Lemony Herb Pasta with Chicken, Broccoli & Bacon

I clipped the original recipe for this dinner from a magazine years ago.  I can't even remember which one!  I've hung onto it for awhile but haven't ever made it - BIG mistake.

It's so YUMMY!

I decided to make a few adjustments to fit our family's tastes and the final result was perfect!

Creamy, lemony, slightly cheesy & bacon-y - everything a pasta dinner should be.

I hope you love it as much as we did.

Lemony Herb Pasta with Chicken, Broccoli & Bacon

Serves 6-8

 

4 slices bacon

2 cups chicken, cooked & cut into bite-size chunks

1 15-oz container part-skim ricotta cheese

5 Tblsp lemon juice

2 tsp lemon zest

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup chopped parsley (or 2 Tblsp dried parsley)

1 Tblsp olive oil

1/2 - 1 tsp salt (to your taste - start with 1/2 tsp & add more at the end, if needed)

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 pound (16 oz) penne pasta

1 pound broccoli, cut into 1 inch pieces

• Cook bacon until crispy, crumble & set aside.  Save leftover bacon grease in skillet (you'll heat up the cooked chicken in this skillet).
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
• In a small bowl, whisk together ricotta, lemon juice, lemon zest, Parmesan, parsley, olive oil, salt & pepper.  Set aside.
• Add penne to boiling water & cook for about 7 minutes or until tender.  Add broccoli to pot for the final 3 minutes of cooking time.
• While penne is cooking, heat the same skillet you used for the bacon to medium-medium high.  Add cooked, cubed chicken.  Stir to coat with bacon grease.  Leave in skillet until warmed thoroughly, stirring occasionally.
• When penne & broccoli are done, reserve 1 cup pasta water.  Set aside.
• Drain pasta/broccoli & place in large serving bowl.
• Add ricotta mixture to serving bowl with pasta/broccoli.  Stir well.
• Add heated chicken & crumbled bacon to serving bowl.  Stir well to combine.  Add reserved pasta water by 1/4 cupful if necessary (to increase the creaminess of the cheese mixture - you may not need any pasta water at all).
• Serve immediately.

We served this with garlic bread.

Enjoy!!

Kathryn

Chicken Rice Bowls (Rumbi-style)

I had a few inspirations that drove the creation of this recipe.

First, we have a local restaurant that we love, but can't always afford - isn't that always how life goes?!  It's called Rumbi Island Grill.  One of our favorites is their chicken rice bowls.

(pictured below - 2 photos courtesy of rumbi.com)

Looks yummy, right?!?

Second inspiration - During the hot summertime, I love to serve meals that are light, fresh, and don't heat up my kitchen too much during preparation.

Third, I always like to find ways to re-create our favorite meals at home for much less money.

SO - This meal uses a slow cooker for the chicken and you whip up the veggies and rice just before serving -probably 15 minutes cooking, tops!  Plus, if I'm shopping sales, I can make this meal for about $12 for my family of 6 adults and teens.  And it feeds our Rumbi cravings too - It's perfect.

I found the recipe for the chicken portion of this meal on Pinterest.  The link (http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/07/slow-cooker-garlic-and-brown-sugar.html) took me to Six Sisters' Stuff - LOVE their blog!

The chicken recipe immediately reminded me of Rumbi - YAY! - When my family started making the yummy noises, I knew I had a winner.

Enjoy!

Chicken Rice Bowls - Rumbi-style

Chicken recipe from sixsistersstuff.com (link above)

Inspiration from Rumbi Island Grill

4-6 chicken breasts or thighs (frozen or thawed)

1 cup packed brown sugar

2/3 cup vinegar

1/4 cup lemon-lime soda (I double the soda to 1/2 cup)

2 Tblsp soy sauce

2-3 Tblsp minced garlic

1 tsp pepper

2 Tblsp cornstarch

2 Tblsp water

4-6 cups prepared long grain rice - white or brown - follow package directions

2-3 cups broccoli florets, steamed

1 cup shredded/julienned carrots

• Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray.
• Place chicken inside slow cooker. (Six Sisters' Stuff used frozen chicken, I used thawed chicken)
• Mix together brown sugar, vinegar, soda, garlic, soy sauce, and pepper. Pour over chicken in slow cooker.
• Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours, if using frozen chicken. For thawed chicken, cook on low 5-6 hours, on high for about 4 hours.

