World's Easiest Chicken Salad

My kids prefer this to the fancier recipes and I make it often because it's so easy.  They have requested it in their sack lunches once school starts.  :)

Sprinkle Lowry's seasoning salt and some lemon pepper on three fresh (not frozen but I am sure frozen would work too) chicken breasts and cook them on high in the crockpot until just cooked to 165 degrees but no longer. 

While it's hot, shred the chicken using two forks.  You want it in nice chunks, not overly shredded.  Then let it cool.

Add mayonnaise to make the chicken salad as creamy as you like it and add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve on King's Hawaiian rolls. 

Zesty Lime Chicken Tacos...

1/2 bottle Kraft Zesty Lime Vinaigrette Dressing
16 oz. jar Salsa Verde
1 can diced Green Chilies
1/2 can diced Jalapeños (optional)
Juice from 2 limes
4-5 Chicken Breast

Combine in crockpot and cook for 4-8 hours or until shreddable.  Shred chicken and then place back into the juice/liquid in the crockpot.  Serve in flour or corn tortillas with cheese, beans, lettuce, and avocado.  We also like to top them with sour cream or cafe rio ranch.  This chicken is also so good in a salad with black beans, tomatoes, and dressing.

Just like Cafe Rio Chicken...

• 2 pounds chicken breasts
• ½ cup zesty italian dressing
• ¾ tablespoon minced garlic
• ½ tablespoon chili powder
• ½ tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 1 oz package dry ranch dressing mix
• ½ cup water

Place chicken in crock pot with a little chicken broth until it is tender and you can shred it..  

Then take chicken out and dump liquid out of crock pot.  Shred chicken and place back in crock pot.  In a separate bowl, combine above ingredients and whisk together.  Then pour over your shredded chicken in your crockpot.  Cook for about 2 more hours.  Enjoy in a tortilla or on a salad with your favorite toppings. 

**Shelly's Instant Pot notes:  I add frozen chicken breasts and all other ingredients to my IP and cook on Manual, high pressure for 12-13 minutes.  Let the pressure naturally release, then open the pot and shred the chicken.  Put it back into the pot and turn on Saute' just for a minute until it comes to a boil.  

Hot Corn Dip (or Casserole Main Dish)

1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 4 oz. can diced green chiles
1/2 c. diced red pepper
1 T. minced jalapeño
2 T. sliced olives
1 c. mayonaise
1 c. grated Monterey or Pepperjack cheese
1/2 c. grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Mix corn, chilies, jalapeño, olives and  red pepper in a medium bowl.  Add  mayo and stir well.  Add cheeses and stir.  Pour/spoon mixture into small casserole dish and bake at 350 until hot.  Serve with corn chips.

You can add cooked, shredded chicken to this to make it a main dish.

Chicken Pot Pie

Recipe from Tasty Kitchen

Ingredients

• 6 Tablespoons Butter
• ⅛ teaspoons Thyme
• ¼ teaspoons Pepper
• 6 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour
• 1-½ cup Chicken Broth
• 1-½ cup Half-and-half
• 2 cups Cooked, Then Cubed Chicken
• 1 whole Carrot, Diced And Cooked
• ½ cups Peas Cooked
• 6 whole New Potates, Cooked And Cubed
• 1 box Double Crust Pastry Shell (or Make Your Own!)

Preparation

Cook butter, thyme, flour, pepper (add salt to taste) on low heat until bubbly. Remove from heat and add chicken broth and cream. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly till thick. Fold together sauce with chicken and vegetables. Pour into uncooked pastry shell. (can mound high in shell,) Put pastry shell on top and vent like you would an apple pie. Bake in preheated oven @425 for 30 minutes.

Jalapeno Popper Chicken Chili

Ingredients

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, diced

5 jalapeno peppers diced, seeds removed (leave some seeds for extra heat)

3 cloves garlic, minced

salt and fresh ground black pepper

1 + 1/4 pound boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 teaspoons chile powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon oregano

pinch of crushed red pepper

1 (10 oz) can dice tomatoes with green chiles

1 + 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 (14 oz) can cannelloni or navy beans, drained

1 (14 oz) can corn, drained

8 ounces cream cheese

1 pound bacon, cooked crispy and crumbled, divided

Instructions

In a large saucepan (deep enough for soup) heat 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil over medium heat and sauté onion, jalepeno, and garlic until tender.

Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper, then add to the saucepan adding another tablespoon of olive oil as well. Add cumin, chili powder, oregano, and crushed red pepper. Toss chicken and seasonings together and lightly brown chicken on all sides.

Stir in can of diced tomatoes, chicken broth, corn, and cannelloni beans and increase heat to bring to a simmer. Let simmer for 30 minutes.

Stir in cream cheese and stir until completely melted. Stir in 1/2 of the crumbled bacon. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper as needed. **Add more chicken broth if too thick.

Serve and garnish with cheddar cheese and the rest of the crumbled bacon.

Green Chile Chicken Soup

1 c butter

1 c flour

8 c chicken broth

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp seasoned salt

½ tsp pepper

2 can green chilies

1 ½ c cubed cooked chicken

2 c sour cream

Diced cooked potatoes

Melt butter in pan; add flour. Cook over low heat 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.  Add chicken broth. Blend until thick and smooth. Add seasonings and simmer a few minutes. Add green chilies and juices.  Add chicken and potatoes. Mix in sour cream. Heat thoroughly.

*I usually reduce the butter by almost half and then thicken at the end with potato flakes

Firecracker Chicken

*Note: This dish packs a bit of a kick and depends mightily on what type of hot sauce you buy. Apparently (thought I haven’t tried it), if you buy the buffalo flavor it’s a bit more mild and less spicy. Also, I cut down on the sugar by 1/2 cup from the original recipe. If you really want to minimize the spiciness, you can consider adding that extra 1/2 cup back in (I just had trouble bringing myself to use 1 1/2 cups of sugar in a dinner recipe). Either way, the spicy/sweet combo is delicious!
*Serves 4-6


INGREDIENTS:


Chicken:
2-4 tablespoons canola oil
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)
Salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 large eggs, beaten

Sauce:
1/3 cup hot sauce (like Frank’s brand for hot wings, for instance)
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. While the oil is heating, cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Place the cornstarch in a gallon-sized ziploc bag. Put the chicken into the bag with the cornstarch and seal, tossing to coat the chicken. Whisk the eggs together in a shallow pie plate. Dip the cornstarch-coated chicken pieces in the egg and place them carefully in a single layer in the hot skillet. Cook for 1-2 minutes and then flip each piece over to cook on the other side until nicely golden but not all the way cooked through. Place in a single layer in a 9X13-inch baking dish and repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.

Mix the sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl and pour over the chicken in the baking dish. Bake for one hour, turning the chicken once or twice while cooking to coat evenly with sauce. Serve over hot, steamed rice.

**Shelly's notes:  We doubled the amount of sauce for 2 lbs of chicken and had to use a 9x13 pan and a 8x8 square pan to fit it all in a single layer.  

Creamy Sausage Casserole with Biscuits

Ingredients

1 (12-oz.) pkg. HORMEL® Little Sizzlers® Pork Sausage Links

8 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

4 cups milk

1 (4.5-oz.) jar Green Giant® Sliced Mushrooms, drained

1 (2-oz.) jar HORMEL® Bacon Pieces

1/4 teaspoon pepper

12 eggs

1 (5-oz.) can evaporated milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 (12-oz.) can Pillsbury® Grands!® Jr. Golden Layers® refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

Steps

• 1 Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish. Crumble sausage into large saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until sausage is browned and thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently. Remove sausage from saucepan; drain. Set aside.
• 2 In same large saucepan, melt 6 tablespoons of the butter. Add flour; stir with wire whisk until smooth. Cook over low heat for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually stir in milk. Cook, stirring constantly until bubbly and thickened. Add cooked sausage, mushrooms, bacon pieces and pepper; mix well. Set aside.
• 3 In large bowl, beat eggs, evaporated milk and salt with wire whisk until well blended. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add egg mixture; cook, stirring occasionally, until firm but still moist. 4. Pour 1/3 of sauce into greased baking dish. Top with half of egg mixture. Repeat layers. Top with remaining sauce.
• 4 Separate dough into 10 biscuits. Cut each into quarters. Place biscuit pieces, points up, over sauce.
• 5 Bake at 350°F. for 20 to 25 minutes or until mixture is thoroughly heated and biscuits are golden brown.

Chicken-Stuffed Shells with Two Sauces

Fragrant fresh basil makes these stuffed shells special; prepared sauces save time.

