Slow-Cooker Spicy Cheddar Chicken Cornbread

 Slow-Cooker Spicy Cheddar Chicken Cornbread

yummy!



Chicken Mixture
3 cups chopped cooked chicken
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (8 oz)
1 can (10 1/2 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk
1 package (1 oz) Old El Paso original taco seasoning mix
3 green onions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
2 jalapeño chiles, seeded and finely chopped (1/3 cup)
Cornbread Topping
1 pouch (6.5 oz) Betty Crocker cornbread & muffin mix
1 can (14.75 oz) cream style sweet corn
1 egg
3 tablespoons butter, melted



    1.   Spray 5-quart oval slow cooker with cooking spray. In large bowl, mix chicken, cheese, soup, milk and taco seasoning mix. Stir in green onion whites and jalapeño chiles. Pour into slow cooker; spread evenly.
    2.   In medium bowl, mix cornbread & muffin mix, corn and egg. Stir in melted butter. Pour evenly over chicken mixture. Place folded, clean dish towel under cover of cooker. This will prevent condensation from dripping down onto cornbread.
    3.  Cover; cook on Low heat setting 3 to 4 hours or until instant-read thermometer inserted in center of mixture reads at least 165°F and toothpick inserted in center of cornbread comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Top with green onion greens.
Now of course, we used 2% cheese and fat free milk and skipped the chiles. And still delicious!

Cheesy Chicken Casserole

Cheesy Chicken Casserole
This was one really tasty meal!

Ingredients:
2 packages of thin chicken breasts.
a few slices of prosciutto.
a half bag of fresh spinach.
an 8oz. package of mushrooms.
1 envelope Lipton Recipe Secrets Savory Herb and Garlic.
 1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup olive oil.
8 oz. shredded Swiss or mozzarella.

Preheat oven to 375.
spray a 13x9 pan with Pam. Craig used a 11x11.

Layer chicken breasts in pan. Craig diced his chicken.

Cover with prosciutto, spinach and mushrooms.
Whisk together olive oil, wine and savory herb envelope, then pour over everything.

Lightly cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove foil, top with cheese and bake 5 minute more.
Now when Craig took the foil off, there was so much liquid, he drained it off before adding cheese. I think next time he'll saute the mushrooms first to eliminate a lot of the water.

Pared with roasted asparagus for a delicious meal!

We even had enough for leftovers!

Honey-Sriracha Chicken Foil Packet

A quick and easy dinner!

Ingredients

1/2 cup uncooked instant brown rice 

1/2 cup water

1 box (7 oz) Green Giant™ healthy weight frozen vegetables (sliced carrots, sugar snap peas, black beans and edamame lightly tossed with butter sauce), thawed.

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (from 20-oz package)

3 tablespoons honey

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

11/2 tablespoon Sriracha sauce 

Directions

• 1. Heat oven to 350°F. In small bowl, mix rice and water. Soak 5 minutes; drain. Stir in thawed vegetables.
• 2. Cut 4 (10x12-inch) sheets of heavy-duty foil. Spray center of one side of each with cooking spray. Spoon one-fourth of the rice mixture on center of each sheet. Top each with 1 chicken breast.
• 3. In small bowl, mix honey, lime juice and Sriracha sauce. Spoon evenly over chicken.
• 4. Bring up 2 sides of foil so edges meet. Seal edges, making tight 1/2-inch fold; fold again, allowing space for heat circulation and expansion. Fold other sides to seal. Place packets on ungreased cookie sheet with sides.
• 5. Bake about 30 minutes or until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (at least 165°F). Let stand 5 minutes.

Okay, first off, one box of frozen veggies is no where enough for 4 servings. We used 2 boxes and could have used 3. We like veggies.
Second, we upped the rice to 3/4 cup and the water to 3/4 cup.
Every thing else we followed.
Easy and tasty!

open faced chicken meatball sandwich

Chicken meatball open faced sandwich.
We used Chicken meatballs for this recipe. You could also use turkey meatballs or beef if you like.
 These were a bit expensive, but a much better diet choice. :-)

This is a simple recipe, and oh so good!

1 package meatballs.

1 jar marinara sauce.

 2 sub buns, cut in half.

2% shredded mozzarella cheese.

      In a sauce pan, heat sauce and meatballs until hot and bubbly.

Spread some of the  sauce on buns.

Cut meatballs in half, and place along bun.

Top with more sauce.

Sprinkle with cheese.

Place in a pre-heated oven, (350) until cheese is melted.

Serve warm.
We had this with our home made coleslaw.