Before serving:

Prepare rice (according to package directions) and steam/boil your veggies.  We like broccoli & shredded carrots (throw the carrots in with the broccoli for the last 1 minute of cooking), but you can pick your favorite veggies here (zucchini, snow peas, stir fry mix, etc)

• Take chicken pieces out of slow cooker and lightly shred in a bowl.  Set aside.
• Pour remaining sauce from slow cooker into saucepan.
• Place saucepan over high heat.
• Mix together corn starch and water, pour into saucepan, and mix well.
• Let sauce come to a boil and boil for 2-3 minutes, or until it starts to thicken and turns into a glaze.  You'll need to watch the sauce and whisk it occasionally.
• Remove from heat and let sit for a minute or two (it will continue to thicken as it cools down).
  
  
  ** I often make an additional recipe of the glaze (because it's YUMMY!)
  ** Mix together the quantities noted in the ingredients list of brown sugar, vinegar, soda, garlic, soy sauce, and pepper. Pour into saucepan.  Follow the sauce directions above.

We like to serve this buffet-style, but you could build the rice bowls before bringing them to the table.  Rice in first, followed by veggies, top with shredded chicken & drizzle with sauce.

Oh my goodness, these are yummy!!  Leftovers keep well for a day or two, but I doubt you'll have any.

Kathryn



Spinach and Pepper Jack Stuffed Chicken Breasts

**I really enjoyed this recipe.  My family is out of  town this week and I didn't make it for my youngest daughter, so I don't know how friendly it will be to the entire family, but if you like spinach and pepper jack cheese, you will enjoy this. This recipe came from Food, Friends and Fun**

1 9oz pkg fresh spinach leaves
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts - pounded to 1/2 inch thickness.
1 pinch ground black pepper
8 slices bacon (optional)  *I did not use**

Place spinach in a large glass bowl and heat in the microwave for 3 minutes, stirring every minute or so, or until wilted.  Stir in the sour cream, pepper jack cheese, and garlic.

Lay chicken breasts out on a clean surface, and spoon some of the spinach mixture onto each one.  Sprinkle with pepper.  Roll up the chicken to enclose the spinach, then wrap each chicken breast with two slices of bacon.  Secure with a toothpick or 2 and place in a 9x13 baking dish.

Bake uncovered for 35 minutes, then increase the heat to 500 degrees and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes to brown the bacon.

Vegetable Pizza Appetizer

**I had to come up with some kind of vegetable dish to take to a funeral yesterday.  I decided to do this recipe since it has so many fresh cut vegetables.  This was a recipe I remember from a Pampered Chef party years ago, but they always use dill to make theirs.  I'm not a lover of dill, so I use ranch.  I made  a second one for our family also, but added some grilled chicken as well.  It was DE-Lish!**




Vegetable Pizza Appetizer
1 Pkg.  Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
1 8oz cream cheese
1 packet Ranch Dressing powder
3 cups of your favorite vegetables chopped up  (I use broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and red peppers)
**As an option, I had some grilled chicken in the freezer that I heated up, cut into cubes and added to the vegetables as well**

Press the pkg of crescent rolls into the botton of a 9x13 baking dish.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until lightly golden brown.  Let cool.

In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese and ranch packet.  Stir until it is all mixed in well.  Spread this over top of the cooked and cooled crescent rolls.

Chop your vegetables up into small pieces.  Put them all into a bowl to mix them together well.  If you are adding chicken, do so at this point too, so it is all evenly mixed together.

Pour this vegetable mixture over top of the cream cheese.  You can then serve immediately just like this, OR I added about 1/2 cup of grated cheddar cheese that was evenly distributed over top of the vegetables, and then I baked it in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes.  I only did this because I thought it would help keep it all together better.

It really was DELISH.  Enjoy.

