Tag: chicken

Good Eats!

Chicken Enchilada Rice Casserole

LifePrettyPlainLeave a comment
It’s no secret that we love Mexican food, especially when it’s easy to make and tastes this good!  To keep it quick and simple I used a rotisserie chicken I picked up from the grocery store deli.  I usually keep jasmine rice on hand so I used that instead of the Basmati.  I already a bunch of cheddar jack cheese so I used that instead of the white cheddar (any cheese will work) and I was surprised to find that Harris Teeter had refried black beans which we like better than pinto beans.  I’m fan of cilantro so instead of using it as a garnish I added it to the mix before baking and I used some green onions as the garnish.  Oh and it’s just wrong to serve any kind of Mexican dish without a dollop of sour cream (or substitute with greek yogurt).
IMG_0896Ingredients
  • 3 cooked chicken breasts, shredded
  • 2 cups dry Basmati rice
  • 2 cans (10 oz each) Enchilada sauce
  • 1 can (16 oz) refried beans
  • 1 cup white cheddar, shredded
  • 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
  • 1 can (11 oz) corn kernel
  • cilantro for garnish
  • salt and ground black pepper to taste
Preparation:IMG_0898

Cook the rice. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.  Mix the 2 cheeses together.

In a large bowl mix the shredded chicken with the enchilada sauce, refried beans and half of the cheese. Add rice, season with salt and pepper if needed, and mix well. Pour rice mixture into a large casserole dish. Top with corn then with remainder of cheese.

Bake for about 20 to 30 minutes or until cheese melts and is bubbly.  Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve warm.

Adapted from:  Jo Cooks

Good Eats!

Chicken Chickpea Chopped Salad

LifePrettyPlainLeave a comment

I’m always on the lookout for easy, healthy salads.  We make salad for dinner at least once a week and often make them to take to work for lunches.  For this one, I got a rotisserie chicken from the deli at the grocery store and made a huge bowl with extra for leftovers.  I’m not a huge fan of BBQ sauce so instead of the BBQ dressing, I used the same lime vinaigrette from Sriracha Lime Chicken.  With the chicken and chickpeas it was a pretty filling salad.

IngredientsIMG_0612
  • 2 large romaine hearts, washed and chopped
  • 1 cup pulled cooked chicken breast
  • 1 (15.5 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
  • 3/4 cup sweet corn
  • 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
  • 1/3 cup cilantro, washed and chopped
  • 1 small avocado, diced
  • 1/2 cup BBQ sauce for dressing, if desired
Preparation

In a large bowl, add lettuce, top with all ingredients except for avocado and dressing. Toss salad gently.

Place into cold salad bowls. Garnish with diced avocado and drizzle with dressing if desired. Serve with low-fat corn tortilla strips.

Adapted from:  Ambitious Kitchen

Good Eats!

Sriracha Lime Chicken

LifePrettyPlain2 Comments
Salads are great for dinner in the summer, especially with fresh ingredients and fruit.  I love the pineapple and the kick of the sriracha on the chicken.  The hubs doesn’t even like pineapple but he said he’d totally want this again.  And I’ve used the Lime Vinaigrette on several other salads.
Ingredients:
  • 2 chicken breasts
  • 3 tbsp sriracha
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 4 cups lettuce, chopped
  • 8 pineapple slices
  • 1 cup grape tomatoes
  • 1/3 cup red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 avocado, cubed
Lime Vinaigrette
  • 1/3 cup light olive oil
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 limes, juiced
  • 2 tsp raw honey
  • Dash sea salt
Instructions

Heat the grill and season chicken with salt and pepper.  In a bowl, combine sriracha and lime.  Add chicken and marinade in the fridge for at least 20 minutes, the longer the better.  Add chicken to the grill.  Cut pineapple and add to grill for 3-4 minutes on each side.  Chop lettuce, avocado, tomato and red onion, mix with the chicken.  Whisk together ingredients for dressing and toss salad.

Source:  Lexi’s Clean Chicken

Good Eats!

Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken

LifePrettyPlainLeave a comment

This time of year I tend to make more crock pot meals than usual.  It’s so wonderful to come home and dinner is already done – especially now that it’s dark by the time I get home from work.  This would be great over rice, but since we just had rice the night before I had planned to serve this on flour tortillas.  Unfortunately, when we were ready to eat it was still very soupy.  So instead of having soggy tacos I actually drained it a little bit.  Even if it was served over rice I think it was a little runnier than I would prefer and I had drained my tomatoes and beans beforehand.  Next time I will use less of the chicken broth and maybe try canned corn instead of frozen.

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 lb chicken
  • 1 (14.4 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies
  • 1 (15 oz) can black beans
  • 8 oz frozen corn
  • 1 (14.4 oz) can chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 3 scallions, chopped
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • salt & pepper

Preparation:

Combine the chicken broth, beans, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, scallions, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin,cayenne pepper in the crock pot.  Season the chicken with salt/pepper and lay on top.  Cook on low for 10 hours or high for six hours.  Half an hour before serving, shred the chicken and return to crock pot.

Source:  Chef in Training

Good Eats!

