Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:

Homemade Chicken Stock Pin It

  
• 9 cups chicken stock
• 2 chicken breasts - skinless, cooked and shredded
• 1 cup frozen yellow corn (or 1 can drained)
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can petite diced tomato
• 1 can Original Rotel Tomatos with Lime & Cilantro
• 1/2 yellow/sweet onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional depending on how spicy you like it)
  
• 1-2 limes, juiced
• 1 cup rice
• 1 1/2 cups water
• salt (if desired) and pepper to taste
• Garnish:
• Avocado
• Mexican cheese
• Tortilla chips

Directions:

1.  Make Chicken stock



Simmering on stove

• You can either make this from scratch if you have the time (see my recipe for Chicken Stock Here) or buy pre-made stock. 
2. Cook Chicken, cool, then shred with forks.
• If you are buying raw chicken, boil chicken covered in water for 30-60 minutes until done.  If you are going to do this, you may as well make your own stock. See above.
• To save time, you can use either canned chicken or precooked chicken found in the deli case, or pick up a rotisserie chicken (tastes the best) from the deli at your grocery store.
3. In a large stock pot, combine stock, chicken, corn, black beans, tomato, Rotel, onion, garlic, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, cayenne (optional), salt & pepper. 
4. Bring to a boil then let simmer for 30-45 minutes (until the onions are almost tender).
5. Add cilantro, rice and water (the rice will absorb water/broth) and continue to cook for another 20-30 minutes, until rice is done. 
6. Serve garnished with avocado, cheese and tortilla chips. Enjoy! 

Finished product!

Inspired from Chicken Tortilla Soup II on Allrecipes.com and Six Can Tortilla Soup on Allrecipes.com
Pin It

Like what your reading? Share it!

Tweet

Homemade Chicken Stock

Pin It

So easy, and so much more healthy than store bought! The only thing it takes is time!
 
Ingredients:

• 2 bone-in, skins on, "fryer" chicken breasts
• stock pot full of Water (I use a 7 QT pot)
• 1/2 large onion
• 3 stalks celery
• 3 carrots, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 3 garlic cloves, halved
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 1 tsp whole peppercorns 
• salt to taste (the less you use, the lower the sodium!)

Stock strained through a coffee filter Pin It 

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients into large stock pot.
2. Bring to a boil, cover and let simmer for at least 2 hours or longer if you have the time. 
3. Remove from heat.
4. Retrieve the meat with large fork/spoon and reserve to use for soups, chicken salad, etc.
5. Obtain another large stock pot/container and fine strainer/colander. Place strainer/colander into the 2nd stock pot/container. Slowly pour stock through colander( you may want to use a large measuring cup to scoop stock out of original pot) to strain the vegetables/spices out. Careful! It will be hot!
6. To separate the fat:
1. Either store the stock in refrigerator and let the fat separate out naturally. Skim the fat off the top once cooled OR
2. Place coffee filter in strainer and slowly pour stock through, leaving the majority of fat in the coffee filter. I had to change the filter for every 2 cups that I poured through.  
7. Keep refrigerated to use within the next day or two or freeze what you don't need immediately. I placed mine in 1 cup intervals into containers for the freezer. The next day, I removed from the stock from the containers and placed in vacuum bags for future use. Saves space in the freezer by placing into bags.
8. My batch yielded 14 cups of stock.

Recipe adapted from Chicken Stock by Margaret Price at Allrecipes
Pin It

Like what your reading? Share it!

Tweet

Honey Mustard Chicken

Pin It

Ingredients:

• 5 chicken thighs - original recipe used breasts
• 3 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
• 3 tablespoons honey
• garlic powder, onion powder, salt & pepper to taste
• 1 - 1 1/2 cup breadcrumbs 
• The original recipe used panko - I only had roasted garlic regular breadcrumbs & opted to leave out the garlic powder.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a shallow dish, combine honey & mustard.
3. In another shallow dish, place breadcrumbs.
4. Season chicken with spices to your taste.
5. Coat chicken with honey mustard mixture.
6. Dredge chicken in breadcrumbs.
7. Place chicken on lightly greased baking sheet or casserole dish.
8. Bake chicken in preheated oven for 30-45 minutes (depending on thickness) or until done.

