An A+ from my hubby!

Our local store, Hy-Vee, had a recipe for Sour Cream Chicken last week, but when I got home the paper was already taken to the recycler. So I googled it and this is what I came up with! This was seriously simple and oh so good, I would recomend serving it with noodles to sop up some of the delicious sauce!

From Cooks.com

CHICKEN BREASTS IN SOUR CREAM

4 chicken breasts
1 (3 oz.) can sliced mushrooms
1 (10 oz.) can mushroom soup (used cream of chicken)
1/2 soup can sherry (didn't have so I didn't use)
1 c. sour cream
Paprika
Salt & pepper

Arrange chicken in single layer in shallow pan. Salt and pepper. Cover with mushrooms. Mix soup, sherry, and sour cream until blended. Cover chicken with mixture - dust with paprika.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.

Crystal's chicken creation

This entire pregnancy I have craved beans and I needed dinner the other day for me and the hubby so I opened up the pantry and fridge and this is what I came up with:

1 can rotel
1 can corn
1 can white beans
3 frozen chicken breasts
1 bottle of Italian dressing (I used light/zesty)
1/4 box of chicken broth

Put everything in your crockpot and cook on low for about 6 hours!

I served this with some Krash potatoes, and it was oh so good!

Spicy Orange Chicken Drumsticks and green beans

I picked up the new Real Simple for the wonderful recipes in it this month. This was one of them and it didn't fail to meet my expectations! It was so simple and oh so yummy. I didn't make the green beans because my local store didn't have any, which yes upset me! So I fixed hubby canned green beans and I had a salad. I doubled the sauce as I made like 12 drumsticks and it was the perfect amount!

1/4 cup orange marmalade
1/2 teaspoon chili-garlic sauce (found in the Asian section of the supermarket)
8 chicken drumsticks (about 2 1/2 pounds)
kosher salt and black pepper
1 pound green beans
1 tablespoon butter
4 corn bread muffins, warmed (we used rolls)

Directions
Heat oven to 400º F. In a small bowl, mix the marmalade and chili-garlic sauce.
Season the chicken with 1⁄2 teaspoon salt and 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper. Roast on a foil-lined baking sheet until cooked through, 35 to 40 minutes, brushing with the marmalade mixture during the last 10 minutes of cooking.
Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the green beans until tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Drain and toss with the butter and 1⁄4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Serve with the chicken and muffins.

My take on Baja Chicken Soup--Take 2

So I got the new Real Simple just for the month of menus. There are some great recipes in there so this is my take on it! I am not a big soup person, but this was awesome. You get nice heat from the ro-tel, perfect!

1 32 oz carton of low sodium chicken broth
1 can black beans (not rinsed)
1 can ro-tel
1 package of chicken breast (refrigerated section) (I was gonna use a rotisserie chicken but they didn't have any it calls for 2 cups)
1 can corn
8 oz sour cream (buy a bigger thing of it because you'll want more for your bowl)

Throw it all in a stock pot and let it go. I started it on med but turned it down once it was simmering nicely. Whisk in sour cream. Serve with crackers or corn muffins!

Sweet and Spicy Bacon Chicken

Sweet and Spicy Bacon Chicken

This was a quick and easy dish to make while we were working on remodeling our house. I had everything on hand and it made for a wonderful dish!

4 chicken breasts cut in thirds (12 pieces)
Bacon slices
salt and pepper to taste
garlic powder
chili powder
brown sugar

Cut each breast into 3 pieces, season all the chicken with the spices, then wrap a bacon slice around each piece, roll in brown sugar and place into an oven proof dish....make sure you have some olive oil in the dish too, like 2 or 3 tablespoons is fine.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and bacon is nice and brown and crispy.


Update 7/19/10
I made this again last night and made it with chicken tenders and used about 10 slices of bacon cut in 1/2. I also cooked them at 350 and it only took about 20 minutes (I used my meat thermometer) I have got to remember this recipe...so good!

Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

One of my hubby's coworkers passed out 2 recipes, this one and an italian parm chicken (to make at a later date). We were hanging out on Saturday with not much to do so we decided to make these for lunch. The were really good! I will not add water to the mixture like the recipe calls for next time as it made it too drippy! This is how I made it:

2 large cans chicken (with white and dark meat)
1/2 cup of hot sauce (used a bottle I had in the fridge, but I really want to try it with Franks)
1/4 cup ranch dressing (I added this)

Sauce:
1/4 cup Miracle Whip
1/4 cup ranch dressing

Heat the chicken and hot sauce in a pan over med-low heat until it simmers. Stir in the 1/4 cup of ranch dressing. Reduce heat to low. Simmer until it's heated through.

Meanwhile mix sauce. Spread on bread and top with chicken mixture. Enjoy! This made enough for 3 sandwiches on reg. bread. (Not sure how much hubby put in his though)!

My take on Baja Chicken Soup

At our local bar & grill they have the best Baja Chicken Soup so I thought I would try and re-create it at home. This is how I did it!

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut in bite size pieces
1 tbl olive oil
1 can cheddar cheese soup
3 cups chicken broth
1 can ro-tel
2 cans black beans drained and rinsed
1 can corn
1 packed taco seasoning

Place olive oil in stock pan, heat over medium heat, throw in chicken. Cook until it's white on outside. (It will cook more so make sure and don't cook all the way through). Place can of soup and chicken broth in pot and bring to boil. Then place rotel, beans and corn in pot. Season to your taste with seasoning packet (I only used 1/2 for us). Simmer until heated through and ready to eat.

Goat Cheese Chicken

This is another recipe brought about due to me having some goat cheese on hand. We absolutely love goat cheese and I thought what could be better than combining it with chicken!
1/4 of a log of soft goat cheese
3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts pounded to 1/8"
3 Tbl marinara sauce (again I use Prego)
1/3 cup italian bread crumbs
1/3 cup parmesan cheese

Combine bread crumbs and parmesan cheese together in a shallow dish. Spread enough goat cheese to cover the chicken and then place 1 tbl of the marinara on each chicken breast. Roll the chicken up. Coat in the parmesan cheese/bread crumb mixture. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 400 for about 20 mins (I use a meat thermometer so I'm not sure on cooking time).

Bourbon Chicken

This is another recipe (and picture) that I stole off My Kitchen Cafe She is quickly becoming my favorite blogger!
Bourbon Chicken
adapted from Blog Chef as seen on My Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients:
2lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 tablespoons oil (for pan-frying)
cornstarch (for dusting, optional)

Sauce:
1 garlic clove (minced)
¼ teaspoon ginger (I used ground ginger)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
¼ cup apple juice
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
½ cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce

Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces, and if you choose lightly dust with cornstarch. Heat oil in your wok and fry chicken bits in batches until lightly browned. Drain on paper towels and set aside.

In a bowl combine all sauce ingredients. Pour into wok and bring to a boil. Add chicken bits back to the pan, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Orange Chicken

I had this on my "to make" list for awhile and couldn't hardly wait any longer. You see I LOVE anything Chinese and thought this was a great alternative to the fried yumminess that is the usual Chinese food. This recipe did not disappoint! It came from another of my fave blogs: MyKitchenCafe, I love her stuff!

Orange Chicken
adapted from Blog Chef as seen on MyKitchenCafe

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2" cubes
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons oil or butter

1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon finely minced ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons green onion
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup water

Heat oven to 350. In a shallow dish combine the flour, garlic powder and pepper. Dip each piece of chicken in flour mixture and coat evenly.

Pour oil (or melt butter and pour) in a shallow baking dish, large enough to accommodate chicken in a single layer. Arrange chicken in pan and bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan combine water, fresh orange juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce, orange zest and whisk over medium heat for a few minutes. Then stir in brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and green onion and let it come to a boil. Combine cornstarch with water and let it dissolve and add it to the sauce until thickened.

After chicken has baked the 30 minutes, turn each piece over and pour 1/2 sauce mixture evenly over chicken. Bake another 30 to 40 minutes basting frequently.

Serve chicken over rice with extra sauce on the side.

