Chicken Tikka Masala

{it's fun to try new things; this is a good place to start}
I'm an Indian food virgin. Until now I hadn't had it before. I always kind of thought Indian was a bit spicy and carried a lot of heat, ya know with the curry and everything. I first tried this at a friends house not knowing it was really Indian until she told me it was, and ya know what? I fell in love with it! It was spicy, but not too spicy. It felt healthy and kept me full for longer than normal. The next day, I was craving it! Mmm, it was so good, people. Take my word for it! Oh also, it wasn't really that hard to make. But if you want to cut out the middle man, you can just buy the jar of sauce at your local grocery store.

Ingredients: (Don't get overwhelmed. There's a lot but it's so worth it.)
5-6 thinly sliced chicken breast (that way, all the nasty fat and stuff is already trimmed off)
1/2 cup plain yogurt
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 large onion, diced
4 gloves garlic, minced
1 piece fresh ginger (2 inches), minced (cut brown edges off first)
1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained
1 1/2 cup light cream
2 cups Basati rice (or regular white rice if you prefer)
Salt
Cumin
Ground Coriander
Garam Masala (can be found in the spice isle, sometimes called "Indian Masala")
Brown sugar
Fresh cilantro
Sour cream

Directions:
Line a baking sheet with foil, flip your oven to broil. Lay chicken breast on foil and sprinkle both sides with salt, cumin and coriander spice. Then spoon a little yogurt on each one, coating them thoroughly.

Broil for 7-8 minutes on each side (make sure chicken is 10-12 inches from top of oven). Once chicken is done, set aside turn off broiler.
In a large frying pan (you want one with tall edges), melt 2 tablespoon butter over medium heat, saute onion until tender. Add garlic, ginger, and a little salt and stir until combined and fragrant, 1-2 minutes.

Make sure to buy the coolest looking piece of ginger you possibly can... Note to self: Get a manicure.

Next add 3 tablespoons Masala spice, stir to combine (should kind of stick to bottom of pan) then add tomatoes and stir immediately as the tomatoes will deglaze the bottom of the pan, also add 1 tablespoon brown sugar. Let simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. By now, it should look like this.

Once your tomato sauce has simmered, add the cream, and some chopped cilantro if you'd like. Also, chop up your chicken breasts into 1 inch chunks and add to mixture. Stir and let simmer for another 10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare rice as per directed.
To serve, scoop some rice, then some Tikka Masala and top with chopped cilantro and sour cream.

Source: The Pioneer Woman via Pastor Ryan

BBQ Chicken Personal Deep Dish Pizza's

{chicago style}
One thing my husband knows well from his two years in Chicago is deep dish pizza. I don't know why it's taken me this long to make deep dish pizza when he's constantly raving about how amazing it is. In the words of Gru from Despicable Me... "light bulb". We made our own crusts from a family recipe for pizza dough, but I'm certain you can use whatever dough you want, pre-made or make it yourself. And, like all pizzas, you can add whatever toppings you want!

Ingredients for pizza dough:
2 3/4 cups warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons yeast (active dry)
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon oil
5-6 cups all purpose flour

2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup BBQ sauce
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped green (or red) onion
2 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed

Directions: In a large bowl, add water, sugar and yeast- let rise for 5 minutes or until foamy. Add salt, oil and about 3 cups of the flour and mix either with a dough hook or a spoon/hands until all the flour is incorporated. Then add the remaining flour a little at a time until it's no longer sticky. Separate dough in half and if you aren't going to use it right away, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about a day, or freeze it. Cut remaining dough in half again and roll each piece out to fit the size of an 8x8 inch round baking dish. Spray two 8x8 or 9x9 inch round baking dishes and place pizza dough in each dish- press dough down firmly along the inside of the pan.
Spread some BBQ sauce on the dough, then top with veggies and chicken. Then add cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly, at 400F. Let pizzas sit about 5 minutes before turning them out of the pans. There ya have it!

Don't forget a little extra BBQ sauce for dipping! 

Barbeque Pepper Jack Chicken

{helloooo BBQ chicken!}
This makes me hungry all over again! I love barbecue chicken! I'm sad I never thought of this before, but alas- it's here now and that's what matters most. In the summer, you could use the grill outside instead of slaving over a hot stove but, either way, it's gonna be amazing! 

