Cafe Rio Chicken

The chicken in these tacos were soo good! We made burritos with the leftovers the next day, definitely a keeper! This recipe came from crumbsandchaos.blogspot.com

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. CHICKEN BREAST
• 1 cup ZESTY ITALIAN DRESSING
• 1/2 Tablespoon MINCED GARLIC
• 1 packet RANCH DRESSING MIX
• 1/2 cup WATER
• 1/2 Tablespoon GROUND CUMIN
• 1/2 Tablespoon CHILI POWDER

Instructions

Place all ingredients in the crockpot.

Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high 3-4 hours.

Shred and serve how ever you like - as filling for tacos, burritos, nachos, quesadillas" href="http://crumbsandchaos.blogspot.com/2010/08/quesadillas-qdoba-style.html" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(239, 114, 154); text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; ">quesadillas orburrito bowls, etc.

It is easy to double or triple this recipe and freeze the extras.

Coconut Lime Chicken

We made this for dinner and last night and it was a hit! I love it when I try new recipes that are a success! It had such a different flavor, but we really liked it! It came from mealplanning101.com

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tsp curry powder
1 14 oz can light or regular coconut milk
1 4 oz. can diced green chiles
Zest and juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and garlic and cook until golden brown on all sides, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the curry powder and cook, stirring for 1 minute, until it is fragrant. Add the coconut milk, chiles, lime juice and zest, bring to a simmer, and simmer until the chicken is just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat, stir in the green onions and cilantro. Serve over rice.

Coconut Chicken

This was really really good. We couldn't taste much of the coconut since the chicken was so thick, so next time I think we'll use tenders or cut in half. I think the pineapple sauce on top is a must, as well as the rice pilaf!! It looks like a lot of work, but it was really easy to make.

Coconut Chicken:

• 1 cup flour, divided-I used pureed ritz crackers
  
• 1 egg
• 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 boneless chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 400˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.*** see note
2. Place 1/2 cup flour in a bowl and set aside. In another bowl, lightly beat the egg; set aside.
3. In another bowl combine the remaining 1/2 cup flour with the coconut, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
4. Working with one chicken breast at a time, dip the chicken in the plain flour and get it all coated with a layer of flour. Then dip in the beaten egg and then coat with the coconut mixture. Place on the parchment lined baking sheet.
5. Once all chicken breasts are coated and on the baking sheet, evenly drizzle with the melted butter. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, flipping once halfway.

*** Note: If you would rather prepare this on the stove top, do not drizzle the chicken with the butter. Just fry in a skillet with oil until cook through and crisp and golden in color.

Freezer Friendly: After baking the chicken, let cool completely then freeze in a freezer bag for up to 1 month. To reheat, bake in a preheated oven at 400˚F for 20 minutes.

Garlic Rice Pilaf

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 stalk of celery, diced
• 1 cup long-grain white rice
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• black pepper to taste
• squeeze of lemon juice
• parsley, optional for garnish

1. In a large sauce pan, melt butter. Add garlic, celery, and rice. Cook and stir until slightly brown.
2. Add chicken broth, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer on low heat until moisture has been absorbed and rice is tender. (This usually takes me about 20 minutes) Add lemon juice just before serving. Toss slightly and garnish with parsley if desired. Serves 4-6.

Pineapple-Orange Dipping Sauce

• 1/2 cup apricot preserves
• 1/4 cup crushed pineapple, undrained
• 1 tsp orange zest

Combine ingredients together and stir until well blended. Serve with coconut chicken.

Pumpkin Chicken Enchiladas

I know pumpkin enchiladas might sound strange and not very good to most (including Ryan), but they are actually really good....and pretty healthy (er). The original recipe came from Martha Stewart.

8 corn tortillas (the corn flavor goes really well with the pumpkin, I promise)

a few tablespoons of cilantro (I subbed this for the 6 scallions, diced-sometimes I add both)

leftover 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 (I added this too)

2 teaspoons of salt

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

1 1/2 cups of chicken stock or water (I use chicken stock instead of water because I typically boil a chicken for this recipe)

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. However, if you are casein-free, this recipe is fine without cheese. Martha recommends placing your casserole dish on a baking sheet in the oven to prevent any spills. Bake for 20-25 minutes until cheese is melted and casserole is bubbly.

