Chicken and Broccoli Braid

Ingredients

• 2 cups diced, cooked chicken meat
• 1 cup fresh broccoli, chopped
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 clove crushed garlic
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons dried dill weed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons slivered almonds
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 2 (8 ounce) packages refrigerated crescent rolls
• 1 egg white, beaten

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees F).
2. In a large bowl, toss together chicken, broccoli, red bell pepper, garlic, Cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, dill weed, salt, almonds and onion.
3. Unroll crescent roll dough, and arrange flat on a medium baking sheet. Pinch together perforations to form a single sheet of dough. Using a knife or scissors, cut 1 inch wide strips in towards the center, starting on the long sides. There should be a solid strip about 3 inches wide down the center, with the cut strips forming a fringe down each side. Spread the chicken mixture along the center strip. Fold the side strips over chicken mixture, alternating strips from each side. Pinch or twist to seal.
4. Brush braided dough with the egg white. Bake in the preheated oven 25 to 28 minutes, or until golden brown.

Matzoh Ball Soup

Like homemade chicken noodle soup? Especially with homemade egg noodles? This is just as good if not better, and way easier and faster to make!

4 eggs
1 t salt
a few teaspoons favorite dried herbs, if desired
1/3 c plus 1 T water
1 c matzoh meal (found in a box or cardboard canister in the international aisle)
1/4 t black pepper
6 c poultry stock or chicken broth
1 1/2 c chicken
chopped carrots and onions, if desired
salt and pepper to taste

Beat eggs and salt for one minute. Stir in herbs, water, matzoh meal, and pepper until well blended. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and put in fridge.

Cut chicken into bite-size pieces. Cook chicken in broth at a low simmer until cooked (if you boil it too hard the chicken will become tough). Remove chicken from pot and set aside. Heat broth to boiling. Add chopped carrots and onions to broth. With wet hands, shape the matzoh mixture into 1 or 2 inch blobs. Drop gently into boiling broth. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 25 minutes. Add cooked chicken and salt and pepper.

Zesty Cream Cheese Chicken

Can be prepared in the crockpot or in the oven or stovetop

4-6 chicken breasts or equivalent

8 oz cream cheese

1 can of cream of chicken soup

1 packet of dried zesty Italian salad dressing mix

Crockpot: Sprinkle each piece of chicken with salad mix and put into crockpot with ¾ cup of water. Cook about 4 hours on low. Leave water in and take out the chicken. Into the water, whisk the cream cheese and the chicken soup. Add the chicken back in and cook for one more hour. Serve over rice or noodles.

Oven: Sprinkle each piece of chicken with salad mix and put into 9x13 glass pan with ¾ cup of water. Cook about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Leave water in and take out the chicken. Into the water, whisk the cream cheese and the chicken soup. Add the chicken back in and cook for 20 more minutes. Serve over rice or noodles.

Stovetop: Cut up chicken in bite size pieces. Using about 2 tsp of olive oil, sauté chicken in skillet with Italian dressing. Add 3/4 cup of water. When boiling take out chicken and whisk in the cream cheese and chicken soup. When it starts bubbling add the chicken back in and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve over rice or noodles.

Honey-Lemon Chicken

• 6 – 8 pieces Chicken, whole or cubed (for cubed see the note at bottom)
• 2 T. butter, melted
• 1/3 Honey
• ¼ Cup Lemon Juice
• 1 T. Soy Sauce

Wash Chicken and roll in flour, place on baking pan. Drizzle with melted butter. Bake chicken at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Mix together honey, lemon juice and soy sauce. Pour over chicken and bake another 30 minutes. Serve with Rice and steamed vegetables like snap peas, broccoli and carrots for a yummy and healthy dinner!

*If you cube the chicken cook 15 mins instead of each 30 mins or it will be dry and burned!

Quick and Easy Boneless Buffalo Chicken

Bag of Aldi Chicken Nuggets (I think they are actually called ...chicken breast, but they are chicken nuggets :).
Bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's Buffalo wings Sauce
cook as many nuggets as you want
Put cooked nuggets in a bowl, cover them with a decent (not lots) amount of sauce, and toss it up so that all the nuggets soak up the sauce.
Serve with Celery and Blue cheese dressing (I also like to add a potato side dish or french fries to the meal).

Alfredo Sauce

Alfredo Sauce (I think it feeds about 4-6), I usually double for my family, then I have left overs).

1/2 cup cream cheese
1 cup milk
3 tbsp of Parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp dry parsley (1/2 cup if fresh)

Use a blender or food processor. put cream cheese, milk, Parmesan, garlic, parsley, pepper, and salt in blender. Blend until there are no clumps. poor sauce into pan on medium heat, cook for about 10min.

Add whatever you want to sauce. I like onion, chicken and mushrooms. (recommends two cups of chicken for this recipe) Can garnish with fresh parsley and fresh Parmesan cheese if you want.

I liked to serve broccoli and maybe garlic toast with this meal

Mom's chicken enchiladas

1 can green enchilada sauce (the big one)
1 can whole tomatoes (14 1/2 oz)
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 C)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/4 C chopped fresh cilantro
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained (15-16 oz)
1 C low-fat or regular ricotta cheese
1 tsp ground cumin
1 package Chihuahua cheese (mexican cheese. look in the "specialty cheeses" it's round and white)
tortillas of your choice.
some cooked chopped chicken. ( just boil some, de-bone it, and chop)

Drain the can of tomatoes. Mix all (except enchilada sauce) ingredients together.
Cut Chihuahua cheese into rectangles.
Scoop mix onto tortillas, add a rectangle of cheese to each before rolling.
Pour sauce over top of enchiladas in pan. Place any left over cheese on top.
Bake. Probably 20-25 minutes. Until tortillas edges are crisp and sauce is bubbly.