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

**This recipe is adapted from a recipe from my friend Nancy. I will leave you her recipe too, and you can decide how you would like to make it. I ended up just using canned diced tomatoes because her recipe called for salsa and chopped tomatoes. I was just too lazy to chop a tomato. :) Then, I wanted to cut back on some of the calories and see what it would taste like without the sour cream. My family thought it was good. I always liked this recipe growing up. My mom would make one that was very similar, but I never had the recipe. Thanks Nancy for having one!**

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

2 cups cubed or shredded chicken

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 10oz can diced tomatoes with green chiles

1/4 cup milk

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Tortilla Chips or Dorito chips

**Adding some chopped onion and bell pepper to the soup mix could be an option too, I just didn't have any.

In a small bowl, add the soup, tomatoes and milk.

In an 8x8 baking dish, place about 1 1/2 cups of very lightly crushed tortilla chips (They should still be decent sized pieces, just not as large as right out of the bag)

Then layer 1 cup of chicken over the chips. Pour 1/2 of the soup mixture over the chicken. Layer again 1 1/2 cups lightly crushed tortilla chips, chicken and soup mixture.

Bake at 400 for about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle the 1 cup of cheese and about 1/2 cup of crushed tortilla chips over top. Place back in oven for about 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Nancy's Recipe

1 can cream of mushroom

3/4 cup pace picante salsa

3/4 cup sour cream

1TB chili powder

2 medium tomatoes chopped

3 cups cooked and cubed chicken

12 corn tortillas cut into 1 inch pieces

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Mix soup, salsa, sour cream, chili powder, tomatoes, and chicken.

In a shallow 2 qt casserole dish, layer half the tortilla pieces, then top with 1/2 the chicken mixture. Repeat layers. Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Super-Quick Chicken-Broccoli Stir Fry

This recipe was a selfish one. I made it because I thought it looked SO yummy! I didn't make it because I thought my family would like it or because it looked healthy or even because I thought it would look good on our blog. I just thought "YUM!" and that was that.

Turns out, I was totally right! My family LOVED this. And it was so easy!

The only ingredient I had to buy was the salad dressing - I had everything else in my pantry or fridge. After making this dinner I bought 3 more bottles of the salad dressing so I could make it anytime I had a craving.

Good stuff, my friends!




Super-Quick Chicken-Broccoli Stir Fry
Prep time: 10 mins Total time: 25 mins Serves: 4

1/2 lb angel hair pasta (capellini), uncooked
2 cups fresh broccoli florets, uncooked
1/2 - 1 cup fresh shredded carrot, uncooked
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenderloins, cut into bite-sized pieces (or thin strips, if you prefer)
1/2 cup Kraft Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp each: ground ginger & garlic powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (if you like - we didn't & it was fine without)
1/3 cup chopped dry roasted peanuts

• Cook pasta in large pot as directed on package. Add broccoli to boiling water for the last 3 mins.



• Meanwhile, spray a large non-stick skillet with cooking spray; heat on medium-high heat. Add chicken pieces; cook 6-8 mins, or until done, stirring occasionally.



• Stir dressing, soy sauce and seasonings into chicken; cook 1 min, stirring occasionally.



• Drain pasta/broccoli; place in large bowl.



• Add chicken/sauce mixture; mix lightly (tongs are the easiest way to mix this).



• Serve - you can serve it in the mixing bowl with the peanuts on the side (like we did) or evenly distribute the finished dish into single-serving bowls & sprinkle with peanuts & serve.

NOTE: Add in whatever vegetables you have on hand such as snow peas, sliced bell peppers, chopped red or green onions, etc. You can substitute them for the broccoli & carrots or just add them in.

Enjoy!!

Chicken and Rice

This is what it will look like when it is ready to go into the oven.

**This was one of my favorite dinners growing up. I think it is funny that I have been married for 22 years and can't even count on one hand how many times I have made this. I seem to keep forgetting about it. Well, now that I am making it, it is going into the compilation of recipes I am doing, so I will be sure to see it and make it more frequently. I hope your family will enjoy it. **

Chicken and Rice

8x8 recipe

2 chicken breasts cooked and diced up

1 box Chicken and Mushroom Rice A Roni

1 can Cream of Mushroom and Chicken (Yes, it is all mixed together already)

1 1/3 cup water

**Brown the rice mixture in a skillet over medium heat. I don't add the butter to do this. I just spray the pan with some Pam. When the mixture is light brown, pour into an 8x8 baking dish. Sprinkle half the seasoning packet over top of rice. Place the chicken over top of the rice mixture. Sprinkle with remaining seasoning packet. Open the can of soup, and place dollops of the soup evenly over top of the chicken. Slowly pour in the water so that it is evenly distributed through the baking dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes.

