Creamy Chicken and Rotini Primavera

I just made this great recipe that my cousin showed me. It's easy, cheap, and delicious! My husband is a big fan, so I'm a big fan. The original recipe is found here.

Creamy Chicken & Rotini Primavera

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

1/2 pound dry rotini
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast - cubed (I use less)
1 pound frozen vegetable mix - thawed
4 ounces Neufchatel cheese (reduced fat cream cheese)
1/2 cup lite Italian dressing
1/2 cup 2% fat milk

Directions

1. Cook rotini per package directions to desired doneness. Drain well and keep warm.
2. Heat oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken cubes and cook until no longer pink.
3. Combine cream cheese, dressing and milk and whisk until smooth.
4. Add thawed frozen vegetables to chicken along with sauce mixture. Stir well and heat through - about 5 minutes. Serve. 

Angel Chicken

This is a great, easy dinner! Just throw it in the crockpot, smell it cooking all day, and then enjoy a delicious dinner. I think I found this recipe on the Kraft website somewhere.

Angel Chicken

Prep Time: 5 min

Total Time: 4 hr 5 min

Makes: 5 servings, 1 cup each

4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) cream cheese, softened

1 can  (10-3/4 oz.) reduced-sodium condensed cream of mushroom soup

1/4 cup KRAFT Tuscan House Italian Dressing and Marinade

1/4 cup  dry white wine (I use white grape juice)

1-1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces (I use chicken breasts)

1/2 lb.  angel hair pasta, uncooked

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

1. Beat cream cheese, soup, dressing and wine with whisk until blended; pour over chicken in slow cooker. Cook on LOW 4 to 5 hours (or on HIGH 2 to 3 hours).

2. Cook pasta as directed on package about 15 min. before chicken is done; drain. Serve topped with chicken mixture and parsley.

Enjoy!

Heather

Easy Fried Rice

This is one of my easy go-to recipes when I need something quick. I have it memorized because I'm made it about twice a month since we've gotten married. I just love how easy it is, and I've added things like an egg or one time I added sesame seeds. It's a fun recipe to play around with. I actually found it on the Disney website here.

Fried Rice

Hands-On Time: 10 minutes
Ready In: 10
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

4 cups cold cooked rice (I add lots to make up for less chicken)
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced (optional, I always use this)
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion
2 cups cooked and cubed chicken (optional, I do this much or less)
2 cups cooked veggies (optional, I always do 3-4 cups)
2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as vegetable or canola (I haven't used any oil since I first made it because I have a Teflon wok. We think it tastes better without the oil)

Directions

1. Heat a wok or large non-stick skillet over high heat.
2. When oil starts to "shimmer", turn the heat to medium-high.
3. If using garlic and/or green onions add to oil now and stir.
4. Add chicken and vegetables if using and mix well.
5. Quickly add rice and continue to stir until rice is separated and coated with oil or mixed evenly with chicken and veggies.
6. Sprinkle soy sauce over rice and stir until distributed well throughout rice.

*Ingredient Tips
Almost any veggie can be used -- we like frozen green peas or snow peas and julienned carrots. Beef, pork or shrimp are all good protein ideas. Make sure they are bite sized pieces and are cooked well before adding. Garlic is optional because it is not the norm for fried rice. I find it lends a delicious depth to the finished dish. Freshly grated ginger and a bit of sesame oil added with the neutral oil are nice additions. 

Cornflake Chicken

This is the chicken our family loves. Any special occasion, conference weekend, birthdays, Sunday dinner, etc, this is what we have. I want this every birthday. We always called it cornflake chicken, and I didn't know it had an actual name until my mom gave me the recipe when I got married.

Cornflake Chicken or Boneless Baked Parmesan
Chicken tenders or breasts
¼ cup margarine, melted
½ cup corn flake crumbs
¼ cup parmesan cheese
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper (or less)
½ tsp. salt

1. Place corn flakes in doubled plastic bag. Crush corn flakes with rolling pin. Add cheese, cayenne, and salt to plastic bag. Shake well.
2. Dip chicken in margarine. Then dip in corn flake mixture until evenly coated.
3. Arrange chicken in single layer in shallow baking pan.
4. Bake in 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

This recipe is also from my brother-in-law, and we really enjoy it. The Italian dressing adds the perfect amount of flavor. And we always use less chicken and add more vegetables. Veggies are good for you! I have only made this with the biscuits, so I don't know how the pie crust version is. The biscuits are so delicious though that I will probably always make it with biscuits.

Chicken Pot Pie
1 lb. Chicken (I usually use 1/2-3/4 of a pound) cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup Italian dressing
4 oz. (1/2 a package) of cream cheese
2 T flour
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 10 oz. pkg. mixed vegetables thawed (I usually use 16 oz. or more to make up for less chicken)
1 pie crust (you can buy or make your own, or you can make these biscuits and put them on bottom and top.)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cook chicken in dressing in large skillet on medium heat 2 min.
3. Add cream cheese and stir until melted.
4. Add flour; mix well.
5. Add broth and vegetables; simmer 5 minutes. If it seems to thick add more chicken broth to make it creamier.
6. Pour mixture into pie plate if using pie crust or into a 9x9 pan if using biscuits. Put pie crust over filling or arrange biscuits; cut 4 slits in crust to allow steam to escape. (I don't cut slits in the biscuits.)
7. Bake 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
Enjoy!

Heather

Honey-Lime Chicken Enchiladas

Don't be afraid of this recipe. When my husband first heard I was making this, he was afraid it would be too sweet. It does have honey in the title. After making it, we found it wasn't sweet at all but delicious! It has become one of our favorite meals to eat.

Honey-Lime Chicken Enchiladas
6 T honey
4.5 T lime juice
1 T chili powder
1/2 t garlic powder
1 lb cooked chicken, shredded (I never use a whole pound because it's expensive. I always use a little less and add a little rice to fill it in.)
flour totillas
colby or monterey jack cheese, shredded (I just use cheddar because it's cheapest. I have also used a Mexican blend of shredded cheese and that was tasty.)
10 oz. can green enchilada sauce (When using a 9x13 i like to use 1 1/2 10 oz. cans)

Mix first 4 ingredients together and toss with shredded chicken. Let it "marinate" for at least a half hour. Pour some green enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 10x10 casserole dish or 9x13 pan. Fill four tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese. Pour the rest of the can of green enchilada sauce over enchiladas then sprinkle with more cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 min. Put it under the broiler at the end to make the
cheese brown and crispy on the top.

I like to pair this with a yummy green salad and milk. Enjoy!

-Heather

Chicken & Stuffing Bake

This is one of my favorite recipes. Its fast and simple and my husband is pretty dang content with any recipe that involves cream of chicken soup! The ranch seasoning is basically my universal seasoning that I put in just about everything- all it is is the powdered mix that you can buy by the packet or in a jar at just about any grocery store, but you dont have to have it. Hope you like it!

1 pkg Stuffing (Stovetop is my fave)
1 lb of chicken , cut into 1in pieces
1/4 C. sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 tbsp ranch mix seasoning (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Prepare stuffing according to directions, set aside
3. Mix chicken with cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and ranch seasoning in 9x9 dish
4.Top with stuffing
5. Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is done

Happy Eating!!!

~Jamie