Our Family's Chicken Pastina Soup

Ingredients:

1 cup diced chicken breast (rotisserie is convenient) 

4 large carrots, sliced

1/2 box Pastina Pasta

64 ounces of  prepared Chicken broth (or one large can)

2 tsp minced onions   (optional)

1 TBS Parmesan cheese

2 tsp Parsley

Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions: 

In a pot saute the onions (if you are using them) in a tbs of olive oil for a few mins until translucent. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add the carrots and cook until slightly soft.  

Pour in the Pastina and continue to boil about 5 minutes. Add the chicken, parsley, cheese and salt and pepper to taste, turn the temp down to low to slightly simmer. Put the lid on, wait a few minutes and then, soups on!

**Some ideas**

 When I make soups with any pasta lately I have been cooking the pasta separately and then adding it to each serving. The pasta tends to swell up and make all the leftover soup starchy and also absorbs all of the broth. If this happens, you can just add more water to thin it out and test for flavor with salt and pepper. Even adding a bullion cube if necessary. It's easier to keep the pasta separate unless you don't intend on having leftovers :-)

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad:

Recipe and pictures courtesy of Carol Riggs Walz 

Ingredients: 

12-ounce pack Spiral pasta (I used Wacky Pack Veggie Spiral Pack)

3 chicken breast, chopped

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 chopped tomato, or a handful of cherry tomatoes chopped in half

12 pieces bacon, cooked hard and crumbled

1 zucchini shredded

1 scallion finely chopped for garnish

COPYCAT RANCH DRESSING INGREDIENTS:

I doubled this and used at least 2 3/4 cups

1 pack Ranch Dressing (the original recipe called for 1 teaspoon dry Ranch dressing Buttermilk Recipe)

1 cup Mayonnaise

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon paprika

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Here’s what you do:

COPYCAT OUTBACK RANCH DRESSING:

Mix together the mayonnaise, buttermilk, Ranch dressing pack, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder.

Refrigerate

CHICKEN BACON RANCH PASTA:

Season chicken with salt and pepper and bake for 30 minutes in the oven 350 degrees.

Cut the chicken breast up into bite sizes,

Cook the pasta according to the package directions.

In a large bowl, combine the chopped chicken, cooked and drained pasta, ranch dressing, shredded cheese, chopped tomatoes, zucchini, and 8 pieces of bacon cooked hard and crumbled, reserve the last 4 to crumble on top

Mix well and serve or refrigerate.

Honey Dijon Crockpot Chicken

Recipe and pic courtesy of Chandra Graham 

I used a honey dijon dressing, added extra mustard, minced garlic, olive oil, honey, pepper, and basil. 

Cooked on low for almost 6 hours. I made rice and broccoli too that I poured the juice/sauce over

Chicken and Dumplings

 

Ingredients:

·         2 TBS olive oil

·         4 boneless chicken breasts, 6 thighs or 1 whole rotisserie chicken

(can also substitute with Turkey)

·         5 stalks celery

·         5 carrots

·         1 large white onion

·         2 quarts of Chicken broth or stock

·         3 cups water

·         2 tsp dried thyme or 4 TBS fresh

·         3 bay leaves

·         ½ cup of flour

·         4 TBS butter

Dumplings:(can substitute all ingredients for Bisquick with just mix/milk and Thyme)

·         2 cups flour

·         1 TBS baking powder

·         ½ tsp baking soda

·         6 TBS unsalted butter, melted

·         ¾ cup buttermilk

·         2 TBS chopped fresh parsley, some reserved

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Brown in batches, 4 to 6 minutes per side. If you are using a premade chicken, chop up into large chunks or shred it with a fork and set aside.  Transfer to a plate and in the same pot add the butter, let melt then add the celery, carrots, onions and Thyme, season with salt and pepper, stir and cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 10 minutes.