Lime and Chili-Rubbed Chicken Breasts

I got Betty Crocker 30 minute meals for diabetes for Christmas from my hubby. Okay well I ordered it and he said he'd include it in part of my Christmas presents because you see I have an obsession with cookbooks and could never have too many! I thought I'd finally look at it last night and found some recipes I just can't wait to make. This first one got rave reviews from the hubby and I thought it was pretty darn good myself.

2 tsps chili powder
2 tsps packed brown sugar
2 tsps grated lime peel (I didn't have a lime so I soaked my chicken breasts in botteled lime juice instead of rubbing it with the oil and it was perfect)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder (since I don't think you can EVER have too much garlic I used 1/2 tsp)
1/8 tsp ground red pepper (cayenne) (I didn't have this so I used 1/8 of red chili flakes)
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 lb)
2 tsps olive or canola oil

Heat gas or charcoal grill. In small bowl mix chili powder, brown sugar, lime peel, salt, garlic powder and ground red pepper. Rub both sides of chicken with oil, then with spice mixture.

Place chicken on grill over medium heat. Cover grill; cook 10 to 15 minutes, turning once or twice, until juice runs clear when cut at the thickest part (170 degrees).

Betty's Tips:
Refrigerating the "rubbed" chicken 20 to 30 minutes before grilling really enhances the flavor (I did mine about 20 minutes and it was really juicy).

You can also bake the chicken. Place the rubbed chicken in a foil lined shallow baking dish and bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes. (I also did this and with my handy dandy, insert while in oven, thermometer it took about 20 minutes to reach 165.

I served this with the lovely Crash potatoes and some corn! YUM!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

This dip is also known as Crack Dip because it is so darn addicting. I finally made it after seeing all of the girls on the What's Cooking board making it. I knew my dad would love it so I made it for our Christmas with my family. I was right my dad loved it along with my sisters and hubby!

Buffalo Chicken Dip
adapted from the What's Cooking board
I got it off cookingthisandthats blog

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts cooked and shredded
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup blue cheese or ranch dressing
3/4 cup hot pepper sauce (I like the Frank's Buffalo sauce)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat chicken and hot sauce in a skillet over medium heat, until heated through. Stir in cream cheese and blue cheese dressing. Cook, stirring until blended and warm. Mix in the cheddar cheese and transfer to a 2 quart baking dish.
Cook for 20 minutes or until bubbly.

Quick, easy and yummy dinner

The girls on my board, What's Cooking through the nest, have been talking about this recipe for a month. Seeing that I absolutely LOVE Laughing Cow Cheese I decided to make it finally. I am so glad I did because it will stay in the rotation!

Laughing Cow Cheese
found on lovedeliciousness
Unknown original source

Ingredients


* 2 chicken breasts, my chicken was pretty thin so I pounded down first
* 2 wedges Laughing Cow light cheese (one per breast)
* Italian seasoning to taste
* 1/4 cup dried bread crumbs (we used seasoned)
* Handful grated parmesan cheese
* Cooking spray


Directions


1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Spread one wedge of Laughing Cow cheese on top of each piece of chicken. Sprinkle italian seasoning on top to taste. Roll chicken starting at large end.
3. Mix together bread crumbs and parmesan cheese in a shallow dish. Spray each chicken breast with cooking spray and then dip in bread crumb mixture to coat. Place on baking sheet. If needed you can use toothpicks to hold chicken in shape.
4. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.




Roasted Garlic Fries
While I was looking for the Laughing Cow Cheese Chicken and I was on lovedeliciousness's blog I found her recipe for Garlic Fries. Since I had a bag of potatoes that needed to be used up I thought I would make them. I am so glad I did they were a perfect match for the chicken!

Ingredients


* 2-3 potatoes for two people
* Garlic powder
* Salt and pepper
* EVOO


Directions


1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.--I did it in a 400 degree oven with the chicken
2. Cut potatoes into french fry strips. Toss with EVOO, salt, pepper, garlic (and any other seasonings you like!)
3. Bake in oven for 30-45 minutes or until crispy.