Marinated Chicken wings

Marinated Chicken wings

 These wings were also boiled first to remove extra fat.
This recipe makes for a glazed wing, that dries nicely as it cooks.
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup cooking oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ginger
2-4 lbs chicken wings
Combine all ingredients in a zip-lock bag, marinate wings 24-48 hrs, turning bag several times. Place wings skin side up on lightly greased cookie sheet, or on a grill rack to drain excess marinade. Bake at 350 for 1-1 1/2 hrs

tasty, boiled and baked chicken wings

Here's a healthier way to enjoy crispy chicken wings.
The secret is to boil them first to remove fat so they crisp better in the oven.
I bought a 4lb bag of frozen plain wings.
Fill a large pot 3/4 full of water.
Bring to a boil.
Add wings.
Bring back to boil, partial cover, and boil for 15 minutes.
Scoop out wings into a colander to drain and cool.

Look at all the fat that boiled out of the wings!
While the wings are boiling, fill a resealable bag with.....
!/2 cup flour and any seasonings you want.
I used 3 Tablespoons of garlic powder and 3 Tbl Cajun seasoning.
 Add drained and cooled wings to bag, seal and toss to coat.
Important! Place pan in fridge for 45 minutes up to an hour to  give flour time to meld to the wings.
preheat oven to 450.
Pull pan out of fridge.

For this batch, I left half of the wings floured, the other half I put in a bag with barbecue sauce and re coated them.
Spray floured wings with a butter cooking spray to help brown while cooking.
Cook wings for 40 minutes, turning once.

Believe me. They were as tasty as they look!
The barbecue wings burned a bit, but were still good. I think next time, I'll turn the temp down to 425.

Herb Chicken and Squash

Herb Chicken and Squash.
4 skinless chicken breasts.
2 tbsp chopped rosemary, divided.
1 tsp salt, divided.
1/2 tsp ground black pepper, divided.
1 lb of peeled, seeded, cubed butternut squash.
2 tsp of canola or olive oil, divided.
3/4 lb sweet onions halved if large.
3 tsp balsamic vinegar, divided.
cooking spray.
2 tbsp apricot preserves.
2 tsp Dijon mustard.
2 tsp chopped ginger
1 clove garlic chopped.

position rack ion  lower third of oven.
Heat oven to 400.
Season chicken with 1 tbsp chopped rosemary, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper.
 In a bowl, toss squash with 1 tsp oil. In a second bowl, toss onions with 2 tsp vinegar and 1 tsp oil.
Coat a rimmed sheet pan with cooking spray.
Place chicken on pan. spread veggies around chicken in a single layer.
Sprinkle veggies with remaining rosemary, salt and pepper.

Roast 15-20 minutes.
In a separate bowl, combine preserves, mustard, ginger,garlic, and remaining 1 tsp vinegar.

Flip chicken and baste with apricot/mustard sauce.
Turn veggies.
Roast until chicken reaches 165, approximately 15-25 minutes.

Serve with a green veggie of choice for an eye appealing, tasty meal!

tequila grilled chicken

A nice twist to grilled chicken!
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin.
1 teaspoon chili powder.
3/4 teaspoons sea salt.
1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder.
6 bone-in chicken thighs.
3/4 cup pineapple juice.
1/3 cup tequila.
1/4 cup honey.
2 teaspoons corn starch.
2 teaspoons water.
2 teaspoons grated lime rind.
3 tablespoons lime juice.
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper.
cooking spray.

1. Preheat grill to medium-high using both burners. After preheating, turn the left burner off. (leave the right burner on)
2. Combine the first 4 ingredients in a small bowl; rub evenly over chicken.
3. Bring the pineapple juice, tequila, and honey to a boil in a small sauce-pan; cook until reduced to 3/4 cup (about 10 minutes).Combine cornstarch and 2 teaspoons water in a small bowl, stir well. Add cornstarch mixture to juice mixture, stirring constantly with whisk. Bring to a boil, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in lime rind, 3 teaspoons lime juice, and red pepper.
4. Place chicken on rack coated with cooking spray over right burner (direct heat). Cover and grill for 5 minutes on each side, basting occasionally with juice mixture.Move the chicken to grill rack over left burner (indirect heat). Cover and grill an additional 5 minutes on each side or until done, occasionally basting.
We had this with corn on the cob and pasta salad.