Add the chicken broth, bay leaves, and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, lower and let simmer for about 20 minutes. Shred the chicken with 2 forks or cut into small chunks and return it to the pot. In a separate small bowl, whisk together ½ cup of flour, 2 cups of the cooking liquid, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Slowly whisk the flour mixture back into the pot and simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

Make the dumplings: Whisk together the 2 cups of flour, baking powder, baking soda, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Whisk in the butter, buttermilk and parsley. Reduce heat to low and drop the mixture into the broth in 8 large spoonful or 16 smaller spoon fuls. Simmer, covered, until the dumplings are firm, 10 mins for larger one and about 5-8 for smaller ones. Serve sprinkled with parsley.

Left Over Rotisserie Chicken Enchiladas

Recipe and picture courtesy of Amber Hopkins

Take left over rotisserie chicken and shred it up.
Add in enough sour cream so that all the chicken is moist. Add black olives, cilantro and diced red onions, just by sight no exact measurement. Add shredded Queso cheese as well as some shredded medium cheddar. Put the filling in soft taco size flour tortillas and rolled them like a burrito. Place them in a greased baking dish and then cover them with enchilada sauce and top it with the same cheese as the filling. 
Cover the dish with foil and bake at 375 for about 20 min until the sauce was bubbling. Remove the foil and cook for an additional 5 to 10 min to get the cheese nice and  melted with a little crust. Serve them topped with sour cream and cilantro. You can totally add anything else to the mixture that you may have on hand or like.. Green chiles or jalapeño for example 

Malisa's Baked Chicken Chimichangas

 

 

Recipe and photo courtesy of Malisa Thompson

Ingredients:

 

8 oz. of cream cheese

8 oz. Of pepper jack shredded cheese

1 1/2 tbsp Taco seasonings

1 lb. Cooked chicken, shredded

flour tortillas

cooking spray

 shredded cheddar cheese

greens onions

guacamole

sour cream and salsa

(I didn't use any seasoning I used red chilies instead)

 

Directions:

 

Dice up raw chicken and boil till cooked. Mix together cream cheese, pepper jack cheese, cheddar cheese (I used sharp white cheddar cheese or just sharp cheddar) green onions (optional chillies) and seasonings (I just use my hands).

Fold in your chicken after its cooked and shredded. Divide among your tortillas. Tuck in sides and roll up each tortilla.

Spray cookie sheet or casserole dish with cooking spray.  Put chimichangas with seam down spray the tops of chimichangas with cooking spray and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, flip and bake for another 15 minutes.

Serve with your choices salsa, sour cream, guacamole and enjoy.

Pollo saltado... Peruvian-style stir fried chicken

 

 

 

 

Prep time:  20 mins

Cook time:  10 mins

Total time:  30 mins

Serves: 2

 

Ingredients

• 1 lb. chicken breast, skinned, bonned, and cut in thin slices
• 2 garlic cloves finely diced
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 red onion cut in thick slices
• 2 tomatoes cut in thick slices
• 1 seeded and ribbed aji amarillo chili pepper cut in thin slices (you can substitute with 1 tablespoon of aji­ amarillo paste, or with any chili pepper you can find)
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper
• ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 cups French fries
• White rice as a side dish

Instructions

1. Season the chicken stripes with salt and pepper.
2. Put a wok or a pan over very high heat. When it is smoking, add the oil, let smoke again, add and saute the chicken, a few slices at a time so they don't steam but remain golden instead (about 10 minutes, depending on how strong the flame is).
3. In a home stove it´s almost impossible to get that kind of heat, besides, the fire alarm will alert the Firefighters and all the experience will be a mess.
4. Add garlic, onion, tomato, chili pepper, and stir for a couple of minutes. Add the soy sauce and vinegar on the sides of the pan and mix everything. Season with more salt and pepper.
5. Take off the heat, add chopped cilantro and serve at once with French fries and white rice.

