Chicken Cheese Chowder

1 cup shredded carrot1/4 cup chopped onion
2 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup cooked, chopped chicken
4 ounces of sliced mushrooms (I pulverize mine into unrecognizable bits)
3 Tablespoons dry white wine
1 teaspoon celery salt*
1/2 teaspon Worcestershire sauce
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups milk
salt and pepper, to taste

*If you don't have celery salt, grind 2 parts coarse salt and 2 parts celery seed in a coffee grinder.

1. Saute the carrots and onion in butter until tender.
2. Blend in the flour and then add the broth. Cook and stir until thickened.
3. Stir in the chicken, mushrooms, wine, celery salt, and Worcestershire sauce, and milk. Heat through.
4. Add the cheese and cook until melted. Do not boil. 
5. Add salt and pepper to taste.

This recipe is from the Once-A-Month Cooking-Family Favorites cookbook, by Mimi Wilson and Mary Beth Lagerborg. There are lots of great recipes in this book, all of which can be cooked ahead and frozen. (If you choose to freeze this soup, do not add the milk or cheese until ready to heat and serve.)

White Chicken Chili

1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized strips *
1 cup dried Great Northern beans, sorted and rinsed
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 10.75-ounce can cream of chicken soup
5 cups water

Just Before Serving:
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
1 4.5-ounce can chopped green chiles

Toppings:
grated Monterey Jack cheese
sour cream
chopped avocado
additional hot pepper sauce

*Do not substitute chicken breast. The long cooking time will dry it out.

1. In a 3.5- or 4-quart slow cooker, combine all ingredients up to the water. Mix well.
2. Cover and cook on low for 9-10 hours.
3. Just before serving, stir in cumin, hot pepper sauce, and chiles.
4. Serve with desired toppings.

Tip: You can assemble this the night before, minus the water. In the morning, put in the slow cooker, add 5 cups warm water, and stir well. Note that it's usually not safe to refrigerate before slow cooking because it slows the cooking time too much, but in this case the warm water brings the temperature up.

Thai Chicken Pizza

4 whole wheat tortillas
¼ C. reduced-fat creamy peanut butter
2 T. reduced-sodium soy sauce
4 ½ tsp. honey
2 ¼ tsp. rice wine vinegar
2 C. shredded cooked chicken breast
2 small carrots, shredded
½ C. minced cilantro
1 C. shredded mozzarella cheese

Coat both sides of tortillas w/cooking spray; place on ungreased baking sheets. In a small bowl, combine peanut butter, soy sauce, honey and vinegar. Stir in chicken until blended. Spread over tortillas. Top w/carrots, cilantro and cheese.

Bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Servings: 4

Savory Crescent Chicken Squares

3 oz. cream cheese, softened
3 T. melted butter (divided)
2 C. cooked cubed chicken or 2-5 oz. cans chicken
¼ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 T. milk
1 T. chopped onion
1 can crescent rolls
¾ C. crushed seasoned croutons

Preheat oven to 350.

In a medium bowl, blend cream cheese and 2 T. butter until smooth. Add next 6 ingredients.

Separate crescent rolls into 4 rectangles, press perforations to seal. Spoon ½ C. meat mixture onto each roll.

Pull up 4 corners to top center of meat mixture. Twist and tightly seal edges. Brush top with remaining butter. Sprinkle with croutons.

Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 20-25 min. until golden brown.

Servings: 2-4

Pomegranate Chicken Stew

This is a Fesenjan recipe from Allrecipes.com. I modified it per several of the comments, substituting half of the original 4 cups pomegranate juice with chicken broth.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds chicken legs, cut up*
1 white onion, thinly sliced
1/2 pound walnuts, toasted and finely ground in a food processor
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups pomegranate juice
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon cardamom (optional)
2 tablespoons sugar (optional)
chopped fresh parsley for garnish

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place chicken and onions in skillet and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Mix in pureed walnuts, salt, pomegranate juice, broth and cardamom. Bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1-1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
   
4. Mix in sugar, adjust seasoning, and simmer 30 minutes more.
5. Top with parsley and serve over rice.
   

*Do not substitute chicken breast; the cooking time is too long, and the chicken will become dry.

If you enjoy a very tangy flavor, omit the sugar. I used both the sugar and the cardamom, and I thought the taste was perfect. This is an unusual looking dish, sort of purple and soupy and oily (from the walnuts), but it's just delicious. I usually have a lot of sauce left, and it's too good to throw away. I use it like gravy, pouring it over rice or potatoes. --Sarah

Aunt Lizzy's Chicken Delight

My son's aunt Elizabeth gave me this recipe and it is DE-LICIOUS! This is a throw it together and forget about it recipe. Hope you enjoy it. This will feed about 2-3 people, so throw in more chicken breasts and another can of soup as you see fit if you need to feed more people...and don't forget to add more bacon! YUM!

