Crockpot Chicken Philly Sandwiches

 

These are so so so good! Yummmm!!! Toast your bread with cheese on it, and your taste buds will thank you. FYI: Dale's steak seasoning is actually a bottle of sauce, so don't look for it in the seasoning aisle.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 large sweet onion, sliced
• 2 green bell peppers, sliced
• 3 boneless,skinless chicken breasts, sliced
• 2 tablespoons Dale’s Steak Seasoning
• sliced Mozzarella cheese
• hoagie rolls

 

Instructions

1. Spray a 3 – 4 quart slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray and turn to LOW heat.
2. Add butter, onions and green peppers.
3. Toss chicken with steak seasoning, salt and pepper, then add to slow cooker.
4. Cover and cook for 5 hours.
5. Serve on hoagies with a slice of cheese melted on top.

 

Ryan and I like to eat these with ripe avocados, tomatoes, and lettuce.

 

Also, the first 2 times I made this, I had to add about 1 tsp extra sauce, but the 3rd time was perfect without adding anything. Taste it after 5 hours and see what you think!

Cajun Chicken Pasta on the Lighter Side

 

I love love love this recipe. It is from skinnytaste.com, so I don't feel guilty eating it! It is fresh and full of veggies. I didn't think it was spicy at all.

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces uncooked linguine
• 1 pound chicken breast strips
• 1-2 tsp Cajun seasoning (or to taste)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 medium yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced (I didn't put mushrooms) 
• 1/2 red onion, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (or ~3/8 tsp of garlic powder)
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup fat free low sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 cup skim milk
• 1 tbsp flour
• 3 tbsp light cream cheese
• fresh cracked pepper
• 2 scallions, chopped  (I didn't use this)
• salt to taste
• Smart Balance cooking spray

Directions:

Prep all your vegetables. In a small blender make a slurry by combining milk, flour and cream cheese. Set aside. Season chicken generously with Cajun seasoning, garlic powder and salt.

Prepare pasta in salted water according to package directions.

Heat a large heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; spray with cooking spray and add half of the chicken. Sauté 5 to 6 minutes or until done, set aside on a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken. Set aside.

Add olive oil to the skillet and reduce to medium; add bell peppers, onions, and garlic to skillet, sauté 3-4 minutes.

Add mushrooms and tomatoes and sauté 3-4 more minutes or until vegetables are tender. Season with 1/4 tsp salt, garlic powder and fresh cracked pepper to taste.

Reduce heat to medium-low; add chicken broth and pour in slurry stirring about 2 minutes.

Return chicken to skillet; adjust salt and Cajun seasoning to taste, cook another minute or two until hot, then add linguine; toss well to coat. Top with chopped scallions and enjoy!

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/02/cajun-chicken-pasta-on-lighter-side.html

Chicken Crescent Casserole

 

My best friend introduced me to this recipe. It is comfort food at it's finest. I thought it tasted a lot like chicken pot pie. I liked it even better second day (it was a tad bit more dry and didn't taste quite as rich). You could probably add some vegetables to make it a little more healthy.

 

ingredients

• 2 (8 ounce) cans Pillsbury Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls 
• 1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
• 3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese or swiss cheese (or any cheese of choice)
• 1/2 cup 18% table cream (or use whipping cream) I used milk with a tad bit of butter

       FILLING

• 4 ounces cream cheese (very soft)
• 4 tablespoons butter (very soft but not melted)
• 1/2-1 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
• 1/3 cup onion, finely chopped (can use green onions)
• 2 large cooked chicken breasts, finely chopped (or use about 2 cups, can use cooked turkey)
• 1/2-3/4 cup finely grated cheddar cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt (or use 1/2 teaspoon white salt or to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (or to taste, I put less than this)
• 2-4 tablespoons mayonnaise or whipping cream
• 1-2 cup grated cheddar cheese (for topping)

directions

1. Set oven to 350°F.

 

2. Butter a casserole dish (any size to hold crescent rolls).

 

3. In a saucepan, mix half and half cream, 3/4 cup grated cheese (can use more cheese if desired) and undiluted chicken soup (can season with black pepper if desired).

4. Heat just until the cheese melts (do not boil).

5. For the filling --- (make certain that the cream cheese and butter are very soft) in a bowl, mix the soft cream cheese with butter until very smooth, then add in garlic powder (if using).

6. Add in the chopped chicken, onion and cheddar cheese; mix well until combined.

 

7. Add in 2 tablespoons whipping cream or mayonnaise; mix to combine (add in a little more if the mixture seems too dry).

8. Season with seasoned salt or white and black pepper to taste.

9. Unroll the crescent rolls.

10. Place 1 heaping tablespoon chicken mixture (or a little more) on top of each crescent triangle, then roll up starting at the thicker end.

