Mexican Chicken Soup (Crock Pot)

1 1/4 pounds chicken (I used 3 frozen breasts)
2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup
2 c. water
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained
1 (14oz.) can diced tomatoes w/ green chiles (Note: Rotel brand is only 10 oz.)
1 t. cumin
Sour cream (optional)
Corn chips (optional)

Combine all ingredients except chicken and sour cream in a large bowl. Pour half the mixture into a lined crock pot. Lay chicken breasts on top and cover with remaining soup mixture. Cover and cook on Low for 4-6 hours, or High for 2-3 hours. About 1/2 hour before serving, remove breasts and shred. Return to the pot and stir all to combine. Top with sour cream, if desired, and crushed corn chips. Or serve with a side of corn bread.

White Cheese Chicken Lasagne

9 lasagna noodles
1/2 c. butter
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. salt
2 c. chicken broth
1 1/2 c. milk
4 c. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 c. grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 t. dried basil
1 t. dried oregano
1/2 t. ground black pepper
2 c. ricotta cheese
2 c. cubed, cooked chicken meat
2 (10oz) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained (I use fresh)
1 T. chopped fresh parsley
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese for topping

preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8-10 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion and garlic in the butter until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in the flour and salt, and simmer until bubbly. Mix in the broth and milk, and boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Stir in 2 cups mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Season with the basil, oregano, and ground black pepper. remove from heat, and set aside.

spread 1/3 of the sauce mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer with 1/3 of the noodles, the ricotta and the chicken. Arrange 1/3 of the noodles over the chicken, and layer with 1/3 of the sauce mixture, spinach and the remaining 2 cups of mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Arrange remaining noodles over cheese, and spread remaining sauce evenly over noodles. sprinkle with parsley and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven.

original post: Krysta Fecke Sep. 2005

Chicken Enchiladas

We had our neighbor over for dinner last night to make his mom's enchiladas, that he claimed were the best. And they were! So here's the recipe...


Ingredients

1 3/4 c. sour cream
1/2 c. chopped green onion
1/3 c. minced cilantro
1 TBSP. minced jalepeno
1 tsp. cumin
1 TBSP. Olive Oil (for cooking the chicken)
12 oz. chicken, cut into 3"x 1" strips
1 tsp. garlic
8 flour tortillas
cheddar cheese
chunky salsa

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Spray a 13"x 9" pan with pam.
3. In a bowl mix the sour cream, green onion, cilantro, jalepeno, and cumin.
4. Cook chicken and garlic oil.
5. Divide chicken and sour cream mixture onto the 8 tortillas.
6. Sprinkle cheese on top.
7. Cover with foil and cook for 30 minutes.
8. Spoon salsa down middle and serve.

I suggest serving this with mexican rice. I'll post a good recipe for that too.

Feta, Herb & Sun-Dried Tomato-Stuffed Chicken

Yields 4 servings (one packet each).

Ingredients:
2 cups water
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
4 (6 oz) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1/4 cup fat-free, less sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons thinly sliced fresh basil (optional)

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees

Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a small saucepan; add tomatoes. Rem,ove from heat; cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Drain and slice into thin strips. Combine tomatoes, feta cheese, 2 teaspoons chopped basil, oregano, garlic and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl.

Place chicken breast halves between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and pound each piece to an even thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Cut a horizontal slit through one side of each chicken breast half to form a deep pocket. Stuff 1/4 cup tomato mixture into each pocket. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.

Fold 4 (16x12 inch) sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil in half crosswise. Open foil; place 1 1/2 teaspoons of butter on half of each foil sheet. Lay one stuffed chicken breast half on top of each portion of butter. Place 1/8 teaspoon of grated lemon rind on top of each stuffed chicken breast half, and drizzle each serving with 1 tablespoon of chicken broth. Fold foil over chicken and tightly seal the edges. Place your packets on a baking sheet and back at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Unfold carefully and slice each chicken breast in half. Garnish each serving with 1/2 teaspoon of sliced basil, if desired. Eat and enjoy!

Calories per serving (one packet): 311
Fat: 10.1 g
Iron: 1.6 mg
Sodium: 572 mg
Protein: 43 g
Fiber: 2.5 g

Kung Pao Chicken

Hi everyone! Just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Genevieve. I am a friend of Krysta's. I worked with her at Deseret book and also participated in the original email swap. I am very excited to be back with the rest of the girls. I still cook many of the meals that were shared during that swap. These recipes are definitely to be trusted. Anyway, let's get cookin'!

