Chicken Enchilada Crockpot Casserole

Ingredients

1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs (or chicken breast)
1 teaspoon avocado oil (or olive oil)
1/2 medium onion (chopped)
2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups homemade enchilada sauce (or 16 ounce jarred)
1/4 cup sour cream (plus more for serving)
4 corn tortillas (cut into strips)
15 ounce can low-sodium black beans (rinsed and drained)
4 ounces shredded cheese (such as a Mexican cheese blend, Monterey Jack, or mozzarella (about 1 cup))
sliced jalapeño peppers (and chopped fresh cilantro, for topping)

optional for topping and serving:sliced avocado
crema or sour cream
cilantro lime rice

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Directions:

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. 

Add the onion, garlic, cumin, and salt and cook, stirring, until the onion has softened and browned, about 5 minutes.

Transfer to the slow cooker and add the enchilada sauce, sour cream, and 1/4 cup water to the onion mixture and stir to combine. 

Fold in the beans until thoroughly coated.

Nestle the chicken in.

Cover and cook on high for about 3 to 4 hours or on low for about 6 to 7, until chicken is tender and cooked through. 

Shred the chicken in the pot with 2 forks.

Add the tortilla strips and stir, then top with the cheese, cover the slow cooker, and cook 30 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

Once the cheese is melted, garnish with cilantro, jalapenos, and optional toppings.

Serve over rice if desired and top with optional sour cream, and avocado.

Notes:

If using chicken breast, the WW Points are 5 instead of 7.

Refrigerate for 4 days in an airtight container. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months and reheat it in the microwave.

 

Nutrition

Serving: 1 cup, Calories: 315 cal, Carbs: 26g, Protein: 25.5g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 92.5mg, Sodium: 862mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 3.5g

Baked Chicken Thighs

Ingredients:

8 chicken thighs with skin and bones
2 Tablespoons olive oil1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried parsley
½ teaspoon seasoned salt

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Directions:

Preheat oven to 400
Use 9x13 pan
Mix olive oil and dry ingredients in a small bowl
Open the package of thighs and brush mixture on the top
Place thighs in the pan and brush remaining mixture

Bake 25-30 minutes until temp of largest thigh is 165 degrees

Cornell Chicken (Fred’s Recipe)

 Ingredients:

2 whole chickens (2 ½ to 3 pounds each), cut in half

For the Basting Sauce:
2 cups cider vinegar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
3 tablespoons salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning

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Directions:

Combine the basting sauce ingredients in a blender and mix until emulsified.
Place the chicken halves in a large zip-top plastic bag and pour in ½ cup of the sauce.

Seal the bag and shake gently to coat the chicken evenly.
Refrigerate for 2 hours.
Remove the chicken from the marinade and wipe off excess sauce from the surface. Discard the marinade.

Grill over charcoal or wood, turning often and liberally basting with the remaining sauce every 10 minutes, for about 1 hour, or until cooked through.

Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

4 cups of cooked chopped chicken breast
8 ounces of cream chees at room temerature

2 large cans of mild enchilada sauce

5 cups shredded cheese

2 small cans of diced green chilis

12 soft flour tortillas (8 inch)

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Directions:

pre-heat oven to 350

Mix chicken, cream cheese, diced chilis and 1/2 can of enchilada sauce in a large bowl

Add 1 cup of shredded cheese and mix well

Pour some enchilada sauce in 9x13 pan. Roll the mixture into tortillas. Lay seam side down. Repeat until done

Cover with the rest of the shredded cheese and enchilada sauce

Bake 25-30 minutes until hot and bubbling

Let it rest for 10 minutes before serving

This freezes well.

Chicken Enchiladas by Rachael Ray

Ingredients:

8 soft corn tortillas

Filling:
3 cups chicken broth
4 pieces boneless skinless chicken breast, 6 to 8 ounces
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
2 sprigs fresh oregano
1 small onion, quartered
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon chili powder, 1/3 palm full
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt

Sauce:
2 cups tomato sauce
2 teaspoons hot cayenne pepper sauce, several drops
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, 2 pinches
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 ½ cups Monterey Jack shredded cheese, available on dairy aisle

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Directions:

Preheat the oven to 275

Wrap corn tortillas in foil and warm in the oven. Bring broth to a boil in a saute pan. Set chicken into broth with bay and oregano and onion. Return to a boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer. Poach chicken in broth 10 minutes. Remove chicken breasts to a bowl and shred with 2 forks. Add 1/2 cup of cooking liquid and tomato paste, spices and salt and work through the chicken using the forks.

Combine all sauce ingredients and heat through, keeping warm until needed.

