house, but I haven't made it in awhile. Stupidly, I didn't take a picture of the innards-I will next time. Also, we ate it with Stuffed Zucchini Boats, which you can find here!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (the fatter the better)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 C shredded mozarella cheese

For the stuffing:
4 tbsp chopped fresh basil, divided (I've done it with dried basil too, not as great, but doable if you have to)
2 tbsp lowfat cream cheese, softened
2tbsp grated Romano cheese
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 clove minced garlic
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

(if you need more, just add a little more cream cheese, basil, and cheese, but you need less than you think)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a baking dish with vegetable cooking spray, set aside. To prepare stuffing, in a small bowl, combine all of the stuffing ingredients except for 1tbsp of the basil. Mix well. Using a sharp knife, cut a deep horizontal pocket in each chicken breast. Spoon cream cheese mixture evenly into each pocket. Secure openings with toothpicks. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook, turning once, until browned.

Transfer chicken to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with mozzarella and remaining basil. Cover baking dish with foil and bake until cooked through and no longer pink, about 20 minutes.

Tomato Grilled Chicken

1/2 C fresh lemon juice
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper
3/4 C chili sauce
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp chopped sun-dried tomatoes
4 chicken breasts

Mix lemon juice with garlic powder in a medium bowl, add salt and pepper to taste. Blend chili sauce, mustard, and sun-dried tomato in a separate bowl, set aside. Place chicken in a shallow dish, marinate in lemon juice/garlic powder mixture in refrigerator for 30min-1hr. Preheat grill. Place chicken on and cook for 5-10 minutes, turn chicken over. Turn chicken over. Brush with tomato mixture. Grill, covered, until the chicken is cooked through. (We added a slice of provolone cheese to each and made into sandwiches-delicious!)

Taco Chicken Nuggets

Just looking at this picture makes me want them again. Now.

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 C margarine or butter
1 egg
2 tbsp water
3/4 C cornflake crumbs
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
1/2 C flour
sour cream to serve

**note: this is what the recipe calls for. I personally add a lot more cornflake crumbs-probably another cup, because I used to run out of coating every time-and use more like a cup of flour and two eggs!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut chicken into bite size pieces. Melt butter in a shallow baking sheet (one WITH SIDES of course!) in the oven (move the melted butter around and make it coat the bottom of the whole pan). Beat egg and water in a dish. Combine cornflake crumbs and taco seasoning mix in a plastic bag, shake to mix well. Coat chicken lightly with flour in a bowl. Dip into egg mixture, letting excess drain. Place in cornflake mixture, shake until completely coated (I work with about 5 pieces at a time. Just FYI-this step takes me a bit, so don't make this on a day you are looking for a superquick meal). Arrange chicken on a prepared baking sheet, do not allow nuggets to touch. Bake, turning once, for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Summer Style Chicken

So-this might not look like THE tastiest recipe but this has to rank in my top 5 probably. It's so good that we had it Saturday AND Sunday! And guess what-Patrick is the one who stumbled upon the recipe! Super quick to prepare and makes for delicious leftovers. I even finally found little personal casserole dishes that I'll be making this in in the future!

4 chicken breast halves
1-14.5oz can stewed tomatoes (we used a few fresh tomatoes from our garden-yum!)
2-4 squash-yellow, zucchini, or mixture of both (we tried both ways and it was equally delicious)
Shredded Mozarella cheese to top
Italian dressing-about 1/2-3/4C (eyeball it)
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes, to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a medium baking dish. Arrange chicken in the prepared baking dish, and top with the stewed tomatoes. Arrange squash and zucchini slices around the chicken. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese, and drizzle with Italian dressing, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper. Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

TSFL edit:
I found that a 7 ounce (uncooked) chicken breast cooks down to about 5-6oz prepared. Grease a small pan, place chicken breast in the middle, place 1 1/4C squash around it and sprinkle with 1/4C tomatoes. Omit cheese. Drizzle with no more than 4T Italian dressing. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes-no more than 1 1/2 teaspoon total (this uses up your lean, green, healthy fat, and condiment/seasoning allowances for the day. Well worth it though!)

Buffalo Chicken Nacho Dip

Probably the worst picture I could have of this, but I forgot to take a picture before we dove into it-oops! This is another one from Trina!

1 bottle chunky Bleu Cheese dressing
1 jar Frank's hot sauce
Pack of chicken breasts
8oz light cream cheese
Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook chicken (I boiled it) and shred. Mix hot sauce & dressing together in a saucepan and heat till warm, then add chicken. Spray bottom of casserole dish with nonstick spray, line the bottom of it with the cream cheese. Add chicken mixture and top with cheese, bake 16 minutes.

*note: next time I would mix the Monterey Jack in because I ended up with the usual hard blob of cheese on top that you kind of have to try and break apart!

Red Chicken

This is a recipe from my Grandma that's kind of evolved over the years, and it never had a name until my sister started calling it Red Chicken. So it stuck, and it's a staple around here for a quick and yummy meal.