Ingredients:
4-5 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4-5 slices Pepper Jack Cheese
1/4-1/2 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:
In a large skillet, add olive oil and turn heat to medium. Add chicken once skillet is hot and cook chicken for about 5 minutes on each side. Pour barbecue sauce over top and smear around so the chicken is evenly coated all the way around. Finish cooking until chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear. Turn heat to warm, and top with a slice of cheese. Cover and let simmer for about 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with addition barbecue sauce if so desired. Chow down!

Source: The Ungourmet

Coconut Chicken with Mango-Pineapple Salsa

{something new for dinner}
When I was a kid, I used to get into my grandma's freezer, open up the old Pringle's can and eat the frozen coconut. She always kept it on the shelve on the inside of the door. I remember it well. She would walk in, see me eating said coconut and proceed to chase me out of the kitchen removing the can from my hands. Coconut always brings back memories from my grandma's for that exact reason. When I read this recipe, the coconut first caught my eye, and then whole mango-pineapple salsa sealed the deal. It was so good, can I just say that right off the bat? This will definitely be making another appearance in our household.

Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts- trimmed and cut into small strips
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups shredded coconut*
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 mango- peeled and cut into small chunks
1 1/2 cup canned or fresh pineapple
2 tablespoons lime juice
cilantro (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to degrees 400F, and line a baking sheet with foil- spray with cooking spray .In shallow bowl add the egg, salt, and cayenne pepper. In a second shallow bowl add coconut. Dip strips of chicken in egg mixture and allow excess to drip off- then dip in coconut, pressing down so more coconut sticks. Place on baking sheet. Repeat with each piece of chicken. 

Bake for 10-13 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and coconut is lightly browned. Meanwhile, combine mango, pineapple, lime juice and cilantro together in a bowl and mix slightly. And there ya go!
*You can use any type of coconut that you'd like- I used the really fine stuff, unsweetened. 
Source: Better Homes and Garden's Cookbook

Chicken Cordon Bleu (Reposted)

{crock pot style, baby!}
In case you hadn't heard from my family blog, my oven has sort of... died. So most of my postings are going to be things that need little to no use of an oven. This is actually a re-post from one of my early posts. I just updated it and took a nicer picture. I can't get over how good this cordon bleu recipe is. I crave it some days! We like ours served over rice, but the original recipe says to serve it over penne pasta. I guess the world is your oyster in that field!

 Ingredients:
2-3 chicken breasts (depending on size of course) butterflied
8-12 slices of deli honey ham (2 per each piece of chicken)
4-6 slices of Swiss cheese
1 can condenced Cream of Chicken Soup
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:
In a large crock pot, combine soup and milk and whisk together. Arrange chicken in crock pot laying them as flat as possible. Place 2 slices of ham on each chicken breast, then place a slice of cheese on top of the ham. Sprinkle garlic powder and pepper over top of everything. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours. Serve over rice or your favorite pasta, or with a side of veggies!

Chicken Enchiladas III

{seriously, i should expand my horizons}
If we all could just be honest for a second, myself included, I'm super excited for my latest chicken enchilada recipe. I think it's actually the number one favorite in our house. We are talking all time record here, people. It's sad, because it's not really any different from my other two recipes, yet it is the the cream of the crop. 
Instead of using regular flour tortillas, I went bold and got the Roasted Tomato Tortillas. It made all the difference. Not only did it give the dish a fun burst of color, it also gave it a yummy kick of flavor! I'm so impressed with myself, it's hard to contain my joy.
Also, you are just going to have to ignore the giant typo on my picture... I'm far too lazy to go back and fix it. No judgments, please! ;)

Can you see my typo?

 Ingredients:
1 package of Roasted Tomato Tortillas
1 8oz. package of cream cheese, cut into cubes
2 small cans, or 1 large can of chopped green chilies.
1/2 cup of chunky salsa (or a different kind, if you prefer)
2 cups Monterrey Jack cheese, or equal of a Mexican style
1 small onion, chopped
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/2 pint of heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon butter

Directions:
In a frying pan, cook your chicken with some basic seasonings, like salt and pepper. Once it's cooked through, set aside. In a large skillet, add your butter. Once your butter is melted and your pan is hot, add onion and saute until translucent. Reduce heat and add the cream cheese. While your cream cheese is melting, shred the chicken breasts. Once the cream cheese is fairly melted, add in the chilies, salsa, and chicken. Stir till combined and heated through.
Spray a 9x9 inch baking dish, and preheat your oven to 350F. For each tortilla, take a few wooden spoon fulls of the chicken mixture and spoon it down the center. Fold up the ends and roll up, then place in baking dish, seam side down. Continue until each tortilla has been filled. *Note that the packages of the Roasted Tomato Tortillas come only in packs of 6, as opposed to 10 in the regular flour tortilla packages*. If you have any chicken mixture left over, spread it over the enchiladas.

