Mexi Chicken

I forgot to take pictures of this meal but it turned out really well. We ate it for dinner once and then I divided the rest into 6 freezer bags for later.

Mexi Chicken - modified from Frozen Assets
1 large onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups water
2 cups pearl barley
2 16 ounce cans of diced tomatoes, undrained
4 cups tomato sauce
One small can Mexican sauce
3 cups chicken broth
2 cans whole kernel corn, drained
2 T chili powder
1 T cumin
4 cups cooked chicken, chopped
2 cups kidney beans

1. Cook onion, pepper and garlic in a bit of oil until tender in a large stock pot.

2. Add all remaining ingredients except chicken and beans.

3. Bring to a boil.

4. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring often, until barley is tender.

5. Add chicken and beans and simmer an additional 10 minutes until heated through.

6. Cool, spoon into freezer bags, label and freeze.

TO SERVE:

Thaw in refrigerator. Heat mixture in skillet. Serve over multi-grain tortilla chips or in flour tortillas with a side salad.

Makes 18 servings.

Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken

I was looking at the goat cheese in my fridge last week and I got a hankering to cook up some yummy goodness with it. After a little bit of thought, I decided to make some stuffed chicken breasts. This recipe requires a moderate amount of work but not as much as you might think. It will give you a gourmet looking meal right at home.

Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
1/4 red pepper, finely diced
4 oz fresh mushrooms, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 package frozen spinach, thawed
Salt
Pepper
1/3 cup goat cheese**
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 T Parmesan cheese
Salt
Pepper

**If for some absurd reason you are not a fan of goat cheese, you could substitute cream cheese.

Saute mushrooms, onions, red pepper and garlic until soft.

Add spinach, salt and pepper. Continue saute for 2-3 minutes.

Transfer to small bowl and add goat cheese.

Mix until goat cheese is melted and well combined. Set aside.

Place chicken breasts, one at a time in between plastic wrap or in a ziploc bag and flatten. I need to take a course in flattening chicken. I mutilated these poor guys.

Add a heaping spoonful of the mixture along the center of the chicken breast.

Roll up and secure with toothpicks. Don't worry if some filling leaks out (like in the photo below). The breading will help keep it in.

Prepare your breading station. Place beaten egg in one bowl and combine bread crumbs, parm, and pepper in another bowl.

Dip chicken breast in the egg and then into the bread crumbs. Coat completely. Place in glass baking dish.

Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes until chicken is no longer pink and an internal temperature of 165 is reached.

Makes 4 servings.

Crockpot Chicken

Is anyone still out there? I can't believe it has been three weeks since I've posted my last recipe. That is just unheard of for me! The first few months of this pregnancy had me completely out of the kitchen as food was the last thing I wanted to think about. Now, as I have started to feel better and regain my energy, I have spent the past few weeks relying on our old favorites - which results in having no new recipes to share. However, it's time to get back at it so I hope to have recipes to share more regularly now.

Today, I am sharing a recipe for crockpot chicken.

I often buy whole chickens because I find you get the most bang for your buck. Usually, we can roast a chicken, eat it for one meal and then have enough leftovers for 3-4 more meals, plus the bones for broth. Up until last week, I had always cooked my whole chickens in the oven but after seeing Newlywed's recipe for Sticky Chicken, I decided to give it a try.

I changed a few of the seasonings around but kept it pretty similar to her recipe.

Crockpot Chicken - from Newlywed's
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon Paprika
2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon thyme
1/4 tsp fresh rosemary
1/4 tsp oregano
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 large roasting chicken
1 cup chopped onion

In a small bowl, thoroughly combine all the spices.

Remove giblets from chicken, clean the cavity well and pat dry with paper towels. Rub the spice mixture into the chicken, both inside and out, making sure it is evenly distributed and down deep into the skin.

Place half of the onion in the bottom of crock and half inside chicken.


Add chicken to crock pot and do not add liquid. As the cooking process goes on it will produce it’s own juices. Cook on LOW 8 to 10 hours and it will be falling off the bone tender.

Pick the meat off the bone and separate into desired portion sizes, or serve immediately.

We ate this chicken for one meal and used the leftovers for chicken and dumpling stew. I also threw the bones back in the crock pot and boiled them for broth to use in the stew and to put in the freezer. Normally we would get more out of one chicken but it was a tiny little guy.

