Chicken, Broccoli, Cheese, and Quinoa Casserole

A casserole that I was raised on was chicken de van--you know, the broccoli, chicken, cheesy, stuff on rice that everyone says is so good? Well, I think it's ok but overrated to tell ya the truth. On top of that, I discovered that quinoa really is yummy with more protein and healthier than rice. I didn't think the small package of quinoa would go far, but it actually does supply a good amount. I decided to put some ingredients together and make it similar to chicken de van but not so soupy and thick. Keep in mind I made this for 2 servings and when I cook I usually toss in spices.

Chicken, broccoli, cheese, and quinoa casserole

1 chicken breast, defrosted, then cooked
1 cup broccoli, cooked
1/2 cup dried quinoa
1 chicken bouillon cube
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 pinch garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup cheddar or colby/monteray jack cheese

In a rice cooker or over a stove, boil quinoa in 1 Cup water. After it begins to boil, reduce to a simmer and add the chicken bouillon cube. Cook until it is tender enough to fluff with a fork.

In a 8x8 casserole dish, lightly spray with cooking spray. Add quinoa, cooked chicken, broccoli, and spices. Stir. Top with cheese. Broil for a few minutes or bake at 375 for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Fresh Tomato Basil Pasta

If you are ever sick of spaghetti sauce and want something fresh, this recipe would definitely be one to make. It's easy and only takes about 10 minutes to cook, too!


Fresh Tomato Basil Pasta

once again, I apologize for the picture quality. My camera isn't the best, but trust me when I say it's something worth making.

2 large ripe, firm tomatoes, diced (about 2 cups)
1 Tb fresh chopped basil or 1 tsp dried basil
1-2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
½ tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper
Shredded Parmesan cheese
6-8 oz angel hair pasta
optional: sliced grilled chicken.

Mix together the diced tomatoes, chopped basil, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Let “marinate” on counter for 30 minutes. Cook the pasta al dente. Cook tomato mixture on a frying pan (with no oil) for about 5 minutes for all the ingredients to absorb together (if you also top it with chicken, add it in to cook with all the ingredients). Drain pasta and toss with the tomato mixture. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan. Mmmmmm

Baked Chicken Fajitas

 I loved this recipe from http://beingcindykitchen.blogspot.com/search/label/mexican. I adjusted the recipe a little as well, and these were very tasty and healthy. I wasn't sure how the spinach would turn out as one of the ingredients, but it was actually really good!

 

Baked Chicken Fajitas

 

 

 

 

2 large chicken breasts

1/2 cup chicken broth

5 or 6 handfuls of fresh spinach, chopped or torn into smallish pieces

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp coarse salt (or about 3/4 tsp regular salt)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 bell pepper, finely chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

1 small can diced chilis

Another 1/4 cup chicken broth

About 2 cups grated mozzarella or monterey jack cheese

10 8" soft taco sized flour tortillas (I'd also like to try this with my homemade tortillas, which are about 6")

Olive oil

Put chicken breasts and first 1/2 cup broth in a medium saucepan; fill with enough extra water to cover the chicken by about 2 inches. Boil for 15-20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Shred or dice the chicken pieces.

 

Add spices, bell pepper, onion, and chilis to the chicken. Cook for about 5-10 minutes or until heated through and peppers reach desired tenderness. This  helps all the flavors absorb together. Place in a bowl, allow to cool for a few mintutes.

Once chicken is cooked, preheat oven to 450. Grease a rimmed cookie sheet or jelly-roll pan with cooking spray. Cut tortillas in half if they are large, or keep them in their round shape if they are small or medium-sized. Once ingredients are a little cooler, add grated cheese and spinach, then mix to combine. Spoon a bit of the filling onto each tortilla half and top with cheese; roll them up starting from the flat side and tuck them together, roll-side down, on the cookie sheet. Brush tops with olive oil. Bake for 10 minutes at 450, then use tongs to turn flautas over and cook for 10 more minutes on the other side (or until the exposed sides are a dark golden-brown). Serve hot, with salsa if desired.

 

 

Healthy Chicken and Cranberry Salad Sandwich

Guys, I'm embarrassed that I haven't posted in ages, but I will start again. School started, picked up pace, and keeps speeding up, so unfortunately I haven't been able to cook as much or blog as much, but I am still alive :) Be prepared for more recipes coming up!

