Creamy Chicken Chili

(adapted from Lovely Little Kitchen)
This is such an easy, yummy soup. It reminds me of taco soup in it's simplicity--just dump everything in. Then whip up a white sauce and add it and some cream at the end to make it extra creamy!

• 3-4 chicken breasts (I cook from frozen)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• dash of cayenne pepper
• 14.5 ounce can chicken broth
• 4.5 ounce can chopped green chiles
• 15 ounce can white corn, drained (or frozen)
• 15.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 15.5 ounce cans beans, drained (I used black beans)

For the roux:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon 
• 1/2 cup cream (or sour cream)

Place chicken in crockpot and dump everything else on top. Cook on high 5-6 hours or on low 8-10. About an hour before serving, melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the flour and stir until bubbly and starts to brown. Gradually stir/whisk in the milk. Stir in bouillon. Slowly pour into crockpot, stirring constantly to combine. Stir in cream. Add salt & pepper to taste. Shred the chicken and return to the pot. Cook for another 30 minutes or so to let the flavors meld. Enjoy!

Chicken Mole Chili

I could eat this for a week... It is so scrumptious, definitely my favorite chili right now.

2-2.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken 
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed (or pinto)
1 can Mexican-style tomatoes and chilies (or one can diced tomatoes + one 4 oz can green chilies)
1 large onion, chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/3-1/2 cup prepared mole paste
3/4 cup chicken stock (I threw in one bouillion cube and reduced the salt)
3 teaspoons cumin
3 teaspoons ground coriander
3 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
Fritos, shredded cheese, and lettuce (for topping)

Combine in a crockpot and cook on low 5-6 hours. Shred chicken. Serve with fritos, sour cream, cheese, and lettuce. Yum!

Adapted from http://sarahsprague.com/2010/11/04/the-friday-football-foodie-shredded-chicken-mole-chili-frito-pie/

Thai Turkey

We have a lot of turkey leftover to use up from Thanksgiving (Canadian), and we LOVED this. Restaurant taste, and it only took about 30 minutes to make (and that was with two crying children pulling at my legs and trying to push me away from the stove, and begging to be picked up, and me giving in once in awhile)! You could easily make it with chicken and whatever vegetables you like in your stir fry. It's the sauce that shines. I'm even going to try it as the sauce for fried rice. Go try it right now--it's that good!
(Adapted from this recipe. Photo is also from that recipe) 

• 2 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 2 tablespoon honey (I may try subbing brown sugar)
• 2-3 teaspoons curry powder
• 2 teaspoons olive oil (or sesame)
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (opt--I left it out but Andy would have liked it)
• 2/3 cup water
• 1 tablespoon salad oil
• 1/2 medium onion, sliced
• 2 medium bell peppers, thinly sliced
• 2-3 cups leftover turkey, coarsely shredded

Mix first 9 ingredients in small bowl and set aside. Heat oil in skillet over high heat. Saute onions and peppers until tender and golden. Add turkey and pour in sauce. Heat through and serve over rice.

Honey Lime Enchiladas

Someone gave us these as a freezer meal when I had Alice, and they are DIVINE! When I made them, I reduced the honey to 1/4 cup and added a can of black beans to the chicken mixture.

(recipe and picture from melskitchencafe.com)

6 tablespoons honey

5 tablespoons lime juice (1 large lime)

1 tablespoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 pound chicken or pork, cooked and shredded (about 3 small chicken breasts)

8-10 flour tortillas

1 pound monterey jack cheese, shredded

16 ounces green enchilada sauce

1 cup heavy cream (to lighten them up, I have substituted sour cream with good results)

Mix the first four ingredients and toss with shredded chicken. Let it marinate for at least 1/2 hour (I tossed mine together in a ziploc bag in the morning and let it sit in the refrigerator all day). Pour about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9X13 baking pan. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese, saving about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas. Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the cream and leftover marinade. Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until brown and crispy on top.

*Freezable Meal: Freeze prior to baking. To bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake enchiladas, covered (without thawing first) for 1 hour. Uncover and bake 30 minutes longer, until brown and crispy on top.