Serves 4 alone or possibly 6 with sides

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Ingredients:

• 1-2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cooked and cubed
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 cup hot sauce (less if you don't want it as spicy)
• 1 cup ranch dressing
• 1 (16 inch) prepared pizza crust (Or make your favorite crust recipe, if so you probably need to bake longer)
• 1 8 ounce package shredded mozzarella cheese
• 
  
• Directions:
  

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl combine the cubed chicken, melted butter and hot sauce. Mix well. Spread dressing over crust, then top with chicken mixture and sprinkle with shredded cheese.
3. Bake in preheated oven until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbly, about 5 to 10 minutes. Let set a few minutes before slicing, and serve.

Poppy Seed Chicken

{I really try not to use too much cream of anything in my cooking, but sometimes I just really crave a yummy casserole with that creamy goodness.}

• Ingredients:
• 5 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup sour cream
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1.5 cups crushed ritz crackers
• 1 tsp poppyseeds
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 
  

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place the chicken into a 9x13 inch baking dish. In a medium bowl, stir together the condensed soup, salt & pepper, and sour cream. Pour over the chicken. In a separate bowl, stir together the crushed crackers, poppy seeds and melted butter. Sprinkle over the chicken and sauce.
3. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top of the casserole is browned and the sauce is bubbly.

Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 7 ounces seasoned bread crumbs
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 12 ounces pasta sauce
• 4 slices mozzarella cheese
• 
  
• Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Pour beaten eggs into a shallow dish or bowl. In another shallow dish or bowl, mix together the grated Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. Dip chicken breasts into beaten egg, then into bread crumb mixture to coat.
3. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add coated chicken and saute for about 8 to 10 minutes each side, or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear.
4. Pour tomato sauce into a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Add chicken, then place a slice of Mozzarella cheese over each breast, and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until cheese is completely melted.

White Chicken Chili

This soup is SOUPer Douper! I feel like every white chicken chili out there is pretty watery, not this one...no sir! It is so creamy and delicious!! It came from my cousin Michelle.

*Use whatever white beans you have, and you don't have to include black beans*
1 can great northern beans
1 can cannelini beans
1 can black beans
1 large onion
6 Tb butter
1/4 c flour
3/4 c chicken broth
2 cups half & half
1 tsp tabasco
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin(I usually put more in)
1/2 tsp salt ( I usually put more in)
1/2 tsp pepper (I usually put more in)
2 4 oz cans chopped green chilis
2-3 chicken breasts
1 1/2 c grated monterey jack
1/2 c sour cream

Instructions:

1.Heat a large skillet over med high heat and add oil or better( I use evoo). Add chicken breast and season with s&p and chili powder. Resist the urge to turn them over. Leave them for about 5 minutes or until nicely browned, then flip them. Once they are cooked, remove and let cool then shred them with your fingers and set aside.

2.While waiting for the chicken to cool, cook the onion in the same pan
(add adt'l oil or butter if needed.)

3.In a large pot, melt the 6Tbs of butter over med low heat and whiskin flour. Cook the roux, whisking constantly, for three mins. Stir in the onion and gradually add the broth and half and half, whisking the whole time. Bring mixture to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 min or until thickened (It will be obviously thick). Stir in tabasco, chili powder, cumin, s&p. Add beans, chiles, chicken and cheese, and cook over med low heat, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes. Add sour cream and serve!

5.It's great as is or top with cilantro, cheese, tomatoes, etc.

Honey Lime Enchiladas (casserole style)

Here's another recipe that came from Rachel's blog that I love...I think I might like them made like this more than filling each tortilla up with the honey goodness.

1 1/2 pounds chicken, cooked and shredded

Sauce:

1/3 cup honey

1/4 cup lime juice

1 1/2 Tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 (10 ounce) cans green enchilada sauce

1 pound (or less, you decide) Colby Jack or Mexican blend cheese, grated

18 taco sized corn (or flour) tortillas

Mix together sauce ingredients then add to shredded chicken.

Let the sauce soak into the meat for about 30 minutes.

Lightly spray 9x13 baking dish with PAM. Pour enough green enchilada sauce to cover the bottom of the dish. Lay six corn tortillas over the surface of the dish. (The will be overlapping.) Top with half of the meat mixture, then cover with cheese. Layer another six tortillas and cover with some enchilada sauce and the rest of the meat. Sprinkle cheese on top. Layer last six tortillas on top and cover with the remaining sauce and cheese. Be generous with the cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour.

Chicken Pot Pie

This recipe came from my friend Rachel Nielson and her foodie blog...I love it! I think it's the ranch mix that makes it so yum. I just use like half a bag (or so) of frozen veggies because I'm lazy.
This recipe for chicken pot pie is easy and fast. It's not particularly healthy, but it's a good "company meal." It makes enough filling for two good-sized pies (which is a lot). I usually make one pie, and then I freeze the rest of the filling in a gallon bag to use another time. (Or you can give away the second pie--whenever I bring this pie to people who are sick, who have had babies, etc. I get rave reviews!)