9x13 recipe

4 chicken breasts cooked and diced up

2 boxes Chicken and Mushroom Rice A Roni

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

OR you can just do 2 cans of cream of chicken and mushroom soup

2 2/3 cup water

**Brown the rice mixture in a skillet over medium heat. I don't add the butter to do this. I just spray the pan with some Pam. When the mixture is light brown, pour into a 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle 1 seasoning packet over top of rice. Place the chicken over top of the rice mixture. Sprinkle with the 2nd seasoning packet. Open the cans of soup, and place dollops of the soup evenly over top of the chicken. Slowly pour in the water so that it is evenly distributed through the baking dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes.

Crock Pot Stuffing Chicken

**This is very similar to the stuffing casserole that my kids love, it is just cooked differently, and the stuffing gets more moist. They all agreed that while it was a familiar flavor, it was different. They like the crunchiness of the stuffing casserole better, but still enjoyed this meal. This is a very quick and easy meal. My husband said he thinks it would be good with some salsa verde added to it. I found this recipe on Food, Friends and Fun.**

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I put mine in frozen)
1 10 ¾ oz can cream of chicken, mushroom or celery soup
1/3 cup milk
1 package Stove Top stuffing
1 2/3 cup water

Place chicken in crock pot. Mix the soup and milk together and pour over the chicken. Evenly spread the Stove top stuffing mix over top of the soup mixture. Slowly drizzle water over top of stuffing, so you get most of the stuffing wet.

Cook in crock pot on low for about 5-6 hours.

Easy Chicken

**My mom used to make a dish called Easy Chicken growing up. When I got the recipe from her, I could never seem to make it right. It never turned out. You would sprinkle the onion soup mix in the bottom of your baking dish, pour the uncooked rice over that, then lay the chicken breasts on top. Then you would pour chicken broth over the top and bake. For some reason, my chicken was always dry and my rice was always mushy. So, I was pretty happy when I found this recipe on Foods, Friends and fun blog. This was a much simpler way of achieving the same flavors, but with moist chicken and non-mushy rice. **

**I used 4 frozen chicken breasts and halfed this recipe. We served it over brown rice.**

Easy Chicken

Chicken Breasts or thighs

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1 pkg Lipton onion soup mix

Lay your chicken breasts on bottom of your crock pot. Pour canned soup over top of chicken and sprinkle the onion soup mix over top. Cover and let cook in your crock pot on low 4 hours. (Times may vary depending on your crock pot)

Serve over rice or noodles.

**If you want to make this and you don't have a crock pot or you don't have 4 hours, just combine all your ingredients in a large saucepan or stock pot pan. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to a simmer. Let it simmer until the chicken is cooked through. It will probably be close to an hour to be finished.**

Creamy Ranch Chicken

**This is one of those super easy family meals. My family really enjoyed this. This recipe is all over the internet as RANCH HOUSE PORK CHOPS, but I didn't have pork chops, and I don't know what Ranch House means, so I am calling it Creamy Ranch Chicken. As I was online this morning, I got the idea from Chef In Training. Check out her page. She has some yummy looking stuff.**

Creamy Ranch Chicken

4 Chicken breasts (Mine were 5oz each)

1 10oz can Cream of Chicken soup (I would think cream of mushroom would work too)

1 packet of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing

Mix together soup and ranch packet. Lay Chicken in a crock pot and pour soup over top. Cook on low for about 4 hours.

***I did not make this in the crock pot. I put the chicken in a covered saucepan, poured the soup mix over the top, put it on the stove and heated until it started to bubble. I turned the chicken over, and then turned the burner to simmer. It simmered for about 30 minutes.***

Parmesan Garlic Potatoes

I served this over instant potatoes. I added 1 tsp minced garlic and about 1/4 cup parmesan cheese at the same time I added the potato flakes to the water mixture. You could always do homemade potatoes and then add the garlic and parmesan. Yum.

Roasted Bone-in Chicken Breasts

I originally thought of is as a post under the "good idea" category, but it can also make a delicious dinner idea so that's a double-duty post for you!

I've posted before about prepping chicken & freezing it until you're ready to use it. It saves time all around, for sure.