Kung Pao Chicken

Ingredients
14 oz. boneless chicken breast
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. white wine (or water)
4 Tbsp. corn starch
1 1/2 oz. cashews
3/4 c. cooking oil
2/3 small onion
1 small green bell pepper
1 small red bell pepper
1/2 Tbsp. red pepper flakes
2/3 piece ginger root
1/4 c. green onion
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. white wine (or water)
2 tsp. white wine or red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. chicken stock
1 tsp potato starch

Directions
1. Soak the cashews in cooking oil for 20 minutes.
2. Cook the chicken and chop into cubes, set aside.
3. Chop onion and peppers in 1/2 inch cubes, set aside.
4. Chop green onion, set aside.
5. Grate ginger, set aside.
6. Season chicken by mixing it with salt, 2 Tbsp white wine, and 4 Tbsp. corn starch. Set aside.
7. In a separate bowl, mix soy sauce, 2 tsp white wine, vinegar, chicken stock, and 1 tsp corn starch. Set aside.
8. Deep fry cashews in oil until brown.
9. Remove cashews and place on a paper towel to drain excess oil.
10. Pour 2 Tbsp oil into frying pan and saute chicken until golden.
11. Add vegetables and cashews, and saute briefly. Typically kung pao is slightly crunchy.
12. Add soy sauce mixture and red pepper flakes. Cook through.
13. Serve!

Calories: 390 per serving

*Beware this is spicy! You could probably reduce the red pepper flakes and add brown sugar to the soy sauce mixture for a sweeter version of this. I hope you enjoy it!

Wonton Salad

Mix Together and chill several hours-
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. white vinegar
1/4 c. oil
1 t. salt
1 T. Toasted sesame seeds
1/2 t. Accent (optional)

In the meantime, prepare salad using:
one head iceberg lettuce,
1/2 a bunch of green onions, chopped,
a small bunch of parsley, chopped

Add 3 chopped or shredded cooked chicken breasts. Cut 1/2 package wonton skins into strips and fry until golden. Just before serving, pour dressing over salad and sprinkle with wonton skins-toss and serve immediately.

Submitted by Janene Erickson (from our original recipe swap group theme "Green Recipes.")

Chicken Wonton Salad

Salad Ingredients:
½ package of small wontons
3 cups chopped chicken
1 whole head romaine lettuce chopped
1/2 bag of sliced almonds
2 small cans mandarin oranges

Dressing Ingredients:
¼ c. water
¼ c. oil
¼ c. vinegar
¼ c. sugar

Directions:
Place almonds on cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil. Bake in over until browned (I usually cook them at 450 degrees for about 5 minutes). Mix almonds with all other salad ingredients, except for wontons. Fry wontons in frying pan with olive oil/vegetable oil until slightly brown and crisp. Let wontons cool. Mix salad dressing ingredients and pour into salad until desired moisture. Crunch cooled wontons into salad and mix again. Serve.

* It is important that the wontons go in last so that they will stay as crisp as possible.
**This makes probably enough for 4 people.

Submitted by Genevieve Garner (from our original recipe swap group theme "Green Recipes.")

Tomato-Basil Chicken

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 lb)
1 can condensed tomato soup
½ cup milk
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
½ tsp dried basil leaves, crushed
¼ tsp garlic powder
4 cups hot cooked medium tube-shaped pasta

In medium skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil. Add chicken and cook 10 minutes or until browned. Set chicken aside. Pour off fat. Add soup, milk, cheese, basil, and garlic powder. Heat to a boil. Return chicken to pan. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Serve with pasta.

Submitted by Lindsay Anderson (from our original recipe swap group theme "Pasta Dishes.")

Foil-Pack Taco Chicken Dinner

4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves
(1 lb.) 4 tsp. Taco Seasoning
Mix 2 cups thinly sliced peeled potatoes
1 cup Mexican Style Shredded Cheese
1/2 cup Salsa
1/4 cup Sour Cream

PREHEAT oven to 400°F. Sprinkle chicken evenly with seasoning mix. Place 1/2 cup of the potatoes on center of each of four large sheets of heavy-duty foil; top each with 1 chicken breast, 1/4 cup of the cheese and 2 Tbsp. of the salsa. BRING up foil sides. Double fold top and both ends to seal each packet, leaving room for heat circulation inside. Place in single layer in 15x10x1-inch baking pan. BAKE 30 to 35 min. or until chicken is cooked through (170°F) and potatoes are tender. Remove packets from oven. Let stand 5 min. Place one packet on each of four dinner plates. Cut slits in foil with sharp knife to release steam before opening. Top each serving with 1 Tbsp. of the sour cream.

Submitted by Janene Erickson (from our original recipe swap group theme "tin foil dinners."

Foil Packet Southwestern Chicken Dinner

2 cups instant brown rice, uncooked
1-3/4 cups warm water
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves
(1 lb.) 1/4 cup KRAFT Light Ranch Reduced Fat Dressing
1-1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Reduced Fat Sharp Cheddar Cheese
4 cups small broccoli florets
1 medium red pepper, chopped

PREHEAT oven to 400°F. Combine rice and water; let stand 5 min. Spoon evenly onto centers of four large sheets of heavy-duty foil; top each with 1 chicken breast half. Sprinkle evenly with chili powder. Drizzle with dressing; top with cheese and vegetables. BRING up foil sides. Double fold top and both ends to seal each packet, leaving room for heat circulation inside. Place in single layer in 15x10x1-inch baking pan. BAKE 25 to 30 min. or until chicken is cooked through (170°F). Place one packet on each of four dinner plates. Cut slits in foil with sharp knife to release steam before opening.

Submitted by Emily Saye (from our original recipe swap group theme "tin foil dinners.")