Baked Chicken Taquitos

adapted from Our Best Bites

From: Emily Garner

Makes 14-16 taquitos

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. green salsa
1 T. fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
3 T. chopped cilantro
2 T. sliced green onion
2 c. shredded, cooked chicken
1 c. grated Monterrey jack cheese (use pepper jack if you like a little heat)

small yellow or white corn tortillas
kosher salt (do not skip this ingredient!)
cooking spray

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Mix softened cream cheese, green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic powder. Add cilantro and green onions and mix. Add chicken, cheese and combine well.

Working a few tortillas at a time, place 3-4 between two damp paper towels and microwave for 40 seconds, until tortillas are soft and pliable and won't crack when rolling. Place 2-3 T. of the mixture on the lower third of the tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges. Roll it up as tight as you can.

Place filled taquitos seam side down on the baking sheet. When ready to bake, spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and lightly sprinkle with some kosher salt on top.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to turn golden brown. Dip in sour cream, salsa, guacamole or whatever you like!

Cashew-Chicken Rotini Salad

by Natalie Pelfrey

1 pkg rotini or spiral pasta
4 cups cubed, cooked chicken
1 20 oz can pineapple tidbits, drained
1.5 c sliced celery
3/4 c sliced green onions
1 c green grapes
1 c red grapes
1 pkg dried cranberries
1 c ranch dressing
3/4 c mayo
2 c salted cashews

Combine everything together. Whisk ranch and mayo. Toss to coat, refrigerate. Put in cashews just before serving. CHOW DOWN. Yummy!

Creamy Chicken and Black Beans

from: Tara Flake

Original Recipe: Crock Pot Chicken W/ Black Beans and Cream Cheese...yum!

Ingredients:
4 -5 boneless chicken breasts (I've also used less)
1 (15 1/2 ounce) can black beans (drained, but not rinsed)
1 (15 ounce) can corn (drained, or an equal amount of frozen corn)
1 (15 ounce) jar salsa, your favorite kind
1 TBSP minced garlic (or less, we LOVE garlic)
a few good shakes of cumin and ground red pepper or chili powder (for heat)
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
cliantro for garnish

Directions:

1. Place 2-4 frozen, yes, frozen, boneless chicken breasts into a crock pot.
2. Add beans, salsa, corn and spices.
3. Keep in crock pot on high for about 4-5 hours or until chicken is cooked.
4. Add 1 package of cream cheese, cut up (just throw it on top!) and let sit for about 1/2 hour.
5. Stir in the now-melted cream cheese and shred or cut the chicken and serve over rice or egg noodles. Sprinkle with cilantro if you like it.

Braised Chicken Thighs

from: Tara Flake

Original Recipe: Emeril's Braised Chicken Thighs
This is time consuming, (simmers for almost an hour) but very easy. Just plan ahead!

Ingredients
4-6 chicken thighs (about 2 pounds), trimmed of any skin or fat. (Either boneless or bone-in is fine)
1-2 tablespoons Emeril's Original Essence or Creole Seasoning (you can buy Emeril's Original Essence or make your own; I make this dinner a lot so I make my own)
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter (or dairy-free margarine for lucky girls like me)
2 cups thinly sliced yellow or white onions
1 tablespoon minced garlic
a few dashes of dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cups chicken stock or canned, low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Cooked white rice or mashed potatoes, for serving

Cooking Directions
Season the chicken all over with the Essence. Place the 1/2 cup flour in a small bowl, and quickly dredge both sides of each thigh in the flour, shaking to remove any excess. Set aside.

Heat 1 teaspoon of the olive oil in a 10- to 12-inch flameproof casserole or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter, and when it has melted, place the chicken in the pan. Brown for 2 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter to the pan, and when it has melted, add the onions, garlic, thyme and the black pepper. Cook, stirring as needed, until the onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon flour over the onions and cook for 2 minutes longer. Then whisk in the chicken stock and increase the heat to high. Return the chicken to the pan, and bring the stock to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan with a heavy, tight-fitting lid, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Uncover the pan, stir the bottom of the pan to prevent scorching, and turn the chicken over. Cover the pan, and simmer for 20 minutes longer.

Stir the bottom of the pan a final time, turn chicken over and re-cover, and simmer for 20 more minutes. Add the parsley to the sauce, stir to combine, and then serve the chicken over rice or mashed potatoes with the sauce on top. If the sauce is a little thin, continue to simmer and add a little cornstarch/flour and water slurry to thicken.