But recently, I've found it's more cost-effective and MUCH easier to buy the bone-in-breasts and roast them. After they cool, I cube & shred & freeze some delicious chicken. The chicken tastes so much better when it's roasted first!



So before the holiday season gets TOO busy for you, find a sale (bone-in breasts were on sale for $1.00/pound here recently), roast & prep some chicken for your freezer.

You'll be ready for those busy-busy holiday nights and you'll have chicken all ready to bring a yummy dinner to a holiday party too!

Double-bonus: These are great straight out of the oven, paired with a salad & some cornbread, for example - they're a perfect, quick dinner. AND/OR - allow chicken breasts to cool, place in Tupperware & save for a quick lunch the next day.

Enjoy!


Roasted Bone-in Chicken Breasts

Bone-in chicken breasts
Olive oil
Salt & pepper

• Preheat oven to 375*F.



• Line baking pan(s) - not a cookie sheet! - with heavy duty foil, if desired. (It makes clean-up a breeze!)



• Trim excess fat and skin from chicken breasts. (I bake mine skinless, but it's up to you.)



• Place chicken breasts about 2" apart in the baking pan. Rub chicken breasts with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt & pepper.



• Bake 35-40 minutes, or until cooked through.



• Serve, if making dinner.



• OR - Set aside until cool enough to handle, if you'll be shredding or cubing.



• After chicken breasts have cooled a bit, remove meat from the bones (you can use the bones to make a delicious homemade chicken broth!). Shred/cube chicken.



• Place in freezer bag(s) in desired quantities.



• Freeze for up to 3 months.

NOTE: 6 bone-in chicken breasts will give you 4-6 cups of cubed chicken.

Pasta & Veg Italian Casserole

I found the inspiration for this recipe in the booklet that came with our microwave. I know - weird. I wasn't sold on microwaving it & wanted to change some things so I experimented. It turned out great!

This recipe is a good one for using up those half-boxes of pasta & the leftover veggies in your fridge. It's a great way to disguise leftovers. :) Plus it's cheesy-good!

Enjoy!

Pasta & Veg Italian Casserole

16-ozs pasta, cooked until tender (I had a half-box each of rotini & penne - use whatever you have on-hand)

2 cups each of two veggies, cooked - 4 cups total (I used peas & broccoli since that's what I had in my fridge)

3 cups marinara sauce

1 cup mozzarella cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 375*F.

Stir cooked pasta, leftover veggies, marinara sauce & 1/2 cup mozzarella together in a large bowl.

Pour into a 9x13" baking dish.

Top with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella.

Bake for 20-30 mins, until heated through & cheese is melted on top.

We served this without any sides - it has everything all in one!

NOTE:

You can add meat to this recipe easily. Browned ground turkey or beef or Italian sausage would be good (browned with Italian seasonings would be great). I think leftover cooked chicken would be great too.

Beans would be a great addition if you wanted a more filling meal & still wanted it to be vegetarian. Kidney or cannellini beans would be great. Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) would be yummy too.

Crusty Baked Chicken

Y.U.M.

There's something special about fried chicken, mashed potatoes & gravy that makes me swoon. But fried chicken is usually too much for me. All the spattering grease, the "is the breast done first or the wing?" questions, and the heat in my kitchen - all too much most of the time.

Usually, I just want quick-n-easy. Delicious, but fast. My family's schedule explodes in the Fall. So many things to do, so many places to be. I need something in 30 minutes or less most nights. Frying a whole chicken (or two, honestly) is too much.

But baked "fried" chicken is definitely an option! Using thin chicken cutlets or small(er) chicken breasts is even better - from prep to table in 20-25 minutes. Perfect!

Crusty Baked Chicken

3 lbs thin chicken cutlets or small(er) chicken breasts
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1 cup instant potato flakes
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (not fresh, use the Kraft kind)
2-4 Tbsp melted butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 400*F. Line two baking pans or rimmed cookie sheets with foil, spray lightly with cooking spray. Set aside.

In one bowl, beat together egg & milk.

In another bowl, stir together potato flakes, garlic salt, paprika, poultry seasoning & Parmesan cheese.

Dip chicken, one piece at a time, into the egg/milk mixtue and then roll in the potato flakes mixture to coat evenly on all sides. Place coated chicken in baking dish. Repeat with all chicken pieces. Chicken pieces should not touch in the baking pans.

