No-Tequila Lime Chicken & Mexican Rice

I made Pioneer Woman's Tequila Lime Chicken, but I didn't have tequila and didn't want to buy tequila, so I just omitted it.  The chicken was delicious!  We put it in tacos with cheese, mashed black beans and PW's Mexican rice.  Definitely a hit!  Here is the recipe for the chicken. And here is the recipe for the Mexican rice, which is yummy and makes a ton for leftovers. 

Italian Crockpot Chicken

Ho-ly deliciousness.  I can't really give credit to one place because my friend told me about this recipe - but whoever made it up in the first place is brilliant.  It is the easiest and most delicious dinner. 

4 Chicken Breasts (frozen or thawed)
2 cans Cream of Chicken soup
2 small packets Italian dressing powder
1 8 oz. cream cheese
1 pound spiral noodles

Put the first 4 ingredients in the crockpot on low and cook for at least 4 hours.  I had mine in all day for about 8 hours and it was magnificent.  Mix it all up and make sure the chicken is shredded and everything is mixed well.  Make the spiral noodles, drain, and mix the chicken mixture into the pasta.  Serve with a crusty loaf of bread.  Yuuummmmm.  Comfort food!

Pioneer Woman's Chicken Tortilla Soup

Last night I made Pioneer Woman's Chicken Tortilla Soup.  It was deeeeelicious!  It took some time because of the baking of the chicken.  I would recommend cooking your chicken in the crock pot all day so when you get home from work to make dinner, all you have to do is shred the chicken and the rest of the stuff is fast and easier.  I hate waiting for chicken to bake - even though it only takes like 25-30 minutes (big fat Costco breasts).  Anyway, everything else takes a little bit of time but not too much, and it's worth it.  The toppings really do make the soup better.  We added cheddar, sour cream, cilantro (a must), fresh salsa, extra tortilla strips and avocado to ours.  There's only two of us so there is a TON left and I am GLAD.  A definite thumbs up on this one!

Curried Chicken Pitas

I made a double batch of this for my husband and I to take for lunches throughout this week.  It made a TON of chicken salad and so I was worried if it didn't taste good it would be a huge waste.  But no, it turned out delicious!  I am actually excited to eat lunch at work now, which is a nice change.  The pear in it is my favorite and the curry isn't overpowering.  Instead of cooking my own chicken I used canned shredded chicken - so much easier and just as tasty, I'm sure.  This would also make for a great change from the regular chicken salad sandwiches served at showers, etc. and give everyone a little surprise (cranberries, pears, curry). 

Here is the recipe!

Barbeque Chicken Pineapple Quesadillas

I made these quesadillas based on Pioneer Woman's version, but used a couple different things that I already had at home.  They were good, fast and easy. 

BBQ Chicken Pineapple Quesadillas

• Shredded barbeque chicken (as much per quesadilla as you want) - I had made shredded bbq chicken for something else last week and had a lot leftover to use in this recipe
• 1 Jalapeno pepper - sliced and seeds taken out
• White cheddar cheese (as much per quesadilla as you want)
• Sliced pineapple (I used canned but canned pineapples suck and I wish I had been able to find fresh pineapple at the store)
• Corn tortillas

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat with a little bit of olive oil or cooking spray.  Throw in a corn tortilla and quickly top with chicken, jalapeno slices, cheese and pineapple.  Cover with another corn tortilla and let cook for a couple of minutes.   Flip the quesadilla and let the other tortilla cook for a couple of minutes until slightly brown.

My only regret is the pineapple, but the store really didn't have any fresh.  It was still good though and I loved the bite from the jalapeno.

Mediterranean Wraps

I've been wanting to make something at the beginning of each week that I can have for lunch at work that isn't the same old boring thing.  I made these Mediterranean Wraps Sunday and had my first one for lunch today with a spinach tortilla.  It was really good and healthy.  I think I'll try to do something like this each week to keep things exciting.  The only difference I made was I baked the chicken and cut it up into small pieces and mixed it in - I didn't do mine on the stovetop.  Worked out just fine but you might like the original way better for a little more flavor, perhaps.  Here is the original recipe.

