Chicken a la King

Source: Tammy's Recipes


Chicken a la King

1 cup butter (do not use margarine)
1-1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp. salt
4 cups (32 oz) chicken broth
4 cups (32 oz) milk
7 cups diced cooked chicken
16 oz canned sliced mushrooms, drained
1 red bell pepper, diced
*Chicken bouillon powder

1. In a large Dutch oven melt butter. Whisk in flour and salt. Add chicken broth and milk and cook and stir until thickened.**
2. Once thickened, stir in chicken, mushrooms and bell pepper. Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes to let the flavors blend together.
3. Serve over hot rice, broken toast or egg noodles.

Makes 4 batches (so 4 separate meals worth) of 4 servings each.

*Taste as it’s cooking after the chicken, mushrooms and bell pepper are added and if desired, add some chicken bouillon powder to taste to create a stronger flavor. You may or may not need to add this depending on your preference.

**Make sure to let the base thicken before you add in the remaining ingredients or it will not thicken up afterwards.

To freeze: Let cool and divide into quart or gallon size freezer bags. Remove excess air and seal. Lay flat to freeze.

To serve: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Heat through and serve.

Chicken & Stuffing Stuffed Shells

Chicken & Stuffing Stuffed Shells
Source: luckymommyto2boys on BBC

2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
1 box Stove Top Stuffing mix (turkey or chicken)
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1 box large shells
2 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
1-1/4 cup chicken broth
Italian cheese blend

1. Cook shells until al dente (I cook mine for 10 minutes). Rinse in cold water.
2. While shells are cooking, prepare stuffing according to package directions. Add in chicken and mayonnaise.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the condensed mushroom soup and chicken broth. Mix well.
4. Stuff the shells with the chicken mixture and place in two 8x8-inch pans. (You can also do one 9x13-inch pan for one larger meal instead of two.)
5. Cover with mushroom soup mixture. Top with shredded cheese.
6. Bake at 350*F about 30 minutes or until heated throughout and the cheese is melted.

To freeze: Do not bake, and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Label and freeze.

To cook: Thaw in fridge overnight. Bake at 350*F for about 30 minutes or until heated throughout. (If you're like me and forget to thaw it, you can bake it, loosely covered, at 350 degrees for about 1-1/2 hours. Uncover and bake an additional 15-20 minutes.)

Makes about 32 stuffed shells (about 16 per pan for 8x8 size).



*****

I actually made this dish ahead of time and froze both portions right away. I ended up cooking mine from frozen (I tend to forget to thaw things) and it still turned out great. I honestly expected my oldest daughter to turn up her nose at this one tonight, but she declared it a keeper - with the stipulation that I don't tell her what was in it because she might then have to tell me that it's gross. Fine by me. I didn't tell her what was in it, and it's a keeper recipe for everyone who ate it.

White Chicken Chili

White Chicken Chili
Source: SparkPeople

4 cans (15 oz. each) cannellini beans (8 cups cooked beans if cooked from dried)
1 can (29 oz.) petite cut diced tomatoes
1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chiles
2 pkgs. McCormick White Chicken Chili seasoning
3 cups water
2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 lb.)

1. Drain and rinse beans (this is to reduce the sodium since canned beans are high in sodium). Add beans, tomatoes, chiles, seasoning packets and 3 cups water to crockpot. Stir ingredients to mix well. Lay chicken breasts on top.
2. Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
3. Before serving shred chicken and mix throughout chili.

Makes approximately 12 (1 cup) servings.

*****

*I used a large turkey tenderloin instead of 2 chicken breasts.

My husband declared this recipe a winner. I'm on the fence. It was good, but I'm definitely not in love with it. It will still go into our rotation of meals though. Like I said, it was a good meal, but I wasn't in love with it. I've never had a white chicken chili before, so I might try another recipe sometime in the future. Until then, this is definitely in our meal rotation.

Broccoli & Cheese Stuffed Chicken

Broccoli & Cheese Stuffed Chicken
Source: I have no clue!