Sprinkle leftover (if any) potato flake mixture on chicken pieces and drizzle with melted butter/margarine.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until internal temp reads 170*F with a meat thermometer.

Serve & enjoy!


NOTE:
You can use a cut-up 3# frying chicken for this recipe with the following changes:

Bake at 400*F for 35 minutes, turning chicken only once.

Increase oven temp to 425*F and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until chicken is tender and juices from thigh pieces run clear when pierced with a fork. Internal temp should be 170*F.

Bruschetta Chicken

This recipe comes from my friend Rachel who shared it when we were altogether in a recipe group. I haven't made it in a while, but I'm glad I found the recipe to try out again. My whole family enjoys this one.

**If you are doing a Medifast lean and green meal, this recipe will work, just make sure to measure out your portions correctly. You will need a smaller oz chicken breast to make up for the cheese**

Bruschetta Chicken
4 chicken breast
8 Tbsp Sun Dried Tomato Dressing - Divided (Kens has a really good Fat Free one that tastes great with this recipe and there are some Lite ones that are good also)
1 cup finely chopped tomato
1 cup mozarella cheese
Fresh basil chopped or 1 tsp dried

Marinate Chicken Breasts in 4TBSP dressing. I put mine in a bag in the morning and marinated all day. The recipe says for 20 minutes.

Combine 4TBSP dressing, tomatoes, cheese and basil in a seperate bowl. Set aside.

Place large sheet of aluminum foil on half of grill. Grill one side of chicken on un-foiled grill for approx 6 minutes. Then flip over onto foil and evenly divide tomato mixture onto each of the 4 chicken breasts. Close the lid of the BBQ and cook for approx 8 minutes or until chicken is done.

Yum! Enjoy!

Quick-n-Easy Chicken Parmesan

I have a totally-from-scratch recipe for Chicken Parmesan that I LOVE to make in the winter-time. It's time consuming (like make-your-own-breadcrumbs-&-sauce time consuming!) and it includes loads of pots on the stovetop & the ovens going too. It's wonderful & comforting on a chilly winter day.

But it's NOT what I wanted on a hot summer day! I found this quick-n-easy recipe from kraftfoods.com that isn't as fancy & rich as my from-scratch recipe, but after a few adjustments of my own, it was really delicious! My family said this recipe was a "keeper"!!! (triple exclamation points from my youngest)

So here it is - my summertime, quick-n-easy version of Chicken Parmesan. Enjoy!

Quick-n-Easy Chicken Parmesan
serves 6, Total cook & prep time: 30 minutes

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 - 1 1/2 pounds)
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tblsp. dried Italian seasoning
2 eggs
2 Tblsp. water
1 cup grated mozzarella or 6 slices mozzarella or provolone, halved
Spaghetti sauce
Spaghetti, cooked according to package directions

Preheat oven to 400*F.
Line a rimmed baking sheets or 9x13" casserole dish with foil. Spray lightly with cooking spray and set aside.



In a medium-sized bowl, mix breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese & Italian seasonings.

In a small bowl, beat egg & water well.

Pat each chicken breast dry on both sides with a paper towel. Dunk chicken breast in egg mixture then in breadcrumb mixture. Be sure to coat chicken breast on all sides.



Set each coated chicken breast on the foil-lined baking sheet, leaving a space between.

Continue process until all chicken breasts are coated & arranged on the baking sheet.

Bake 15 minutes at 400*F. (If your chicken breasts are bigger, you'll need to cook them longer - until an internal temp of 165*F)



Remove baking sheet from oven. Pour 1-2 Tblsp. spaghetti sauce over the middle of each chicken breast. Cover spaghetti sauce with mozzarella/provolone cheese.

Return baking sheet to the oven for 5 minutes more, or until cheese is melted & spaghetti sauce begins to bubble.

Serve over cooked spaghetti with sauce. (any other pasta would be fine)

We always pair this with a big green salad.

Easy Roasted Chicken

Y.U.M.

Can anyone resist a perfectly roasted chicken? I know I can't!

Roasted chicken is a recipe that everyone should have in their repertoire. It's impressive (good enough for company), always delicious, and SOOOO easy.