1/4C Frank's hot sauce
1 stick margarine
1-2lbs chicken

Melt Frank's and margarine together.

Old way/chicken wing method: Marinate in the mixture and then cook on the grill, or bake in the oven for 25 minutes.

New way/chicken breast method: Spray glass dish with nonstick spray, put the chicken in (you can either cut into strips or chunks-that's what we usually do-or put in the whole breast) and pour the mixture over the top and bake for 25 minutes.

And I'll tell you-the mixture, when it's all finished and everything is cooked, is SO GOOD drizzled on top of mashed potatoes!

Lime and Chili Rubbed Chicken

This one is from Alli, she found it here! So yummy-we made it tonight. Next time I might add a little more brown sugar!

2	teaspoons chili powder
2	teaspoons packed brown sugar
2	teaspoons grated lime peel
1/2	teaspoon salt
1/4	teaspoon garlic powder
1/8	teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
4	boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 lb)
2	teaspoons olive or canola oil

Heat gas or charcoal grill. In small bowl, mix chili powder, brown sugar, lime peel, salt, garlic powder and ground red pepper. Rub both sides of chicken with oil, then with spice mixture. Place chicken on grill over medium heat. Cover grill; cook 10 to 15 minutes, turning once or twice.

Notes:

Refrigerating the "rubbed" chicken 20 to 30 minutes before grilling really enhances the flavor.

You can bake the chicken. Place the rubbed chicken in a foil-lined shallow baking pan and bake in a 375°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes.

Grilled Kabobs

I like mine with one red pepper, one green pepper, fresh sliced pineapple, and chicken-marinated in Garlic Ginger sauce-found here-grilled for just a few minutes on each side. How do you like yours?

Caribbean Chicken Grill with Pineapple Salad

First post from our new house!

SO GOOD! Maya even ate the chicken... and she's been refusing chicken for the better part of 6 months now! Got the recipe here!

8oz can pineapple chunks or tidbits (we had a fresh pineapple, so I measured out the amount)
1/4 C oil
2 tbsp lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp sugar
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/4 C diced red bell pepper
1/4 C diced red onion
1 small jalapeno pepper, minced
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

Drain pineapple juice into a 1 cup measure (I made my own-crushed some pineapple and added a bit of water. Wasn't 1 cup but it worked fine). Add oil, lime juice, garlic, red pepper flakes and sugar; mix well. Place chicken in a large zippered plastic bag or glass utility dish. Pour all but 1-2 tablespoons of marinade over chicken. Cover and refrigerate chicken for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Meanwhile, place pineapple in a medium-sized serving bowl. Add red bell pepper, red onion, jalapeno, cilantro and reserved 1-2 tablespoons of marinade. Toss well and season with salt and pepper to taste. Heat grill to medium. Remove chicken from marinade; season with salt and pepper. Grill, turning once, for 10 to 15 minutes or until cooked through. Serve with pineapple salad.

**Some of the reviewers had doubled the amount of salsa they made with it-particularly the amount of pineapple-SO glad I did! I probably ended up using about 2-2.5C pineapple.

Three Cheese Chicken Penne Pasta Bake

I think this is hands down the best pasta bake I've had in my whole life. It was so good that we had it on Saturday and we'll have it again later this week, and with the risk of telling everyone what absolute cows we are, between the three of us we ate the whole thing (sans enough for Maya's lunch the next day).

Recipe is from this post, by Emilie! (And the picture on her blog looks SO much prettier than when I made it... doesn't matter, it was absolutely delicious!)

1-1/2 cups multi-grain penne pasta, uncooked

1 pkg. (9 oz.) fresh spinach leaves

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

1 tsp. dried basil leaves

1 jar (14-1/2 oz.) spaghetti sauce

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained

2 oz. (1/4 of 8-oz. pkg.) reduced fat cream cheese

1 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided

2 Tbsp. Grated Parmesan Cheese

Heat oven to 375ºF. Cook pasta as directed on package, adding spinach to the boiling water the last minute. Cook and stir chicken and basil in large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat 3 min. Stir in spaghetti sauce and tomatoes; bring to boil. Simmer on low heat 3 min. or until chicken is done. Stir in cream cheese. Drain pasta mixture; return to pan. Stir in chicken mixture and 1/2 cup mozzarella. Spoon into 2-qt. casserole or 8-inch square baking dish. Bake 20 min.; top with remaining cheeses. Bake 3 min. or until mozzarella is melted.

**Note: When I made it the pasta was a bit soggy. I think that next time I won't start cooking the pasta till later, so it's done closer to when the rest of it is ready to go into the baking dish!

Broccoli & Rice Casserole

-Bag of frozen broccoli
-1 can Cream of Chicken soup
-2 cups minute rice-uncooked
-1lb Velveeta
-1C water
-1/2 C milk

Combine milk, water, soup, and Velveeta in a large pot until Velveeta is melted (stirring frequently-the cheese will burn. Eww). Add broccoli and rice. Pour into greased casserole pan or 9x13''pan, bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes.