Chicken with Satay Peanut Sauce

 

 

 

 

This spicy Thai sauce is delicious with Chicken cutlets or shrimp. Even better, marinated with shrimp or chicken and grilled on skewers. YUM!

 

 

Satay Peanut Sauce

 

 One can of unsweetened coconut milk (13 1/2oz)

¼  cup of Thai red curry paste

¾ cup natural creamy peanut butter (I used Smuckers)

½ tablespoon salt

¾ cup sugar

2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar

1 tsp soy sauce

few sprinkles of parsley

½ cup water (or more if needed)

 

In a bowl whisk together all ingredients, pour into a med skillet. Stir on low simmer until desired thickness. You may need to add tablespoons of cold water to thin it out. Add in desired main ingredient and serve. Can also serve on the side as a dipping sauce.

Turkey (or Chicken) Pot Pies

Picture and recipe courtesy of: Karen Dirgins-Graves

Ingredients:

 

 6 Tbsp butter
6 Tbsp flour
2 cups turkey or chicken broth
substitution - throw a couple of bouillon cubes in hot water
1 cup heavy cream
½ tsp pepper
Salt – to taste – a pinch, a couple of shakes, it's up to you Salty McSalterson
4 cups cooked turkey (or chicken), cut into large chunks
12 small white onions, cooked
substitution – 2 regular onions, raw and diced
¾ cup peas, cooked
substitution -3/4 cup peas, frozen
I also diced up some raw carrots too.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425*F. Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour, and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the broth, cream, pepper, and salt. Cook for 5 minutes, until thickened and smooth. Then I threw everything else in and stirred it up and set it to the side while I got the pie crusts ready.
This recipe called for making one 9” pie. I made 8, 4” mini pies. I used 2 boxes(4 crusts) of Pillsbury ready made refrigerated pie crusts. I had left over filling.
Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Chicken Franchese

　

Ingredients

                                              1/2 cup all-purpose flour
                                                        4 eggs, beaten

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1/2 cup white wine

2 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

                                                     salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup butter

2 lemons, juiced

1 teaspoon cornstarch

 Directions

Coat chicken with flour, then egg beat, then saute in a large skillet until almost cooked through. Drain on paper toweling.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).

In a medium saucepan combine the wine, broth, parsley, salt and pepper to taste, butter or margarine and lemon juice over medium low heat. Stir together while heating slowly. When butter or margarine has melted, slowly stir in cornstarch until sauce thickens slightly. Place chicken in a 9x13 inch baking dish and pour sauce over all.

Bake at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear

Dani's Braised Chicken Thighs

 

 

Recipe and picture courtesy of:  Danielle Mulholland

 

This is the first time I have actually written down a recipe that I created entirely by myself. I will be doing it more as I continue to experiment with ingredients and flavor profiles. It was a huge hit, even my 8 and 11 year old boys loved it.

Dani's Braised Chicken Thighs

1 cup all-purpose flour (approx.)
... Kosher salt (for seasoning)
Freshly ground black pepper (for seasoning)
10-12 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
2 to 4 tbsp olive or vegetable oil
1 med. onion diced
2 large carrots chopped
2 celery stalks chopped
4 large garlic cloves finely diced
½ tsp. fresh thyme chopped
1 can diced tomato's
3 tbsp. roughly chopped flat leaf parsley
2 cups chicken stock

Heat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. *You can cook at a higher temp for faster cooking time, just be sure to check your chicken for doneness regularly.

Add the flour to a large, shallow bowl. Generously season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Heat a large oven-proof Dutch oven or pan over medium to medium-high heat.
Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
Dredge the chicken thighs in the flour mixture.
Once the pan is hot, add enough oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken, skin-side down (be sure not to crowd the pan with chicken or the chicken will steam not brown). Let the chicken cook on the first side until golden brown. Flip over and continue to cook on the other side until golden. Once all of the chicken has been browned, remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
Add onions, celery and carrots to pan season with salt and pepper (to taste) and saute until onions are translucent scraping up brown bits from bottom of pan. (approx. 5 min.)
Add garlic and thyme and cook for 1-2 min. and then add tomato's and parsley, stir.
Place browned chicken thighs back in pan and add chicken stock, bring the liquid to a gentle simmer. Cover and place into the oven for about 2 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through and fork tender.

