Green Chile Chicken Casserole

Kim

Have you ever been torn between two similar recipes and couldn’t decide which one to make? That was my dilemma when craving comfort food not long ago. I wanted chicken…but was it going to be or Cream Cheese Enchiladas? I decided to take a little of both recipes and create this Green Chile Chicken Casserole –

It was warm & comforting and everything I love about a casserole! I’ve posted this recipe over at , where I am a contributing writer. I’d love for you to head over there and check it out!

Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas

Kim

If you want to make a good meal better, add cream cheese. It makes baked spaghetti creamy and fabulous, turns regular crock-pot beef into something my family will actually eat, and it transformed chicken enchiladas from something my kids wouldn’t touch into a meal they want on a regular basis. I think this would be the perfect meal for Cinco de Mayo! Followed by Margarita Cake for dessert:-)

Unfortunately, my pics are terrible. We have the worst artificial lighting in our house and it was one of those super gray, dreary days when I made these. But, y’all know I’m no fancy pants food blogger. Just keepin’ it real. Hey, at least I didn’t use paper plates.

It’s been pretty well established here how picky my kids are. None of the three will eat enchiladas because of the red sauce. When a friend mentioned she was making chicken enchiladas with a white sauce, I thought ‘hmmm…that just might work’. The girls love Alfredo sauce, so I thought they might give this a try. They also love the white cheese dip you can get a Mexican restaurants. Once they tried these, they loved it and requested I make it on a regular basis. Super picky Mr. Three had a tortilla filled with cheese only, but he liked the sauce too.

Oh yeah, and no “cream of” anything. Just good ol’ fattening ingredients like cream cheese, butter and flour tortillas. I used low-carb tortillas, making these pretty low carb overall, which is good for the diabetic hubby.

Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas

6-10 flour tortillas (depending on size you choose) I use low-carb
2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded (crock-pot is great for this)

1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese; divided (reduced fat is ok)

2 cups Mexican Blend or preferred cheese, shredded; divided

salt and pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chillies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray.
In a mixing bowl, stir together your chicken, 3 ounces of the cream cheese (my package was marked, but if yours is not, just a little less than half the brick is fine), and one cup of cheese. Season with salt and pepper. *I recommend going light on the salt because broth is full of sodium and you may have salt in the butter as well.
Divide chicken mixture evenly among tortillas and roll them up. Place seam side down in prepared baking dish.
In a sauce pan, over medium heat, melt butter. Add flour and cook one minute while stirring. Whisk in broth until smooth, and heat until mixture is thick and bubbly.
Add remaining cream cheese and stir until melted.
Stir in green chilies. Remove from heat and pour over chicken enchiladas.
Top with remaining cheese and bake for approx. 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted and mixture is bubbling around the sides. (If desired, place under broiler for a few minutes to brown the cheese…I skipped this part as we were hungry!)
Let cool for a few minutes for sauce to thicken.

Recipe adapted from

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Chicken & Biscuits Casserole {Quick and Easy Meal}

Kim

This Chicken & Biscuits Casserole is another quick and easy meal to get on the table, that is approved by 2 out of 3 (of my) children. It’s pretty much the ultimate comfort food, with creamy sauce, biscuits, cheese…oh yeah, and some chicken too. Some people even get crazy and throw a vegetable in there. Which totally would not fly in my house.

This can be thrown together really quickly if you have pre-cooked or leftover chicken (or turkey), use refrigerated biscuits, and condensed cream of chicken soup. However, you could certainly use homemade biscuits, make your own cream of chicken, etc. I went with the super quick and easy version since as I mentioned in my last post…kids have practice in the evenings and dinner has to be FAST.

I used the large Pillsbury Grands biscuits, but next time I will use the smaller biscuits, just to make serving easier; or cut them in half before baking. I quartered and baked the remaining biscuits in the can because my crowd loves a biscuit, but you could buy the smaller container of biscuits. You can always do this with the leftovers too.