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 oz 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
1 pkg. frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tbsp. seasoned bread crumbs

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Trim chicken. Hold sharp knife parallel to cutting board and along one long side of breast; cut almost in half, leaving breast attached at one side. Open breast so it lies flat; cover with plastic wrap. Using flat side of a meat mallet, lightly pound to 1/4-inch thickness.
3. In a large bowl, combine broccoli, cream cheese, shredded cheese, and bread crumbs. Stuff a scant 1/3 cup into each chicken breast. Secure with toothpicks.
4. Brown chicken over medium-high heat in two batches in a nonstick skillet for 3 minutes. Transfer chicken to a baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, until cooked through.

Makes 6 servings.

To Freeze: Do not bake. Brown chicken and then arrange in a single layer on a pan to freeze. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Label and freeze.

To Bake: Thaw overnight in refrigerator. Bake as directed above.

*****

Oh my goodness! This was so yummy! We used to buy some frozen broccoli stuffed chicken breasts that were absolutely delicious. I no longer buy them, and have really missed having them. This recipe turns out to taste really similar. The only real difference being that the frozen ones that I used to buy were processed chicken and breaded on the outside. These are so much better!

If you need a visual on how to flatten the chicken breasts, here is a visual on Taste of Home's website.

Ranch-O Bacon Chicken

Ranch-O Bacon Chicken
Source: I have no clue!

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 packet dry ranch dressing mix
6 tbsp. pre-cooked crumbled bacon

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Spray baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange chicken breasts in a single layer. Sprinkle ranch seasoning evenly over chicken.
3. Evenly cover chicken with bacon crumbles. Use the back of a spatula to gently press down and help the bacon to adhere.
4. Bake until the chicken is fully cooked, approximately 20-25 minutes.

Makes 6 servings.

To Freeze: Do not bake. Cover tightly with foil and freeze.

To Bake: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Bake as directed above.

*****

I honestly wasn't sure if I was going to like this or not when I was making it, but I really liked it a lot. Everyone enjoyed this dish and it will definitely be a repeat in our house. Very easy and very tasty.

Sweet and Spicy Chicken

Sweet and Spicy Chicken
Source: Smashed Peas and Carrots

2.5 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tbsp. cooking oil
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. ground ginger
4 tsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. sriracha sauce (can use more, but proceed with caution!)
1 tbsp. cornstarch

Dice chicken into bite-size piences. Heat oil in a large skillet. Cook and brown the chicken in the oil. While chicken is cooking, combine remaining ingredients in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat until sauce thickens. Once chicken is cooked throughout, pour sauce over top and mix until chicken is well coated. Serve over brown rice.

*****

You can reduce the sauce ingredients by half and still have plenty to cover the chicken. We liked having the extra sauce to blend into the rice some.

*The original recipe calls for half the amount of sauce ingredients, and 2 tablespoons of srirachi sauce. I made the mistake of doubling all of the sauce ingredients. This dish is awesome, but sriracha sauce is really really spicy. My husband who absolutely loves spicy food had a hard time finishing this dish. We loved it, but will definitely proceed with caution with any recipe that calls for sriracha sauce (aka "liquid fire" as I've renamed it) in the future.

Crockpot Chicken Taco

Crockpot Chicken Taco
Source: Absolutely no clue

4 chicken breasts
1 pkt. taco seasoning (or 2 tbsp. homemade)
1 cup salsa
1 (10-3/4 oz) can cream of mushroom soup

Mix all ingredients together in slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours (or on high for about 4 hours). When chicken is done, shred the chicken and mix everything together. Serve over brown rice or in whole wheat tortillas.

Crockpot Chicken and Stuffing

Source:

Very simple recipe and was fairly yummy. My daughter did not like the stuffing (that's nothing new with her) and my husband LOVED the stuffing. No complaints from my son (3 years old). I was neutral - I didn't love it, but it wasn't bad either. It probably would have been even better had it been cooked and eaten right away. When I made this, I forgot that we had a previous commitment at dinner time that night. So it was cooked, stuck in the fridge (still in the crockpot) and then reheated the next day (in the crockpot), so that might have had something to do with it.


