Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ok I can't say enough about this soup. In short, it's AMAZING! When I first made it I read the recipe over 3 or 4 times because I kept thinking I was forgetting some ingredients. But nope! There are very few ingredients, which makes it an even greater recipe! Seriously so good, you have to try it out! From Our Best Bites

2 chicken breasts or 6 chicken tenders
1 large onion, chopped
5-6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
4 cans chicken broth
1 15-oz. can chopped or diced tomatoes
2 seeded jalapeno peppers (optional)
1/4 c. fresh lime juice(3-4 limes). Don't even think of buying the stuff in a bottle! This is the key ingredient
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

TOPPINGS:


Store-bought tortilla strips, or 2-3 corn tortillas, plus oil for frying
Avocado (my FAVORITE part)
Grated cheese
1/4 c. cilantro

Cook chicken as desired (bake, boil, grill I prefer in the crockpot) with a little bit of taco seasoning and shred.

In a large stockpot, heat some olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped onion and saute 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and minced jalapeno and cook a few minutes more until pepper is softened and garlic is fragrant. Add chicken broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer 15-20 minutes.

While soup is simmering, juice the limes and set aside. Start preparing the toppings: grate the cheese, chop the cilantro, cut up the avocado, and fry the tortillas (or break up chips). Right before serving, add lime juice and chicken to the soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle soup into the bowls and add desired toppings.

Enjoy!!! And then come back and tell me what you think!

Country Chicken Pasta

Again from Eat it Up Food

Ingredients

2 cups uncooked pasta, any shape short pasta

3 cups cooked cubed chicken

2 jars (12oz. each) chicken gravy

1 bag (1lb.) frozen veggie mix: carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, peas

whatever you have

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup herb seasoned stuffing crumbs ( stove top)

2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine

1.Heat oven to 375. Cook and drain pasta, using minimum cook time. It will continue to cook in the oven.
2. In an ungreased 2 1/2 quart casserole dish, mix pasta and remaining ingredients together except for stuffing and butter.
3. Cover casserole. Bake 20 minutes. Uncover and stir casserole. In a small bowl, mix stuffing and butter. Sprinkle of top. Bake uncovered about 10 minutes longer or until hot and topping is brown.

Lemon Chicken Pasta

My girl Britney has done it again! Another delicious, easy, healthy, recipe. Love her!

Ingredients:

4-5 cups of penne pasta (I do about 1 cup of dried pasta a person)
1 can 98% fat free cream of chicken soup
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 water
zest of 1 lemon
juice from 1 lemon
2-3 chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
fresh parsley, chopped
salt & pepper

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add salt and the pasta. While your pasta is cooking you will cook up the chicken and make the sauce.
2. In a small skillet, bring it to medium heat. Drizzle it with a bit of olive oil. Season your chicken with salt, pepper, and onion powder and place into the pan. Cook for about 7-9 minutes, until cooked through.
3. Now, while your chicken is cooking we will make the yummy sauce. Drizzle a bit of olive oil in a medium skillet. Heat at medium heat and cook the garlic for just a minute. Stir the garlic as you cook it. You DON'T want it to burn. It will taste bitter, so keep stirring and as soon as you start to smell the garlic you know that it is beginning to soften and cook. Next add in your soup. Whisk the soup and garlic together and add in the zest and lemon juice. Now at this point you will add the water. You can make your sauce as thick or thin as you like. So start adding water until you get it where you like it. Heat the sauce through and give it a taste. You may want to add a bit of salt and pepper, but it is up to you :)
4. Alright, lets get this meal together! Drain your pasta and return to pan. Add the sauce to you pasta and toss to coat. Divide your lemon pasta among your plates and then top with chicken and fresh parsley.

Jerk Chicken Dinner

First of all let me just say how much I love the blog that I got this recipe from: Eat it up. Britney happens to be my long-time Gringo girl from Rexburg and she's just awesome. This is one of her many delicious dishes and is one of my top 3 dinners right now. Thanks Brit!