Chicken and Biscuits Casserole

1 can condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (I used the reduced fat version)

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream)

2 cups chicken, cooked and cut into bite size pieces

3 tablespoons milk

3 tablespoons melted butter

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1 can of biscuits (I used Pillsbury Grands Reduced Fat)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray an 8×8 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, mix the cream of chicken and yogurt (or sour cream) together.
Add chicken, milk and melted butter to the cream base. Stir until combined.
Pour into prepared baking dish and top with cheese.
Flatten your biscuits (only 4 of the Grands biscuits would fit) and place on top of the cheese.
Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until biscuits are nice and browned on top, and sauce is bubbly.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes or so before serving (the sauce will thicken some as it sits)

Recipe adapted from:

I may be linking up at any of the following – (Monday) , , , , (Tuesday) , , ,, , (Wednesday) , , , , (Thursday) , , (Friday) , , , ,, , , , ,

Creamy Lemon Chicken & Rice Soup

Kim

I know I’ve been whining about the cold a lot…but it’s so dang COLD! My Southern blood just can’t handle it! Therefore, there has been a lot of soup and hot beverages going on around here. This soup has been a favorite. It’s makes you feel like you are eating a warm blanket. No…wait…that doesn’t sound very good. It’s warm and comforting like a warm blanket? Maybe that’s better. Maybe I should just shut up and post the recipe…

You could make this with rice or orzo. I actually made both, left them out of the soup, and let everyone choose…because one child likes orzo and hates rice, and the other loves rice…and it was just easier this way. Trust me. But you can totally choose. I bet dinner is easier at your house. *sigh*

Creamy Lemon Chicken and Rice Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 small onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped (I was out, so didn’t use in pictured soup)

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 glove garlic, minced

6 cups chicken broth

2/3 cups rice (I used Jasmine)

1 lemon (zest removed and juiced)

1 lb chicken breast, cooked and shredded

1/4 cup heavy cream

salt and pepper, to taste

parsley (optional)

In a stock pot, saute onion, carrot and celery on medium heat in tablespoon of olive oil. Once onions are soft and translucent, add garlic. Stir for about 30 seconds. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. At this point, you can blend your veggies and broth with an immersion blender or you can leave chunky. (Remember my picky kids? I love my immersion blender!) Add rice, cover, and cook 10-15 minutes or until rice is tender. Reduce heat to low, add chicken, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt and pepper. Let simmer for 15-20 mins. Remove from heat, add heavy cream, stir and serve. Top with dried parsley if desired.

I may be linking up at any of the following – (Monday) , , , , (Tuesday) , , ,, , (Wednesday) , , , , (Thursday) , , (Friday) , , , ,, , ,

One Dish Chicken Dinner

Kim

Talk about winner, winner, chicken dinner! This is going to sound too good to be true, at least it did to me. It’s a meal – meat, potatoes, vegetable (yes, I know potatoes are technically a vegetable…but let’s just go with it) all thrown into a dish and baked in the oven with very little ‘hands on’ time. Oh! And it taste good! Four out of five food critics that reside in my house enjoyed this meal, and that’s sayin’ something around here. (And by food critics, I’m not even kidding…my girls have seen way to many episodes of Chopped. They will literally critique my meals sometimes. Gotta love it.)

When I first saw this on , I was skeptical. I expected my potatoes and green beans to be swimming in chicken ‘juice’ and that my green beans would end up mushy and overcooked. I was pleasantly surprised that this was not the case at all. There was very little grease in the pan, the green beans were just fine (I used canned green beans) and the potatoes and chicken were perfectly cooked and well seasoned. The original post I saw used an entire stick of butter, which would have produced more grease, but I only used a few pats…I didn’t see the point in a whole stick, but others seem to really like it that way too. It’s up to ya.

One Dish Chicken Dinner

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

8-10 small red potatoes (I’ve used Idaho potatoes as well); halved

1 can of cut green beans

1/4 cup butter (more or less as desired)

spices of choice (I sprinkled on some dried basil, oregano, onion powder, parsley, herbs de provence,)

*original recipe calls for a packet of Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning mix. I’m not a big fan of ranch seasoning, so I did my own thing.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place raw chicken down center of 9 x 13 dish.

Dump green beans (drained) down one side as pictured.

Place cut potatoes down the other side.

Season as desired (entire dish), and place pats of butter randomly over entire dish.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for one hour.

That’s it. One hour and remove the foil and viola! Dinner is served!