So, this recipe here is a new favorite for school lunches. It's healthy and tasty. Normally Chicken Salad is a little heavy, if you know what I mean. So trust me on this and give it a try!! The original recipe called for "dried Michigan Cherries," but I used Craisins. I also approximated the recipe into 1/3 for one sandwich, but you can save some for later if you make more. What's nice about this one is it doesn't need to be exact for measurements. If you don't like pecans, don't use them. Want a thicker texture? Use more yogurt. You know what I mean :) From: http://www.thenovicechefblog.com/2010/07/michigan-cherry-chicken-salad/

Healthy Chicken Salad Sandwich

Ingredients:

4 cups of cubed cooked chicken
1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1 rib celery, finely diced
2 medium shallots, minced
3/4 cup dried Michigan Cherries
1/3 cup light mayonnaise (I used the olive oil one)
1/3 cup fat free greek yogurt
3 tbsp. white wine vinegar (but I didn't use this and it was still great)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and adjust any seasonings as needed. You can eat it immediately, but I like to let the flavors develop a little while before eating. So I suggest letting it sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes or so before eating!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

I made this a little while ago and haven't had the chance to put it on here yet, but this chicken cordon bleu casserole is another winner! It would be a great recipe for when guests come over or for families. I enjoyed it, but it supplied a lot of left-overs. However, it was still worth making!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole (from Six Sisters' Stuff)

(This picture isn't the best, but Six Sisters' Stuff has a much better one that fully shows what it tastes like.)

Ingredients:

1 (6 oz) pkg. chicken flavored stuffing mix
1 (10 3/4 oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 tablespoon prepared, Dijon mustard
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cut into bite-size pieces
3 cups fresh  (or frozen, cooked) broccoli florets
2 cups cooked, chopped ham
6 slices of extra thin Swiss cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375ºF.  Prepare stuffing as directed on package.  Mix soup and mustard in medium bowl; stir in chicken, broccoli and ham. Spoon into 2-qt. casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray; top with cheese slices and stuffing.  Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until heated through.



 

Sour Cream Baked Chicken

 Here is another delicious chicken recipe. It's very simple and easy to make. The chicken absorbs the sour cream, keeping it moist and tasty. What is nice about it is there are no specific measurements, which allows you to make a single serving.

Sour Cream Baked Chicken (from http://www.lovintheoven.com/2012/02/sour-cream-baked-chicken.html)

Ingredients:

• chicken breasts
• italian seasoning
• pepper
• salt
• reduced-fat sour cream
• bread crumbs
• shredded parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cover a baking sheet with foil. Put your chicken breasts on top. Sprinkle the italian seasoning, pepper, and salt on top.
3. Slather each piece generously with sour cream.
4. Sprinkle bread crumbs on top of the sour cream.
5. Put parmesan cheese on top.
6. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.

Slow Cooker Mango Salsa Chicken Salad

This recipe was absolutely tasty. I usually do not like eating left overs again and again, however, I ate this for dinner almost a week straight. It was sweet and flavorful with just enough zest. All you need to do is throw the 6 (I used 5) ingredients into the crock pot and allow to cook. I love to top this as part of a salad (Cafe Rio style), however, you can also roll it up with rice into a warm tortilla. You won't regret giving this a try! (This recipe is adapted from http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/02/healthy-meals-monday-slow-cooker-mango.html.) P.S. I only used 2 large chicken breasts, and it still turned out just fine.

Mango Salsa Chicken Salad

4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (mine were frozen)
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (However, I didn't use beans because I really don't like them.)
3 cups mango salsa (This large jar was from Costco.)
Cumin to taste (1/2 to 1 tsp.)
Lemon Pepper to taste (1/2 to 1 tsp.) Or (what I did), about 1 tsp of lemon juice and 1/8 tsp pepper

Put chicken breasts in crock pot. Mix all other ingredients in a separate bowl. Pour over chicken breasts and cook on high for 4-6 hours.

Garnish with cilantro or parsley, if desired.

Different ways to serve the chicken:
 with tortilla chips
over rice
as part of a salad (see below for details)
With rice rolled up inside a tortila.

For the salad:

Mix up romaine lettuce with green, leafy lettuce. Warm up a whole wheat tortilla. Serve the lettuce on top of the tortilla, then top about a 1/2 C rice, then the mango salsa chicken. If desired, shred Monterey Jack cheese on top for extra flavor. Sqeeze a dash of lemon juice on top. There is no need for dressing since the salsa from the chicken provides enough tender texture and flavor. Enjoy!!

Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings

This chicken and dumplings recipe was the bomb diggity. I'm not kidding! I pulled this recipe from pinterest, not sure of how it would turn out by looking at the original picture. However, I was impressed with this recipe as it turned out to taste more like a creamy chicken noodle soup, with dumplings instead of noodles. It is a must-try.

Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings

(from http://www.bubblecrumb.com/2010/02/14/crock-pot-chicken-and-dumplings-recipe/)

 

4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used 2 very large ones)

2 tablespoons butter

2 cans cream of chicken soup (I used Campbell's healthy choice 98% fat free)

1 can chicken broth

1 onion diced

1 Cup chopped carrots and celery, if desired

1 tablespoon dried parsley

4 grands flaky refrigerator biscuits

Place chicken breasts in the crock pot, then add the butter, cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, onions, other vegetables if wanted, and parsley. Turn the crock pot onto high and cook for 4-6 hours. After cooking time has elapsed, remove chicken and chop it up. Place back into crock pot. 

Cut up the 4 biscuits into 9 pieces. Stir into the hot chicken mixture, turn the crock pot back on to high, and cook for another 30 minutes. Continue adding more chicken broth as necessary. Enjoy!!

Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Chicken

Well, I haven't been keeping up with this blog lately as often as I should, so be ready for some new recipes coming very soon :)

Anyways, this recipe from www.skinnytaste.com/2009/04/broccoli-and-cheese-stuffed-chicken.html that I adapted was very tasty, not to mention it was another easy and healthy recipe. I recommend that anyone who is reading this should try it!

Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Chicken

 Ingredients:

• 3 (24 oz total) large chicken breast halves
• 1 large egg
• 2 tsp water
• 3/4 cup whole wheat seasoned breadcrumbs
• 2 cups broccoli floret, cooked, chopped small
  
• 5 slices reduced fat Swiss cheese (I actually used Provolone cheese, which was still delicious)
  
• salt
• pepper
• dried minced onion
• parsley
• spray oil
• toothpicks

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. In a small bowl, combine egg, water and a little salt. Beat with a fork to make an egg wash. Set aside. Fill a second bowl with breadcrumbs.

Slice chicken breast halves into thin cutlets. I usually get 3 thin cutlets out of one breast half. Pound them to make them thinner if you wish. This helps when you wrap the cutlets.

Cut each slice of cheese in half. Place a 1/2 slice cheese in the center of the chicken and top with a little broccoli. Wrap chicken around to completely cover cheese, using toothpicks to secure (I actually didn't need toothpicks, so if you don't have them, just make sure the open part of the chicken is face down in the pan).

Dip chicken into egg wash, then breadcrumbs. Spray cookie sheet with oil and place chicken on cookie sheet. Lightly spray chicken with oil (or use butter for more flavor), season with salt, pepper, dried minced onion, and parsley, and bake about 25 minutes, until cooked.

Chicken Enchiladas

Here is one of my favorite chicken enchilada recipes, which I learned how to make in a cooking class I took as a kid. They are very easy to make and a family favorite.

Chicken Enchiladas

1 lb chicken (boneless and skinless)
4 oz can green chilis
1 bunch green onions, chopped 
1 cup low-fat sour cream
8 oz cheddar cheese (about 1 cup)
1 can enchilada sauce
6-8 flour tortillas (wheat are my favorite)
opt:
black olives--optional
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
2 Tbsp minced onion
pepper
extra cheese

Cut chicken into small pieces (1/2 inch thick). Heat frying pan, then add a little oil and add the chicken. Stir until cooked through. Remove from heat and mix in a bowl with the chilies, grated cheese, and sour cream. Put a spoonfull on a tortilla and roll it up. Place in a greased baking dish, top with enchilada sauce as well as desired toppings such as green onions, cilantro, olives, tomatoes, and extra cheese. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

(The Easiest) Chicken Cordon Bleu

This recipe is incredible, and it tastes like something you would eat at a nice restaurant. What's better? It only took about 5 minutes to prepare. That's it! On top of that, it wasn't messy. There are other recipes out there that are breaded and can be a pain to make, but you don't' have to worry about that or using a meat pounder with this version. It's different, but simple and delicious. This must be the easiest chicken cordon bleu recipe you will ever see.

Chicken Cordon Bleu


Preheat oven to 400.
Butterfly each chicken breast, meaning cut it lengthwise.

Place a couple of thin slices of ham and a slice of provolone cheese inside each chicken breast.