Prep Time 20 Minutes

Total Time 1:05 Hr:Mins

18 uncooked jumbo pasta shells

3/4 cup lightly packed chopped fresh basil leaves

3 cups diced cooked chicken breast (about 1 lb)

1 cup small-curd cottage cheese

1 egg

2 cups tomato pasta sauce

1 container (10 oz) refrigerated Alfredo sauce

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. Cook and drain pasta shells as directed on package.
2. In medium bowl, mix 1/2 cup of the basil leaves, the chicken, cottage cheese and egg. Spoon about 1 heaping tablespoon mixture into each cooked pasta shell.
3. Pour pasta sauce into baking dish; spread to evenly coat bottom of dish. Place filled shells over sauce, filled sides up. Drizzle Alfredo sauce over shells. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cover tightly with foil.
4. Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and shells are hot. Sprinkle with remaining basil.

Makes 6 servings

Naughty Chicken Enchiladas

These are the best chicken enchiladas I've ever made.  They are a special treat, but everyone I've served them to just dies over them.  The recipe is easy to double and they freeze well.  I like to serve them with black beans and sometimes cafe rio rice.  I got the recipe from kevinandamanda.com


Ingredients:
1 tbsp butter or margarine
1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chilies, drained
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, cut up and softened
2 cups chopped, cooked chicken breast
8 (8″) flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 pint whipping cream

Direction:
Preheat oven to 350. Spray 9×13 baking dish with Pam. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add rotel and saute 1 min. Stir in cream cheese and chicken and cook, stirring constantly until cream cheese melts. Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of chicken mixture down center of each tortilla. Roll up tortillas and place seam side down in a lightly greased 9×13 baking dish. Sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese, and drizzle with whipping cream. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 min. Take off foil and cook for another 15 mins, or until top is golden brown.

Teriyaki Chicken

Take from: Gimmesomeoven
Ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup chopped white onion
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup soy sauce (use low-sodium if desired)
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh ginger
• 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 3 Tbsp. cornstarch
• (optional toppings: sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds)

Method

Add the chicken breasts to the bottom of your slow cooker in a single layer.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the garlic, onion, honey, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger, and black pepper until combined. Pour the mixture on top of the chicken breasts. Cover slow cooker, and cook on high for 4-5 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through and shreds easily with a fork. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon to a separate bowl and shred it using two forks. Transfer the remaining teriyaki sauce from the slow cooker to a medium saucepan.

Meanwhile in a separate bowl, whisk together the cold water and cornstarch until the cornstarch is dissolved and no longer lumpy. Pour the cornstarch slurry into the teriyaki sauce mixture, and whisk to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, and let it boil for about 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat, and pour the sauce on top of the shredded chicken. Toss to combine.

Serve topped with scallions (green onions) and toasted sesame seeds if desired.

Lion House Ranch Chicken

¾ c. cornflakes, crushed
¾ c. grated Parmesan cheese (I use Romano instead!)
1 pkg. ranch salad dressing mix
8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
½ c. butter or margarine, melted

1. In a shallow bowl, combine the cornflakes, Parmesan cheese, and salad dressing mix.
2. Dip chicken in melted butter, and then roll in cornflake mixture to coat.
3. Place chicken breasts in a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
4. Bake, uncovered, at 350º for 45 minutes or until chicken juices run clear. 

Easy Chicken Tacos...

1 Rotisserie Chicken, deboned and shredded
12 oz brown rice, cooked
1 Cup Frozen Corn
1/2 Ts Salt
1 Cup Mexican Cheese Blend, shredded
1 Can Diced Tomatoes

1 Jar (16oz) Verde Enchilada Sauce (Kroger brand is REALLY good!! That is Smith's)
1 Pkg tortillas (the fresh ones are the best, the ones you get from Costco) or crisp taco shells

Top with:

Sour Cream

Lettuce


Preheat oven to 450. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick spray.
Mix first 7 ingredients in a large bowl. Place in the baking dish
Bake at 450 for 20 minutes or until bubbling. Let stand 5 minutes. Spoon sour cream onto tortillas, top with chicken mix and lettuce (we always use spinach) 

White Bean and Chicken Chili...

5 cups shredded cooked chicken 

2 cans of chicken broth

1 large jar of salsa (I use mild)

1/2 pound shredded pepper jack cheese

3 cans undrained white beans   (not navy beans or white chili beans)

Use Fritos and sour cream on top if desired when serving.