Recipe adapted from

I may be linking up at any of the following – (Monday) , , , , , , (Tuesday) , , , ,,, , , (Wednesday) , , , , ,, , (Thursday) ,, , (Friday) , , , , , ,, , ,, , (Saturday) ,

Oven Fried Chicken

Kim

Do you love the taste of fried chicken but hate to fry chicken? All that grease and splatter and standing over it….no, thanks. Since I rarely fry food, I’m not very good at it. I have no idea about proper oil temperature, the best kind of oil to use, when it’s done…so, I found a solution – oven fried chicken!

A crispy coated chicken dinner, without all the fuss (and mess) of frying. Having the chicken cook in the oven frees you up to do other things while getting dinner ready, like opening a can of green beans to stick in the microwave – b/c I get all fancy with my sides like that. OR, now that it’s back-to-school time (boo!), helping the kids with homework. Ughhhh. Nothing makes you feel dumber than being unable to do your kid’s homework. At least not being able to do it the “new way”. Because apparently every method I learned is prehistoric and no longer used. According to my children.

Well, I can ‘fry’ chicken up a new way.

{Even though I must say there is nothing better than my Grandma’s fried chicken. Cooked up in a cast iron skillet…super crispy on the outside, but juicy inside, nice and salty…served up with some cornbread or biscuits…yummm. I sure do miss her!}

Oven Fried Chicken

from

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken (I used breast and thigh)

buttermilk (or milk with a tablespoon of vinegar added), enough to cover chicken

4 tablespoons butter

1 cup flour

1 tablespoon seasoned salt (I used Mrs. Dash original blend)

2 teaspoons paprika

3/4 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)

1/2 teaspoon salt (or also to taste)

*Soak chicken in buttermilk for 20 to 30 minutes.

*Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

*While oven is preheating, melt butter in a 9×13-inch baking dish in the oven. For extra flavor, let your butter brown (but not burn)
*Place flour, seasoned salt, paprika, pepper, and salt into a gallon size plastic baggie.
*After chicken has soaked 20-30 minutes, place chicken pieces into plastic baggie with flour mixture. Allow excess milk to drip off chicken before adding to bag.
*Place in baking dish with browned butter, and bake for 20 minutes. Flip and bake for another 20 minutes, or until done. (cooking time will depend on the size of your chicken pieces)

And the best part – if you have leftovers (or maybe cook extra so that you do!), you can take your chicken, add some barbecue sauce, cooked bacon, and cheese and have a new meal of Monterey Chicken Sandwiches; b/c we know everything is mo’betta with a little bacon and cheese!

I may be linking up at any of the following – (Monday) , , , , , , , , , , , (Tuesday) , , ,,, , and , , (Wednesday) , , , , , , , , (Thursday) ,, , , ,, (Friday) , , , , , ,, , , ,, , , ,, (Saturday) , , , , (Sunday) , , ;

Chicken Parmesan Casserole

Kim

I know I have had a lot of sponsored posts as of late, and not as many recipes, but things have been a little crazy around here. My 5 year old has been sick for over 2 weeks now, and I just haven’t had the time to do the blog planning, menu planning, or cooking that I had been doing before. My little one had been dealing with allergies, and was getting along pretty well, but then got a virus that went straight to his chest and caused the worst asthma flare-up he has ever had. We ended up in the ER for the first time ever. Can I just say…NOT. FUN. As he was trying to get over all that, he has gotten a sinus infection on top of it. AND ‘pink eye’…in both eyes. He is really having a hard time, and his poor little immune system can’t take much more! So, say a little prayer for his health, and my sanity. He was up and down all night last night due to the fever and discomfort. Needless to say, mama is tired! It’s days like this when I love the ease (and comfort!) of a casserole.

I have seen a version of this recipe from numerous sources on Pinterest, and the first time I made it, I followed the directions and used raw chicken in the casserole…letting it all cook at one time. The flavor was really good, but the casserole had a lot of “liquid” in it. All I could think of is…’ewwww, chicken juice!’ The idea of my casserole floating in chicken fat just kind of grossed me out. However, I love Chicken Parmesan and decided to give the casserole another shot, but pre-cooking my chicken.