Optional Sauce Drizzle:

If you notice in the picture that there are 2 different colored sauces over the chicken. This came about because I wanted to have extra sauce on the chicken. I didn't want to use prepared honey mustard so I attempted to make it myself. Well, the first sauce listed below was ok by itself but I really wanted it to be tangier. It came out looking like a light yellow opaque sauce. So I tried again. The second sauce listed below I took from the recipe above. It is the darker, less opaque sauce. Still wasn't super happy with it as a stand alone. So, to keep from wasting both, I drizzled both on top of the chicken and it was an excellent decision! It turned out yummy and just was I wanted!

Sauce #1:

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 1/2 tsp vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey

 Sauce #2:

• 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
• 1 tablespoons honey

Directions:

1. Mix Sauces in separate bowls. Drizzle over chicken or dip as desired.

Recipe Courtesy of What's Cookin, Chicago? Sauce #1 Inspired from Life's Ambrosia

Pin It

Like what your reading? Share it!

Tweet

Baked Dijon & Lime Chicken

Pin It

 
This is probably one of my easiest prep, throw in the oven dishes to date! And did I mention it's delicious? Enjoy!
 
Ingredients:

• 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into large chunks
• 3 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp light mayonnaise
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 lime, zested then juiced 
• 3/4 tsp pepper
• salt (optional) 
• The original recipe added salt after rinsing the chicken. I opted for the lower sodium version and couldn't tell it was missing)
• dried parsley (original recipe called for parsley but I was out - still turned out great!)
• cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a large casserole dish with cooking spray.
2. Cut chicken into large chunks (or you can leave them whole. Keep in mind your cooking time will need to be increased to around 45-50 minutes). Rinse the chicken & pat dry. Place chicken in large bowl.
3. In a small bowl combine Dijon, mayonnaise, lime juice, lime zest, garlic and pepper. Mix well. Pour over chicken, tossing well to coat.
4. Place chicken in dish as a single layer. Top the chicken with dried parsley. 
5. Bake until cooked through, about 30-35 minutes. 
6. Finish the chicken under the broiler until it is golden brown. 
7. Serve chicken with the pan juices drizzled over the top.

 Courtesy of Gina's Skinny Recipes
Pin It
 

Like what your reading? Share it!

Tweet

Crispy Southwestern Wontons

Pin It

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup diced onion (I used frozen)
• 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1/4 cup canned black beans, drained
• 5 oz (1 cup) chicken, shredded
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 tbsp (1/2 pkg) dry ranch dressing - see Buttermilk Dry Ranch Dressing Mix for an MSG-free version
• 24-30 wonton wrappers
• canola or vegetable oil for frying

 Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. 
2. Add onions and saute for 5 minutes. 
3. Add bell pepper and saute for 5 more minutes. 
4. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. 
5. Add corn, beans, and chicken and stir to combine. Remove from heat.
6. Move the chicken mixture to a bowl and season with pepper, then stir in cheese and dry ranch dressing. 
7. Begin heating about 1/2 inch of canola or vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. 
8. Meanwhile, scoop 1 teaspoon of chicken mixture into the center of each wonton wrapper. 
9. Rub some water on two sides of the wrapper, then fold over to firmly seal, forming a triangle, and gently press out any extra air pockets. 
10. When the oil is hot (I placed a very small piece of chicken (about the size of a thumbnail) in the oil and waited until it started bubbling good), place 6 wontons at a time into oil. Cook about 1 minute per side until golden and crispy.

(Courtesy of :  Kevin and Amanda's Crispy Southwestern Wontons)

Pin It
 

Like what your reading? Share it!

Tweet

Poppy Seed Chicken

Ingredients:

Cream of Something Soup Pin It

• 5 cups chicken breasts, cooked and cubed (I used 3 large chicken breasts)
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 can equivalent of Cream of Something Soup
• The Original recipe calls for 2 cans of condensed cream of chicken soup
• I substituted the cream of something soup and the recipe turned out wonderfully.
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp celery salt
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 cups crushed Ritz crackers (about 1 1/2 rolls of crackers)
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 Tbsp poppy seeds

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray cooking spray into 9x13" casserole dish.
2. Cut the raw chicken into cubes and place into casserole dish. Spread just a little olive oil over the top (to keep the chicken from drying out) along with a sprinkling of salt and pepper.
3. Bake for 20 minutes. Turn chicken over. Bake for another 15-20 minutes until done. It does not have to be browned - just cooked through at this point. Drain juice off of chicken in large colander and place back in casserole dish.  
4. While the chicken is baking, this gives time to reconstitute the cream of something soup. Click on the link for the recipe.
5. Stir/whisk together the condensed soup, sour cream, Worcestershire sauce, celery salt, garlic, lemon juice and pepper.
6. Pour over the cooked chicken.
7. In a separate bowl, stir together the crushed crackers, poppy seeds and melted butter. Sprinkle over the chicken and sauce.
8. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top of the casserole is browned and the sauce is bubbly. Serve plain or over rice. 

