Bruschetta Chicken

Recipe from:  The Daily Dish

Ingredients:
For the chicken:
- 4 chicken breasts
- 1/2 Italian-style bread crumbs
- 1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp olive oil, separated

For the topping:
- 1 plum tomato, cut into cubes (I used cherry)
- 1/2 cup of fresh mozzarella, cut into cubes
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- Dash of dried basil
- Dash of salt & pepper
Optional: fresh basil, for topping

Method:
1. In a small bowl combine all of the ingredients for the topping (except the fresh basil), cover, and set aside.
2. With a meat tenderizer, pound the chicken into thin pieces. 
3. Prep your dredging station by combining the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese on a small plate.
4. Then heat a large skillet with 1 tbsp of olive oil on medium heat.
5. Coat each chicken breast in the bread crumb/cheese mixture, making sure both sides of the chicken are covered.
6. Place the coated chicken in the large skillet, and brown on one side for about 5-7 minutes. Then flip each chicken breast over, and add the last tbsp of olive oil to the pan. 
7. Cook for an additional 5-7 minutes, or until fully cooked on both sides.
8. Remove the chicken from the skillet and drain over a paper towel to soak up any of the extra olive oil. 
9. Plate and spoon the bruschetta topping over each of the chicken breasts. Optional: Top the chicken with a bit of fresh basil.

**Shari at The Daily Dish always has the best recipes.  I had chicken thawing and I needed a recipe.  When I saw her post, I knew this is something I had to make. It was easy and delicious.  It makes a great weeknight meal. 

Italian Chicken, New Potatoes and Green Bean Bake

Ingredients:
3-4 raw chicken breasts
new potatoes
green beans (fresh or canned)
1 package of Italian dressing mix
1 stick of butter

Directions:
 1.  Place chicken breasts, new potatoes, green beans in a 9×13 dish. Sprinkle with a packet of Italian dressing mix and then top with a melted stick of butter.
2.  Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

BBQ Chicken Enchiladas

Recipe from:  How Sweet Eats 

Recommended by:  Heart on the Homestead

Ingredients:
8 large whole wheat tortillas
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
28 ounce can red enchilada sauce
1/2 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce
1/2 large sweet onion, sliced
1 tablespoon BBQ seasoning
pinch of cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded colby jack cheese

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 375.
2.  In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on low-medium. Add sliced onions with a pinch of salt, and let caramelize until soft and golden – about 10 minutes. While onions are cooking, dump enchilada sauce into a bowl and whisk in your favorite BBQ sauce until combined.
3.  Add shredded chicken to onions with BBQ seasoning and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Mix thoroughly.
4.  Pour in about a half of a cup of enchilada/BBQ sauce mixture, and add 1/2 cup cheddar cheese and 1/2 cup colby cheese. Stir until mixture comes together and turn off heat.
5.  Pour a drizzle of enchilada/BBQ sauce in the bottom of a baking dish. Take each tortilla and fill it with 1/2 + of chicken mixture. Roll each up and set it in the baking dish.
6.  Dump remaining enchilada/BBQ sauce on top of tortillas and add remaining cheese. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes.

**This tastes as good as it sounds.  It was ridiculously easy and a great recipe to add into the rotation.  We will be having this again! 

Italian Chicken

 I'm embarrassed to admit, but it's been a long while since I was in the kitchen.  Blame it on the summer heat, just pure laziness or whatever, but I had no motivation for cooking.  That was until I found this recipe on Pinterest. 

