Chicken Enchilada Pasta Bake

This recipe intrigued me.  It really is nothing like enchiladas except in the taste ~ and the taste is fantastic!

I found a couple of recipes for this dish and both were just a little different from the other but this particular recipe is the one I chose.  I did add a can of black beans just because I like them.   I did make my own enchilada sauce ~ recipe HERE! 

The recipe used up the entire jar of sauce I made so I remade it the next day so I could add some when I reheated it so the casserole wouldn’t totally dry out.  If you would prefer to use beef, I think it would work.

Chicken Enchilada Pasta Bake

1 lb penne pasta, cooked and drained
1 tbsp olive oil
1 whole red onion, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped
2 cups cooked, chopped chicken
1 (8 oz) can petite diced tomatoes with chilis
1 pkg taco seasoning or use your own taco mix ~ I used HOT
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper to taste
2 can red enchilada sauce ~ or use THIS RECIPE
2 cups shredded cheddar/monterey jack cheese
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions, for garnish
optional toppings like avocado, fresh, chopped tomatoes, sour cream, tortilla chips
etc.

Preheat oven to 350º.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Saute the onions and peppers until soft. Add the chopped chicken, can of tomatoes, salt and pepper, black beans, and taco seasoning and heat through. Add in 1 cup of the enchilada sauce and 1 cup of the cheese and mix. Remove from heat and add in all the penne and mix thoroughly.

Spread 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce over the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Spoon the pasta mixture over the top of the sauce. Pour the remaining sauce over the top and bake, covered, for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and remove cover. Top with remaining 1 cup of cheese and return to oven, uncovered, to bake for another 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Top with your favorite toppings.

Makes 6 servings.

Source:  Tasty Kitchen

Happy Cooking!

Parmesan Chicken Bake

We like Parmesan chicken and this version is very easy and delicious.  I don’t see why you couldn’t make more of the chicken  if  you needed to using several pans and increasing the ingredient amounts accordingly.

Parmesan Chicken Bake

1/2 cup butter
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper, to taste
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 350º.

Melt the butter in a bowl and set aside. Mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan, garlic, and salt and pepper on a plate.

Dip chicken into butter, then into crumbs making sure to cover the chicken with the crumbs.

Put the chicken into a 9×13 baking dish and pour any leftover butter over the top.

Bake for 40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and no pink remains.

Makes 4 servings.

Source:  Adapted from Minnesota Heritage Cookbook

Happy Cooking!

Chicken Fajita Bowls

Last week I was reminded of the chicken and steak rice bowls that Taco Bell used to have when I saw a recipe for steak rice bowls.  I never liked the steak bowls but I loved the chicken bowls.  So I took that recipe and changed it up to make chicken rice bowls.  They are reminiscent of the Taco Bell bowls but not the same ~ they are better!

This is the recipe that I used the homemade fajita seasoning.

Chicken Fajita Bowls

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut up into large dice
1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chicken broth
Homemade fajita seasoning, divided
2 tbsp canola oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 pkg Spanish or Mexican rice, prepared ~ I used Old El Paso Spanish rice
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
Favorite toppings ~ cheese, sour cream, guacamole, etc.

Place the chicken, chilies, garlic, chicken broth and 1 tbsp of the fajita seasoning in a Ziplock and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour or longer. Mine went about 4 hours.

Right before starting to cook the chicken, prepare the rice mix.

Heat the canola oil in a large skillet.

Being very careful not to lose the contents of the Ziplock, drain some of the chicken broth from the bag. Empty the bag into the heated canola oil. Stir until the chicken is cooked through. Add the rest of the fajita mix, onions, and both colors of peppers. Saute until the vegetables are tender.

Mix the hot rice with the drained and rinsed black beans (the heat of the rice will warm up the beans so no need to heat the beans) and put a couple spoonfuls in the bottom of your bowl. Top with chicken fajita mixture. Add your favorite toppings.

Makes 4 servings.

Source:  Adapted from Favorite Family Recipes

Happy Cooking!

Sticky Garlic Wings

Not only are these wings delicious but they are STICKY!  Have some wet wipes nearby if you are serving these for a party or get-together.

I felt bad not making anything special for the Super Bowl yesterday so I decided to make these for lunch on Super Bowl Sunday.  They do take awhile to cook so be prepared but they are very easy to make so give them a try!