Fold over each chicken, and you can cut off the excess ham and cheese sticking out so it doesn't get messy or burn

Sprinkle each chicken breast with bread crumbs, salt, pepper, dried minced onion, and parsley, then top with one or two lemon slices. You can add spices on top of the lemons, too.

Place in the oven and bake for 20-45 minutes. It will depend on your oven, because the recipe said 15-20 minutes, but it took me about 40.

Ta da! Tastes great with roasted asparagus on the side.

Maple Pecan Chicken

I was looking through my cookbooks for an easy, new chicken recipe. I came across this one. It sounded interesting, and at first I was unsure about it, but I gave it a shot. It doesn't have many ingredients, is easy, and delicious.

2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1/4 C maple syrup
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 C panko bread crumbs (I used normal bread crumbs)
1/2 C very-finely chopped pecans
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (you can pound to 1/2 inch thick so it cooks faster, otherwise it will be fine but will take longer)

Heat oven to 400. Mix mayonnaise, maple syrup, and salt in a shallow dish. In another dish, mix bread crumbs and pecans. Dip chicken into syrup mixture, then into bread crumbs. Place on a greased baking sheet. Spray top of chicken with cooking spray. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until done and coating is brown. Makes 4 servings.

Baked Chicken Fajitas

I saw this recipe and decided to try it out as well. It is full of nutrition as it consists of many fresh vegetables, chicken, and a few spices--not to mention it is delicious!

Adapted from this website:
http://eatinonthecheap.com/2011/03/24/my-thoughts-on-food-magazines-and-baked-chicken-fajitas/

Baked Chicken Fajitas

You will need:

(I forgot to include the green chili's in the picture, but it's in the fajita mixture)

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips (I defrosted 2 large frozen chicken breasts.)
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes (or I used one fresh, large tomato, chopped up)
1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies
1 medium onion, sliced
1 large bell pepper, seeded and sliced (I used half of a red and half of a green to add more flavor and variety)
2 T vegetable oil
2 t. chili powder
2 t. cumin
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. dried oregano
1/4 t. salt
12 flour tortillas, warmed to serve
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 13×9 baking dish. After slicing them, mix together uncooked chicken, tomatoes, chilies, peppers, and onions in the dish.

 In a small bowl combine the oil and spices. Drizzle the spice mixture over the chicken and toss to coat.

 Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. Be aware that there will be quite a bit of juice at the bottom after it is done cooking, so drain the 13x9 and serve with warmed tortillas. Enjoy!!

Wingers Sticky Fingers Copycat recipe

One day I was craving Winger's famous sticky fingers, with their yummy crunch, spice, and sweetness. I searched on yes, you guessed it--Pinterest. Surely enough there was a recipe posted, so I tried it out. I will be honest and frank: this is one of the easiest and best recipes I have tried. It tastes almost exactly like Winger's sticky fingers. And, out of curiosity, I may even make this sauce again to try on a very good hot dog or polish dog, because I kid you not, it also tastes similar J-Dawg's very own special sauce (I know that sauce at least has brown sugar in it because it tasted sweet and sticky.) I may have to add a couple of ingredients to get it right, but if this sauce tastes like it once I try it out, I will definitely post it on here in a jiffy.

Now I know that not everyone reading this post is from Utah, so for those who are not, Winger's is a restaraunt in Utah and a few other states famous for their wings and sticky fingers. They are very one-of-a-kind! (In addition to that, J-Dawgs is unique to my college town, but everyone that comes here goes there. They are known for originating as a small shack that sold hot dogs with this "special sauce." It is sticky, sweet, and spicy, and is also very unique, but I'll save that for another post once I try this sauce on a good polish or hot dog sometime.)

Anyways, here is the recipe, thanks to the website http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2011/12/wingers-sticky-fingers-copycat-recipe.html

These are the only ingredients needed (plus a little bit of water.) And don't worry, there's only small portions for each of the ingredients. That whole bottle of hot sauce isn't in there :)

Winger's Sticky Fingers Copycat recipe:

1 pkg. frozen breaded chicken strips (You can use Tyson brand, but I used Kroger because it's a little cheaper and still worked very well)

6 Tbl. Frank's Hot Sauce (It has to be Franks Hot Sauce, no other sauce will taste as good, according to that one website)

4 Tbl. water

1 1/2 c. brown sugar

Chicken:

 Prepare the chicken strips as directed on the back of the package.

Sauce:
 Heat hot sauce, water and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, until sugar is dissolved.

Pour sauce over chicken, and enjoy!  Serve with ranch dressing for dipping.