{My picture didn't do it as much justice as the original}

Ingredients:
4-5 Roma Tomatoes (all of the Romas looked bad so I opted for Cherry Tomatoes)
1 can Artichoke Hearts
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp. sugar
2 tbsp. flour
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
mozzarella cheese
EVOO
Salt & Pepper to taste
Basil to garnish

Directions: 
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2.  Core and chop about the  tomatoes.
3.  Thinly slice two cloves of garlic.
4.  Drain a small jar of artichoke hearts.
5.  Place all ingredients in a bowl and pour in a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, a generous amount of S&P, a teaspoon of sugar, a couple tablespoons of flour.
6.  Place the tomato mixture in with the boneless skinless chicken breasts.
7.  Bake until the chicken is almost done.
8.  Take the almost done chicken out of the oven and sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the top.
9.  Place the chicken under the broiler for a few minutes until the cheese is golden brown and the vegetables are caramelized.
10. When you pull the chicken out of the oven, sprinkle some fresh basil on top and the heat of the dish will wilt the basil.

The Verdict:
It was oh, so yummy!  I let Fred add the cheese and he added a little too much, but it was delicious.  The meal was very quick and easy to make.   I served it with the veggie noodles and a salad.  Not bad for a weeknight meal.

Jalapeño Kettle Chip Crusted Chicken

Recipe from: My Life as a Mrs.

ingredients:

For the Jalapeno Ranch Dipping Sauce:

1/4 cup mayo

1/4 cup lowfat sour cream

1/4 cup (plus 2 tablespoons) lowfat buttermilk

1 tablespoon Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing (the powder)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

dash of cayenne

5-6 hot pickles jalapeno slices, finely chopped

For the Chicken:

4 chicken breasts (about 1 3/4 - 2 pounds total)

1 bag Jalapeno Kettle Chips, crushed

1 cup low fat buttermilk (I used Ranch dressing)

1 teaspoon salt

dash cayenne

directions:

For the Jalapeno Ranch Dipping Sauce:

Mix ingredients together (adding additional buttermilk until desired consistency). Refrigerate until ready to use.

For the Chicken:

Preheat oven to 375º. Place an oven safe cooling rack in a large jelly roll pan and spray with non-cooking spray. In a bowl, whisk together buttermilk, salt, and cayenne. Pound out chicken breasts to roughly 1/2" thickness and add to buttermilk mixture (toss to coat well).

Place crushed Kettle chips in a shallow baking dish. Pull one piece of chicken at a time out of the buttermilk and gently shake to remove some of the excess. Dip into the chips and coat thoroughly on both sides. Place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all chicken breast are thoroughly coated.

Place into oven and bake for 25-35 minutes, until cooked through (cooking times vary based on chicken thickness and actual oven temperature). Serve hot with jalapeno ranch dipping sauce.

**This was super yummy and a little spicy.  The crispiness was a nice addition! 

Brown Sugar and Balsamic Glazed Chicken

Recipe adapted from: C+C Marriage Factory

Ingredients:

1 (2 pound) boneless pork tenderloin (or chicken)

1 teaspoon ground sage

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/2 cup water

Glaze:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons soy sauce

Directions:

Combine sage, salt, pepper and garlic. Rub over roast/chicken. Place in slow cooker with 1/2 cup water. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. About 1 hour before roast is done, combine ingredients for glaze in small sauce pan. Heat and stir until mixture thickens. Brush roast/chicken with glaze 2 or 3 times during the last hour of cooking. Serve with remaining glaze on the side.

**This was a HIT!  I didn't have a pork tenderloin so I improvised with chicken and it was delicious.  We're definitely keeping this recipe.

Buffalo Chicken Baked Pasta

Recipe from: How Sweet It Is

Ingredients:

1 pound pasta (I used orecchiette)

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cut into chunks (I used our left over shredded buffalo chicken from here)

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon flour

1 1/2 cups milk

4 ounces freshly grated monterey jack cheese

1/3 cup freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese + more for topping

1/3 cup buffalo wing sauce (I used Frank's Red Hot)

1/3 cup panko bread crumbs

salt and pepper to taste

for garnish: 3/4 cup chopped green onions, 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, 1/2 cup gorgonzola cheese, additional buffalo wing sauce

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2.  Prepare water for pasta and cook according to directions.