Ingredients:

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

3/4 teaspoon allspice

3/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

6 chicken breasts

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 large sweet potato, or two medium

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup lime juice

2 teaspoons cornstarch

sliced green onion, optional

Instant rice, brown or white

1. Heat oven to 375. Spray a 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray. In a small bowl, mix salt, pumpkin pie spice, allspice, thyme, and chili powder. Rub mixture on all sides of chicken. In a non-stick skillet heat to med-high and cook chicken for 2-3 minutes per side, until brown.
2. In the baking dish layer sweet potato and beans. Top with browned chicken. In a small bowl, mix honey, lime juice, and cornstarch. Add to skillet. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Pour over chicken, beans, and potatoes.
3. Bake 35-45 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked all the way through and chicken is cooked through. Serve over rice and sprinkle with green onions.

Fajita Skillet

LOVE this dish from Taste of Home!!! I didn't do the tortilla strips that it called for and it was still delicious. I prefer it just by itself, but my husband would prefer it with a tortilla like buritto-style or on top of rice. Any way you do it it would turn out great!

Ingredients

• 2 flour tortillas (10 inches), cut into 1/2-inch strips
• 3 tablespoons Olive Oil, divided
• 1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
• 1/2 pound boneless beef sirloin steak, cut into thin strips
• 1 medium green pepper, sliced
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 cup cubed fresh pineapple
• 1 medium tomato, coarsely chopped

Directions

• In a large skillet, fry tortilla strips in 2 tablespoons oil on both sides for 1 minute or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
• In the same skillet, cook the chicken, beef, green pepper, onion, soy sauce, brown sugar, chili powder, cumin and pepper in remaining oil for 3-4 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.
• In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and lime juice until smooth. Stir into skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Stir in pineapple and tomato; heat through. Serve with tortilla strips. Yield: 4 servings.

Hawaiin Kabobs

This is one of the most tasty kabob marinades I've ever had! We got it in for dinner one night before the no open fire law came about here in California (boo). We only did peppers, onions and chicken and pineapple and it was so, so good!

Ingredients:

pineapple (preferably fresh :)) or 1 20 oz. can pineapple chunks
1 large green pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large red pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large onion, quartered
12-16 mushrooms, optional
16-18 cherry tomatoes
1/2 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. olive oil
1 Tbl. brown sugar
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. ground mustard
1/4 tsp. pepper

Drain pineapple, reserving 1/2 c. juice. Place pineapple chunks and vegetables in a large bowl; set aside. In a saucepan, combine reserved pineapple juice with soy sauce, olive oil, brown sugar and seasonings; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Pour over vegetable mixture; cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Remove pineapple and vegetables from marinade and reserve marinade. Alternate pineapple, green pepper, onion, mushrooms if desired and tomatoes on skewers. Grill kabobs for 20 minutes or until soft, turning and basting with marinade frequently. Serve over rice if desired.

This recipe came from Taste the Joy and via Eat it Up and it is SO, SO good!

Ingredients:

6 tablespoon honey

5 tablespoons lime juice

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 lb. cooked, shredded chicken ( about 3 small chicken breasts)

8-10 wheat flour tortillas

1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (your favorite)

16 oz. green enchilada sauce

1 cup fat-free sour cream

1. Mix the first 4 ingredients together and toss with the shredded chicken. Let it marinate for at least 1/2 hour.

2. Pour about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan. Fill flour tortillas with marinated chicken and cheese. (reserve about 3/4 cup cheese for top)

3. After the tortillas are filled and placed in dish, mix the leftover marinade, remaining enchilada sauce, and sour cream together. Pour sauce over the top of enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes and broil the last few minutes to make the cheese nice and golden brown. Pair these yummy enchiladas with a side of spicy black beans (add a little garlic, onion, and cumin powder to them) and a green salad, and there you have it! A nice healthy dinner!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Bundles

Found on Taste The Joy

This is an original recipe created by me. The idea came from pigs in a blanket. An adult version with chicken cordon bleu instead of hot dogs!