Grate your cheese, and spread over the enchiladas. Feel free to use more if you are a big fan of cheese, like myself. Then drizzle the heavy cream over everything. Cover with foil, and pop it in the oven for 30-35 minutes, remove foil and continue baking for 10 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly on the sides.

*For a healthier version, you can use wheat tortillas, low fat cream cheese, and can omit the heavy cream if desired.

Orange Chicken

{crock pot style}
This recipe is the outcome of what can happen when you believe. If you know me, or read this blog often, you know that I am still struggling with the whole raw-meat-touching-my-hands, thing. No one is perfect. We are all human. Everyone has their own cross to bear. This is just mine. My hands are always clean. I like to play in the mud sometimes, but when it's time to come inside, I b-line it for the sink. My dear husband is awesome- he always cuts up the chicken for me. However, I worked really hard on creating a menu for the entire week, and I am bound to stick to it. Which meant that I had to touch the chicken because husby forgot to do it the night before. YUCK! It's truly a milestone in my book. Anyways, on to the recipe!

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced (I used 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder because that's just what I had)
3/4 cup orange marmalade
8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions:
Stir the cornstarch, broth, teriyaki, garlic, marmalade together in your crock pot. Add the chicken, either whole breasts or you can cut it up into small pieces. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve with rice.

Source: Campbell's 3 Books in 1

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

{mmm... alfredo-y}
I've recently noticed how versatile cream cheese is. You can do so many things with it! So, if you've got extra cream cheese just sitting around, here is a great way to use it up!

Ingredients:
1 (8 oz.) package light cream cheese
2 cups of milk
2 cups cooked chicken breast, cubed
1/4 cup butter
2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups Broccoli, cut up and seamed
1/2 cup grated Mozzarella cheese
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
dash of Nutmeg
dash of Oregano

Directions:
In a medium pot, melt butter on medium to low heat. Once it's melted, add your cream cheese. Mix to combine, until smooth and cream cheese is melted completely. Add milk a little bit at a time, keep whisking to keep it smooth. Add your cheeses in between milk. Once all your milk is incorporated, add your seasonings, chicken, and broccoli. Pour over your favorite pasta. If too thin, let it cook longer, if too thick, add more milk. Garnish with Parmesan, if you wish!

Chicken Spinach Lasagna

{rating: 9.5}
I have to say, I was more than skeptical for this lasagna because I decided to use the 'oven ready' noodles thinking it might cut the time down. It cut the prep time in half, but made up in the bake time. I'm not writing oven ready noodles off entirely, but I think I prefer the regular ones, then again, it did save the me the expensive of washing an extra pot. "...both are favorites!"

Ingredients:
One half a bag (10 oz.) baby spinach, cooked and well drained
9 oven ready uncooked lasagna noodles
1 cup cottage cheese (low fat, if that's your thing)
1 egg
2 cooked and chopped chicken breast
2 cups grated Mozzarella
1 cup grated Parmesan
3 cups of your favorite pasta sauce
1 cup water
Italian seasoning
Parsley flakes

Directions:
Start by mixing the pasta sauce with the cup of water in a medium pot, bring to a boil. While you're waiting (by the way, don't forget to stir on occasion) mix the cottage cheese with spinach, chicken, and (eww...) the egg- I almost lost it when the egg was added to the mix... but that's just me, and the Parmesan and Italian seasoning, just a dash. Once your sauce has reached a boil, spoon a few spoonfuls on to the bottom of the 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer with uncooked noodles, then the chicken mixture. Add another layer of noodles, a few more spoonfuls of sauce, then chicken mixture. Repeat until all the noodles and chicken mixture are used up. For the top layer, add remaining sauce and top with Mozzarella cheese. Garish with Parsley flakes. Cover with foil and bake for 40-45 minutes at 375F. Remove foil and continue baking for 15 minutes. Remove from oven (turn off oven... heehee!) and let sit for about 10 minutes so it's not so soupy. Enjoy!

...mmm, bubbly.
 

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

{the easiest thing to make on the planet}
I don't know about you, but chicken salad sandwiches sound so good during the summer. Plus, you can serve them on basically any kind of bread you want, and they will still taste delicious!