BBQ Chicken Quinoa Salad

 

I have never cooked with quinoa but tried it in Peru and really liked it.  I bought a bag and sought some recipes that call for it.  I found one on Pinterest that sounded right up our alley.  I made this BBQ Chicken Quinoa Salad last night and it is delicious!  I made the BBQ chicken in the crock pot all day and then the rest was easy to throw together after work.  I definitely recommend this as a pretty healthy dish to make - but don't plan on it feeding more than 2 of you. 

Caprese Chicken with Balsamic Reduction

I love caprese-anything and we have a lot of tomatoes and basil in our garden still to use.  So I made this caprese chicken with a balsamic reduction.  It was really yummy.  I served it with a crusty French bread.  This is a  great worknight recipe. 

 

P.S. I love you, fresh mozzarella.

Dorito Casserole

 

THIS dish is anything but healthy.  I probably shouldn't have made it for that reason, but it was oh-so-good!  It was flavorful, spicy-ish, easy, creamy, crunchy, cheesy.  I love Doritos but I never let myself buy/eat them.  This was a nice little treat for myself.  Definitely a good comforting meal.  Yum-o!

Pioneer Woman's Chicken Parmesan

This recipe from Pioneer Woman is very easy to make and the sauce is from scratch, which always tastes better.  This was the closest to restaurant-style chicken parm as I've ever made.  I loved it, and so did my husband.  I highly recommend it for the chicken parm lover.  YUM!

Caprese Chicken Sandwich

My favorite sandwich in the world!

Ciabatta Bread Slices
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Fresh Basil Leaves
Thin Chicken Cutlets, Baked
Roma Tomatoes, Sliced
Fresh Mozzarella, Sliced

Pour olive oil and balsamic vinegar on one side of sliced Ciabatta bread.  Put in the oven and broil for 1-2 minutes, until the edges are crispy.  Put on fresh mozzarella, tomato slices, fresh basil leaves and baked chicken cutlet.

The best thing, ever.

Chicken, Rice and Asparagus

This isn't really a recipe.  I made it the other night because I had chicken and asparagus and bought a box of Rice A Roni's rice pilaf to go with it.  It was fast, easy and healthy.  I'm trying really hard to make healthy dinners.  I used lemon pepper seasoning on the asparagus with olive oil and baked it in the oven for about 15 minutes, and used the same seasoning on the chicken (which I also baked).  Pretty delicious and nutritious!

Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup

THIS soup is so so good!  It takes very little prep.  I prepped everything the night before and then in the morning before work I put the crock pot on "low".  When I got home 8 1/2 hours later my house smelled super yummy!  I served it with avocado, sour cream, cheese and tortilla chip crumbs from the bottom of the bag.  This is a healthy recipe (until you pile on all the crap like I did) and is really filling too.  I will DEFINITELY make this again!

Sooo yummy!

Chicken Panini with Spinach, Provolone and Chipotle Mayo

I made this recipe from skinnytaste.com last night.  It was so easy to make and gave me a good reason to pull out my panini maker.

Chicken Panini with Spinach, Provolone and Chipotle Mayo

Ingredients for two sandwiches (adapted from this recipe):

• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 tsp chipotle in adobo sauce (or to taste)
• 4 pieces whole grain artisan wheat bread
• 2 thin grilled chicken cutlets
• 2 slices provolone
• Baby spinach
• Cooking spray

Directions:

Combine mayonnaise and chipotle pepper sauce in a small bowl. You can use any hot sauce, sriracha or chipotle tabasco would also work; season to your taste.

Spread the spicy mayonnaise inside the bread. Lay the provolone cheese, grilled chicken and baby spinach in the bread; close and lightly spray the top with cooking spray. 

Place on a panini press and close until the cheese melts and the bread is toasted.Cut in half and eat immediately.

This was pretty delicious and fast to make.  Next time I'd use a little more chipotle sauce to make the mayo more spicy and flavorful.  Highly recommended! (You'll definitely want thin chicken for this - big fat chicken pieces just don't work).