Melt 1.5 sticks of butter in a skillet.
Slowly add 1 cup flour. Stir until mixed.
Slowly add 2 1/2 cups chicken broth. Stir until mixed.
Slowly add 2 cups milk. Stir until a thick gravy sauce has formed.
Add 1 packet of dry ranch dressing.
Add salt and pepper to taste. This is very important or else the filling in bland.

Add as much of the following as you'd like:

-Cooked and shredded chicken
-Frozen peas
-Frozen corn
-Sliced potatoes (I use them from a can)
-Cooked and chopped carrots

Pour filling to two pie crusts. (I used the roll-out Pillsbury crusts that you can find in the dairy aisle of the grocery store.) Add top crusts. Make sure to cut slits or a design into the top crust, so the air has a way to escape.

Bake at 425 until the crust is golden brown. (about 30 minutes?)

Chicken Roll ups

Or Shirley Burgorses as we like to call them. I found the recipe from a family recipe book of my MIL's and made a copy. The recipe came from Mrs. Shirley Burgorse so that's what we call them, and they are one of my fav's!

Filling ingredients:
1 package crescent rolls
2 cooked chicken breast, shredded
1 8oz block cream cheese (softened)
1 onion (finely diced)


4 Tb melted butter
bread crumbs

Mix together the filling ingredients, and fill the crescents with mixture (Fill them with a lot of the mixture, I always have a little extra after I'm done)
Dip each roll in melted butter and roll around the bread crumbs. Place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 for about 20-25 minutes (Keep an eye on them)

Hawiiaan haystacks with coconut jasmine rice

I love Hawaiian haystacks, and I love using coconut jasmine rice whenever I can so I thought "why not combine the two?". It turned out great, but if we want to be healthier just use brown rice.

Makes 4-6 servings

Sauce Recipe

10 To 12 chicken tenders, cut in chunks

2 cans (10 3/4 ounces each) condensed cream of chicken soup

1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk

Preparation

Place chicken in greased 3 1/2 to 5-quart slow cooker.

Combine remaining ingredients and pour over chicken.

Cook on high heat 3-4 hours or on low heat 6-8 hours.

Serve over hot rice with a variety of cold toppings that could include grated cheese, peas, pineapple tidbits, shredded coconut, raisins, Chinese noodles, olives, diced tomatoes, diced green peppers, sliced green onions, and other family favorites.

Coconut Jasmine Rice

• SERVES 4
• 2 cups Thai jasmine-scented white rice
  
• 2 cups good-quality coconut milk
• 1 3/4 cups water
• 2 heaping Tbsp. dry shredded unsweetened coconut (baking type)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. coconut oil, OR other vegetable oil

Preparation:

1. Rub oil over the bottom of a deep-sided pot. You will also need a tight-fitting lid.
2. Place rice, coconut milk, water, shredded coconut, and salt in the pot and set over medium-high to high heat. Stir occasionally to keep rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning.
3. Once the coconut-water has begun to gently bubble, stop stirring and reduce heat to low (just above minimum). Cover tightly with a lid and let simmer 15-20 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice. To check, pull rice aside with a fork. If most of the coconut milk-water is gone, go on to the next step.
4. Replace the lid and turn off the heat, but leave the covered pot on the burner to steam another 5-10 minutes, or until you're ready to eat. Tip: Your Coconut Rice will stay warm this way for up to 1 hour or more, great for when you're expecting company

Taco Soup

I really just improvised on this recipe but it came out pretty good, it makes a ton so be sure to invite some friends over for this one!

3 chicken breasts or 1 pound ground beef
1 onion, finely chopped
1 can pinto beans, drained
1 can kidney beans with liquid
1 can corn, drained
1 8 oz. tomato sauce
2 cups water
2 (14.5 oz) cans petite diced tomatoes
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chiles
1 package taco seasoning
1 package ranch mix

Brown beef in skillet, drain and transfer to crock pot. Add remaining ingredients and cook on low 8 hours. Fry some corn tortilla strips and serve over soup (or use crushed chips if you are feelin lazy). Top with cilantro, cheese, avacado, sour cream.