Crockpot Chicken and Stuffing

4 boneless skinless chicken breast
1 package stuffing mix (i.e., Stove Top)
1 can cream of chicken soup (or SOS mix, prepared)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup water

Place chicken breasts on the bottom of the crockpot. Top with dry stuffing mix. Combine condensed cream of chicken soup, sour cream and water. Pour over stuffing. Cook on low 4-6 hours.

*I might leave out the water in the recipe the next time and see how it turns out since I thought some of the stuffing was really really mushy. Tasted fine, but the mushy texture turned me off.

**I used SOS Mix, prepared, instead of the cream of chicken soup.

Chicken Pot Pie

If you're the type that buys pot pies from the store occasionally, if you try this basic recipe (that you can tweak any way you like), I practically guarantee that you won't go back to the store bought ones again. It took me all of 5 minutes to literally throw this recipe together and in the oven and it tasted just as simple and yummy as the store bought itty bitty ones that you need more than one of to feed a "healthy" person.



Chicken Pot Pie
Source: Never trust a skinny cook...

2 pie crusts (dough), uncooked (homemade or store bought)
1 cup shredded chicken breasts or 1-1/2 cups diced chicken*
1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 can of mixed vegetables***

1. Spray pie plate with cooking spray. Roll out one pie crust and fill the bottom of the pie plate and up the sides.
2. Mix together remaining ingredients and fill the crust.
3. Top with second pie crust, pinching edges/seams to seal.
4. Bake according to the pie crust directions (if store bought), until crust is golden brown and no longer doughy. ***I baked mine at 425 for about 30 minutes before it was done.

*I used 1 cup shredded chicken because that's what I had on hand. It's definitely more visually appealing with diced chicken, but still very yummy.

**You can substitute fresh of frozen veggies that have been steamed and add in about 1/4 cup water.

This recipe is very easily customized. Mix up what veggies you use. Change up how you season and cook the chicken that you use. Add in some seasonings that you like to change up the flavor, etc.

*****
11/07/12

I recently made this again and changed things up a bit. I used:

2 pie crusts (dough), uncooked (homemade or store bought)
2 cups shredded chicken breasts
1 large can cream of chicken soup, undiluted (or three small)
3 cans of mixed vegetables (drain 1 can, use 2 undrained)
1 can of diced potatoes, drained

I made this in a 9x11 casserole dish. One crust on the bottom of the pan, one on top of the filling. Worked great and spread the dish even farther. YUMMY!!!


On this pot pie, I cut apart the top crust to fit. You really don't have to do this, but that's why it looks so funky.

Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Enchiladas
Source: I was given this recipe by my sister a few years ago after having this for dinner at her house once. I have no idea where she got the recipe from, but I assume it was a friend. This is how I now make this recipe.

Flour tortillas (Fajita size)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
2-3 tsp. ground cumin
2 pkgs. (8 oz. each) cream cheese
6 cups cooked and shredded chicken
1-1/2 to 2 cups salsa
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped black olives (I use 1/2 of a small can of diced olives)
2 large cans enchilada sauce (Use your favorite, red or green. I don't like the taste of red, so we always use green. I also use a smaller amount of sauce)

1. If your flour tortillas are not already cooked (not the most common type), heat oven to 350ºF. Wrap the tortillas into a foil packet and heat in the oven for 8-10 minutes. Turn the oven off and kept the tortillas in the oven until ready to use. (I don't ever do this step, because I buy the normal flour tortillas found with the bread.)
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook stirring often, for about 5 minutes or until soft. Stir in the chili powder, garlic powder and cumin. Add the cream cheese and cook over low heat, breaking up the cheese with a wooden spoon until melted. Add the chicken and salsa. Cook over medium heat, stirring often for 2-3 minutes.
3. Remove pan from heat. Stir in 2 cups of the cheddar cheese and olives.
4. Remove the flour tortillas from the oven. Spread about 1/4 cup enchilada sauce in the bottom of two 9x13-inch baking dishes (or four 8x8 pans).
5. Spoon about 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture slightly below the center of each tortilla. Roll up from the bottom and arrange seam side down in the baking dish. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350ºF or until hot and bubbly. Serve right away.