Mango Chicken Salad

LifePrettyPlainLeave a comment

Let’s face it, who doesn’t love Mango?  But I’m talking about the fruit not Chris Kattan‘s character on Saturday Night Live.  :)

I decided to try this for dinner one night when I didn’t really feel like cooking cause it seems easy enough.   This was super quick and would be great for a light dinner or lunches.  Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/2 lb. chicken breast
  • 1 tbs garlic
  • 1 tbs diced jalapeno
  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 mango
  • 1 cup celery, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons light olive oil mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons plain low fat Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro
  • 2 tbs diced red onion
  • 1 cup black beans
  • splash of lime juice

PREPARATION

Saute garlic and jalapeno in oil over medium-high heat until soft, about 1 minute.  Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper and chili powder. Cook chicken in skillet until cooked through and brown on the outside, about 4 minutes per side.  After chicken has cooled, dice into small pieces.  Toss celery,  mango, red onion, black beans and cooled chicken in a large bowl.  Stir in mayonnaise, Greek yogurt and splash of lime juice.  Garnish with cilantro.

Source:  Pinch of Yum

Good Eats!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

LifePrettyPlainLeave a comment

This is so good!  I’ve had buffalo chicken dip before but never made it myself.  This recipe is super easy, and works great with bread, crackers, pita chips or even celery.  I made a large casserole dish for game nite and only had about a spoonful left.

INGREDIENTS

  • 8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup ranch salad dressing
  • 1/4 cup blue cheese salad dressing
  • 1/2 cup buffalo sauce or buffalo style barbecue sauce
  • 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese (shredded mozzarella cheese can be substituted)
  • 2 cups shredded meat from a fully cooked rotisserie chicken

PREPARATION

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a deep baking dish, mix cream cheese, salad dress, buffalo sauce, and cheese.  Stir until combined.  Stir in chicken.

Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes, until the dish is heated through.  Serve with crackers, pita chips, sliced bread or vegetables.

Source:  The Bitten Word

Good Eats!

Chicken Pot Pie

LifePrettyPlainLeave a comment

I am a big fan of pot pie and this one was really easy.  Instead of the chicken breasts I picked up a rotisserie chicken from Lowes.  It was really good, there wasn’t much leftover!

INGREDIENTS

Filling

  • 4 chicken breasts; cooked, cubed
  • 1/4 cup chicken broth
  • 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of mushroom soup, condensed
  • 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of chicken soup, condensed
  • 1 10 oz mixed vegetables, frozen without lima beans
  • 1 small onion, chopped

Crust

  • 1 stick of butter or margarine, melted
  • 1 1/4 cup Bisquick
  • 1 cup milk

PREPARATION

Mix all filling ingredients together and pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan (or a large casserole with deep sides if that’s all you’ve got, either way works).  For the crust, mix the butter, bisquick, & milk. Pour over chicken mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes.

Source:  Big Oven

Good Eats!

Baked Chicken with Spinach, Pears & Blue cheese

LifePrettyPlainLeave a comment

Oh my gosh, this was wonderful!  I used thin sliced chicken and I also used yellow onion and brown rice vinegar because I didn’t have a red onion or apple cider vinegar on hand.  This made a complete dinner all on it’s own.  The only problem?  There wasn’t any left!

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1/2 cup diced red onion
  • 4 to 6 cups spinach, washed, dried, stems removed
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 ripe Anjou pears, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 3/4 cup blue cheese crumbles

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 375°F. Generously season each chicken breast with salt and pepper. In a large, oven-proof skillet heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and sear breasts 2 to 3 minutes each side until lightly golden. Place pan in oven and bake until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes.

While chicken is cooking, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pan over medium heat and sauté red onion until just softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add spinach and toss until wilted. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a large platter or divide evenly between 4 plates. Wipe out pan and heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil with vinegar. Add pears and gently heat until warm. Stir in parsley. Arrange cooked chicken breasts on spinach. Top with warmed pear slices and about 2 tablespoons blue cheese per breast.

Source:  Whole Foods

Good Eats!

Grilled Chicken & Peaches with Chipotle-Peach Dressing

LifePrettyPlainLeave a comment

I paired the chicken with couscous.  This was great and the peaches smell wonderful!

INGREDIENTS

  • Nonstick vegetable oil spray
  • 1/3 cup peach preserves
  • 1/3 cup peach nectar
  • 4 teaspoons red wine vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons adobo sauce from canned chipotle chiles
  • 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for brushing
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro plus sprigs for garnish
  • 3 large peaches, rinsed, fuzz wiped away, each cut into 8 wedges
  • 4 boneless chicken breast halves with skin
PREPARATION

Coat grill rack with nonstick spray. Prepare grill (medium-high heat). Stir preserves, next 3 ingredients, 2 teaspoons oil, and chopped cilantro in medium bowl; season dressing with salt and pepper. Transfer 1/4 cup dressing to small bowl.

Brush peaches, then chicken with oil and dressing from small bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill chicken until cooked through, about 7 minutes per side. Grill peaches until slightly charred, about 2 minutes per side.

Place 1 chicken breast on each of 4 plates. Surround with peaches. Drizzle dressing from medium bowl over chicken and peaches. Garnish with cilantro sprigs.

Source:  Epicurious
Good Eats!

Chicken Pasta

LifePrettyPlainLeave a comment

This is one I got from a friend several years ago and I’ve made it tons of times since then.  I know what you might be thinking – grapes, really?  Yes, it may sound weird, but the grapes are a necessity!  :)

INGREDIENTS

  • skinless, boneless chicken
  • penne pasta (rigatoni works well too)
  • cucumber, diced
  • red seedless grapes, halved
  • carrots (I prefer shredded)
  • cheddar cheese, cubed
  • Italian dressing

I don’t really measure anything here – usually about 3-4 pieces of chicken and half a box of pasta… the rest will depend on your tastes.

PREPARATION

Boil pasta until cooked, rinse with cold water and cool.  Cut up chicken into bite size pieces and cook until no longer pink.   After chicken & pasta are cooled, mix with remaining ingredients.