Chicken Taco Soup

1/2 onion, diced

1 green pepper, diced

16 oz jar salsa 

32 oz chicken stock

2- 11oz cans Mexicorn, drained

1 1/2 oz package taco seasoning

6 oz tomato paste

1 tsp cumin

2 lb chicken breasts

4 oz cream cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

In large crockpot, combine all ingredients except cream cheese and sour cream. 

Cook on low heat for 6-8 hours. 

Half an hour before serving, remove chicken, shred it, and return to pot.

Stir in sour cream and cream cheese.

Serve with shredded cheddar cheese, tortilla strips and guacamole. 

Happy Cooking!

Sweet and Sassy Bacon Wrapped Chicken

4 chicken breasts cut in thirds (12 pieces)

Bacon slices

salt and pepper to taste

garlic powder

chili powder

brown sugar

Cut each breast into 3 pieces, season all the chicken with the spices, then wrap a bacon slice around each piece, roll in brown sugar and place into an oven proof dish....make sure you have some olive oil in the dish too, like 2 or 3 tablespoons is fine.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and bacon is nice and brown and crispy.  Delicious served with mashed potatoes with some of the gravy from the chicken drizzled on top.

Happy Cooking!

Chicken Bacon Pasta

1/2 pound bacon, cooked and roughly chopped
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (or less if you don't want the heat)
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 pound penne pasta
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup cream cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 whole eggs
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 grilled chicken breast, sliced (I marinated the chicken in Lawry's Garlic & Herb marinade)


Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until done (according to package instructions).

Place cream and cream cheese in a small saucepan. Heat over low until cream cheese is melted, and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat. Add the parmesan cheese, eggs, garlic powder, red pepper flakes and pepper and whisk until blended.

Drain pasta (reserving 1/2 cup of hot water) and return to pot. Immediately add the white sauce and toss to coat. The hot pasta will cook the eggs. Stir in the bacon, and add some reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce.  Top with grilled chicken.

Happy Cooking!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta

This is sure to be a great dish for dinner or covered dish luncheon.

1 lb. Pasta (I used penne-you could use any fun shaped pasta)
1 cup Chicken Breasts, cooked and cubed
1 cup Ham, cooked and cubed
1 1/2 cups Milk
8 oz. Cream Cheese (softened)
2 Tbsp. Dried Minced Onion
2 cups Swiss Cheese, shredded
Salt
Pepper
Cayenne Pepper
1 cup Panko Crumbs
1/2 cup Butter, melted


Bring a large pot of water to a boil over med-high heat. Salt it and add the pasta; cook until al dente (about 11 minutes-I used whole wheat pasta which takes a bit longer than regular pasta). Drain and return to the pot. Add in the chicken and ham and toss to combine.

Preheat the broiler. In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, cream cheese and minced onion over low-medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until it becomes a smooth texture (about 5 minutes). Stir into the pasta mixture. Stir in the Swiss cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer pasta to a baking dish and top with Panko crumbs. Pour melted butter over crumbs and broil until browned (I gave it 4 minutes). 

Happy Cooking!

Cheesy Chicken Tater Tot Casserole

1 (32 oz.) bag frozen tater tots

1 (3 oz.)bag bacon pieces

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 cup milk
salt & pepper, to taste

Spray slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.

Layer half of the frozen tater tots on the bottom of the slow cooker.

Sprinkle with 1/3 of the bacon pieces.

Now top with 1/3 of the shredded cheese.

Add diced chicken on top.  Season with salt & pepper.

Now add 1/3 of the bacon pieces and another 1/3 of shredded cheese.

Put the rest of the frozen tater tots on top.

Finish with the remaining 1/3 cheddar cheese and remaining 1/3 of bacon pieces.

Pour 3/4 cup milk all over the top.

Cover and cook on low about 4-6 hours.

Happy Cooking!

Chicken and Dumpling Casserole

I can remember staying with my other grandmother Virginia Branch on weekends in the little town of Dawson, Georgia.  She would always make chicken and dumplings.  I remember watching her do all the many steps in making this dish that I thought was fabulous.

 

So, if you've ever made chicken and dumplings, you know that it's an art to get the dumplings right. The secret is to add the dumplings to a "rolling, boiling" stock.  Now I am not going to profess that I can do this.  However, sometimes they do and sometimes they don't turn out right when doing this method. In the cases when the dumplings DON'T turn out alright, it is usually because, for lack of a better term, they melt. You can drop a lot of dumplings in the pot, but sometimes, when it's time to serve them, they've dissolved into the broth.

But in the South it just don’t matter.  When they are cooked good, they are wonderful.  But here is a twist on the classic Sunday Dinner favorite.

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, boiled and shredded*
2 cups chicken stock (from boiling the breasts above)
1 stick of butter ( 8 Tbsp which equals 1/2 cup)
2 cups Bisquick or self-rising flour
2 cups 2% milk (whatever you prefer)
1 can cream of chicken soup (the herbed cream of chicken soup adds lots more flavor)
3 t. Wylers chicken granules or 3 bouillon cubes
1/2 t. dried sage
1 t. black pepper & salt, as desired 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place boneless, skinless chicken breasts in sauce pan with enough water to cover the chicken. Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat; place a lid on your pot and allow to sit for 10-15 minutes to finish cooking. Remove chicken from stock (reserve the stock) and allow to cool, then shred the chicken.

When building the layered casserole, do not mix the layers.

Layer 1 - In 9x13 or larger casserole dish, melt 1 stick of butter.  Spread shredded chicken over butter.   Sprinkle black pepper and dried sage over this layer.  Note: If you want to serve this as a pot pie, add a layer of vegetables now. 

Layer 2 - In small bowl, mix milk and Bisquick. Slowly pour over chicken.

Layer 3 - In medium bowl, whisk together 2 cups of the chicken stock (strained, if needed), chicken granules and soup. Once blended, slowly pour over the Bisquick layer. (Tip - Add some of the hot stock to the soup can to help melt the soup and get it all out of the can).

Bake time varies by oven and the size pan you decide to use, therefore, bake until the top is golden brown- approx. 50-60 minutes.

Happy Cooking!

No. 7 Chicken Fried Rice

Ok one of my guilty indulgences is Chinese food.  Especially Chicken Fried Rice.  The best place in the world and always will be, until I find a new place is Hong Kong Cafe in Albany, Georgia.  

Ms. Mei and her staff cook in my opinion the best Chinese food ever!  It is the real deal, and her egg rolls are made fresh from scratch everyday.

I should know. That was my lunch twice a week.  They knew exactly what I wanted - "two egg rolls and a diet coke".

Anyway, I am hours from Hong Kong Cafe, but here is a quick fix for that craving.

4 cups rice, prepared

1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked (this should be cooked ahead - using your crock pot would be ideal or you could use a pre-cooked chicken breast if in a hurry)

1 cup peas & carrots, frozen

1 white onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 eggs

3 tablespoons sesame oil

1/4 cup soy sauce

Prepare rice according to package instructions to yield 4 cups cooked rice.

Heat sesame oil in a large skillet on medium heat.

Add onion, garlic, peas, and carrots. Stir fry until tender.

Crack eggs into pan and scramble, mixing throughout vegetables.

Add rice, chicken, and soy sauce to pan. Stir in soy sauce and remove from heat.

Happy Cooking!