I make my recipe into four 8x8 pans since we aren't big on eating enchilada leftovers for days. I can fit six in each pan (five side by side, and one at the top of the pan). I bake one pan and freeze the other three. For a serving, two enchiladas per adult is plenty and one for a child. I eat mine with sour cream. Yum, yum, yum!

To freeze: Prepare as directed, but do not bake. Cover with a double foil layer and freeze. To bake from frozen, heat oven to 350 degrees and bake covered for about 60 to 90 minutes. Checking after 60 minutes to see if warmed throughout. Can be thawed in the refrigerator overnight and then baked for about 30 minutes (covered).

Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Shells

Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Shells
Source: Once A Month Mom

12 oz. box jumbo shell pasta
2.5 cups marinara sauce
0.5 cup buffalo wing sauce (more or less depending on heat preference)
2 cups cooked and shredded boneless, skinless chicken breast
16 oz. nonfat cottage cheese
0.5 cup egg substitute
1 cup shredded part-skim Mozzarella cheese

Cook pasta shells according to package in boiling, salted water, until al dente. Drain water and allow to cool to the touch. Combine marinara and buffalo wing sauce in a bowl. In another bowl, combine shredded chicken, egg substitute, and cottage cheese until well-combined.

Spread 1 cup sauce on the bottom of two 8×8 baking dishes. Stuff shells with chicken mixture, about 1 Tablespoon per shell. Place in sauce-covered dish. Cover shells with remaining sauce and sprinkle with shredded Mozzarella. Bake at 350F about 30 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. IF desired, sprinkle with blue cheese crumbles (calories extra).

Freezing Directions:
Prepare as above, except DO NOT bake. Instead, cover with foil, label, and freeze. To serve: Thaw in fridge. Bake at 350F about 30 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. IF desired, sprinkle with blue cheese crumbles (calories extra).

Servings: 12 (3 stuffed shells per serving)

Nutritional Information: Servings: 12 • Calories: 267 • Fat: 6.6 • Carbs: 29.7 • Protein: 20.1 • Fiber: 2.4 • Weight Watcher Points Plus: 7

My thoughts: I made this recipe as-is to try it out (but didn't use any blue cheese crumbles since we aren't fans of blue cheese). The verdict from the family was as follows. Husband loved it and said it was perfect. Toddler (30 months old) gobbled it up despite the bit of kick to it. Daughter (age 11) said that it was a bit too spicy (which is odd since she's had spicier foods) but still really liked it. I'm the oddball out. I liked the taste of the buffalo marinara sauce, but I didn't like the stuffing in the shells at all. I practically gutted my shells to eat them. This is not to say that someone who normally loves stuffed shells wouldn't love this, because I don't normally love stuffed shells. It's more like I just kind of tolerate them. Lol. We have another 8x8 square pan of this premade in the freezer for another day, since this recipe makes two 8x8 (or one 9x13) pans worth of stuffed shells. This is definitely a keeper recipe for my family.

***
January 2013
Updated thoughts on this dish: I was three months pregnant when I first had this dish, and I now blame that for my issues that I had in the beginning. I made it, and had it as-is without any issues recently. No texture issues, no gutting the shells, etc. It was very yummy and will definitely be a more regularly served dish around here now.

Slow-Cookin' Pulled Chicken

(Image taken by Hungry Girl)

Slow-Cookin' Pulled Chicken
Source: Hungry Girl

Ingredients:
1-1/2 lb. raw boneless skinless lean chicken breasts, halved
1 cup canned tomato sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. brown sugar (not packed)
2 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. cider vinegar
2 tsp. garlic powder
Optional: red pepper flakes, to taste

Directions:
Place all ingredients except the chicken in the crock pot. Stir until mixed. Add chicken and coat well with the sauce.

Cover and cook on high for 3 - 4 hours OR on low for 7 - 8 hours, until chicken is fully cooked.

Remove all the chicken and place it in a bowl. Shred each piece using two forks -- one to hold the chicken in place and the other to scrape across the meat and shred it. Return the shredded chicken to the crock pot, and mix well with the sauce.

If you're serving a group, keep the crock pot on its lowest setting, so the chicken stays warm. If you like, season to taste with red pepper flakes. Eat up!