3.  While pasta is cooking, heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter, and once it’s melted and bubbly add the flour. Whisk together to create a roux and cook for 1-2 minutes until mixture gets a bit golden in color. Add milk, stir and turn down heat to low. Continue stirring until milk thickens. Add in grated cheeses and continue to stir until mixture is smooth. Stir in buffalo wing sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.

4.  Spray a baking dish (9 x 13 is fine, I used a round 4-inch deep dish) with non-stick spray. Add pasta and chicken, then pour cheese sauce over and mix throughly until everything is coated. Sprinkle with additional grated cheese and bread crumbs. Bake for 25 minutes or until cheese is golden brown. Remove from oven and immediately top with gorgonzola, green onions and cilantro. Drizzle with buffalo wing sauce.

Angel Chicken

Recipe from: CleverlyInspired

 

Ingredients:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1-1/2 pounds)

1 8-oz. pkg. fresh button mushrooms, quartered

1 6-oz. pkg. fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps sliced

1/4 cup butter

1 0.7-oz. pkg. Italian dry salad dressing mix

1 10-3/4-oz. can condensed golden mushroom soup

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 of an 8-oz. tub cream cheese spread with chives and onion

Hot cooked rice or angel hair pasta

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a saucepan.

2. Add in Italian dressing packet

3. Stir in soup , wine and cream cheese until it combines and melts

4. Cut up mushrooms

5.  Place mushrooms on the bottom of slow cooker, top with chicken and pour sauce on top.

Cook on low for 5 hours.

Asian Grilled Chicken

Recipe from: Real Mom Kitchen

Ingredients:
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 1/2 Tbsp lime juice
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (I had to substitute chili powder)
1/4 tsp curry powder
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger (I used ground ginger)
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I used chicken breasts)

Directions:
1. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, soy sauce, lime juice, ginger, cayenne pepper, curry powder, garlic, and ginger. Whisk to combine until the sugar dissolves. Set aside 2 Tbsp of the marinade for grilling.
2. Place chicken in a gallon sized zip-lock bag. Pour the marinade over the chicken. Place in the fridge to marinate for at least 4 hours, or overnight is best. Turn the bag over halfway through the marinating process.
3. Grill for 5-10 minutes on each side depending on the thickness. During the last few minutes of cooking brush a the reserved 2 Tbsp of marinade.

**It had good flavor and cooked really well.  We enjoyed it! 

Baked Pesto Chicken

recipe from: Kalyn's Kitchen

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and fresh ground black pepper for seasoning chicken
1/2 cup basil pesto (I used a little bit more to cover my chicken)
2 oz. (1/2 cup) grated low-fat mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Trim all visible fat and tendons from chicken pieces, then cut each chicken breast lengthwise into 2 or 3 pieces.

Spray a 9" x 12" (or 8.5" X 12.5") baking dish with non-stick spray, then spread 1/4 cup basil pesto over the bottom of the dish. Lay chicken strips over the pesto, then spread 1/4 cup more basil pesto over the chicken.

Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil (or use a baking dish with a tight-fitting lid) and bake the chicken for 25-30 minutes, just until chicken is mostly cooked.

When chicken is mostly cooked through, remove foil and sprinkle chicken with 1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese. Put dish back into the oven without foil and cook 5 minutes more, just until cheese is melted.

**We really enjoyed this chicken dish. It was super easy and very yummy. I served with mashed potatoes, green beans, salad and bread.

Crock Pot Hawaiian BBQ Chicken

{image and recipe from here}

Ingredients:
4-6 Boneless Chicken Breasts (can still be frozen)
1 Bottle Archer Farms Hawaiian Style Barbecue Sauce (from Target)
1 20 oz. can Pineapple Chunks, drained

Directions:
1. Spray the inside of your crock pot with cooking spray.
2. Place chicken breasts in the crock pot and cover with sauce. Empty can of drained pineapple chunks on top.
3. Cook on High for 2-3 hours or Low for 4-6 hours.
4. Shred chicken with two forks while still in the crock pot so the chicken will be well coated with sauce. Serve over rice.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Recipe from: Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:
3 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Cut Into Cubes
3 teaspoons Cajun Spice Mix, More To Taste
1 pound Fettuccine
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 whole Green Bell Pepper, Seeded And Sliced
1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Seeded And Sliced
½ whole Large Red Onion, Sliced
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
4 whole Roma Tomatoes, Diced
2 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
½ cups White Wine
1 cup Heavy Cream
Cayenne Pepper To Taste
Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
Salt To Taste
Chopped Fresh Parsley, To Taste

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain when pasta is still al dente; do not overcook!

Sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun spice over chicken pieces. Toss around to coat. Heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy skillet over high heat. Add half the chicken in a single layer; do not stir. Allow chicken to brown on one side, about 1 minute. Flip to the other side and cook an additional minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a clean plate.

Repeat with remaining chicken. Remove chicken, leaving pan on high heat.

Add remaining olive oil and butter. When heated, add peppers, onions, and garlic. Sprinkle on remaining Cajun spice, and add salt if needed. Cook over very high heat for 1 minute, stirring gently and trying to get the vegetables as dark/black as possible. Add tomatoes and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Remove all vegetables from the pan.

With the pan over high heat, pour in the wine and chicken broth. Cook on high for 3 to 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Reduce heat to medium-low and pour in cream, stirring/whisking constantly. Cook sauce over medium-low heat for a few minutes, until cream starts to thicken the mixture. Taste and add freshly ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, and/or salt to taste. Sauce should be spicy!

Finally, add chicken and vegetables to sauce, making sure to include all the juices that have drained onto the plate. Stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until mixture is bubbly and hot. Add drained fettuccine and toss to combine.

Top with chopped fresh parsley and chow down!

The Verdict: Terrible. It needs sauce. Neither one of us wanted to eat it. Two thumbs down.

Chicken Tamale Casserole

Recipe from: Simply Made...with Love and Cooking Light

Please forgive my photography. I took the pictures after we'd eaten and I was putting away leftovers.

Ingredients
* 1 cup (4 ounces) preshredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese, divided
* 1/3 cup fat-free milk
* 1/4 cup egg substitute
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
* 1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
* 1 (8.5-ounce) box corn muffin mix (such as Martha White)
* 1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained
* Cooking spray
* 1 (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce (such as Old El Paso)
* 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
* 1/2 cup fat-free sour cream

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Combine 1/4 cup cheese and next 7 ingredients (through chilies) in a large bowl, stirring just until moist. Pour mixture into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
3. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until set. Pierce entire surface liberally with a fork; pour enchilada sauce over top. Top with chicken; sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces; top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream.

**This was delicious. It wasn't too heavy either and was simple to make.

Spicy Latin Baked Chicken

Recipe from: Keeping Up with the Joneses

Ingredients:
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (takes about 2 limes)
3 Tbsp less-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp minced chipotle chile in adobo sauce
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Spanish or Yellow Rice

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Measure out first 4 ingredients, and put in a bowl, stir to continue.
3. Add chicken and toss to coat. Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.
4. Arrange chicken, without marinade, in a broiler pan coating with cooking spray. Stick in oven for 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, blend the remaining marinade to make it smooth.
6. Remove chicken from oven and flip over. Baste it with half of the sause mixture. Stick it back in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove, flip again, and baste with remaining sauce. Place it back in the oven for 10 more minutes.
7. Serve over rice.