Aunt Lizzy's Chicken Delight

2 cans Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 8oz pkg of Cream Cheese
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts wrapped in 2-3 pieces of bacon each
1 cup (or so) of milk
1-2 spoonful's of flour if needed
Mashed Potatoes (your own recipe)

In a crock pot, place soup then cream cheese (no need to mix the two, just make sure the soup covers the bottom of your crock pot) and place wrapped chicken breasts on top. Cook on low with lid on for 8-10 hours. After cooking, cream cheese will melt and bacon will become nice and crispy, allowing the bacon grease to soak into the chicken (this is not a recipe for the dieters...). When ready to serve, stir up chicken, cream cheese and soup with a fork. This will shred the chicken. Do not be alarmed if the sauce burns to the sides of the crock pot a bit. Before serving, add a cup or so of milk to make more "gravy-like". If the mixture is too watery, just add a spoonful or two of flour to thicken it up. Serve over mashed potatoes.

Cooking Chicken Breasts

I love to cook with chicken, but until recently I had shied away from chicken breast, especially boneless, skinless breast, because it always seemed to come out dry. Turns out, I was way overcooking it when I boiled it. Here are three ways to cook chicken breast without drying it out.

If You Have Two to Three Hours:
Cook it in the slow cooker for 2 to 3 hours on low or about 1-1/2 hours on high. Make sure to cover the chicken completely with water or broth. Start checking it after an hour or so; it doesn't take all day like you might expect.

If You Have 45 Minutes or So:
Poach the chicken on the stove.

1. Put it on the bottom of a saucepan large enough that you can completely cover all the chicken with your choice of cool liquid (water, broth, cooking wine).
   
2. Cook it on medium heat, uncovered, for 10 minutes or so--just until it almost comes to a full boil. Watch it closely and do NOT let it come to a rolling boil. (Do make sure that it is bubbling slowly, though.) *
   
3. Turn the burner off and cover the pot tightly.
   
4. Leave it on the warm burner for about 30 minutes. Cut into the thickest part of a breast to check that there is no pink. If it isn't done, turn the burner back on for a few minutes, but again, don't let it boil.
   

*I sometimes set a timer so I don't walk off and forget the chicken and then come back to find it boiling furiously.

If You Have 30 Minutes:
Brush the breasts with beaten egg whites and bake uncovered at 350 for 20 to 30 minutes or until done.

Try Mixing in a Few Chicken Thighs
Unless you are adamant that all the chicken must be white meat, try mixing about half and half with chicken thighs. The extra fat will make the chicken breast much more moist and juicy, and you'll save money as well! This works especially well in the slow cooker. In fact, if you are making a recipe that cooks for 8 or 10 hours, consider using only chicken thighs; they stand up to the long cooking time much better than breasts.

Chicken Veggie Enchiladas

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 Tablespoon of canola oil or butter
1 onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 fresh mushroom crates
1 pint sour cream*
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
16-ounce jar spaghetti sauce, such as Classico
1 garlic clove, minced
12-ounce jar chunky salsa
1 can sliced black olives (optional)
8 large tortillas**

*Can substitute half the sour cream with plain fat-free yogurt to reduce fat.
**Use whole wheat tortillas for a healthier meal.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large skillet, saute mushrooms, garlic, diced onion, and bell pepper in oil/butter until slightly tender.
3. Mix the sour cream and 2 cups of cheese into the vegetables. Stir until melted.
4. Add spaghetti sauce and shredded chicken. Mix well.
5. Roll even amounts of the chicken mixture into tortillas and place in a greased baking pan. The tortillas should fit tightly.
6. Cover all with salsa and remaining 2 cups of cheese. Top with black olives if desired.
7. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.
   

Blackened Chicken & Spinach Pizza (Paula Deen)

3 teaspoons blackening seasoning, such as Zatarans (in spice aisle)
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, pounded to 1/4 inch thickness*
4 Tablespoons butter, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced**
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white wine
3/4 cup milk
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1-1/2 cups shredded mozzarella, divided
1/2 cup fresh spinach leaves
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
prepared pizza crust

*Can substitute about 1/2 pound boneless chicken tenders; no need to flatten.
**Can substitute about 3 chives for shallot

1. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons blackening seasoning evenly over chicken breast. Melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes per side until done.
2. Remove chicken from heat, cool, and cut into bite-sized pieces.
3. In a large skillet, melt remaining butter over medium heat. Add garlic and shallot, and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Stir in flour and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring constantly.
5. Gradually whisk in wine and milk. Continue to whisk constantly for 4 or 5 minutes, until thickened. Stir in basil and remaining 1 teaspoon blackening seasoning, and remove from heat.
6. Preheat oven to 450.
7. Spread cream mixture evenly over prepared, unbaked crust
   
8. Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella.
9. Top evenly with spinach, chicken pieces, and bacon.
   
10. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and the Parmesan cheese over the top.
11. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned.
    

Chicken Spaghetti

Great casserole, serves about 4 people.

CHICKEN SPAGHETTI

3 cups cooked cubed chicken
8 oz. cooked spaghetti (break into thirds before you cook it)
1/4 c. chopped green bell pepper
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/4 c. pimentos (optional; adds great color!)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 c. white cooking wine
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese (divided)
salt/pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook spaghetti for 8-10 minutes, drain. In large bowl, combine chicken, cooked spaghetti, bell pepper, onion, pimentos, soup, wine, and 1 c. of cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Spread in a 9x13 dish and bake for 30 minutes. Take out of oven, sprinkle on remaining cup of cheese. Cook for an additional 15 minutes.

Serve with french bread! SUPER DELICIOUS!

*This is another great dish to make for couples who have just had a baby and need a meal! Reheats well.

Salsa Cream Cheese Chicken

3 or 4 boneless chicken breasts
15 oz jar of salsa or picante sauce
15.5 oz can black beans, drained
15.5 oz can kernel corn, drained
8 oz cream cheese
soft tortillas or corn chips
avocado (optional)

1. Place chicken breasts in slow cooker and pour next three ingredients over top. (Do not add cream cheese yet.)
2. Cook on high for three hours or on low for about six hours.
3. When chicken is fully cooked, turn slow cooker off and put cream cheese rectangle on top. Close lid and let it stand for about 30 minutes.
   
4. Stir in the cream cheese and break up the chicken with a fork (if necessary).
   

Serve in warmed tortilla shells or pour over corn chips. Garnish with avocado slices.

Poppy Seed Chicken Salad With Apricots

Salad
4 cups cooked, chopped chicken
1-2 green onions, sliced
3 stalks celery, sliced
3/4 cup dried chopped apricots
1 diced apple
1/2 cup halved red grapes
1/2 cup toasted, slivered almonds
squeeze of lemon juice
salt and pepper

Dressing
2 Tablespoons sugar
3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1-2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon poppy seeds

1. Combine all salad ingredients.
   
2. Whisk together dressing in separate bowl.
   
3. Combine salad and dressing about one hour before serving and put in refrigerator.

This was so wonderful. Alicia brought it to our last home group meeting. --Sarah

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

2 large boneless-skinless chicken breasts (boiled or grilled, then diced up or shredded)
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 small container (6-8 oz) Reg. Sour Cream
1 can Rotel
2 cups of Mexican Style cheese (divided)
8 Tortillas (usually use fajita size so enchilada is overstuffed, but burrito size works well too)
Sliced Jalapenos if desired

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix soup and sour cream. Smear some of the soup/sour cream mixture on the bottom of a 9x12 glass pan to prevent sticking on the bottom of pan. In another medium bowl, mix shredded/diced chicken, 1 cup of cheese and can of Rotel. Stuff and roll tortillas with chicken mixture, then line up enchiladas side by side in the pan. When finished, pour and smear the rest of the soup/sour cream mixture on top of the enchiladas. Sprinkle additional 1 cup of cheese on top of enchiladas. You can also add sliced jalapenos if desired. Cook for 40-45 minutes in oven until cheese is brown and sauce is bubbly.

This is a quick and easy meal that I make for my family when I don't have a lot of time to cook. It only takes about 15 minutes to throw it together and then just 40 minutes to cook. The leftovers are great too! This is a great meal if you need to make a casserole dish to use for those occasions when you sign up to bring food to people (ie. birth of a baby, loss of a loved one, illness in family, etc.) --Kristina

Poppy Seed Chicken and Yellow Rice

2 small packages yellow rice (with saffron), cooked as directed*
3 pounds chicken (mixed white and dark), cooked and cut in cubes
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 ounces sour cream
8 ounces nonfat plain yogurt (not vanilla)
2 Tablespoons poppy seeds
1 stack Ritz crackers, crumbled
1 stick of butter, melted

1. Spray a 9 X 13 or two 8 X 8 pans with cooking spray and put cooked rice on the bottom.
   
2. Mix the chicken, soups, sour cream, yogurt, and poppy seeds and pour over the rice.
   
3. Sprinkle crackers over top and drizzle butter over all. *
   
4. Cover and bake at 350 for 30 to 45 minutes or until bubbly. Remove cover for last 15 minutes of baking.
   

Because this recipe freezes well, I usually make it for all of my friends who are new moms. When I make it for our family, I prepare one small pan to cook and one or two more small tinfoil pans to freeze. An 8 X 8 pan needs about 1/2 or 2/3 a stack of crackers and 1/2 to 2/3 stick of butter.