Ingredients:
3 cans of cooked white chicken breast (the ones found by the tuna fish)
1 red delicious apple, cut up into small pieces
1/2 cup Swiss cheese, cubed
1 cup red or green grapes, halved
1 1/2 cups of Mayo
2 stalks of celery (optional)
1 cup of walnuts (optional)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt and Pepper to taste 

Directions:
Half the grapes, this is quite the tedious task if you ask me. Then cube your Swiss, and cup up your apple. Add all of that into a bowl, and then add the lemon juice. This keeps your apples from turning brown. Then add your celery and nuts, if you so choose (I didn't), and then drain your chicken and add that to your bowl. Measure out your Mayo and mix it with all your ingredients, add Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper, mix well. Serve immediately on your favorite bread or croissant, or cover and refrigerate. 

 Enjoy!
 

Chicken Enchiladas II

{another uber good chicken enchilada recipe from yours truly}
I wanted to try this recipe since I was growing bored with the ones I normally make. I have to admit, these ones were good but I think I still prefer my originals better. These however, are a bit more healthy and have more of a spicy kick!

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1 cup sour cream
1 (7 oz.) can chopped green chilies
1/2 onion, chopped 
2 tablespoons butter
4 cups shredded Kraft Tex Mex mix cheese
8 flour tortillas
1 1/2 cup taco sauce (mild)
1 cup chunky salsa

Directions:
Combine chicken, sour cream, and green chilies. Set aside. In another pan saute onions in butter until golden. Add onion, and 2 cups cheese to chicken mixture. Spoon about 2-3 spoon fulls of the chicken mixture into each tortilla. Roll up and place close together in greased pan (I had to use one 9x13 and one 8x8). Mix taco sauce and salsa together in a bowl, and spoon 3 spoon fulls on to each enchilada. Cover with remaining cheese and bake at 350F for 20 to 30 minutes. 

 Ole!

Lemon Pepper Chicken

{so simple, you think I'm joking}
I actually got this recipe from my dear, older sister. She's a genius.

Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, halved
4-8 tablespoons lemon juice (more or less to your tastes)
Lemon Pepper
Salt and Pepper to taste


Directions:
Cut and wash chicken breasts. Take 4 pieces of aluminum foil, at least 6 inches long, and place one chicken breast on each piece of foil. Fold up the edges of the foil to create a boat around the chicken, this makes it easier when pouring the lemon juice on so it doesn't run all over the place. Next pour your desired amount of lemon juice onto chicken. Then generously sprinkle each chicken breast with Lemon Pepper, and just a dash of salt and pepper. You could even add a little Thyme to mix. Close all the edges of the foil to create a pocket. Place each chicken pocket on a cookie sheet and bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes. Careful, the steam from the pockets will be hot! 

 Bon Appetit! 

Cafe Rio Chicken

{I should really get my own pictures of these}
Click here for the great blog in which this picture is originally taken.

Ingredients:
1 small bottle Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 lbs. chicken breast

Directions:
Cook all ingredients in a crock pot for 4 hours, shred meat and cook 1 additional hour.

Chicken Enchiladas

{Definitely in my top 5}

This recipe is adapted from Kevin and Amanda's Recipes, but I changed some things.

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1 small can of Old El Paso chopped green chilies

1, 8 oz. (250 g) package of cream cheese (you can use light cream cheese if you prefer)

4-6 small tortillas (see note below for larger servings)

2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack Cheese (I added some left over Mozzarella- highly recommended if you like cheese, like me)

1 tomato, chopped (optional, I used a little salsa)

1 pint whipping cream (Half and Half if you'd prefer)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a small frying pan, saute the chili's and the tomato for about 2 minutes. Add the cream cheese a little bit at a time, until well incorporated and melted. Add a couple pinches of the cheese and the chicken and stir until well mixed. Remove from heat. Grease a 9x9 baking dish with Pam. Fill each tortilla with a few spoon fulls of the chicken mixture, roll up and place in pan, seem side down. Once the pan is full, spoon the remaining chicken mixture over top of the filled tortillas. It should look something like this:

Next, sprinkle the rest of the Monterrey Jack over top and pour the cream over stop of the cheese. Cover with foil and pop it in the oven for about 25-30 minutes, remove foil and bake an additional 10-15 minutes until the cheese is slightly golden on the edges. 

*Note, you can use a larger baking dish and more tortillas if you have more mouths to feed ;) *