Remove tortillas from oven and switch broiler on high.

Pile chicken mixture into warm corn tortillas and roll. Line enchiladas up in baking dish, seam side down. Pour sauce over the enchiladas and top with cheese. Place in hot oven 6 inches from broiler and broil 5 minutes to melt cheese and set enchiladas.

Chicken in Creamy Tomato Curry: Chicken Tikka Masala

Ingredients:

Marinade:
1 cup plain yogurt, whisked until smooth
3 tablespoons Ginger-Garlic Paste, recipe follows (or 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger and 3 cloves garlic put through a garlic press or finely minced)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, poked with a fork, and cut into large bite-sized chunks

Sauce:
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
⅓ cup Ginger-Garlic Paste, recipe follows (or 6 cloves garlic and 2-inch thumb ginger minced)
2 serrano peppers, minced (seeds removed if you don't want it spicy)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon garam masala
2 teaspoons paprika
8 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 to 2 cups water
Oil, for grilling
1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves (optional)
½ cup heavy cream
Minced fresh cilantro, for garnish
Cooked rice, naan, or crusty piece of bread, for serving

Ginger-Garlic Paste:
½ cup cloves garlic, whole
½ cup fresh ginger, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch slices
¼ cup canola oil

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Directions:

Sauce:
For the marinade: In a large bowl, mix together the marinade ingredients. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Marinate at least 30 minutes, or in the refrigerator up to overnight.

For the sauce: When you're ready to make the curry, place a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil and butter. When the butter has melted, add the Ginger-Garlic Paste and serrano peppers. Saute until lightly browned around the edges. Add the tomato paste and cook until the tomato has darkened in color, about 3 minutes. Add the garam masala and the paprika and saute for about 1 minute to draw out their flavors.

Add the tomatoes, salt, and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer, and cook until thickened, about 20 minutes. You may need more water depending on how much liquid the tomatoes give off.

Meanwhile, fire up your grill. When it is nice and hot, lightly brush it with oil. Place the chicken on the grill, shaking off some of the excess marinade. Cook until it's charred, about 2 minutes on each side. (Don't worry that the chicken will still be a little uncooked, it finishes cooking in the sauce).

Pour the sauce into a blender or food processor, or use an immersion blender, and process until smooth. Pour back into the skillet and bring back up to a boil. Add the chicken and fenugreek leaves, if using. Take the heat down to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the cream and stir through. Garnish with minced fresh cilantro, and serve over rice, with naan, or a crusty piece of bread!

Ginger-Garlic Paste

Throw the garlic, ginger, and canola oil in a mini-food processor and let it go until it forms a semi-smooth paste. There will still be tiny little pieces in there, but overall, it should resemble a paste.

Save what you don't use in a small glass jar. It should last in the fridge for 2 to 3 weeks. It's a delicious addition to marinades, pasta sauces, stir fry sauces, slow-cooker recipes, gravy etc. We always had a jar of this stuff in our fridge growing up.

Butter Chicken

Ingredients:

Spice Blend:

1 tablespoon garam masala seasoning
1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cayenne

Sauce:
3 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 teaspoons jarred minced garlic
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce

1 (14 ½-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice

⅓ cup heavy whipping cream


Meat:
1 skinless rotisserie chicken, boned out and pulled into 1/2 by 1/2-inch chunks
1 (10-ounce) box frozen peas, placed in a colander and run under hot water to thaw
Hot basmati rice, for serving


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Directions:

To make the spice blend: Stir the ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until the pieces just begin to turn gold, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste and spice blend, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly to prevent burning. The spices will be fragrant. Add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes and stir will. Add the chicken pieces, spoon the sauce over the top and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to low and cook, uncovered, until the chicken is warmed through and the sauce is flavorful, about 10 minutes. Stir frequently. Remove the chicken to a serving dish and cover to keep warm.

Shake any excess water from the peas. Add the peas and cream to the sauce in the pan, stir well and heat through. Do not boil. Spoon the sauce over the chicken. Serve over rice.

EZ Crockpot Chicken Soup

Ingredients: 

10 oz boneless skinless chicken
2 cans chicken broth
1 can cut green beans
1 can corn
1 can white beans
1 onion diced
½ cup shredded carrots
½ cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon pepper

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Directions:

Combine in crock pot. Do not drain vegetables.
Cook on low for 8-12 hrs or high 4-6 hrs.
Makes 5 two cup servings of about 250 calories each. 260 if you use dark meat.