Sticky Garlic Wings

24 chicken drumettes
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp minced fresh ginger root
2 1/2 cups water
5 tbsps honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tbsps cornstarch
3/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 375º.

Cover a baking sheet with foil and arrange the wings in a single layer and bake until crisp ~ 35-45 minutes. Transfer the wings to a baking dish. I used a foil baking pan so I could throw the whole thing out.

While the wings are baking, mix the brown sugar, garlic, ginger, 2 1/2 cups water, honey, and soy sauce in a saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil. Be careful here because it will boil over if you don’t keep an eye on it. Once it boils, whisk the cornstarch and 3/4 cup water together and pour into the brown sugar mixture. Boil gently until the sauce is thickened.

Pour the sauce over the wings in the baking dish making sure to coat all the wings. Return to oven and bake for 20-25 minutes longer until the sauce is bubbly and wings are cooked through.

Makes 24 wings.

Source:  Sticky Garlic Wings

Happy Cooking!

Chipotle Chicken Chili

Day 4 of super bowl food!

Another recipe from the Pioneer Woman.  This is an awesome recipe!  At first I was afraid it would be too spicy with three chipotles in it but it really isn’t.  I don’t like things too spicy and I was fine with this.  If you think it’s going to be too spicy, just use one or two instead of the three.

Plan ahead as the chili simmers for an hour and it takes a bit of time to put it together.

Since I didn’t change a thing in this recipe, I’m going to link to it on the Pioneer Woman site instead of typing it all out…I’m basically lazy.

Source:  The Pioneer Woman’s Chipotle Chicken Chili

Chicken Taco Layered Salad

I found this recipe many years ago in a favorite community cookbook.  I made it a few times until Mr. Meat Eater told me he didn’t like it.  He does not like avocado OR bacon mixed in recipes.  Bacon for breakfast or in a BLT is fine but anywhere else is not.  He will just never like avocado.  I do have another dressing that he loves that has avocado in it and he will not believe me that it is in there.  I just make sure he is not around when I make the dressing and continue to serve it.

This is an easy recipe to make ~ just a bit time consuming.  I usually use shredded taco cheese for a little extra spice but all I had was cheddar and it was fine.  This is one of those salads that really is kind of blah the next day so it’s best if it gets eaten the day you make it.  The dressing can be made several hours before serving.

Chicken Taco Layered Salad

Dressing:
1 medium avocado
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt
couple of shakes of Tabasco ~ use more if you want it spicy

Salad:
1/2 head lettuce, shredded ~ I used an entire bag of spring mix
2 cups cooked chicken, cut in cubes
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled ~ I cut up the bacon before cooking
1 cup shredded taco or cheddar cheese
1 cup crushed tortilla chips

In a blender or food processor, mix all the dressing ingredients together until they are smooth. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Layer salad ingredients in a trifle dish or other glass bowl in the order given in the recipe ~ starting with lettuce and ending with the cheese.  Spread the dressing over the top, covering completely. Sprinkle with crushed tortilla chips.

Serve.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Source:  Simple Elegance

Happy Cooking!

Caesar Chicken Pasta

I really like the flavor of Caesar dressing so I will almost always try recipes that use it.  sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t.  This time it worked great!

This recipe is very easy and can be made at the last minute.  My changes are listed in the ingredients.

Caesar Chicken Pasta

2 thin skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, sliced in strips
1 (8 oz) bottle Caesar dressing, divided ~ I used light
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 (10 oz) pkg frozen sugar snap peas ~ i put in microwave for a minute so they would cook faster in the pan
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1 cup fresh spinach, torn ~ I used whole baby spinach
8 oz farfalle (Bowtie) pasta, cooked

In a large skillet, saute chicken in 3 tbsps Caesar dressing until almost done ~  I added a couple more tbsps dressing as it was cooking. Add green onions, peas and carrots to the chicken in the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until veggies are crisp tender or to your liking. Add spinach and cook until it wilts ~ about 2 minutes or so. Toss with the cooked pasta and pour a few tbsps over all while mixing.

Serve with extra Caesar dressing.

Makes 2-3 servings.

Recipe from the cookbook  It All Begins with Breakfast…

Happy Cooking!