MAKES 7 SERVINGS

PER SERVING (1/2 cup): 149 calories, 1g fat, 462mg sodium, 10g carbs, <0.5g fiber, 9g sugars, 22.5g protein -- PointsPlus® value 3*

When I made this I doubled the recipe to make a huge batch (the single recipe should be plenty though). I didn't quite double everything exactly. I used a 15 oz. can of tomato sauce (double would have been 16 ounces, but I couldn't see opening another can for only an ounce of sauce) and I used a large package of boneless skinless chicken breasts that was about 4.5 pounds before I trimmed them. Everything else was doubled.

This make a very yummy shredded barbeque chicken. We ate it on hamburger buns. This is a sweet barbeque, but not overly sweet.

When cooking the chicken, it looks like you will have way too much liquid left over. I shredded the chicken and put it back in the crockpot to cook for another hour on low and then I turned the lid to the crockpot to let it dry out slightly for another 30 minutes while on low. This turned out perfectly and is definitely a keeper.

Tender Chicken Nuggets

Tender Chicken Nuggets
Source: Taste of Home

1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg white
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine bread crumbs and cheese. In a shallow bowl, beat the egg white. Dip chicken pieces in egg white, then place in bag and shake to coat.

Place in a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 12-15 minutes or until no longer pink, turning once.

Yield: 4 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 3 ounces cooked chicken equals 194 calories, 3 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 68 mg cholesterol, 250 mg sodium, 10 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 30 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 1/2 starch.

I doubled the recipe. I used 2 lbs. of chicken, 1 cup Italian bread crumbs, 4 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese, 1 egg white.

This made a really decent amount and divided into 4 equal servings (really large servings), the nutritional information is: Amount Per Serving, Calories 344, Total Fat: 6.6g, Cholesterol 141.5mg, Sodium: 691.1mg, Total Carbs 9.6g, Fiber 0.5, Protein 59.6g.

This is VERY yummy and liked by all. My very picky chicken loving daughter rates this as a much requested favorite food item.

Smothered Chicken Italiano

Source: Taste of Home

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon pepper, divided
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup crushed tomatoes (I used spaghetti sauce instead)
4 slices part-skim mozzarella cheese (next time I'll use shredded mozzarella)

In a small bowl, combine the oregano, garlic powder, 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper; rub over chicken. In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, brown chicken in oil for 3-4 minutes on each side. Transfer to an 11-in. x 7-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Combine ricotta cheese and remaining salt and pepper; spoon over chicken. Top with tomatoes.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 15 minutes. Top with cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or a meat thermometer reads 170°. Yield: 4 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving equals 252 calories, 11 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 85 mg cholesterol, 341 mg sodium, 6 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 32 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 4 lean meat, 1/2 fat.

This recipe was a hit with everyone and has already been requested to be a repeat dish. Very tasty and easy to make.

Cream Cheese Chicken

Cream Cheese Chicken
Source: Dottie (hokiesmom on BBC)

4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (approximately 2 lbs trimmed)
1-2 pkgs. dry Ranch or Italian Dressing mix (used 1 pkt dry Spicy Ranch, and 1 pkt dry original Ranch)
1 can cream of onion soup (can use any cream of __ soup, can also be left out and it still tastes yummy)
8 oz light cream cheese -- cut into cubes
1/2 cup chicken broth (I never need any chicken broth since I use frozen chicken breasts)
4 oz sliced white button mushrooms (optional - I leave these out most of the time now)
4 cups cooked rice

Place chicken in a Crock Pot, spritz chicken with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray, sprinkle 1 pkg dry Spicy Ranch mix (which ever one you're using) over all. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours. About 45 minutes before done, I pulled the chicken out of the crockpot and shredded it then put it back in the crock pot. (I no longer do this. Instead, I remove the chicken, and mix in the remaining ingredients. I then add the chicken back in, and chop/shred it up with a wooden spoon.) Add soup, second packet of dry dressing mix, cream cheese, mushrooms and chicken broth (you may or may not need the broth, most of the time I don't add any), and cooked rice. Mix it up and let it cook another 45-1 hour.

This is absolutely deliscious and one of my personal favorites. I cook this fairly often.