We always use onion, lemon, garlic & rosemary with salt & pepper - but you can use your family's favorite flavors.

Make sure you have an oil (like butter or olive oil), seasonings/aromatics (like onion & lemon & garlic), and a spice or two.



Set aside about an hour for roasting and you've got a perfect roasted chicken!




If you have one of these - a countertop roaster - you can roast these without using your oven & heating up your kitchen in the summertime. I can roast two birds at once in the same time it takes to cook one in the oven. LOVE my roaster!

There are crock-pot recipes for roasting chickens too. You can look online, but HERE is my favorite link.

It's great to buy whole chickens when they're on sale, roast up a few, then chop or dice or shred the meat & freeze it for later.

Enjoy! :)

Easy Roasted Chicken

1 whole chicken, about 5 pounds
1 lemon, quartered
1 small onion, quartered
3-4 Tblsp. butter, room temperature
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 sprigs fresh rosemary or 1 tsp dried
2 Tblsp. minced garlic

• Preheat oven to 450*F.


• In a small bowl, stir together butter, salt, pepper, garlic & dried rosemary (if you're not using fresh rosemary sprigs). Set aside.


• Prepare a work surface for raw chicken. I always use a separate, washable cutting board.


• Remove & discard giblets from chicken cavity.


• Rinse chicken, inside & out, and pat dry with paper towels.


• Sprinkle a little salt & pepper into cavity. Fill cavity with onion & lemon quarters.


• Using your fingers, GENTLY separate skin from chicken. Rub butter/herb mixture generously between skin & meat. Also rub some on the outside of the chicken.


• Tie chicken legs together with kitchen twine & tuck in wings, if desired. (This step isn't necessary. It just makes for a prettier presentation later.)


• Place chicken on a rack set in a roasting pan or on a rack placed on a rimmed baking sheet.


• Roast until an instant-read thermometer registers 160*F when inserted in the thickest part of the thigh. Avoid hitting the bone when checking the temperature.


• Roasting time is about 45 minutes to 1 hour, usually. The size of your chicken will determine total cooking time, usually about 10 minutes per pound.


• Serve & enjoy!
  

Chicken Apple Walnut Salad

I've posted here before about how I like to prep big batches of chicken to keep in my freezer so they're ready for me whenever I want them.

Usually, I measure the prepped chicken into 4 cup quantities. I always seem to have 1 chicken breast leftover. I could add it to a bag in the freezer, but I'd much rather have this delicious salad for lunch! :)

This could be made in larger quantities, obviously. I like to make it just for me for a quick-n-easy & healthy lunch.

Chicken Apple Walnut Salad
(for one)

1 chicken breast, cooked & cut into bite-sized chunks
1 apple, peeled (if desired), cored & cut into bite-sized chunks
1 green onion, chopped
1 - 1 1/2 Tblsp. walnuts
1 - 1 1/2 Tblsp. mayonnaise
salt & pepper to taste

Stir all together in a bowl & enjoy!



You can add halved grapes to this salad too, if you like.

I like my salad drier so I use less mayonnaise. You can use fat-free or low-fat mayo too.

I love this on whole grain bread with lettuce & tomato, or with Triscuit crackers on the side. YUMM!!

Chicken Taco Ring

This recipe came from The Daily Smash

Our entire family enjoyed it. There is another one of these on our blog that I made a while back and it is a Chicken Brocoli Ring. We enjoyed both of them, but my kids raved more about this one when dinner was over. My 5 year old saw the olives and tomatoes go in and said yuck, I'm not eating that, but by time it was all cooked, she enjoyed it.

Chicken Taco Ring
2 tubes (8 ounces each) refrigerated crescent rolls
1/3 cup finely crushed tortilla chips
2 cups finely chopped rotisserie chicken (I used chicken boiled in broth)
3/4 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies, undrained
1/4 cup chopped pitted ripe olives
1 plum tomato, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon taco seasoning
1 tablespoon lime juice

1. Grease a 12-in. pizza pan. Unroll crescent dough.

2. Lay the crescent triangles in a circle with the wide end being in the middle and the pointed end going out. Lightly press wide ends together.

3. In a small bowl, combine the chicken, cheese, mayonnaise, chilies, olives, tomato, taco seasoning, lime juice and tortilla chips. Stir until all is combined.