1 tube Grands! Flaky Layers Buttermilk Biscuits
8 chicken tenders {if you want even easier, you could buy those crispy chicken strips and cook them in the oven instead}
8 pieces thinly sliced, cooked ham
8 slices swiss cheese
In a skillet add 1-2 TBS oil. Place chicken tenders in the oil and sprinkle with lemon pepper. Cook on medium-high heat till done and juices run clear. {I used a lid to keep oil from splattering}
Roll biscuits out in a rectangle. Place one slice ham, one slice cheese and one chicken tender on top of each.Fold ends and edges and pinch to seal. Place on a greased baking sheet and cook at 350 for approximately 20 minutes. Serve with dipping sauce:
1/4 C mayonaisse
1 TBS honey
1/4 C Smuckers Simply Fruit Apricot Spread
1/2 - 1 TBS mustard
1 TBS sour cream
1/4 tsp poppy seeds

Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup

Found at The Sister's Cafe

4 chicken breast halves (I've used 3 big ones and had it turn out great)
2 15-oz cans black beans, drained
2 15-oz cans Mexican stewed tomatoes
1 cup MEDIUM salsa (not mild)
1 4-oz can chopped green chilies
1 14 ½-oz can tomato sauce
Tortilla chips, not optional :)
2 cups grated cheddar cheese (I prefer sharp)

Combine all ingredients except chips and cheese in large slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 8 hours. Just before serving, remove chicken breasts and slice or shred into bite-sized pieces. Stir into soup. To serve, put a handful of chips in each individual soup bowl. Ladle soup over chips. Top with cheese.

Taos Chicken and Pasta

Found at My Favorite Recipes

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 large bell pepper, cubed

1/2 cup chicken broth
1 Tbsp. dried basil leaves

1/2 tsp. ginger

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 lb. chicken breasts, raw

1 lb. pasta of choice (bow tie is our favorite)

"--Combine soy sauce, broth, oil, basil, ginger and garlic powder. Marinate with chicken (cubed) for 2-3 hours, refrigerated. Stir occasionally. Pour off marinade and save. In large skillet, coated with non-stick spray, cook chicken until lightly browned and no longer pink in center. Add bell pepper and saute 5 minutes. Remove from skillet and add marinade to skillet. Stir in cornstarch and cook until thickened. Add back chicken and peppers. Cook pasta according to package directions. Serve over cooked pasta. Serves 8.

I tend to alter the way I make it from the original recipe--mainly for ease and to make it quicker. Often I make it without even marinating the chicken (no longer than just mixing it together). Usually I just mix all the ingredients together and then "stir-fry" all of it together (except the cornstarch) in the pan until the chicken is no longer pink, then I add the corn starch. I feel like it skips a ton of steps, and still tastes great...but if you're a purist, then you'd better stick to the recipe! (:

One more thing: I've tried playing with the amounts of pasta. When I mix everything together I sometimes feel like the pasta dulls the flavor a bit. Sometimes I put in just slightly less than 1 lb. pasta (maybe about 3/4 of a pound?)...but if you're pouring the sauce over the top of individual servings of noodles, you can easily decide to add more or less to taste."

Honey Glazed Chicken Stir-Fry

From Eat it Up

Ingredients:

12 oz. chicken breast

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons vinegar

2 tablespoons orange juice

4 teaspoons soy sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

4 cups cut up veggies : broccoli, peppers, onions, mushrooms,

carrots, snap peas..... anything you like!
2 cups cooked rice

1. Cut up chicken into bite-size strips. Set aside. For sauce mix honey, soy sauce, vinegar, oj, and cornstarch. Set aside.

