Kristina's Easy Chicken Curry

28-oz can tomatoes
4 whole chicken breast cut in half
1 onion chopped
half a green pepper chopped
2 carrots chopped
2 ribs celery chopped
1-2 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tbsp sugar
1 chicken bouillon cube dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water OR can of chicken broth

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.
Cover. Cook on high 2-3 hours OR on low 5-6 hours.
OR
let simmer on stove for 1 hour-ish.

baked chicken nuggets

we love these in our family. so much better than fried chicken nuggets. we like them dipped in sauces as a finger food. but they're also good served with pasta and a tomato or alfredo sauce.

Original recipe yield: 30 nuggets

INGREDIENTS
3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 cup butter, melted

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Cut chicken breasts into 1 1/2 inch size pieces. In a medium bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, cheese, salt, thyme and basil. Mix well. Put melted butter/margarine in a bowl or dish for dipping.
Dip chicken pieces into the melted butter/margarine first, then coat with the breadcrumb mixture. Place well coated chicken pieces on a lightly greased cookie sheet in a single layer, and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

chicken taco casserole

boneless, skinless chicken, cooked & chunked
(I boil it, let it cool & chop it up)
1 bag tortilla chips
1 bag shredded cheese (you probably won't use it all)

sauce: in saucepan 'til runny
2 cans mushroom soup
2 cans chili1 can tomato soup
1 (small) can tomato paste
sour cream
1 pkg taco seasoning

layer in 9x13 pan:
chips, sauce, chicken, cheese...chips, sauce, chicken, cheese
bake at 350 until the sides are bubbly and the cheese is dark.

chicken tortilla soup

i made this for the dinner swap this past week.
i thought it was yummy.
serves 4.

INGREDIENTS
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup chunky salsa
8 ounces corn tortilla chips
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (optional)

DIRECTIONS
In a large pot over medium heat, saute the chicken in the oil for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cumin and mix well. Then add the broth, corn, onion, chili powder, lemon juice and salsa. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes.
Break up some tortilla chips into individual bowls and pour soup over chips. Top with the Monterey Jack cheese and a little sour cream.

CHICKEN POT PIE

My bishop's wife made this for our family the week after Audrey and I came home from the hospital, and I had to get the recipe because it was so delicious! I made it last night but forgot to take a picture (sorry!)

Filling:
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1-3/4 cups chicken broth (about 1 can)
2/3 cup milk (or half-and-half to make the filling a bit richer, which I did)
2 cups chicken, cooked and cut into pieces
1 package peas and carrots

Pastry dough:
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons celery seed
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons shortening
5 tablespoons ice water

(Note: I found the dough to be fragile, tearing easily. You may want to make the dough first, then refrigerate it while preparing the filling to make it easier to handle.)

In a saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Blend in flour, onion and seasonings. Cook, stirring, until mixture is bubbly. Remove from heat and whisk in chicken broth and milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil, stir one minute. Gently stir in chicken and vegetables, remove from heat and set aside.

Preheat oven to 425◦ F.

Prepare pastry by sifting together dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Cut in shortening. Sprinkle in ice water one tablespoon at a time, until all flour is moistened and dough almost cleans sides of bowl. Gather dough into a ball. On a lightly floured board, roll 2/3 of the dough into a circle. Ease pastry into a 9" or 10" pie dish. Pour filling into pan. Roll remaining dough into
a circle; place over filling. Crimp edges and cut slits in center of crust to allow steam to escape.

Bake at 425◦ F for 30-35 minutes. Serves 8.

Easy Chicken

I know there are 1000's of "breaded chicken" recipes - this is just my current favorite.

Blend (in a blender):

1 tube Ritz crackers
2 T shredded parmesan cheese
1 t garlic powder
1 t Johnny's seasoning salt

Roll 4 chicken breasts in sour cream and in the crumb mix.

Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes - until chicken is cooked through (looks white inside when you cut into the middle).

Why I like it: fast, common ingredients, stays moist and yummy.

big daddy surprise

this was big daddy's spontaneous creation for dinner tonight- best food i've had in a LONG time.

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 t. lemon pepper
1/4 t. oregano
1/4 t. sea salt
1/2 c. heavy cream
4 slices mozzerella
1 tomato, thinly sliced
1 avocado, thinly sliced
french bread, topped with butter and garlic, toasted

place chicken in a shallow baking dish. lightly sprinkle with seasonings. spoon heavy cream on top. bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. top with mozzerella and tomato and cook 5 minutes or until chicken is done. top with avocado and serve immediately with warm garlic bread. mmm...

Santa Rosa Valley Salad

Santa Rosa Valley Salad

• 1 Box seasoned long grain and wild rice mix (like Uncle Ben’s)
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 3 Chicken breast halves, cooked and diced
• 4 Green onions, chopped
• 1 Red bell pepper, diced
• 3 oz. Chinese pea pods, ends removed
• 2 Medium avocados, diced
• 1 C. Chopped pecans, toasted
• Lettuce leaves for garnish, red leaf looks nice

Dressing:

• 2 Cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 1/4 tsp. Sugar
• 1/4 tsp. Pepper
• 1/3 C. Seasoned rice vinegar
• 1/2 C. Vegetable oil

Combine dressing in blender. Cover and refrigerate. Cook rice according to package directions. Mix with all salad ingredients except avocados and pecans. Combine with dressing and refrigerate 2-4 hours or up to 24 hours. Before serving add avocados and pecans and garnish with lettuce leaves.

Enchiladas Suizas

Salsa Verde

1 lb. tomatillos, husked and quartered
2 chopped garlic cloves
1/2 small red onion, chopped
1 small can diced green chilis
(also good with 1 small diced jalapeno pepper instead)
1 3/4 c. chicken broth
1 c. whole sour cream
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Prepare salsa verde: In meduim saucepan, bring tomatillos, garlic, onion, chilis and broth to a boil over med-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until tomatillos and onions are soft (about 20 minutes.) Let cool! Pour into a blender and puree. Add sour cream and pepper and blend till smooth. Pour sauce back in to saucepan and simmer over low heat.

Enchiladas

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro (+ 1 more tablespoon, chopped, for garnish)
salsa verde
12 corn tortillas
1 cup grated monterey jack cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Boil chicken until cooked through, cool and shred.
In a large bowl, combine cooked chicken and cilantro with 1/3 cup salsa verde. Spoon another 1/3 cup salsa verde into bottom of a greased 9x13 inch baking pan.
Using tongs, dip tortillas one at a time into remaining simmering sauce. Soften tortilla about 5 seconds. Transfer tortilla onto a plate. Spoon about 1/4 cup chicken filling onto center of tortilla. Roll tortilla around filling and place, seam side down, in baking pan. Repeat with all tortillas and filling.
Pour remaining salsa on top of filled tortillas. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake until enchiladas are hot and cheese is melted, about 25 minutes. Garnish with remaining cilantro.

(I serve this with spanish rice and black bean soup. It is a little time consuming, but SUPER YUMMY.)