4. Spoon the chicken mixture in a circle over wide ends of dough. Fold points of triangles over filling and tuck under wide ends (filling will be visible).

5. Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Garnish with sour cream, salsa, tomatoes and lime. (I didn't garnish with anything. We just served this with a salad.)

Chicken Corn Chowder with Broccoli

Is anybody else stuck in stormy, grey weather?? We sure are here in Utah! For me, that means warm & cozy dinners that fill you & warm you up from the inside. This Chicken-Corn Chowder definitely hit the spot!

Except for the toppings & fresh broccoli, this recipe is made entirely from my food storage. I love that since I always have the ingredients on-hand. The broccoli is optional, but for us it's one of the best parts of the chowder. You can also leave the chicken out and make this chowder vegetarian.

I posted this recipe once before, but I've tweaked it a bit recently. This is the new (and better, according to my family) recipe.

Chicken Corn Chowder with Broccoli
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
water
2 12oz cans evaporated milk
2 Tbsp dried minced onion
2 large potatoes, cooked & cubed or sliced OR 2-3 14.5oz cans cubed or sliced potatoes
2 14.5oz cans creamed corn
1 14.5oz can fresh corn
1 12.5oz can chicken, drained OR 1-2 cups fresh cooked & cubed or shredded chicken
1 16oz pkg frozen broccoli, thawed (or cooked) & drained OR 1 large head fresh broccoli, cooked
salt & pepper, to taste

Toppings:
grated Cheddar cheese
green onions, chopped
bacon, cooked & crumbled

• In a bowl, whisk together 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour and 1/3 cup COLD water. Whisk until smooth & completely incorporated. Set aside.


• In a 4-cup measuring cup, pour 2 cans evaporated milk and add water to equal 4 cups liquid total. (It's about 3 cups evaporated milk & 1 cup water)


• In a large pot or dutch oven, pour milk/water mixture. Over medium heat, bring almost to a boil. Whisk in flour/water mixture. Cook until slightly thickened, about 4-5 minutes.


• If using fresh broccoli: While the milk/water/flour mixture is cooking, trim broccoli stems & cook florets in boiling water for about 4-5 minutes.


• Stir into milk/water/flour mixture, minced onion, potatoes, creamed corn, fresh corn, and chicken. Mix completely, stirring gently. Turn heat down to LOW. Stir in broccoli once it's cooked & drained. Add salt & pepper to taste.


• Put the lid on and cook on low for about 10 minutes.


• Serve topped with grated cheddar, chopped green onions, and bacon.

We like this with a chunk of warm French bread on the side. Enjoy!!

Poppyseed Chicken

This is one of those dishes that everybody has a recipe for! Each one is a little different, I'm sure. For my family this is definitely our "comfort food". Yesterday was icky & grey & cold so a creamy, satisfying casserole was exactly what we needed.

My recipe comes from my mom's, my neighbor's, and something of my own thrown in to make it my own. Do you have a recipe for Poppyseed Chicken? Please share it!

Poppyseed Chicken
Makes 1 9x13" casserole

4 cups dry egg noodles, cooked according to package directions
2 cups chicken, cooked & cut into bite-sized pieces
8 oz sour cream
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1/8 cup dried minced onions
1 tsp minced garlic (optional)
1 cylinder Ritz crackers (we like whole wheat Ritz)
1 cube (1/2 cup) butter
1 tsp poppyseeds (these really are just for show - if you don't have 'em, don't worry)

• Preheat oven to 375*F. Spray inside of 9x13" baking dish with cooking spray.


• Cook egg noodles according to package directions.


• In a large bowl, stir together & mix well: sour cream, chicken soup, Parmesan, onions & garlic. When mixed thoroughly, stir in chicken.


• In a separate medium-sized bowl, melt butter in the microwave. Crush Ritz crackers. Stir crushed crackers & poppyseeds into melted butter.


• Build the casserole: Pour noodles into baking dish. Spread chicken/soup mixture evenly over the noodles. Gently spread the Ritz/butter mixture over the chicken/soup mixture, until evenly covered.


• Bake 30 minutes & serve.

We always serve this with broccoli, but it would be great with pretty much any veggie.

This is a great recipe to make large batches of for family gatherings too.

Enjoy!