For a crispy chicken skin uncover pan at the end of cooking time and turn on broiler for approx. 5-10 min.
Garnish wish more flat leaf parsley, serve over rice, noodles or creamy polenta.

Chicken and Vegetable Alfredo Casserole

Ingredients:

1 bag of wide Egg Noodles

2 jars of Alfredo Sauce

3-4 boneless Chicken Breasts

1 large bag frozen Mixed Veggies

3 TBS Butter

3 TBS Bread crumbs (optional)

4 TBS Vegetable Oil

Directions:

Boil the noodles in salted water.

Salt and pepper the chicken breasts, then sauté until browned in a frying pan with vegetable oil. Let cool, then cut into cubes. Save the chicken juices and bits from the pan.

Heat up the veggies in microwave safe bowl or in a pot on the stove.

In a sprayed or greased casserole dish, combine the cooked noodles, veggies, chicken and sauce.

Pour a few tablespoonfuls of the chicken drippings and pieces left in the pan all over the top. Top with slivers of butter and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and optional bread crumbs.

Bake on 375 for 30-45 minutes or until crispy and browned on top.

Dijon Chicken with Tarragon

                                                           Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 skinless, boneless chicken

breast halves

salt and pepper to taste 1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon

 

Directions:

1. Melt the butter and heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper, and place in the skillet. Brown on both sides. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and continue cooking 15 minutes, or until chicken juices run clear. Set aside and keep warm.

2. Stir cream into the pan, scraping up brown bits. Mix in mustard and tarragon. Cook and stir 5 minutes, or until thickened. Return chicken to skillet to coat with sauce. Drizzle chicken with remaining sauce to serve.

Chicken Franchese

　

Ingredients

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

                                                           4 eggs, beaten

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1/2 cup white wine

2 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup butter

2 lemons, juiced

1 teaspoon cornstarch

Directions

Coat chicken with flour, then egg beat, then saute in a large skillet until almost cooked through. Drain on paper toweling.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).

In a medium saucepan combine the wine, broth, parsley, salt and pepper to taste, butter or margarine and lemon juice over medium low heat. Stir together while heating slowly. When butter or margarine has melted, slowly stir in cornstarch until sauce thickens slightly. Place chicken in a 9x13 inch baking dish and pour sauce over all.

Bake at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear

Grilled Chicken Fennel Soup

Recipe courtesy of: Kim Forni

Ingredients:

2 butterflied chicken breasts, pounded thin

2 large boneless , skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces

2 fennel bulbs (stalks with green included)

1/2 red onion, sliced

8 cloves garlic whole or sliced

1 leek (soft part only)

1/2 c. white wine

1 jalapeno, minced

1 stalk lemon grass

Lemon zest from 1 lemon and 1/2 the juice..

or to taste

1/2 lb gourmet cherry tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes)

1/2 of 10-oz package fresh spinach

1/4 cup cilantro4 quarts chicken stock

Salt and Pepper

Directions:

Heat some olive oil in a soup pot. Pound thin and marinade chicken breasts while doing the prep work. Then grill till done.Remove stalks from fennels . Then slice the fennel bulbs in about 1″ thick slices. Add fennel, onion and garlic to oil and sautee a couple of minutes. Cut the leek into 2″ long sticks and add in. Grate in lemon zest.

Add stock.

Cut off the dark green “grass” part of the lemon grass & leave only the soft stalk. Slit it down the middle and stir in the soup with the minced jalapeno and bring to a boil and lower flame.Season with salt and white pepper. Add white wine.