(Courtesy of The Girl Who Ate Everything )

Like what your reading? Share it!

Tweet

Coconut Chicken Curry

A New Frontier...

Cooking a curry dish is a first for me. I have always loved eating curry dishes out at restaurants but I have felt a little intimidated to try this at home. For my first attempt at curry, I was thankful this dish came out very tasty. Next time I fix this dish, I will try pork and probably add some spice. It was good and flavorful by itself but I like mine with a little more kick. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 – 1.5 lbs cooked, shredded chicken
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 can petite diced tomatoes
• 1 8oz can tomato sauce
• 1/2 sweet yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small bag (abt 1 dozen) red potatoes, chunked
• 3-4 carrots, sliced
• 1 can water chestnuts, sliced
• 3 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• salt to taste
• rice

Directions:

Chicken Prep:

• Either Bake chicken at 350 degrees for ~30 minutes (until done). OR Boil chicken 30-45 minutes. OR cheat/save some time and buy a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store.

Vegetable Prep:

• While the chicken is baking, bring a medium stock pot of water boil for the carrots and potatoes. Add the carrots first since they take a little longer to cook. After about 10 minutes add the potatoes to the pot and continue to boil for about 20-30 minutes (or until potatoes and carrots are tender). Drain vegetables.

Rice Prep:

• I used jasmine rice to serve under the chicken curry. Follow package directions for whatever serving size you would like to prepare. The package I used suggested using chicken stock and white wine instead of water. This gave it a much richer flavor. I fixed 8 servings of rice which traditionally calls for 3 cups of water. I substituted 2 1/2 cups of chicken stock and 1/2 cup of wine.                                  

Curry Directions:

1. In a large, deep pot, saute onions and garlic in olive oil until onions are near translucent. 
2. Add curry powder and shredded chicken, stir until well mixed. cook for another minute.
3. Add potatoes and carrots. Continue to stir. 
4. Add coconut milk, tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Keep stirring
5. Add sugar and salt to taste (mine came out without needing salt). keep stirring until well mixed. I let it cook for another minute.

Serve chicken over a bed of rice and enjoy!

Inspired by Leah’s Coconut Chicken Curry

Like what your reading? Share it!

Tweet

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 large limes)
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 large cloves of garlic, finely minced or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 large breasts), cooked and shredded
• 6 small flour tortillas
• 2 cups of Mexican cheese blend, shredded 
• 1 14-oz can of red enchilada sauce (mild or medium, to your taste)
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup of heavy cream
• 1 Tablespoon of chopped cilantro, to garnish

 Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. In a small bowl, whisk thoroughly together honey, lime juice, chili powder and garlic. 
3. In a medium bowl, pour this mixture over the chicken and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
4. The original recipe used a griddle to heat the tortillas. I placed the tortillas between 2 damp paper towels and heated them in the microwave for 45 secornds.
5. Spray the sides and bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish lightly with cooking spray. 
6. In a medium bowl combine the enchilada sauce and the heavy cream. Spread about 1/2 cup of the mixture in the bottom of the oiled baking dish. 
7. Add about 2 tablespoons of the chicken mixture to the center of each tortilla in a line. 
8. Cover the chicken with a large tablespoon of cheese, then roll the tortilla up from one side to make a rolled enchilada.
9. Place the enchilada seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining chicken, cheese and tortillas. 
10. You will use about 1 & 1/2 cups of the cheese for the filling and set the remainder aside for topping the enchiladas in the pan. 
11. Pour the remaining enchilada mixture over the top of all the enchiladas. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
12. Bake the enchiladas for 30 to 35 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly and starting to brown on top.

Inspired by Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

Like what your reading? Share it!

Tweet