Cheesy Buffalo Chicken dip

Ingredients:

2 chicken breast, grilled or baked,
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 stalk celery
8 oz reduced fat cream cheese
3/4 cup blue cheese dressing
1/3 cup hot pepper sauce (Franks Red Hot)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

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Directions:

Preheat oven to 350

Shred the chicken. Heat olive oil in medium pan, add celery and cook until soft. Mix in the cream cheese, blue cheese dressing. Cook and stir until smooth and creamy. Stir in chicken and hot sauce. Spoon mixture into a 8 x 8 baking dish. sprinkle with the shreaded cheese.

Bake in a preheated oven until golden and bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Notes: the recipe calls for 3/4 c ranch dressing but I never put it in. Also, I add some blue cheese crumbles to mix when cooking on stove.
This will be very oily when you remove from oven. I use paper towels to soak up some of the oil before serving.

Baked Chicken Wings

Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, pressed
2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
onion powder
salt and pepper to taste
10 chicken wings

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Combine olive oil, garlic, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper in a large baggie, seal and shake to combine.  Add chicken wings and shake to coat.
Arrange the chicken on a baking sheet,
Cook the wings in a preheated oven 1 hour or until crisp and cooked through

Chicken Teriyaki Rice Bowl

1 1/2 cups Long grain white rice
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup Teriyaki sauce
1 cup cut up cooked chicken

Combine the liquids in a glass or bowl and stir them together.

Add rice and liquid to your rice cooker.

Press start

When the rice is ready, warm the chicken in the microwave and serve.

You can adjust the ratio of chicken broth to Teriyaki sauce. As long as the combination add up to two times the rice it will work ok.

Greek Chicken Kabobs

Ingredients:

1-8oz fat free plain yogurt
1/3 c crumbled feta
Basil chopped
Sun dried tomatoes  diced
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
2 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed rosemary
1 lb boneless chicken cut into 1 inch pieces
1 lg red onion cut into wedges
1 lg green bell pepper cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces

Directions:

In a large shallow baking dish, mix yogurt, feta, basil, sun dried tomaotes, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, salt, pepper, and rosemary.  Place chicken in the dish and turn to coat.  Cover and marinate 3 hours in the refrigerator

Preheat grill to high heat

Thread chicken, onion wedges and green pepper alternately onto skewers.  Discard remaining yogurt
Grill skewers on the prepared grill until the chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear

Chicken Piccata

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
Salt and pepper
flour for dredging
4-5 T EVOO
4 T butter
2 Lemons, 1 thinly sliced, 1 juiced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 T capers, rinsed and drained
1/2 dry white wine
1/4 c finely chopped flat- leaf parsley tops

Split and butterfly the chicken,  and pound to about 1/8-1/4 thick.

Place a platter in a preheated oven at 250 degrees

heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Season the chicken and dredge in the flour.  Pour 1-2 T EVOO in pan.  Working in batches, brown the chicken lightly on each side, adding more oil as needed.  Transfer to warm plate, cover and keep warm while cooking all chicken and making the sauce.

Melt the butter into the drippings of the pan.  Add lemon slices and lightly brown.  Add the garlic and stir 1 minute.  Add the capers, deglaze the pan with the wine.  Add lemon juice and parsley.  Slide the chicken back into the sauce and coat.  Return to platter, and drizzle remaining sauce over chicken.  Serve.

Creamy Chicken Pasta

From Cooking Light - I altered a little.

9 oz pasta - I used Rotini but any large would work or use rice
12 oz boneless chicken breasts - cut into bite size pieces
3/4 t salt
3/4 t pepper
1 cup chicken broth
2 T flour
1/2 c half & half
1/3 cream cheese ( or mascarpone)
1/4 chopped parsley
1/2 c chopped onion
1t minced garlic
1t thyme (or a season mix)
8 oz mushrooms (i used 12 oz fresh)
3T red wine vinegar (I used balsamic)  I would cut to 2 T
1/2 t dijon mustard - don't use more
1 can peas ( not in original recipe but a good way to sneak veges in)

Cook Pasta.

Heat large skillet or dutch oven over medium heat.  Add a bit of olive oil, onion and garlic.  Cook 5 minutes.  Add thyme & mushrooms,  cook 8 minutes until everything is golden.Add the peas along with salt & pepper to taste.
Remove from pan and let sit.
Mix vinegar and mustard and set aside
Add chicken to pan, salt & pepper.  Cook 4 minutes until brown on all sides.  Combine 1/4 c broth with flour.  Add mix along with rest of the stock to the chicken.  Add 1/2 & 1/2.  Bring to boil and cook an additional 2 minutes until chicken is done.  Remove from heat, stir in cream cheese and 2 T parsley.  Mix until cheese melts.  Add the vinegar mixture, stir.  Add the veges and pasta.  Add salt & pepper to taste.  Top with the remaining parsley and serve.