Serves 2-3 people.

Chicken and Spinach Stromboli

If any of you continue to read my blog, you may notice that one of my favorite cooking websites/cookbooks is Our Best Bites (I also used the help of this blog for the online version: http://shareandremember.blogspot.com/2011/07/our-best-bites-spinach-chicken.html.) I once came across this stromboli recipe as it sounded very interesting. I usually like spinach and the rest of it sounded good to, so I gave it a shot, and mama mia this was one of the best things I have ever tasted! For the dough , try Our Best Bites' Pizza breadstick/ pizza dough recipe.


Spinach – Chicken Stromboli

• 1 refrigerated pizza crust or 1 recipe of Breadstick dough
• 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
• 3 1/2 tablespoons canned Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 cups loosely packed spinach leaves
• 8 ozs shredded, cooked chicken breast, about 2 cups
• 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
• Favorite pasta sauces for dipping

1. Preheat oven to the temperature indicated on the dough package or recipe (425).

1. After making the dough, Working on a floured surface, roll pizza dough into a 12 x 15 inch rectangle. Brush 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil over entire surface of crust. Evenly sprinkle Italian seasoning and 2 tablespoons Parmesan on top.

1. Keeping remaining toppings one inch away from all edges, evenly spread the spinach leaves, shredded chicken, tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese over the dough. 

1. Working from the long end of the rectangle, roll up from one end to the other (like a cinnamon roll). Pinch seam shut and then pinch each end shut and tuck under toward seam. *This and placing it into the pan or cooking sheet is the hardest part. It takes practice. I'll admit I'm still not the best at it, but no matter what, it will still taste good.

1. Place seam-side down on a baking sheet or 9x 13 pan sprayed lightly with nonstick spray.Brush remaining 1/2 teaspoon olive oil on top and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese. Gently cut 3 slits along the top of the Stromboli.
2. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Cool for 10-15 minutes before slicing into 1-inch slices. Serve with marinara and/or Alfredo sauce for dipping.

First post: Sweet and Sour Chicken

Alright here is my first post. I am excited to start this blog. Keep in mind my picture quality is not always that fantastic since I have a lower-grade camera, but I will try my best and I hope you enjoy these recipes that I post.

This first one was a recipe from the blog Life as a Lofthouse.( http://life-as-a-lofthouse.blogspot.com/2010/09/baked-sweet-and-sour-chicken-with-fried.html ) She has much better pictures than I do, and the last of when I cooked the chicken looked a little messy, so I used hers. She also has an awesome fried rice recipe. I may post my own version of it on here someday, but as for now I will just do the chicken.

This recipe is not the quickest as it takes a little over an hour to cook (I mean, it's chicken). However, other than it being a little time consuming, it's very easy! And it tastes so divine (Heads up, I use that word a lot for really good recipes, so be ready.) All you need:


Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

The chicken coating:

3-4 boneless chicken breasts
salt + pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil


The sweet and sour sauce:

3/4 cup sugar
4 tbs ketchup
1/2 cup vinegar
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp garlic salt
And about a Tbsp of honey for a thicker texture and an extra sweetener

       Start by preheating your oven to 325 degrees. Rinse your chicken breasts in water and then cut into cubes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dip chicken into the cornstarch to coat then dip into the eggs.  Heat your 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet and cook your chicken (after being dipped in cornstarch and eggs) until browned but not cooked through. Place the chicken in a 9x13 greased baking dish. Mix all of your sweet and sour sauce ingredients in a bowl with a whisk and then pour evenly over the chicken. Bake for one hour and during the baking process you will need to turn the chicken every 15 minutes.

Here are some pictures of the process. I am still new to all this so I didn't have pictures of every step, but the directions pretty well explain everything.

Whisking together the sauce ingredients

Once it is well mixed, it will look like this. After making this for the first time, I realized the sauce seemed a little runny. I added about a tablespoon of honey for a thicker texture and as an extra sweetener.

Cook the chicken on a skillet until it is slightly golden brown and the chicken is slightly cooked. *Note, for any students out there or people living on their own, I used 2 large chicken breasts, so I had a some left over for later.

Drizzle on the sauce

I also added some dried minced onion as well as salt and pepper before placing the pan into the oven.

Cook for an hour, gently mixing and turning once every 15 minutes, and voila!! (again, not the best quality camera, so I posted the picture of the original blogger's result). I also had a little more sauce since I used less chicken. Trust me this was pure deliciousness.