Orange Chicken with Sweet potatoes

Orange Chicken with Sweet potatoes.
This is another great recipe for chicken. Sooo moist and tender and tasty!
And it's quick and easy! 3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced.
2/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided.
1 teaspoon salt.
1 teaspoon onion powder.
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg.
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
1 teaspoon pepper.
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts.
2 tablespoons butter.
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup.
3/4 cup unsweetened pineapple juice.
2 teaspoons brown sugar.
1 teaspoon grated orange peel.
1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms.


Layer sweet potatoes in a 3 qt slow cooker.
In a large resealable plastic bag, combine 2/3 cup flour and seasonings: add chicken, one piece at a time, and shake to coat.
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook chicken in butter 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned.
Arrange chicken over sweet potatoes.
Place remaining flour in a small bowl and stir in soup, pineapple juice, brown sugar, and orange peel until blended. Add mushrooms and pour over chicken.
Cover and cook 3 1/2 -4 hours on low.
The recipe says to serve with rice, but we felt that was too much carbs, so we served it with chopped steamed broccoli.

Kung Pao Chicken

Kung Pao Chicken.

Ingredients.

2 Tablespoons dark sesame oil.

1 cup chopped onion.

2 garlic cloves minced.

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs cut into 1-inch pieces. We used chicken breasts for less fat.

3/4 cup water.

3 tablespoons lower sodium soy sauce.

2 teaspoons cornstarch.

1 teaspoon brown sugar.

1/2 teaspoon bottled minced ginger.

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper.

1 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper. (about one large pepper)

1 cup snow peas trimmed. Craig doesn't care much for snow peas, so he used less of them and more onions. :-)

2 tablespoons chopped unsalted, dry roasted peanuts.

1. Heat sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Add onion to pan; saute 3 minutes or until softened.

Add garlic; saute 30 seconds, stirring constantly.

Add chicken; saute 3 minutes or until chicken begins to brown.

2. Combine 3/4 cup water and the next 5 ingredients(through crushed red pepper), stirring with a whisk until sugar dissolves.

Add water mixture to pan; bring to boil.

Add bell pepper and snow peas to pan; cook for 2 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender and sauce thickens. Isn't this looking good?.

Sprinkle with nuts.

We served this over Ramon noodles for a nice tasty dish! You could use any type pasta or rice.

Panko Chicken with broiled marinated Zucchini and fried Potatoes

Panko Chicken with broiled marinated Zucchini and fried Potatoes.

If your not familiar with Panko, you really need to try it. It makes the best crunchy coating when baking any kind of meat. It's completely different from regular bread crumbs.


First you need a liquid to dip the chicken in so the crumbs will stick better. I usually use Egg Beaters, but I've also used fat free dressings like Italian or Ranch. I've even used Miracle whip. So just about anything you like. Now I add seasoning to the crumbs for more flavor. I use Mrs Dash and garlic powder and Parmesan cheese.

Dip the chicken in liquid, roll in crumbs, and place in a greased pan. I foil the pan for easy clean-up afterwards. Spray with spray butter, for better browning . Bake at 375 for 40 minutes, or until juices run clear.

Slice the zucchini lengthwise and place in a zip-lock bag. Add 1/4 cup oil, 1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar, and a teaspoon of Oregano. Marinate for 30 minutes. Broil for 20-30 minutes, turning once until tender and browned on edges. We like a little Parmesan cheese sprinkled when served.

Slice potatoes 1/4 inch thick. Arrange in a frying pan coated with cooking oil. Sprinkle with Paprika, and a little garlic, and Cook on medium turning frequently until browned and crispy.
And there you have it! A tasty dinner!

Asparagus and Chicken Carbonara

This recipe was a little more involved than I usually like, but it was sooo well worth it!

Asparagus and Chicken Carbonara

Yield 5 servings (serving size: about 1 1/4 cups)Ingredients
8 ounces uncooked spaghetti
2 cups (1-inch) slices asparagus (about 3/4 pound)
1/2 cup egg substitute
1/2 cup evaporated fat-free milk
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup dry vermouth
2 cups chopped skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast meat
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
Preparation;
Cook pasta in boiling water 10 minutes or until al dente;
add asparagus during final 2 minutes of cooking. Drain pasta mixture in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/3 cup cooking liquid.
Combine reserved cooking liquid, egg substitute, and milk, stirring with a whisk.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and onion to pan; saute 2 minutes. Add vermouth; cook 1 minute. Add pasta mixture; stir to combine. Remove from heat; stir in milk mixture, chicken, and cheese. Place pan over medium heat, and cook 4 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in parsley, salt, pepper, and bacon.

Serve immediately.