2. Drizzle a little bit of oil into a skillet or wok. Heat over med-high heat. Add veggies to pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes until crisp-tender. Remove veggies and add chicken. Cook for 4-5 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Push chicken to side of pan and add the sauce to center of pan. Stir until thick and bubbly.

3. Return cooked veggies to pan and cook and stir until warm. Serve over rice and there you have it!

* You can buy minute brown rice, which is soooo good for you. With this yummy sauce you can't even tell!

Caesar Chicken with Orzo

From Eat it Up

Ingredients:

1 lb. chicken breast, cut into cubes

1 can chicken broth (14 oz.)

1 cup water

1 cup uncooked orzo ( in the pasta aisle)

1 bag (1 lb.) of frozen broccoli, green beans, pearl onions, and red peppers ( I didn't have that so I used fresh broccoli and carrots and steamed them a little bit to soften them up before adding them)

1/4 cup fat free Caesar dressing

pepper and salt

1. Heat a skillet over med. heat and cook chicken about 10 minutes until browned on both sides. ( I seasoned mine up with onion and garlic powder, salt and pepper) Remove chicken and keep warm.

2. Add broth and water to skillet. Heat to boiling. Stir in pasta. Heat to boiling. Cook uncovered for 8-10 minutes until almost done. Stir occasionally. Stir in frozen veggies, or freshly steamed and dressing.

3. Add chicken to mixture. Sprinkle with pepper. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes until pasta and veggies are done. Warm about 1/2 cup dressing and drizzle over individual servings. Serve with muffins or corn bread!

* I buy low-fat or fat free muffin mixes at the store so I can whip up a quick bread to go with dinner!

* When I make corn bread or muffins I add a shredded carrot or zucchini to the mixture before baking to add a little extra veggies and no one can even tell! Get those kids eating veggies!

* Add any veggies that your family likes to this ..corn, peas, carrots, broccoli, peppers, mushrooms.... the list goes on!

"Mini Chicken with the Blues"

From Eat it Up:

Ingredients:

4 thawed chicken tenders

4- 2 inch strips turkey ham

4- 2 inch slices of Colby cheese

Italian bread crumbs

salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder

1. Tenderize your chicken by using a kitchen mallet or rolling pin to make your chicken thinner. Salt and pepper each side.

2. Get your toothpicks ready and pour about a cup of bread crumbs into a bowl.

3. For each tender put a piece of ham in the center of your chicken. Then top with a cheese slice. Roll it up and secure it with a toothpick. Carefully roll in bread crumbs and put on a greased baking sheet.

4. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. Serve with veggies and a biscuit and you are set!

* This recipe serves two adults. I figure about 2 per person. So make as many as you want! For kiddies I just cut up a chicken strip into nugget size and rolled them in bread crumbs!Bake them at the same temp with your food. Annie loved her chicken nuggets!

A "Hand Pie"

The girl on this website is just too cute. These looks super easy and versatile. Check it out

Always looking for good chicken recipes!

And as soon as we get Brett's birthday grill I will make this! Oh how I love marinated and BBQued chicken even though I think I asked for it for every single birthday dinner growing up! The taste just brings such joy to my taste buds!

Lemon Apricot Chicken

This is a great easy dinner and your whole family will love it! Rex loves Chinese and this is really good and a fun version of sweet and sour chicken!

Ingredients:
2 egg whites
1 cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoon lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
4 chicken breasts or 8 chicken breast tenders
2/3 cup apricot preserves
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1. Heat oven to 425. Spray cookie sheet with non-stick spray. Beat egg whites until combined. In a small bowl combine bread crumbs, lemon peel, and garlic powder.
2. Dip chicken in egg whites the into crumbs. Place on cookie sheet. Bake for 25 minutes or until cooked through.
3.While chicken is baking, combine the rest of the ingredients in a small sauce pan on the stove and heat on medium until smooth and warm. Cut chicken and drizzle with sauce.
* I serve this with rice and steamed carrots and snap peas. So good, Annie even loves it!