This is definitely my preferred method. Yes, it is an extra step, but it eliminates all the extra liquid. I actually cooked my chicken in the crock pot, so all I had to do was shred the chicken when I was ready to prepare my casserole. However, I think I would prefer chunks of chicken in this, so next time I will just boil it. (I know, I’m picky right?!)

Chicken Parmesan Casserole

adapted from:

2 lbs cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts (shredded or cubed)
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste)
¼ cup fresh basil, finely chopped
2 cups favorite pasta sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
2 oz Parmesan cheese, divided (I didn’t actually measure this, I just sprinkled some on!)
3.5-5 oz bag of croutons, roughly crushed (I used a garlic and cheese flavor)

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
*Spread the cubed chicken across the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish (lightly sprayed with cooking spray) in a single layer.
*Sprinkle the garlic, red pepper flakes and basil evenly over the chicken.
*Top chicken with the pasta sauce in an even layer.
*Sprinkle 1 cup of the Mozzarella and one ounce of the Parmesan evenly across the top.
*Add the crushed croutons, then remaining cheese.
*Bake, uncovered, for 20-25 mins or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.

I am linking this recipe up at (Monday) , , , , , , , , , (Tuesday) , , , ,, (Wednesday) , , , , , , , (Thursday) ,, , , , (Friday) , , , , , ,, , , , ,, (Saturday) , , (Sunday)

Yay! This recipe has been featured at and the !

Copycat Applebee’s Oriental Chicken Salad

Kim

I’ll admit, I’ve been somewhat obsessed with copycat recipes of late. I’m not sure if it is because I live so far from restaurants now, or because I just want to see if I can replicate restaurant food at home. I imagine it’s a little of both! This particular salad is my husband’s favorite thing from Applebee’s Restaurant, so I wanted to give it a try. There are several versions of the recipe on line, but I based mine off of one from .Looks good, right?! What’s even better…it is very easy to put together with some pre-packaged items from the grocery store.

Copycat Applebee’s Oriental Chicken Salad

from

Dressing –

3 Tablespoons honey

1 1/2 Tablespoons rice vinegar

1/4 cup mayonnaise (*I use )

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/8 teaspoon sesame oil

Salad –

6 crispy chicken strips, cooked

Pre-packaged salad mix (w/romaine lettuce, carrots, and cabbage)

Pre-packaged coleslaw mix

3 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted (I used toasted sesame seeds instead)

1 cup Chow Mein noodles

For the Dressing

Whisk all of the ingredients together in a small bowl.

Refrigerate while preparing salad.

For the Salad

Cut chicken strips into bite size pieces. Set aside.

Mix together about half the bag of each of the pre-packaged salad and coleslaw mixes.

Top with cut up chicken, almonds & Chow Mein noodles.

Drizzle the dressing on top, to taste.

Makes approx. 3 large salads

You can make as much or as little as you want by altering the amounts of salad used. The amount of dressing used per salad is such an individual preference, so you may need more or less. The amount listed was enough for 3 salads (a dinner sized salad entree) for us, but my husband said he would have liked more dressing (he likes a lot, where I like just a little!)

I added mandarin oranges to my salad, and I used toasted sesame seeds in the place of almonds, just because I love them! This was a convenient, filling and delicious salad, and I can’t wait to tackle my next copycat recipe! So far, I’ve tried Copycat Chick-fil-a Chicken, Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana, and Chili’s Monterey Chicken.

Have you got a restaurant favorite that you make at home? I’d love to hear about it!

I’m linking up this recipe over at – (Wednesday) , , , , , , , , (Thursday) ,, , , , , (Friday) , , , , , ,, , , , ,, , (Saturday) , , , (Sunday)

Yay! This recipe was featured at and !

Dorito Chicken Taco Bake

Kim

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, and our love of Doritos, here is another casserole with a Mexican flair….covered in Doritos, of course.

Unlike the Chipotle Taco Bake, this one does not use crescent rolls and has chicken instead of beef.