Great Freezer meal!

Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients:

CHICKEN & GRAVY:

· About 4 c cooked chicken or turkey, cut into bite-size pieces

· Cooked peas and/or carrots (optional)

· 4 T butter

· 4 T flour

· 3 to 4 c milk

· A few dashes of favorite dried herbs such as basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano

DUMPLINGS:

· 2 c flour

· 1 T baking powder

· ¾ t salt

· A few dashes of favorite dried herbs

· 3 T butter

· 1 c milk

Directions:

For the Gravy:

1. Melt butter in a large skillet

2. With heat at medium, quickly stir in flour with a whisk so that there are no lumps

3. While stirring constantly with the whisk, gradually add 3 c milk and bring gravy to a simmer to thicken

4. If it is too thick, add a little more milk

5. Stir in herbs, salt, pepper, peas and carrots, and chicken

For the Dumplings:

1. Mix flour with baking powder, salt and herbs

2. In a small saucepan, heat butter and milk to a simmer and add to dry ingredients

3. Separate dough into 1 inch blobs and drop onto surface of gravy mixture

4. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes

Sunday Chicken

This recipe is Katja-approved, which is a really big deal in my recipe book. Next to a good ole pot roast, this is my favorite Sunday meal and we have it at least once a month around here. Make sure to serve it with mashed potatoes AND rice. Growing up we were a house divided on whether it should be a potato or rice meal. My dear mom, bless her heart, settled matters by declaring that it was both. Now it just doesn't seem right unless you have a little bit of potato and a little bit of rice (but if you have to choose, go with mashed potatoes. Go team potatoes!). We usually serve it with steamed broccoli, cauliflower and carrots and fresh rolls as well.

½ cup flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp paprika

½ tsp pepper

Cubed chicken (we usually do one big chicken breast, but we're not big meat eaters)

1/4 cup shortening

1 onion, diced

2 stalks celery, chopped

Spoonful garlic

1 can chicken broth

1 can cream of chicken

Spoonful Chicken soup base (optional)

1 Tbsp lemon juice or sour cream (optional)

1/4 tsp Thyme

Combine flour, salt, paprika and pepper in a large ziplock baggie. Add the cubed chicken and shake until fully coated. Melt shortening in a large skillet and add battered chicken. Brown chicken on all sides and then transfer the chicken to a large roasting pan. Using leftover shortening, saute onion, celery and garlic until the onion is clear and the garlic is fragrant.  Add chicken broth, cream of chicken soup and the rest of the shaker bag (and the soup base and lemon juice or sour cream, if desired). Heat through and pour over the chicken in the roasting pan. Sprinkle with ¼ tsp Thyme

Cover with aluminum foil and cook at 350 for 45 min-1 hrs

Creamy Chicken Taquitos

My friend Lindsay posted this recipe and she got it from here. I'm in love with it. And Jeff gives six out of five stars. It's a great alternative to our deep fried enchiladas when we're feeling  like being healthier. We love to serve it with sour cream, salsa, guacamole and refried beans.

1/3 cup softened cream cheese (you can use reduced fat!)

1/4 cup green salsa (Salsa Verde) or green enchilada sauce

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

2 cups cooked shredded chicken

1 cup grated pepper jack cheese

1 small can diced green chilis

20 small (6 inch) flour (we like wheat!) tortillas or you can use the "burrito" size and just cut them in half.

Cooking Spray

Mix seasonings, green sauce, and cream cheese then add chicken and cheese.  Put about two tablespoons of the mixture in a tortilla (I usually use the "burrito" size and then cut them in half, so I put the mixture along the cut side) then roll up tight and place seam side down on a baking sheet. At this point you can either freeze them (by putting them in the freezer on the baking sheet until they are hard and then move them to a freezer bag for later) or if you are using them tonight spray them with cooking spray and sprinkle them with salt.

Bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes (or just until they are crisp, really).

Coconut Chicken Curry

This is the best Coconut Chicken Curry that I have ever had outside of a restaurant. At first the potatoes over rice thing seemed weird to me, but it melts in your mouth. Even my curry-hating husband eats this and takes the leftovers to school for lunch. It is originally found at Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch chunks or strips
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika (or you can substitute cayenne pepper to make it spicier.  I've never tried this.)
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 medium red potatoes, cut into chunks
1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk, light or regular
1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, Italian style
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
3 tablespoons sugar
Hot cooked Jasmine rice or brown rice

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Combine oil, curry powder, and paprika in a large skillet or saucepan and cook over medium-low heat for two minutes, until fragrant. Turn the heat up to medium and stir in onions and garlic and cook 7-9 minutes more or until onions are very clear. Add chicken, tossing lightly to coat with curry oil and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and is cooked through or nearly cooked through (it will cook more as it simmers later). Add potatoes, coconut milk, tomatoes (lightly crushed with your fingers), tomato sauce, and sugar. Cover and simmer for about 30-40 minutes.  Serve with rice of your choice.