Balsamic Vinegar Chicken with Fresh Tomatoes

Ingredients:
4 - skinless, boneless chicken breasts
4 – 5 garlic cloves
1 cup fresh basil
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 package of cherry or grape tomatoes
1/2 red onion sliced

Preparation:
Preheat oven at 375 degrees. Brown the chicken breasts in a pan. In a blender place the garlic, basil, olive oil, vinegar, water and pulse until pureed.

Place the browned chicken breasts in a glass backing dish and cover with the basil, garlic mixture. Top with mushrooms, tomatoes and onion and bake for about 40 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked. Serve with brown rice and a salad.

Simple Salsa Chicken

2 boneless chicken breasts
salt to taste
1/3c salsa
2T taco sauce
1/3c shredded cheese

Coat a baking pan with cooking spray,  lay the chicken breasts in pan.  Sprinkle with salt. Combine salsa and taco sauce and drizzle over chicken.  Top with cheese, cover pan with foil and bake.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until juice of chicken runs clear.

Very tasty with rice and a big green salad

Chopped BLT salad with Chicken

Ingredients:

4 slices cooked bacon
1 Tomato chopped (or use grape tomatoes, chopped in 1/2)
1 cup cooked chicken (a couple of breasts bbq is really good)
1 cup grated cheese (any type or mix)
1 cup croutons
4 cup lettuce
1/4 cup scallions
1/3 cup ranch dressing
salt & pepper

Directions:

Mix all and serve

Crunchy Oriental Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons Margarine or Butter
1 Package (3 oz) Oriental flavor ramen noodles
2 Tablespoon sesame seed
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup vinegar (I use 1/2 balsamic and 1/2 tarragon)
1 Tablespoon vegetable or sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cup cut up cooked chicken( breast, barbqued w/ soy sauce
1 can mandarin orange segments drained
1/4 cup dry-roasted peanuts
4 green onions, sliced
1 package (16 oz) coleslaw mix

Directions:
Heat margarine in skillet over medium heat until melted. Stir in seasoning packet from noodles. Break block of noodles into bite-size peices over skillet. stir into margarine mixture. Cook & stir about 2 minutes, add sesame seed. Cook and stir about 2 minutes longer or until noodles are golden brown. Mix sugar, vinegar, oil & pepper in large bowl. Add noodle mixture and remaining ingredients, toss.

Low Country Boil (Low Southern Boil)

Old Bay Seasoning 

6 pounds new red potatoes
a couple onions quartered
3 (16 ounce) packages cooked kielbasa sausage, cut into 1 inch pieces
6 ears fresh corn, husks and silks removed then cut in half
3 pounds whole crab, broken into pieces
3 pounds fresh (or frozen uncooked) shrimp, peeled and de-veined
serves about 12 people.

DIRECTIONS
Heat a large pot of water over an outdoor cooker, or medium-high heat indoors. Add Old Bay Seasoning to taste, and bring to a boil. Add potatoes, and sausage, and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the corn and crab; cook for another 5 minutes, then add the shrimp when everything else is almost done, and cook for another 3 or 4 minutes.

Drain off the water, and pour the contents out onto a picnic table covered with newspaper.

You can adjust the crab and shrimp as your budget allows. If crab is too expensive, use only shrimp. You need 1/2 lb of seafood per person, 1/4 lb sausage per person, 1/2 lb potatoes per person, and 1 piece of corn per person.

Our friend, Ray made this when we were working in Branson Missiouri

Jambalaya

Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons EVOO
Protean option. Choose one of the following
A - 3 andouille Sausage
B - 1 chicken breast, 1 link hot Italian sausage, 1/2lb breakfast sausage
C - 2 link hot Italian sausage. 4 oz shrimp
Paul's favorite is shrimp and hot sausage

1 medium yellow onion sliced
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper diced (substitute green chile for some of the pepper)
3 cloves garlic minced
1/3 teaspoon red cayenne pepper
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 cup long grain white rice
1 14 oz can of low sodium diced tomatoes (Mexican or Italian is OK)
1 bay leaf
(optional: add one can of high quality whole kernel corn.)

Directions:

Cook meat in a saucepan with olive oil until brown. Move to a paper towel on a plate.

Caramelize the onions. Add celery half way through. Add bell pepper near the end.

Add chicken broth, rice, tomatoes and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and cook until the rice is done. About 15 minutes.

Add the meat. Remove the bay leaf.

Serve with corn bread.