11. Drizzle a small amount of soup mixture on the bottom of the dish.

12. Then place the crescent rolls seam-side down on top of the creamed mixture in the casserole.

13. Drizzle the remaining sauce on top (you don’t have to use the full amount of cream sauce, just use as much as desired) and sprinkle with 1 cup (or more) grated cheese, or amount desired.

14. Bake for about 30 minutes.

ENJOY!

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

I found this dish on Pinterest and was curious to try it. It was a little weird at first because it is a mexican pasta dish. Who thinks mexican food when you take a bite of pasta! It is actually really good and even better second day. I think it's because the sauce thickens up. Anyways, here's the recipe! (I changed it a little, the red text is what I did.)

Ingredients

1 rotisserie chicken, shredded (3 chicken breasts  seasoned with season salt and paprika)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced (1/4 tsp of garlic powder)

1 medium onion, diced

1 red pepper, diced (Half red pepper, half green)

1 can diced green chiles (4 oz)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

2 cans green chili enchilada sauce (10 oz, each)

2/3 cups red enchilada sauce

2 cups shredded cheese (any kind) (White Mexican blend cheese)

1 cup sour cream

Penne pasta (12 oz)

Topping Ideas

Avocado

Green Onions

Black Olives

Tomatoes

Sour Cream

Directions

1. Shred chicken

2. Boil pasta according to package. Heat olive oil in a deep skillet and cook onions for 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper and cook for another 3-5 minutes.

3. Add cooked chicken, green chiles, cumin, chili powder, salt, and enchilada sauces. Let sauce simmer for about 8-10 minutes.

4. Add cheese and stir until the cheese is melted and heated through. Slowly add the sour cream, but DO NOT bring to a boil (so as not to curdle the sour cream). Stir until sour cream is well mixed and heated through.

5. Drain pasta and add to the skillet with the cheese sauce; mix well. Serve and garnish with desired toppings. (If possible, let sit for a little bit to let sauce thicken.)

Crockpot Chicken Tetrazzini

This is super easy and yummy. It just takes a while to cook in the crockpot...


Ingredients

• 3 cups water
• 4 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1 jar sliced mushrooms, drained (I didn't put this in. Yucky mushrooms!)
• 1 can Cream of Chicken or Cream of Mushroom Soup
• 2 cups cooked, cubed chicken or turkey
• 7 oz. uncooked vermicelli or angel hair pasta, broken into 2 inch pieces (I use elbow pasta)

Directions 

1. Place all ingredients in your crockpot EXCEPT pasta. Stir.
2. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or on low all day.
3. Add pasta, stir, cover, cut pot off and let sit with lid on for 1 hour. Stir and serve.

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

I got this recipe from Our Best Bites cookbook. They are so yummy! I made them for lunch today, and Ryan said they were too good to be lunch food, he felt like we just had dinner. These are really easy to make, especially since I made the shredded chicken (Lisa's method) the night before. Yummy!

Ingredients:

1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 C green salsa
1T fresh lime juice
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t granulated garlic, or garlic powder
3 T chopped cilantro (I didn't use this, yuck!)
2 T sliced green onions
2 C shredded cooked chicken
1 C grated pepperjack cheese
Small corn or flour tortillas
Kosher salt (Next time I would skip this too!)
Cooking spray

1. Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

2. Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it’s soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well. You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.

3. Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or are coming unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.

4. Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges. Then roll it up as tight as you can.

5. Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.

6. Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

Makes 12-16

Ryan and I dipped them in salsa. They are tasty!

The BEST way to make Shredded Chicken

I made shredded Chicken on Monday. It took me 30 minutes to shred the chicken. I hated every minute of it. I made shredded chicken today, and it took me less than a minute. Here’s what you do:

#1. Cook the chicken. I prefer to put the frozen chicken in a pot of water on super low for over an hour. That way I don’t have to keep an eye on it. It’s sort of like a crock pot. Or if you’re short on time, boil it the more traditional way.

#2. Drain the water out. I get salad thongs, remove the chicken and dump out the water really fast.

#3. Get out your electric mixer (or kitchen aid if you’re lucky enough to have one. I don’t.) Turn it on low and go at it. Some chicken may go flying, be careful. Then, once the chicken is broken up, put the mixer on a higher setting. You might have four or five small little fatty pieces that won’t break up, but I like to be able to find them easily after I’m done. Then I remove the fat by hand and tear it into smaller pieces.

#4.  Make enchiladas, chimichangas, or chicken salad. YUM!

I made enchiladas, but I didn’t want to roll up each one, so I made them lasagna style.

Layers: 1-tortillas, 2-chicken, 3-cooked onions and peppers, 4-sauce, 5-cheese, 6-tortillas, 7-chicken, 8-onions and peppers, 9-sauce, 10-cheese, 11-tortillas, 12-sauce, top-cheese.

Ta-Da! Chicken Enchilada Lasagna!

It’s in the oven now. I’ll tell you how it turns out.

(made using Julie/Mom’s recipe in the family cookbook)