Diced Chicken and Noodles

• 4 c. cooked chicken, diced
• 8 c. chicken broth
• 1 c. diced celery
• 1/3 c. finely minced onion
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3 c. thick egg noodles, broken into pieces

In a large soup pot, combine the chicken, celery, onion, salt, pepper, thyme and garlic. Pour chicken broth over. Taste and adjust seasonings. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Add uncooked noodles to boiling chicken broth. Boil lightly until noodles are tender, 20 minutes.  Serves 6.

Chicken a la King

• 2 c. cooked, diced chicken
• 1/2 lb. mushrooms, washed and sliced
• 4 T. butter
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 2 T. flour
• 1 c. milk
• 1 c. half-n-half
• salt & pepper, to taste
• fresh parsley, chopped

In a heavy skillet, saute the mushrooms and peppers until soft. Add in the flour and stir until well blended. Slowly add in the milk and half-n-half. Bring to a low boil, and stir until thickened. Stir in the chicken; season with salt and pepper. Serve over biscuits, toast points or buttermilk waffles. Garnish with the chopped parsley.  Makes 3 hearty servings; easily doubled.

Note: Substitute frozen peas for the green pepper, if you like.

Melt in Your Mouth Chicken

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 1 c. mayonnaise
• 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1-1/2 tsp. seasoning salt
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp. garlic powder

Mix mayonnaise, cheese and seasonings. Spread mixture evenly over chicken. Bake uncovered at 375 for 45 minutes. That's it! Always turns out tender.  

Chicken Baked in Cream

Both boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, or bone-in chicken pieces work equally well in this recipe. Use 6-10 pieces of chicken (depending on size), to fill the baking dish.

• 3/4 c. flour
• 1 tsp. each: salt & pepper
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 2 tsp. poultry seasoning
• 2 T. butter
• 2 T. vegetable oil, a little more, if needed
• 6-10 chicken pieces
• 2 c. heavy cream
• Paprika

Preheat the oven to 300, and grease a large baking dish.

Mix together the flour and seasonings in a large, plastic freezer bag. Shake the chicken pieces, a few at a time, in the flour to fully coat.

Heat up the butter and oil in a large saute pan set over medium-high heat. Place the floured chicken in the pan and saute on both sides until golden brown; about 10 minutes.

Transfer the chicken to the prepared casserole dish. Pour cream over; then sprinkle with additional paprika. Cover and bake for 2 hours, until chicken is tender. Garnish with sprigs of fresh parsley, if desired.

This dish makes it's own cream gravy, so a good side dish would be mashed potatoes, and green peas to add a little color.

Mexican Baked Chicken

• 14.5 oz. can stewed tomatoes
• 1 T. chili powder
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• Sprinkle salt
• 2 lb. chicken (bone-in pieces, or boneless, skinless breasts or thighs)

Preheat the oven to 400. Grease a casserole dish.

Pour the tomatoes into the dish, add in spices and stir to combine. Lay chicken pieces on top of tomatoes, sprinkle with a little extra chili powder and salt. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Baste with some of the tomato juices; continue baking for 20 minutes longer, or until done. Serve over rice with a side of refried beans.
Serves 3-4, but easily doubled.

Chicken and Bean Soup

• 16 oz. bag 15-bean mix dry beans
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 lg. onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb. smoked turkey sausage, chopped
• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 29 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 8 c. chicken broth, more, if needed
• Salt & pepper, to taste

Place the veggies and sausage into the bottom of a large crock pot. Add the rest of the ingredients, and cook on low for 10 hours. After the cooking cycle has completed, remove chicken breasts; shred them with a fork and return to pot. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Leftovers freeze very well. Allow to cool completely and pack into freezer bags or plastic containers.  After re-heating from frozen, you may need to add some additional broth, water or tomato juice.

Garlic Chicken

• 8 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 c. olive oil
• 1/2 c. dried seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, grated
• 5-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 400.

Warm the garlic and olive oil in a small saucepan to blend the flavors. In a separate dish, combine the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Dip the chicken breasts in the olive oil/garlic mixture, then into the bread crumb mixture. Place in a shallow baking dish.  If there is any olive oil left, drizzle it over the chicken.

Bake for 35-45 minutes, until juices run clear.

Leftovers are great when sliced thin and served cold over a salad!

California Chicken

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 5 limes
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 1/4 c. flour
• 3 T. oil
• 4 T. butter
• Hot, cooked rice

Place chicken breasts in a flat dish.  Squeeze the juice of 4 limes over the chicken, then season with salt and pepper.  Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 6 hours, turning occasionally.