After shredding the chicken put it back in the crockpot or on a pot on the stove.  Add all of the ingredients and cook until the cheese is melted and the soup is hot.

Easy Panang Curry

1 can (8-oz) bamboo shoots, drained

1 large red pepper

1 large carrot, very thinly sliced

1-2 tablespoon coconut oil (other cooking oils are fine)

1¼ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into very thin bite-sized slices

1 (13.66-oz) can of coconut milk (not lite)

3-4 tablespoons Red Curry Paste

1½ teaspoons sugar, or to taste

1 tablespoon fish sauce

Steamed rice for serving

1. Rinse the bamboo shoots and strain well.

2. Cut the pepper into thin strips and the carrot into very thin slices.

3. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When it’s hot, add the chicken and cook, stirring often, until it is cooked. Remove the chicken from the pan.

4. Put the coconut milk, curry paste, and sugar in the pan. Whisk it until the curry paste is blended well into the coconut milk. Heat it until it’s gently boiling.

5. Stir in the chicken, bamboo shoots, carrot, and red pepper. Reduce the heat so the curry is just simmering, and cook for 5 – 10 minutes.

6. Stir in the fish sauce and serve over steamed rice.

Shelly's notes:  The spiciness will depend on your curry paste brand.  Mine was not spicy at all so I ended up adding some Sriracha to give the sauce a slight kick.  Taste the sauce after each addition of a TBSP of curry paste and keep adding more until it tastes good to you.  I was terrified of the fish sauce when I first unscrewed the bottle...it is very strong smelling; but it really does finish the dish and doesn't taste "fishy" when you are done!     

Sweet and Spicy Bacon Chicken

Taken from Diary of a Recipe Addict

This has become one of our favorites.  I have only ever grilled it so I don't know how the bacon would turn out if baked in the oven.

4 chicken breasts cut in thirds (12 pieces)

Bacon slices

salt and pepper to taste

garlic powder

chili powder

brown sugar

Cut each breast into 3 pieces, season all the chicken with the spices, then wrap a bacon slice around each piece, roll in brown sugar and place into an oven proof dish....make sure you have some olive oil in the dish too, like 2 or 3 tablespoons is fine {I skipped this since I grilled them.  I honestly think you could coat your dish with nonstick cooking spray instead to save a few calories}.  

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and bacon is nice and brown and crispy.  Delicious served with mashed potatoes with some of the gravy from the chicken drizzled on top.

Kickin' Chicken Marinade

Taken from Sweet Little Blue Bird

2-3 lbs chicken breasts
1 cup Franks Original Hot Sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lime juice
2 cloves of garlic-minced or pressed (or garlic powder)
1 lime cut into slices.

Mix hot sauce, olive oil, lime juice and garlic together.  Pour into ziplock over chicken.  Marinade for 4 hours.  Grill chicken.  Squeeze lime slice on chicken after grilled.

DELICIOUS AND NOT TOO HOT!

Buttermilk "Fried" Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk

• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon black pepper

• 3/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)

• 1 package (4-1/2 pounds) chicken pieces, breasts cut in half diagonally and skin removed

• 5 cups corn flakes, coarsely crushed

• 1/2 cup bread crumbs

• 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning

• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

• Pinch cayenne pepper

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together buttermilk, mustard, 3/4 teaspoon of the salt, 1/2 teaspoon of the garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper and the hot sauce. Add chicken (save wings for another use) and turn to coat. Refrigerate 1 hour.

2. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a baking rack with nonstick cooking spray and place inside rimmed baking sheet.

3. Stir together crushed corn flakes, bread crumbs, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, the poultry seasoning, paprika and cayenne. Stir in oil until blended. Remove chicken from marinade and dip in crumb mixture, pressing to adhere.

4. Place chicken on rack and bake at 400 degrees F. for 55 minutes or until instant- read thermometer registers 160 degrees when inserted in thickest part of breast.  Makes 8 servings.

Chicken Monterey

This was from my Relief Society Christmas party.

1/2 lb. Monterey Jack cheese (cut into finger size pieces)
4 chicken breasts cut in half
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup fine bread crumbs
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. onion salt
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. marjoram

Bone and skin chicken, put the pieces one at a time into a plastic bag and pound to about 1/4 inch thickness.

Mix bread crumbs, parmesan cheese and spices.  Dip chicken in butter, roll around a piece of Monterey Jack cheese and cover with bread crumbs.  Place in pan with seam side down.  Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.