Chicken Vegetable Chowder

This recipe came in a big booklet of slow cooker recipes that my friend Tricia sent me. This is the first recipe that I tried and it was yummy. We thought the broth could have been thicker but the flavour was tasty.

Chicken-Vegetable Chowder
1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs -- cut in 1" pieces
3-4 carrots, chopped
8 oz sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 3/4 cup chicken broth
1 can condensed cream of celery soup
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (**could add more - we would have liked it to be thicker)
2 1/2 cups fresh broccoli, chopped

In 3 1/2 to 4-quart Crock-Pot slow cooker, combine chicken, carrots, mushrooms, onion, water,
garlic powder, thyme and broth; mix well. Cover; cook on low setting for 7 to 9 hours or until
chicken is no longer pink. Skim fat from slow cooker if necessary.

In small bowl, combine soup, milk and flour; beat with wire whisk until smooth.

Add soup mixture and broccoli to chicken mixture.

Cover; cook an additional 30 minutes or until broccoli is tender. (We found it only took about 20 minutes).

Serves 5.

Chicken Noodle Soup

The other day, I wasn't feeling well and I got to craving some good old fashioned chicken noodle soup. I had bought a whole chicken to roast and carve to make chicken and rice casseroles, so I knew it would be the perfect time. I boiled the carcass for broth, threw in some veggies, barley, and noodles and voila - a delicious, hearty, warm soup!

Chicken Noodle Soup
The carcass of one chicken
Water
1 onion, quartered
Salt, to taste
Poultry seasoning, to taste
1 onion, finely chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
5-6 carrots, chopped
4 oz mushrooms, sliced (if desired)
1-2 cups cooked chicken
Salt, to taste
Thyme, to taste
Chicken bouillon, optional (only if you find your broth doesn't have enough flavor)
Bay leaf
1/3 cup barley
1 1/2 cup wide egg noodles

1. Place the carcass from your chicken in a large stock pot. Cover with water (about 8-10 cups). Season with salt and throw in quartered onion. Boil for 45 minutes to one hour. Drain, removing bones and onion and reserving broth. **If you don't have a chicken carcass, or you don't want to do this, you can just use 8 cups of premade chicken broth.


2. Return broth to pot. Add veggies, chicken, barley, and seasoning. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes-1 hour, until veggies and barley are soft. Taste, season further, if necessary. I found that my broth wasn't as flavorful as I would like, so I just added a quick sprinkle of bullion to boost the flavor.

3. Once veggies and barley are tender, add egg noodles and continue simmering for 10-15 minutes, until noodles are cooked.

Serve with warm toast or crackers. Later this week, I'm going to give SnoWhite's wheat crackers a try. Enjoy.

Makes 10-12 servings.

This recipe is being linked at Tasty Tuesday, Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, Tuesday's at the Table, and The Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap.

PestoTomato Chicken Rotini

This was a use up what's in the house kind of meal and it turned out fabulously. I love the combination of tomato sauce and pesto together. The only thing I would change would be to drain some of the juice off the tomatoes because the sauce was quite runny.

Pesto Tomato Chicken Rotini
340 g tri color rotini (or any other kind of short pasta)
3-4 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 red onion, chopped
8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
1-2 bell peppers, chopped
3-4 cups cooked chicken breast, chopped
1 large can diced tomatoes, with some juice drained
1 cup tomato sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons prepared pesto
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1-1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese

1. Bring water and salt to a boil and cook pasta until just not quite cooked. During the last 3-4 minutes of cooking time, add the carrots to the pasta water to begin softening them. Drain pasta and return to pot.

2. Add remaining ingredients, except cheddar cheese, and stir well to combine.

3. Transfer to a 2.5 qt casserole dish. Top with shredded cheese.

4. Cover and bake for 30-40 minutes at 350. Uncover, bake an additional 10 minutes until cheese is browned.

Makes 5-6 servings.

This recipe is being shared at Tasty Tuesday, Tuesday's at the Table and Tempt my Tummy Tuesday.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup water
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 red onion, chopped (could use a regular onion)
4 cups chicken, chopped/shredded (you could use less)
2 cups black beans (or 1 can, rinsed and drained)
1 1/2 cup corn
1 cup green beans
3/4 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp chopped cilantro
2 flour tortillas
Olive Oil
Garlic Powder
Grated cheese, for topping

1. Combine all ingredients in your slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 7-9 hours or high 4-5 hours.

2. About 15 minutes before serving time, brush tortillas with olive oil and cut into thin strips. Sprinkle with garlic powder. Spread on a baking sheet.