Chicken Breasts a l'Orange

I made this French chicken dish from the Good Housekeeping cookbook.  It was relatively easy and fast to make - although chicken always takes longer to cook for me than recipes say they should.  Next time I would make sure the chicken breasts were thinner - mine were pretty fat and I'm sure that's why they took so long to cook through.  I found that two oranges didn't produce quite enough juice so I used orange juice I had in the fridge.  Maybe I just didn't squeeze hard enough though.  This was really flavorful & I liked it a lot.  I served it with a flavored rice and next time I'd probably serve it with a rice that was more neutral.

HERE IS THE ONLINE RECIPE.

It's fun to branch out and try these new types of recipes!

Slow Cooker Chicken Tagine

My goal this year is to branch out ethnically in my kitchen.  I probably overdo Mexican, Italian and American.  I started the year out with this Moroccan dish from a new cookbook my mom gave me by Good Housekeeping.  They happened to have the recipe online as well.  HERE IT IS!

This is seriously easy to make. The only thing that took time and gave me trouble was cutting the butternut squash (super annoying!).  I just threw it all in the crock pot and cooked for 8 hours on low and served it with a boxed couscous mix.  My husband LOVED this and said it tasted very much like the meal we had in a restaurant in Morocco.  I was very happy with that compliment.

If you're looking to branch out - definitely try this!

Whole Chicken - Two Ways

Each year we have a Thanksgiving with just friends.  Therefore I'm unable to rely on my mom making the turkey/meat dish.  Yikes!  Instead of turkey, I decided I'd try cooking two whole chickens - two different ways.

Chicken #1
Baked Slow Cooker Chicken
From AllRecipes

This was easy as pie to make.  The only "hard" part was having to stick my hand inside the bird and pull out the "giblets".  That was gross.  After washing the bird you just have to pat it dry and season it how you'd like.  I threw it in the crock pot and left for work and come home to a wonderful-smelling house and a fully-cooked, fall-off-the-bone chicken.  I definitely recommend this for when you're strapped for time and want dinner done when you walk in the door.

Chicken #2
Roasted Herb Chicken
Based on a Better Homes and Gardens recipe

1 Whole chicken (3 pounds or so)
Butter (melted)

Seasonings I used:

Salt
Lemon-Pepper
Oregano
Thyme
Basil

Wash the bird with cold water and take out the giblets.  Dry the bird with paper towels.  Tie the neck and legs together with baking string.  Brush chicken with melted butter.  Season as desired.  Use as much or as little of each seasoning as you wish.  Place on a roasting pan (I used a one-time use pan).  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and bake uncovered for 1 1/2 hours, until a thermometer stuck in the bird reads 180 degrees.

Easy, pretty fast & delicious.

Chicken #2 wins for the better texture and flavor, while Chicken #1 wins for easiness.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Easy Salsa Chicken

This recipe is pretty much as easy as it gets.  I found it HERE.  It takes about 5 minutes to prepare & throw in the oven.

I served mine with sour cream, black beans and corn.  It is tasty... especially for how easy and how few ingredients.

If you want a fast and easy dinner idea, I definitely recommend this one.

Whatever-I-Had Pizza

Pizzas are so easy to make because you can use whatever you have lying around the kitchen.  This was a very fast meal to make & sometimes that's just how meals have to be.

Last night I used:

Store-bought Pillsbury pizza dough - sprayed with olive oil on a greased baking sheet
Goat Cheese
Salt
Pepper
Dried Basil
Canned shredded chicken

I baked this for 15 minutes at 400 degrees.  Then I added:

Baby Spinach
Red Grapes - halved

It turned out delicious and took about 20-25 minutes total.
I love the versatility of pizza!

Crispy Cheddar Chicken

Last night I made this Crispy Cheddar Chicken.  I was so looking forward to it because anything with cheese is amazing in my book.  Well... it was easy to throw together and didn't take much time - so that was a plus - but I wasn't blown away by the taste.  It was actually just not that great.  The picture on the original recipe's website looks so amazing so I thought it would be fantastic.  Just not so.  But it's okay.  My husband hasn't tried it yet and maybe he'll tell me I'm crazy and it's really good.  I hope it is just me! If you try it and like it - let me know!

*** UPDATE *** My husband just called and said this is amazing.  So I guess I'm just crazy.