Fast and easy Chicken & Noodles

This is another recipe from the Gooseberry Patch Speedy Suppers cookbook that has been my bible, especially with being down from my MS, it's been a lifesaver these last few months! This is yummy and easy! There are some additions/changes I have made, but I think for the better =)

1 bag frozen egg noodles
1 1b. boneless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces (I used 3 chicken breasts)
pam for pan
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 can cream of corn

Cook egg noodles according to package.
Cook chicken in Pam over med-high heat until cooked through and golden. About 1/2 way through sprinkle the garlic salt over the chicken for flavor.
Drain egg noodles and put chicken in pot and the rest of the ingredients. Cook until heated through.

I served this with Crescent Rolls that had been covered with butter and parmesan cheese before baking, they were DELICIOUS!

Taco Chicken

I had a recipe for Taco chicken, but decided I needed to spice it up a little so I combined ideas from a different chicken recipe to come up with this! It was wonderful. I served it with a can of black beans mixed with a can of corn, with a Tbl of a cilantro mix I have from TasteFully Simple, I heated it up and it was a great addition it will definitely stay in our sides rotation! Sorry about the photos, all I had at the time was my camera phone!


4 boneless skinless chicken breasts pounded as thin as you can get them
1/4 cup light sour cream
1 1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used Mexican blend)
1 taco seasoning packet
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix the sour cream with the shredded cheese. Spread an over-flowing tsp of mixture on each chicken breat. Roll up starting with smallest end. Combine parmesan cheese and taco packet together on a plate. Roll chicken through this mixture to coat. Place on sprayed cookie sheet and bake 20 mins or until 160 degrees.

Baked chicken-bacon purses

This recipe came to be after having leftover ingredients from the Baked Crab Rangoons. I started playing in the kitchen with ingredients I had on hand and this is what I came up with. We had a fun dinner consisting of appetizers!

12 wonton wrappers
4 oz cream cheese
1 can diced chicken meat
1/4 cup bacon pieces (I used the bacon in the refrigerator section that's already in pieces)
sprinkle of garlic & herb seasoning

Preheat oven to 350.
Put the wonton wrappers in muffin tins.
Mix together remaining ingredients.
Put about a tablespoon in each wonton wrapper then fold corners together to form a "purse".
Bake for about 18-20 minutes.

Easy Week

Okay so it's been an easy cooking week and therefor I have taken no pictures!

Monday I made Chicken Fingers:
1 package of Ritz crackers
1 tsp parsley flakes
1 Tbl garlic powder
2 egg whites
2 Tbl water
I used 2 lbs of chicken tenders

Crush Ritz crackers, stir in parsley and garlic powder. In another bowl whisk together egg whites and water. Put chicken into egg mixture then dredge in cracker mixture and lay on pan sprayed with cooking spray. Bake 450 for about 15 minutes or until no longer pink in middle.

I served the fingers with some store bought Sweet and Regular fries!

Tuesday I made a crockpot pot roast and roasted potatoes
for the roast: Put a pot roast in the crockpot, I poured a can of Cherry Coke over it then cover with BBQ sauce. Set on low and cooked about 9 hours then turned to warm until we were ready to eat.

So then I went to make the roasted red potatoes only to find my potatoes shriveled up...so off to the store I go in my night clothes and no bra! I set the oven to about 425 and when I got home scrubed the potatoes, then cut them into bite size pieces, tossed them with some EVOO and garlic & herb seasoning. Put them on a pan sprayed well with cooking spray and cooked them for about 30 minutes.

I served this with peas (for me) and green beans (for my hubby)

Parmesan-Ranch Crispy Chicken

Parmesan-Ranch Crispy Chicken

4 boneless skinless Chicken Breasts
1/2 cup mayo (I used miracle whip)
1 Tbl lemon juice
2 Tbl dry ranch mix
25 crackers crushed (I used the new multi-grain Club)
1/4 Cup Parmesan cheese

Mix mayo, lemon juice and ranch dressing together in a bowl. Mix crackers and cheese in another bowl. Place chicken in mayo mixutre then the cracker mixture place on a cookie sheet sprayed with pam. Cook at 400 degrees for 20-30 min until chicken reaches 170 degrees.

I served mine with steamed green beans and new potatoes, stuffing and breadsticks.

Recipe from Kraftfoods.com will adjustments by me