*If cooking for the freezer, use about half the water and cook only until water is absorbed. Follow only steps 1-2 before freezing. Thaw for 24 hours in refrigerator, add crackers and butter, and bake. Baking time may be a good bit longer for a previously frozen casserole.

Mexi-Chicken

2 cups onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic (or more), minced or pressed
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cups water
2 cups quick cooking barley*
2 (16-ounce) cans chopped tomatoes, undrained
2 (16-ounce) cans tomato sauce
3 cups chicken broth
2 (16-ounce) cans whole kernel corn, drained
6 cups cooked chicken, chopped or shredded (good with a mix of breasts and thighs)
2 packages taco seasoning
Optional toppings: grated cheese, sour cream, avocado, taco sauce

1. In a large Dutch oven, cook onion and garlic in oil until tender.
2. Add all ingredients except chicken.
   
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add cooked chicken and continue simmering for another 10 minutes, or until chicken is heated through and barley is tender.
   
5. Cool, spoon into freezer bags, label, and freeze.
   

To serve, thaw and heat in a skillet until hot. Serve over tortilla chips or in tortillas (burrito style) with cheese, sour cream, taco sauce and/or avocados. Makes about five large freezer bags, each enough to feed a family of four.

*If you use regular barley instead of quick barley, cook it ahead of time according to instructions on package.

When I eat this, it reminds me of mass cooking days in my friend Jenny's kitchen. It was fun to work together, but I've never been that exhausted in my life. We made so much of this that I didn't want to look at it after the first four times we had it. It's been several years, though, and when we ate it this week I thought it was wonderful.
--Sarah

White Chicken Chili

1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut in bite-size pieces
1 cup dried great northern beans, rinsed and sorted
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
10.75-ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup
5 cups water
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
4.5-ounce can chopped green chilies
sour cream, optional
chopped avocado, optional

1. In a 3.5 or 4-quart slow cooker, combine chicken, beans, onion, garlic, oregano, salt, soup, and water. Mix well.
2. Cover and cook on low for 9 to 10 hours.
3. Just before serving, stir in cumin, hot pepper sauce, and chilies.
   

Serve with additional hot pepper sauce, sour cream, and avocado.

Serves six.

Try crumbling cornbread into the chili and topping it with grated cheese. Delicious!

Chicken and Strawberry Salad

rotisserie chicken (purchased)
bagged salad - field greens
blue cheese crumbles
dried cranberries (such as Craisins)
strawberries, sliced
walnuts, chopped
Brianna's Blush Wine Vinaigrette

1. Shred or chop the chicken; allow to cool.
   
2. Combine all ingredients except salad dressing. Toss well.
3. Just before serving, pour dressing and mix lightly.
   

When Stephanie brought this salad to a home group meeting, I had to have the recipe. I was worried when I found out this was one of those recipes where you just throw in a bit of this and a bit of that, but when I made it, it was great--though not as wonderful as Stephanie's.

Be careful not to use too much dressing, or everything will get soggy. Start with just a little dressing, toss, and add more until you get the right amount.

Kristen's Tortilla Soup

2-3 carrots, chopped
2-3 celery stalks, chopped
3 zucchini, sliced
1 can corn, drained
1 can tomato sauce
1 can tomato sauce with bits
2-3 Tbsp cumin
Cavender’s seasoning salt (quite a bit – maybe 2-3 Tbsp)
4 Chicken breasts
½ jar hot sauce
Monterrey Jack cheese
tortilla chips

1. Fill Dutch oven with water to cover chicken breasts and boil until done – approximately 25 minutes.
2. Remove chicken from water and add rest of ingredients except cheese and chips.
3. Once chicken has cooled, shred and add to mixture.
4. Cook over high heat until boiling, then turn down to simmer and cook for 45 minutes to an hour, or until vegetables are tender.
5. To serve, put crushed chips on bottom of bowl, add soup, and sprinkle with cheese.

Chicken Gumbo

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 cups onion, chopped

2 cups celery, chopped

2 cups green pepper, seeded and chopped

1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1 cup green onions (include tops), chopped

1 stick margarine

1/2 cup flour

6 cups chicken broth, heated

2 cups canned tomatoes

1 cup brown rice (uncooked)

1 (1 lb) bag frozen cut okra

4 cups cooked chicken, diced

salt and pepper

V-8 juice and additional chicken broth for thinning mixture if needed

1. Saute garlic, onion, celery, green pepper, parsley, and green onions in margarine.
   
2. Slowly add flour and cook for 3 minutes.
   
3. Gradually stir in heated broth.
   
4. Add okra, tomatoes, rice, and chicken. Add salt and pepper to taste.
   
5. Cook 20-30 minutes longer. Adjust seasonings.
   
6. If soup becomes too thick, thin with mixture of half V-8 juice and half chicken broth.
   

Serves 10.

Tip: Don't throw away your extra onions, celery, and peppers! Freeze them.