Mango Coconut Curry

from: Tara Flake

Original Recipe: Spicy Indian Chicken and Mango Curry

2 large or 3 medium mangoes, peeled and diced, divided
1 (10 ounce) can coconut milk
1 TBSP curry powder
3/4 tsp salt
14 ounces skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite size pieces (we like dark meat, but white meat would work too!)
4 green onions, sliced
1 large zucchini, diced
1 TBSP minced garlic
olive oil
ground ginger
ground red pepper
more curry powder

Directions
1. Place half of the mango slices into a blender with the coconut milk, 3/4 tsp salt and 1 TBSP curry powder. Also, squeeze the mango pits between your hands over the blender to get every last drop if mango pulp and juice. Messy but worth it! Blend until smooth and set aside.
2. Heat a little olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the chicken pieces with curry powder, ground red pepper (to your spicy-tolerance level), and a little ginger. Add the chicken, garlic and green onion to the oil; cook until the chicken is almost done, about 5 minutes.
3. Add diced zucchini and saute until chicken is done and zucchini is starting to soften.
4. Pour in the mango puree and add the remaining diced mango add and cook until heated through. Sprinkle a little ground ginger in and stir. This is where I take some out for the kids, then go on and add more curry powder, salt and red pepper until it's spicy/flavorful enough for the adults. Every curry powder is different, and some already come spicy. With some brands, I don't have to add much while other brands require a few more teaspoons. Just experiment and taste as you go!
5. Serve over basmati or jasmine rice to be authentic, or plain old white or brown rice if you aren't trying to impress anyone :)
*note* Try other diced veggies - white onions, bell peppers, squash... garnish with thinly sliced cucumbers...lots of possibilities!

BYU MOA Curry Chicken Pasta

by Natalie Pelfrey

(I got this recipe from my friend who worked at the MOA and the batches they made were huge so I just pretty much make the recipe however I want. But here are the basic guidelines)

Orzo pasta
diced cooked chicken
chopped celery
slivered almonds
green onions
grapes

Dressing:
equal parts sour cream and heavy mayo
sugar
salt and pepper
tons of curry powder

I just make this according to the things I like the best and it always turns out yummy!

White Bean Chicken Chili

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion
2 (14.5 ounce) cans Great Northern Beans, undrained
2 cups cooked, diced chicken (or turkey)
2 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup salsa (I use Pace Chunky Medium)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the remainder of the ingredients, except the mozzarella cheese. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the soup comes to a simmer. Add the mozzarella cheese one handful at a time, stirring to let each addition melt before adding the next. Stir to combine and make sure all the cheese has melted and serve.

(Recipe from mykitchencafe.blogspot.com, via Shauntel Cheney -- thanks!!)

Basic Taco Soup

This is what I was going to bring the night of Freezer Meals and what I should have brought to Soup night. There are days (weeks, months) where I'm not feeling like much of a cook, and this is always handy during such times to throw together in a pinch. Plus, it makes two meals for my little fam (unless we pig out), or it can just as quickly be doubled: one meal for later on in the week and two more for the freezer. That's my kinda cook'n!

makes ~8 cups

1 lb ground beef, browned and drained
1 28-oz can tomatoes (pureed, diced, however your fam likes them)
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 15-oz can kidney beans (drained & rinsed)
1 15-oz can corn (w/ liquid)
1/2 pkg taco seasoning (I think McCormick is the most flavorful, but Kroger is good as well.)

Toss it in a pot, let it come to a boil, and serve up!

Toppings:
- Fritos corn chips
(sure, you can substitute regular corn chips, but it's just not the same)
- shredded cheese
- sour cream
(nothing else better than the heat of the soup and the cool of the cream....YUM)
- sliced olives

Can also toss in whatever you need to clean out of the fridge:
- onion - peppers - pinto/black beans
- roast beef in place of hamburger meat
(made it yesterday with some BBQ-rubbed roast leftovers; what a tasty substitute!)

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

by Melissa Winder
2 C cooked and diced chicken breasts (about 2-3 breasts)
1 chicken bouillon cube
4 C chicken stock
2 C carrots, chopped
2 C celery, chopped (I leave this out since James doesn't like it)
3/4 C onion, chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup (Healthy Request version works great too)
1/4 C evaporated milk + more (also works with Lowfat evap milk)
Extra chicken stock or chicken broth
Salt and pepper
Noodles--homestyle egg noodles or homemade (see recipe below)

Directions:
-Heat stock, add 1 chicken bouillon cube
-Add carrots, celery, onion, and simmer until tender (about 1-2 hours if you have the time)
-Add cream of chicken soup and evaporated milk
-Add noodles, cook until soft (according to package label or until doubled in size for homemade)
-Add chicken and salt and pepper to taste
-Soup will look like a casserole, so add equal parts chicken broth (or stock) and evaporated milk until it is the desired consistency

Homemade noodles:
1 egg, beaten
2 Tbsp milk
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 - 1 C sifted flour (too much flour makes them a little hard)

Directions: Mix ingredients to stiff dough. Roll out on floured board. Let sit for 20 minutes. Cut into thin strips, let sit for 5 more minutes. Put into soup; stir to keep noodles separated.

Enjoy!

"Cafe Rio" Chicken and Rice - Tara Flake

I didn't bring these, but they go along with the other Cafe Rio items.