Lettuce wraps

• 6 Boston Bibb or butter lettuce leaves
• 1 pound ground chicken
  
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 2 teaspoons minced ginger
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• Asian chile pepper sauce (optional)
• 1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 2 teaspoons Asian (dark) sesame oil
• Chopped mushrooms (as much as you want)
  

Sauce:
1T rice vinegar, 2T soy sauce, 1 T chili paste & 1t sesame oil
Mix together and pour over each wrap

1. Rinse whole lettuce leaves and pat dry, being careful not tear them. Set aside.
2. In a medium skillet over high heat, brown the ground chicken in 1 tablespoon of oil, stirring often and reducing the heat to medium, if necessary. Drain, and set aside to cool. Cook the onion and mushrooms in the same pan, stirring frequently. Add the garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, vinegar, and chile pepper sauce to the onions, and stir. Stir in chopped water chestnuts, green onions, and sesame oil, and continue cooking until the onions just begin to wilt, about 2 minutes.
3. Arrange lettuce leaves around the outer edge of a large serving platter, and pile meat mixture in the center. To serve, allow each person to spoon a portion of the meat into a lettuce leaf. Wrap the lettuce around the meat like a burrito, and enjoy!

Baked Taquitos

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos
Recipe by OurBestBites.com
1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 C green salsa
1T fresh lime juice
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t granulated garlic or garlic powder
3 T chopped cilantro
2 T sliced green onions
2 C shredded cooked chicken
1 C grated pepperjack cheese
about 16 small corn or flour tortillas
kosher saltcooking spray
Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.The corn tortillas are harder to roll without cracking. For the corn tortillas: work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or come unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges.
Then roll it up as tight as you can.
Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.
Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown. Makes around 16 taquitos.

Chicken Chili

Brown in a large pot:
2 chicken breast-cut into bite size pieces
1 Tb. olive oil

Stir in to coat chicken:
1 1/2 Tb. chili powder
1 1/2 Tb. cumin
1 clove garlic or garlic salt

Add the remaining:
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can black beans
1 can red beans (kidney)
1 4.5 oz can diced grn chilis
1 cup whole corn

Add s&p to taste, hot sauce if you like and simmer for about 30 minutes
I like top with cheese and sour cream

Italian Chicken

This is one of my fav crock pot recipes. Not the healthiest, but sure is the yummiest!
2-3 Chicken Breast
1 block cream cheese
1 can cream of chicken
1 packet itallian seasoning
splash of milk

Throw chicken in crock pot, and mix all other ingredients in bowl then pour over chicken. Cook on low or high, about 6 hours or so. Serve over rice or potatoes.

Mango Chicken & Rice

Rumbi Island Easy Mango Chicken and Rice
4-5 chicken breasts (boneless and skinless)

1 can corn, drained

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

3 cups mango salsa

Cumin to taste

Lemon Pepper to taste

Coconut Jasmine Rice

Put chicken breasts in crock pot. Add spices. Cover and cook chicken until tender. Shred chicken on a plate and return to crock pot. Save juices in separate bowl.

Add corn, beans and salsa. More salsa can be added to taste. If mixture seems dry, add some of reserved juices.

Serve over coconut jasmine rice for that Rumbi Island Grill taste (To make just buy jasmine rice and cook it with coconut milk in place of water) Garnish with cilantro or parsely, if desired.

*You could use regular salsa for a Mexican taste and serve over regular rice or tortilla chips.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

I usually use frozen bread dough because its the easiest, but if I haven't thawed it out or don't have any, I use this recipe for dough.

-Then top with BBQ sauce (the more the better)
-Mozzerella cheese (I've used mexican cheese when I didn't have mozzerella and it's just as tasty)
-Shredded cooked chicken
-Sliced red onion
-Cilantro

Bake at 400 for about 15 minutes or until it looks done :)

Black Bean Salsa Chicken-Crock pot

Combine all of the following in a slow cooker:

2-4 chicken breasts (I usually do 3 and have tons of left overs, but have added up to 6 when we were having guests over)

1 cup salsa

1 15 oz can of corn, drained

1 15 oz can of black beans, drained

1 pkg taco seasoning

I usually just put the chicken in the bottom then mix everything else up in a mixing bowl before pouring over. The chicken can be frozen or fresh, whatever you have.

Cook for 3-4 hours.

shred the chicken about 30 min before you are ready to serve. It will be so tender at this point you can easy just reach into your slow cooker with 2 forks and break up the chicken breasts. Leaving for another 30 minutes will allow the chicken to then soak up all the juices that are in there, otherwise it will be kinda watery.

After shredding it you can add 1/2 cup of sour cream and 1 cup grated cheese, or for a healthier version just use the sour cream and cheese as toppings. I do both!

Great with tacos, burritos, and quesadillas