Simplified Farmhouse Chicken

3-4 carrots, cut in chunks
1 onion, diced
Chicken pieces
1/4 cup Italian dressing
1 can cream of mushroom or chicken soup
1/4-1/2 tsp oregano
2 oz cream cheese

Place vegetables in crockpot. Place chicken on top of veggies and drizzle Italian dressing over the chicken. Spread cream soup over chicken and veggies and sprinkle with oregano. Cook on low 6-8 hours or until done. If using frozen chicken, cook on high for a couple hours, then turn to low for 3-4 hours. When done and while hot, stir in cream cheese until melted. Shred chicken if desired. Serve over rice or noodles.

(inspired by Farmhouse Chicken Dinner)

BBQ Chicken Pasta

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2010/03/bbq-chicken-pasta.html

Yum! I used cooked shredded pork in place of chicken, and just sauted it a little with the onions first.

Slow-Simmered Curried Chicken

1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 med green pepper, chopped
1 lb boneless/skinless chicken breasts or thighs
1 cup medium salsa
2 tsp grated fresh ginger (or less powder)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (opt.)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp curry powder
3/4 tsp salt

Place onions and green pepper in bottom of crockpot. Top with chicken. Combine salsa, ginger, garlic powder, and pepper flakes in a small bowl; spoon over the chicken. Cook on LOW 5-6 hours or high 2-3 until chicken is done. Shred chicken. Combine cilantro, sugar, curry powder, and salt and stir into crockpot. Cook on HIGH 15 minutes or until hot. Serve with rice.

Chicken and Bean Flautas

(original recipe here)

1 cup shredded chicken
1 can black beans (I used my own frozen ones)
1/4 cup water
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp onion powder
Salt to taste (I used at least 1/4 tsp)

Shredded cheddar cheese
8 10-inch flour or whole wheat tortillas

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat add the chicken, water, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, onion powder and salt. Let this cook down for a few minutes until the sauce thickens and the chicken is heated through. Most of the water will evaporate and you will be left with a nicely coated saucy chicken. Remove from heat and set aside.

Sprinkle some cheese in a line down the middle of a tortilla. Spread some meat filling on top. Fold bottom and top down a little, then roll up from the side. Place seam side down on a baking sheet. Continue with the rest of the tortillas and filling.

Brush the tops of the flautas with a bit of vegetable oil (or spray with a cooking spray), and place in the oven. Bake for 8-12 minutes, flip them over (I spread more oil on them) and bake another 8-12 minutes. Serve with salsa and sour cream to dip in (guacamole would be yummy, too).

Greek Chicken & Potatoes

2	boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in 3/4 inch cubes
2	cups potatoes, cubed
3	cloves garlic, minced
1	chicken bouillon cube, dissolved in
3/8	cup water
1/4	cup olive oil
1/4	cup fresh lemon juice
1	teaspoon dried oregano
	salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Place and mix chicken, potatoes, and garlic in a 9 X 13 inch glass baking pan. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour the chicken bouillon over chicken, potatoes, and garlic.

Whisk olive oil, lemon juice and crumbled oregano together. Pour evenly over chicken and potatoes.

Bake approximately 30-40 minutes until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender and golden brown, basting occasionally with pan juices.

Recipezaar

Chicken Enchiladas

We LOVED this recipe! I didn't have any black beans, so I cheated and used refried beans (so skipped all the bean prep instructions). I also leftover Turkey I had frozen. I'm usually a fan of the sour cream based enchiladas, which Andy hates, so we were happy to find something we both loved.

(Original recipe here)

3 cooked chicken breasts, shredded
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
Pinch or two of cayenne pepper
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper
2 c. grated cheese
6-8 Tortillas

Topping:
1 can green enchilada sauce (or homemade tomatillo sauce)
1 roma tomato, chopped
1/4 c. cilantro, chopped

Combine the chicken, garlic, onion, cumin, chili powder and cayenne pepper in a skillet and saute with a bit of oil over medium heat until onions have started to tenderize. In a bowl, mash the rinsed beans together with 1 tbsp. olive oil until a thick paste is formed. Season with salt and pepper to your liking.

In each tortilla, spread a thin layer of the black bean mixture into the middle; leaving a bit of room on top and bottom areas. Sprinkle with cheese and top with a spoonful of the chicken. Roll the tortilla up and place in a greased baking dish. Spoon all of the tomatillo sauce over the tops of the enchiladas. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and top with roma tomato and cilantro. Bake, covered, at 350 for 30 minutes or until heated through.