In the meantime, grill chicken breasts, season with salt and black pepper, and cut into strips.Once the fennel gets soft, slice tomatoes in half and add to pot. Now remove the lemon grass stalk from the soup.Toss in chopped cilantro and spinach cook for about 5 minutes.Place a few pieces of grilled chicken in bottom of serving bowl, pour soup over and serve.

Mojito Lime Chicken wraps

Marinade: Extra virgin olive oil, chilli pepper, chipotle pepper, garlic, salt, pepper, orange zest, lime zest some lime juice, some vinegar and a dash of sugar. Marinate boneless chicken cutlets in a zip lock with the marinade for a few hours, cooked them up and sliced them into grilled tortillas with some crunchy lettuce. The flavors were unbelievable!

Chicken (or Pork) Scarpiello

Ingredients

6 boneless chicken cutlets
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons butter
1 egg, beaten with 2 TBS water
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup white wine
½ cup sliced black olives
1 cup whole tomatoes, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground black pepper

2 tsp fresh or dried parsley

Directions

Season the flour with paprika, salt and pepper. Dip cutlets in egg, then dredge into the flour, shake off excess.

In 10 inch skillet, heat oil and butter. Add chicken. Cook, turning occasionally, until lightly browned on all sides (3 to 4 minutes). Using tongs, remove chicken from skillet. Set aside and keep warm.

To same skillet, add garlic. Sauté until softened (1 minute). Add water, wine, broth mix, and seasonings. Mix well. Cook, stirring frequently, until liquid is reduced by 1/2 (4-5 minutes).

Return chicken to skillet, add in tomatoes and olives, cook until sauce is thick and chicken is heated through (2 to 3 minutes) toss in the parsley and serve over thin spaghetti.

Beef or Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef or shredded chicken
8 corn tortillas
1 packet Fajita seasoning
1 can enchilada sauce
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3 TBS Vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
1 small red pepper, diced
1 ripe plum tomato, diced
½ small red onion
3 large scallions, sliced thinly

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large sauté’ pan, brown the ground beef with 2 TBS of the vegetable oil. Blend well until cooked through. Drain out any excess oil, season to taste with the salt, pepper and the Fajita packet (you may not want to use the whole thing). Pour in ¼ of the can of enchilada sauce, reserving the rest.

In a square casserole dish, sprinkle the remaining tbs of oil and cover the bottom and sides to coat using a paper towel. Pour in ¼ of the remaining enchilada sauce at the bottom to coat.

On each tortilla, spread a few tbs of the shredded cheddar, and a few tbs of the meat mixture, roll up and place face down in the casserole dish. Repeat this until you use all the tortillas. (you can divide the meat in 8 servings to be sure you have the same amount in each)

Pour the remaining enchilada sauce all over the top, sprinkle with shredded cheddar, diced tomatoes, peppers, onions and scallions.

Bake for 25-30 or until edges are browned and crispy.

Chicken and Black Bean Nachos

Recipe courtesy of: Paula Berglund Blum

chips of choice - mine were white corn
cheese of choice - mine was Sharp Cheddar
Garnishes were chopped vidalia, pickled jalapenoes, and sour cream

Chicken and Black Bean Mixture:

1 chcken breast, baked and pulled off the bone
1 c black beans cooked in chicken stock
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 chopped pasapilla pepper, seeded and deveined
3 T picante
1 t cumin
1 t garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
Stir to combine and left cold to warm when I served it

Avacado Salsa:

1 large tomato, diced
1 large avacado, diced
1/2 vidalia, diced
1 large clove garlic, chopped
Juice of one lime
1 T tasting olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Green onion for garnish

Assemble and enjoy!

Peter's Grilled Chicken

Recipe courtesy of:Peter Francis Battaglia

Chicken marinated in lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, white wine, dill, salt, pepper, garlic,..then grilled...plated with pan fried potato and zucchini rounds with garlic and allspice...garnished with fresh lemon, sea salt, black pepper, fresh dill and sliced green onions.