Dorito Chicken Taco Bake

adapted from

2 cups cooked chicken, shredded

2 cups shredded Mexican Blend cheese (divided)

1 can cream of chicken soup (10 oz) I used this homemade version

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup plain yogurt (or sour cream)

1 can Ro-tel tomatoes, drained

1/2 packet taco seasoning

1 large bag Doritos, coarsly crushed

Toppings (optional) – lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, guacamole

Pre-heat oven to 350.
In a large bowl mix together chicken, 1 cup of cheese, cream of chicken, milk, yogurt, Ro-tel tomatoes, and taco seasoning.
In a lightly sprayed 2-quart casserole dish, add a layer of crushed Doritos across the bottom. Top with half of chicken mixture. Add another layer of crushed Doritos, followed by the rest of the chicken mixture. Top with remaining cheese and Doritos.
Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until bubbling.

Remove from oven and top with toppings of choice, if desired.

Verdict? We love Doritos, so this was pretty good. However, I was not crazy about the Doritos on the bottom and middle of the casserole. They got kind of soggy and tasted like corn tortillas (which I don’t like). Next time, I will bake it in a 9×13 casserole dish, and just put the Doritos on top. That is just a personal preference. I also think it would be fine to use the whole packet of taco seasoning instead of half.

If your family loves Doritos too, you may want to check out ‘Ghetto Tacos‘ – my kids love this…it’s basically a deconstructed taco that you eat with Doritos instead of a shell.

And for the perfect Cinco de Mayo dessert –

Margarita Cake of course!

(If it is cold and rainy where you are, like it is here, then you may be interested in something more along the lines of this Mexican Chicken and Rice Soup! It’s MAY, where is my Spring weather?!)

I’m linking this post up with – , , , , ,

Monterey Chicken {Chili’s Copycat recipe}

Kim

Cheese. Chicken. Bacon. Barbecue Sauce. You know it’s gonna be good. Unfortunately, I took the pics when I was in a huge rush to get the kids out the door to volleyball practice, and the lighting was terrible, soooo….don’t judge the recipe by the picture! This blob of cheesiness was pretty darn tasty (and see for a much better picture). Monterey Chicken used to be a popular sandwich at Chili’s Restaurant, (and may still be, haven’t been in a while!) and contains some of my favorite things. I served mine on a plate with sides, but plan on trying it on a nice toasty bun one day soon. Either way, it’s delish.

Monterey Chicken
source – my changes in italics

Marinade:
3 T. Honey

3 T. reduced sodium Soy Sauce
3 T. Worchestershire Sauce
1/2 t. minced garlic
1/4 t. sea salt

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Topping:
8 oz. Monterey Jack Cheese
8 slices bacon (I used pre-cooked)
8 T. barbecue sauce (Sweet Baby Ray’s)

* Marinate the chicken in a mixture of honey, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and salt for at least an hour (but can be marinated overnight.)
* Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour a little of the marinade in the bottom of a large baking pan and place chicken on top. Cover with aluminum foil and cook for about 30 minutes or until the center is no longer pink and juices run clear. (Cook time will depend on the size of your chicken breasts).
* While chicken is cooking, fry up the bacon and set aside – or use pre-cooked bacon as I did.
* After chicken is cooked through, spread with barbecue sauce, top with bacon and cheese. Broil until cheese is bubbly.

Now, I have a little cheat for you – I had pre-cooked chicken breasts from the freezer (thawed), so I placed the cooked chicken in the marinade for a couple of hours (or could be done in the morning before work), then placed my chicken on a baking sheet, covered with barbecue sauce and baked until it was warmed throughout. Then I topped with my pre-cooked bacon and cheese stuck it under the broiler until the cheese was nice and melt-y. It took 15-20 mins at the most (start to finish). The pre-cooked chicken absorbed the marinade well, and it was a time saver since we had to be out the door pretty quickly for the kids’ practices. We had baked potatoes (cooked in the microwave in steamer bags) and a salad as quick and easy sides.

This recipe is a keeper!

I am linking this recipe up at (Monday) , , , , , , , , , , (Tuesday) , , , , ,, (Wednesday) , , , , , , , , (Thursday) ,, , , , , (Friday) , , , , , ,, , , , ,, (Saturday) , , , (Sunday)

Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken and Biscuits Casserole

Creamy Lemon Chicken and Rice Soup

One Dish Chicken Dinner

Copycat Applebee’s Oriental Chicken Salad

Dorito Chicken Taco Bake

Monterey Chicken source – my changes in italics

Monterey Chicken
source – my changes in italics