Café Rio Chicken

• 1 small bottle Kraft Zesty Italian
• 1 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1 Tbsp. cumin
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 5 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts

1. Roast all ingredients in crockpot on low for 4 hours.
2. Shred chicken, roast an additional 1 hour.

Café Rio Rice

• 3 c. water (I doubled the water and found myself adding a little more as it cooked)
• 4 tsp. chicken bouillon
• 4 tsp. minced garlic
• ½ bunch chopped cilantro
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 small can diced green chilies
• ¾ tsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• ½ medium onion, chopped
• 3 c. rice, uncooked

Bring water to boil, add all ingredients. Lower heat and simmer for 30 min.

Chicken Piccata
Lauri Leslie (I am including 3 of my all-time favorite recipes, although I did not bring any of them. I give money back guarantees!)

2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (1 ½ lbs total)
1/3 cup flour
2 tablespoons grated parmesan chicken
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup chicken stock or dry white wine
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
¼ brined capers
¼ fresh chopped parsley

Directions
Cut the chicken breast in half horizontally, butterflying them open. If you are working with large breast pieces you may want to cut them into two pieces. If the pieces are still pretty thick, put them between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound them with a meat hammer to an even ¼ inch thickness. [All that says is cut the chicken in pieces.]
Mix flour, grated cheese, salt and pepper. Rinse chicken pieces in water and dredge them thoroughly in flour mixture until well coated.
Heat olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add half the chicken pieces (you don’t want to crowd the pan). Brown well on each side, about three minutes per side. Remove from pan to a plate, cook other pieces in the same manner, remove from pan. Cover with aluminum foil and keep warm in the oven while preparing sauce. Add chicken stock (or white wine), lemon juice, and capers to pan. Use a metal spatula to scrape up the browned bits. Reduce the sauce by half. Whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Pour sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with parsley.


*This makes an easy family meal, especially if you cut down the oil and only use the 2 Tbsp of butter at the end. Or for a really impressive company meal, serve with pasta and gorgonzola or Alfredo sauce, steamed asparagus, and green salad. People will be begging for repeat performances.


Gorgonzola Sauce
Lauri Leslie (This comes with the same money back guarantee for everything but weight loss!)

¼ pound gorgonzola cheese (Costco is the cheapest place to find this)
1 ½ cups heavy cream
½ cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat leaf parsley (Italian parsley)
coarse salt

Place the cheese, cream and broth in a large, heavy skillet over high heat. As soon as the cream begins to bubble, reduce the heat to medium high and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon until the cheese has melted and the sauce has thickened, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in parsley and season with salt. Remove from heat and toss with pasta, cooked according to package directions. Top with parmesan cheese, and a bit of parsley so it will look pretty.

You could also use ready-made tortellini or ravioli. This is definitely a special occasion meal because of the calories, but it is super easy to do.

Pesto
Lauri Leslie (Everyone needs a good pesto recipe and this is my favorite.)

1 cup basil leaves
1 cup Italian or curly parsley
½ cup pine nuts
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
¾ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
¾ olive oil

Put all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse the motor to make a homogeneous sauce which is not as fine as a puree.

If you need ideas on what to do with pesto:

*On a Pizza in place of red sauce with chicken, artichoke hearts, and parmesan cheese.
*Pasta, any kind
* Grilled chicken or vegetables
*Or pasta + grilled chicken + grilled vegetables + pesto + parmesan cheese – all tossed together. The ultimate grilling experience and well worth the effort.

Italian Recipes

Meatballs -- by Jenny Webb

1 lb ground sirloin (Don't use meat with more than 10% fat)

1 T. onion (dried), or 1/8 c. onion (fresh and chopped)

2 tsp. soy sauce

1 egg, beaten

1/2 c. bread crumbs (you can use crackers too)

1/4 c. parmesan cheese

2 cloves garlic, chopped

salt/pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Mix all ingredients (use your hands!). Roll mixture into 1.5 in. sized balls and place on nonstick cookie sheet (of course you can use a regular cookie sheet-- just spray it). Cook 10-12 min.

***I don't really like red meat but for some reason I think these are the BEST! You can eat them by themselves, in a sandwich, or with spaghetti. YUM!

Creamy Chicken & Vegetable Penne -- Lindsay Mills

Ingredients:

1/2 box penne pasta
2-3 boneless chicken breast (cut up into cubes or strips)
A bunch of yummy veggies, your choice: some favorites-Red & yellow peppers, zucchini, asparagus, mushrooms.

1/4 cup butter

1 TBLS flour

2 tsp. chicken bullion (2 cubes mashed, *not dissolved in water*)

3/4 tsp. basil

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/8 tsp pepper

2 cup milk (or 1 cup milk and 1 cup half and half if you don't mind the calories!)

1/4 cup grated parm. cheese (or the shredded parm, romano, asiago cheese mix you get in a tub)

Boil noodles!

Melt butter and stir in flour in sauce pan. Stir in basil, garlic powder, pepper, and bullion. Add milk. Simmer 15 minutes, stirring as sauce thickens (add bacon if desired).

Brown chicken breasts in 2 TBS of olive oil. Once chicken is thoroughly cooked add vegetables.

Drain noodles and combine with chicken and vegetables then fold in the sauce. Sprinkle with parsley and cheese.