This is my grandma's recipe... and for mine, if I'm making it for dinner I put chicken in it too. I bake the chicken ahead of time and cube it up, and add it when I'm adding the broccoli and rice.

Chicken Broccoli Braid

(It makes double what you see up top there... we were just piggies and dove in before I remembered to take a picture!)

This is the all-time favorite recipe in this house. Patrick asked for it as his last meal before Iraq as well as his first when he got home. Maya loves it and it makes delicious leftovers! This is a Pampered Chef recipe.

2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1 cup cooked broccoli, chopped
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove, pressed
4 oz. (1cup) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp. all-purpose dill mix (or I use dried dill weed and I think it was better)
1/4 tsp. salt
2 pkgs. (8oz. each) refrigerated crescent rolls (those ones that are "for baking"-the flat ones-aren't so good with this!)
1 egg white, lightly beaten
2 tbsp. slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 375F. Chop chicken and broccoli and place in bowl. Add bell pepper, garlic, and cheese, mix gently. Add mayonnaise, dill mix, and salt. Unroll 1 package of crescent dough; do not separate. Arrange longest sides of dough across width of 12" x 15" rectangle baking stone (or baking sheet-but everyone should have a baking stone!) Repeat with remaining package of dough. Using roller, roll dough to seal perforations (or just pinch together really well-important!). Spread filling evenly over middle of the length of dough (look at my picture if you don't get it). On longest sides of baking stone, cut dough into strips 1 1/2 inches apart, 3 inches deep using a pizza cutter. To braid, lift strips of dough across mixture to meet in center, twisting each strip on turn. Continue alternating strips to form a braid. Tuck ends under to seal at end of braid. Brush egg white over dough using pastry brush. Sprinkle with almonds (optional-I don't care for them on there). Bake 25-28 minutes or until deep golden brown.

Emphasis on the raviolies...

Look at these little suckers.
I can't find a picture of the box, but if you have a World Market near you go on a search. They were so good... rather sweet-mini ravioli stuffed with squash and parmesan. Maya loved them, and it made so much. The chicken we had with it had McCormick's Tomato Garlic & Basil Marinade on it (a favorite, we keep a few of them in the cupboard). I've never been in WM before a couple of weeks ago... it's like Ikea's brilliant sister and I'm SUPER EXCITED that there's going to be one pretty close to us when we move!

Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Lasagna

I tried this one after Rae and a bunch of other board girls were buzzing about it... it comes from the Year of Slow Cooking blog and it's wonderful! It really has a kick to it-I think I might back off a little on the Frank's next time because it was a little too spicy for Maya to eat.

Uncooked Lasagna noodles, 1 box
4 already cooked chicken breasts (I just used a package, as usual)
Jar of prepared pasta sauce
1 C buffalo wing sauce (I used Frank's)
3 red, yellow, or orange bell peppers
15oz tub of ricotta cheese
2 C shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheeses
1/2 C bleu cheese crumbles
1/4 C water

Use at least a 5qt crockpot, or else cut back on the ingredients. In a large glass bowl, combine cooked and chopped chicken breast, the pasta sauce, and 1 cup of buffalo wing sauce. Ladle a big spoonful of the sauce into the bottom of your crock pot. Cover with a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles. You'll have to break them to get a proper fit. Add a smear of ricotta cheese to the top of the noodles. Add a layer of chopped bell pepper. Sprinkle on a handful of shredded cheese. Repeat layers until you run out of ingredients. Add the bleu cheese crumbles, if desired. Put the 1/4 cup of water into your empty pasta sauce jar and shake. Pour the liquid over the top of the entire lasagna. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or on high for 4-5. When cooking time is complete, unplug and take off the lid of the crock. Let it sit for 20 minutes before cutting into, or it will fall apart.

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

Yummy birthday dinner for me! These were so good that I only got a picture of them in the pan... all of us snatched them up and ate them so quick I didn't get any more. Oops!

1/4 C butter/margarine
2 cloves minced garlic
1/4 C flour
1 C chicken broth
4 oz cream cheese
2 C shredded Mexican cheese, divided
1 C shredded cooked chicken
1 can (7oz, but I only use the 4oz can) chopped green chilies, drained
6 8-in flour tortillas (I used the regular 10 in and it was fine)
1/4 C chopped green cilantro (optional)
sour cream/salsa (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9x13 pan. Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, cook & stir. Add flour, cook & stir 1 minute. Gradually whisk in chicken broth, cook & stir 2-3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add cream cheese, stir until melted. Stir in 1/2 C shredded cheese, chicken, & chilies. Spoon about 1/3 C mixture into each tortilla. Roll up, place seam side down, in prepared baking dish. Pour remaining mixture over enchiladas and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 20 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with salsa and sour cream.