When ready to cook, coat chicken with flour.  Heat oil in skillet and cook chicken until golden brown on both sides.  Place in a baking dish and bake at 325 for 20 minutes. 

Meanwhile, heat butter in skillet until golden brown.  Add juice from half the remaining lime to butter.  Place baked chicken on a serving platter and pour lime butter over it.  Garnish with thin slices of remaining lime.  Serve over hot cooked rice with vegetable of your choice. 

Mozzarella Chicken Breasts

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 10 oz. can French onion soup
• 1 teas. poultry seasoning
• 4oz. can sliced mushrooms, drained
• 1 c. shredded Mozzarella cheese
• chopped green onions

Place chicken into greased slow cooker. Sprinkle with seasoning, then pour the soup over. Cook on low for 4 hours.  Scatter mushrooms and cheese over top and continue cooking on low for an additional hour.  Serve with the green onions scattered on top.  We like this with baked potatoes and a simple green salad.

Note: Can also bake in the oven at 350 for 45 minutes.  Add cheese and mushrooms during the last 5.

Lemon Oregano Chicken

• 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
• 3 T. fresh lemon juice
• 3 T. olive oil
• 2 T. chopped, fresh oregano leaves
• 2 teas. minced garlic
• 1/2 teas. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teas. kosher salt

Mix seasonings together and toss with the chicken. Cook on a hot stove top grill for about 14 minutes, turning once during cooking time. Pairs great with a simple green salad.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

2 c. cooked, shredded chicken
2 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened
8 oz ranch dressing
3/4 c. hot sauce (more or less)
2 c shredded cheddar cheese
In a greased slow cooker*, combine the chicken and hot sauce. Stir in the cream cheese, ranch dressing and cheddar cheese until well combined. Cook on low for 2 hours or so until hot and bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips and celery.

*Another option is to put into a greased casserole dish and bake uncovered at 350 for 30 minutes or until hot.

Serve with tortilla chips and celery sticks. You can tone down the heat a little by adjusting the amount of hot sauce. Even the little ones in our family like this, despite the fact that it bites back.

Swiss Chicken Bake

• 6 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
• 6 slices Swiss cheese (or more )
• 2 cans condensed broccoli & cheddar soup
• 1 soup can milk
• pepper & garlic powder, to taste
• 3 c. herb-seasoned stuffing cubes
• 1/2 c. butter

Place the chicken breasts into a greased crock pot.  Lay the Swiss cheese slices on top. Whisk together the soups, milk and spices; pour over top of chicken.  Scatter the stuffing cubes over top of soup mix.  Cut butter into thin pats and place on top of stuffing.  Don't stir.

Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8, or until chicken is cooked through.

Can also be baked in the oven, covered at 350. Uncover during last 10 minutes for stuffing to crisp.

Lemon Linguine with Chicken (or Shrimp!)

Pasta

• 1 lb. linguine
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• zest from 2 lemons
• juice from 2 lemons
• 1/2 c. chopped green onion
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley
• salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
• Parmesan cheese, to taste

Marinade

• 1/2 c. olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 T. Cajun seasoning
• 2 T. lemon juice
• 2 T. minced fresh parsley
• 1 T. brown sugar
• 2 T. soy sauce
• 3 chicken breasts, sliced (or 3 dozen large shrimp, peeled and deveined)

Combine the marinade ingredients together and stir in chicken. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.  Pour chicken, including the marinade, into a small casserole dish and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.*

Meanwhile, cook linguine as directed on package. When done, drain and toss with remaining ingredients. Pour chicken (or shrimp) mixture over top and toss again. Finish off individual bowls with a generous sprinkling of salt, pepper and grated cheese.

* If using shrimp, bake at 450 for approximately 10 minutes.

Baked Chicken Chimies

• 1+1/2 c. cooked chicken, diced
• 1+1/2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 c. thick salsa
• 1 teas. ground cumin
• 1/2 teas. dried oregano
• 6 (10 inch) flour tortillas
• 4 T. melted butter
• Garnishes such as shredded cheese, salsa, sour cream, green onions...

Mix chicken, cheese, salsa and seasonings together.  Spoon about 1/2 cup onto each tortilla.  Fold opposite sides over and then roll from the bottom up. Place seam-side down on a greased cookie sheet. Bake uncovered at 350 for 30 minutes or so, until heated through and starting to brown. Garnish with green onions, salsa and cheese. Serve sour cream on the side.


Note: I like to buy a rotisserie chicken for this and shred the meat.