3. Bake at 375 for 5-10 minutes, until browned and crispy.

Serve soup with tortilla crisps and shredded cheese.

Makes a million servings. Or maybe 10-12.

Herb Roasted Chicken

This week's chef for the Food Network Chef's Cooking Challenge was Emeril. I wish Emeril had come at a different week because there were so many recipes of his that I would have liked to try, but I had to find something that would fit into my weekend menu because I knew I was leaving for holidays and I wouldn't be doing much cooking. I ended up finding this recipe for herb roasted chicken and decided to make it for our Christmas dinner.

I am sure Emeril would be disappointed because I used dried herbs rather than fresh. But I had to. It would have been a huge waste to buy fresh herbs, knowing that I was leaving for holidays and wouldn't get a chance to use them up.

The chicken was very flavourful and tasty. However, we didn't really feel like it fit in with our Christmas dinner - the taste just didn't meld well with the gravy, stuffing and other fixin's. But definitely a good chicken rub to try another time when we're making some roasted root veggies on the side (as Emeril recommends).

Herb Roasted Chicken - From Emeril
1 small chicken (or a variety of chicken pieces)
Salt
Pepper
1 T minced garlic
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried sage
2 tsp dried parsley
1/4 Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 lemon

1. Wash chicken and pat dry. Place in small roast pan.

2. Season with salt and pepper on both sides (or inside and outside of cavity if using a whole chicken).
3. In a small bowl, mix together garlic, thyme, sage, parsley and EVOO.

4. Rub all over chicken (inside and out).

5. Cut lemon in quarters. Squeeze over chicken and place rinds inside (or around chicken). Place bay leaves in as well.
6. Cover and roast at 350 for about an hour, until chicken is no longer pink.

You and Me Chicken Pot Pie

This was probably my most successful week yet in the Food Network Chef's Cooking Challenge endeavor. The chef for the week is Ellie Krieger and she has a ton (I mean, a ton) of great looking recipes. It was difficult to choose just one, but I was looking for something that I could make the very next day without having to make a trip to the grocery store and so this recipe fit the bill. It is a deliciously wonderful comfort meal! It definitely being added to our list of favourites! Now, I just need a way to use up the remaining phyllo - I am taking suggestions!

I made a few minor changes - I used pre-cooked, chopped turkey from a turkey I had bought and cooked a few months ago instead of using uncooked chicken breasts and cooking them before the veggies. I used a regular onion instead of leaks. I added carrots. I swapped corn for peas. And I used shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese instead of parm, because I needed to use it up. Other than that, I did exactly as she instructed. Hm, after re-reading that, I realize it sounds like I totally changed the recipe. But I really didn't, I promise.

You and Me Chicken Pot Pie - adapted from Ellie Krieger
2 cups cooked and chopped chicken or turkey
Salt and Pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 large onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 large carrots, chopped
2 medium potatoes cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup frozen green beans, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups low-fat milk
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup frozen corn (I actually used more like 1 1/2-2 cups, I was at the end of the bag and didn't think there was enough to be worth leaving)
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried thyme
3 sheets frozen phyllo pastry, thawed
Grated mozzarella and/or cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 4 individual-sized baking dishes with cooking spray (I used french onion soup bowls and actually ended up needing 5 and could have possibly even stretched it to make 6 dishes).

Heat 2 1 T of the oil in a large skillet or electric frying pan. Add onions, celery and carrots to the pan and cook until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

Add the potatoes, green beans, garlic, salt and pepper and cook for 5 more minutes.

Add the milk to the pan.

Stir the flour into the chicken broth until dissolved and add to the pan.

Cook, stirring, until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low.

Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.

Stir in the chicken, corn, parsley, and thyme.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dishes.

Put the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil into a small bowl. Unroll the phyllo dough and cut it into quarters.

Place a quarter sheet on top of each baking dish and brush with olive oil. Repeat with remaining 3 baking dishes.

Tuck the edges of the phyllo into the dish rim.

Top each pie with cheese.

Place on a baking sheet and bake until the filling is bubbling, about 30 minutes.

Makes 4-5 servings.