**We ended up grilling ours because it was such great weather, but I am going to try to bake it one day.

Spicy Cashew Chicken Bundles

Recipe from: Kendall at Keeping Up with the Joneses

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1/4 cup finely shredded carrot
3 tablespoons sliced green onions (omitted - Fred's not a fan)
3 tablespoons chopped cashews
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup hoisin sauce (found on the Asian aisle of grocery store)
1 can (8 oz) can crescent rolls (used Reduced Fat)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Chop cashews up into smaller pieces
3. Slice green onions
4. Add cashews, green onions, chicken, carrots, onions, cashews to a bowl. Add 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes and 1/2 tsp ginger.
5. Add 1/2 cup Hoisin sauce. And stir.
6. On an ungreased cookie sheet, separate the dough into 4 rectangles...
7. Then, pinch the seams together to blend well
8. Spoon about 1/4 of the mixture onto one side of the dough.
9. Pinch the seams together
10. Use a fork to press the edges together
11. Poke a hole in the top of each with a fork to allow the steam to escape
12. Bake 13-18 minutes.

**We really enjoyed this dish. It was super easy and very delicious. I added a hand full of cheese to my mixture to give it a little more flavor and because we LOVE cheese. I served ours with a salad and some brown rice. I would make this again!!!

Cheddar Baked Chicken

Recipe from: Keeping up with the Joneses

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 egg
1Tbsp milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 cup crispy rice cereal
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half
2 Tbsp butter, melted (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In three separate bowls, or containers, mix the following together:
Bowl 1 - flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder
Bowl 2 - egg and milk
Bowl 3 - cheese, breadcrumbs, cereal
3. Pour 1/4 cup melted butter into a baking dish to coat
4. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture. Then dip in the egg mixture. And press into the cheese-cereal mixture. You'll start to hear snap-crackle-pop!!
5. Arrange them in the baking dish.
6. Optional: pour over 2 Tbsp melted butter before baking
7. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and juices run clear.

**This was so easy and so delicious. The next time I would add a little bit of spice to spice it up, but it was great as is. I served with green beans and a baked sweet potato.

Chicken Spaghetti

Recipe from: Natasha at A Day in the Life

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts--boil in water to cook and then cut up into small pieces (or I cooked mine in the crock-pot for a few hours covered in Rotel then shredded)
8-10 oz. of spaghetti--cooked in water that chicken was boiled in (I broke mine into 3 inch pieces)
1 can Rotel
1 lb. Velveeta (1/2 a block)
3 tbsp. worcheshire
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp of butter

Directions:
Mix all the above ingredients together and bake at 350 degrees for 30 mins or until bubbly.

**This was super easy and very delicious. We will be having this again. :)

Chicken Caprese

Recipe from: Keeping Up with the Joneses via Rachael Ray

Ingredients:
2 6- to 8-ounce chicken cutlets, pounded thin
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus some for drizzling
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (eyeball it)
1 vine-ripened tomato, cut into thick slices
1 ball fresh mozzarella, cut into thick slices
24 leaves fresh basil, chopped
Salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Pre-heat an outdoor or indoor grill to medium-high heat
2. Season the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper. Drizzle with EVOO and balsamic, and place on grill. Cook for 2-3 minutes each side. There shouldn’t be any pink in center of breast. Take off the grill and place on 2 separate dinner plates.

3. Top with tomato and mozzarella slices, and garnish with basil, a drizzle of EVOO and salt and pepper.

*Recipe yields 2 servings

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Recipe from Natasha at A Day in the Life

Ingredients
1 pkg. (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup crumbled shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Ranch salad dressing
2 12.5 oz cans Swanson Chunk Chicken Breast in Water, drained
1/2 cup FRANK'S RedHot sauce (or any hot sauce)
Celery, chips, and/or crackers

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350° F
Stir cream cheese in a pie plate with a fork or whisk until it's smooth
Stir in the dressing, pepper sauce, and cheese; stir in the chicken
Bake for 20 minutes or until the chicken mixture is hot and bubbling
Serve with vegetables and/or chips and crackers for dipping

Rosemary Ranch Chicken Marinade

Recipe from: West Sac Honey

Ingredients:

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup ranch dressing
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons salt (only used 1 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
1 tablespoon white sugar, or to taste (Omitted)
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

I marinated the chicken overnight and grilled the chicken the next day. It was phenomenal! The meat was tender and had a great flavor. We will definitely use this marinade again!