White Chicken Enchiladas

These sound soo yummy!! I must make them soon!

10 soft taco shells
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
2 cups Monterrey Jack Cheese, shredded
3 TBSP. butter
3 TBSP. flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1 (4 oz.) can green chilies

Mix chicken and 1 cup of the cheese. Sprinkle into your tortillas, roll them up and then place them in a greased 9X13 pan.

In medium sauce pan, melt butter, then sprinkle in flour. Cook, stirring constantly for one minute. Add broth and stir or whisk until smooth. Heat over medium heat until sauce thickens.

Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream and chilies.

Pour sauce over enchiladas, then sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Chicken Pot Pie

Sometimes I don't have any soups around to make my Easy Chicken Pot Pie, and so I need to go from scratch and make Chicken Pot Pie using a white sauce. I have to say it is even better than the easy version, though a bit more time consuming. Your family will love it! You can make this ahead of time and let it chill in the fridge until you are ready to cook it in the evening. You may need to allow a little more cooking time if it is cold. If you feel your crust is getting too brown you can cover lightly with foil and allow the pie more time to get hot and bubbly.

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup onion
1/4 cup green pepper
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken broth (you can use water with 2 bouillon cubes)
1/4-1/2 cup cream or half and half (if you have it and want it, or use milk)
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese (optional)
2 chicken breast, cooked and shredded
1 1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1 small potato, cubed (optional)
3 dashes poultry seasoning
dash of garlic powder
pepper to taste
2 pie crust (see Pie Crusts for a great recipe)

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Saute onion and green pepper in butter in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour and allow to cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly, (the longer you brown your butter and flour mixture the more flavorful your sauce will be).

Remove from heat and add broth and cream,stirring until well mixed.

Place back on medium heat and add cheese, mix well. When cheese has melted, add bouillon cubes, chicken, vegetables, potato and seasonings. Bring to a low simmer, stirring constantly and allow sauce to thicken slightly. This will just take a few minutes.

Once sauce is thickened pour into prepared pie crust. I use a deep dish pie plate. If your pie plate is not big enough, then just pour it onto a greased casserole dish and cover with your crust! Easy no fuss way to have pie!  Make vent slits in top crust. Bake pie on a cookie sheet so you don't have any accidental spills in your oven.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Then LOWER temperature to 350 degrees and continue cooking for another 45-55 minutes. Pie is done when crust is browned and you can see bubbles coming out of vent openings.

Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken

This is a great recipe for and an easy and delicious dinner! Leftovers can be used to make delicious Teriyaki Sub Sandwiches, like they have at Subway! Even picky kids love Teriyaki Chicken! From the Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen website.

12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (you can use breasts if you prefer)

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup soy sauce

6 TBSP. cider vinegar

3/4 tsp. ground ginger

3/4 tsp. minced garlic

1/4 tsp. pepper

4 1/2 tsp. cornstarch

4 1/2 tsp. cold water

Hot cooked long grain rice or Ramen noodles

Place chicken in 4-quart crock pot. Mix sugar, soy sauce, cider vinegar, ginger, garlic and pepper. Pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours until chicken is tender. Remove chicken from crock pot and keep warm. (You can place chicken in casserole dish, cover with foil and keep in oven at 200 degrees). Pour sauce into a saucepan and bring to boil. Combine cold water and cornstarch and mix until smooth. Slowly pour into sauce and cook until sauce is thickened. Recombine sauce and chicken and serve over hot white rice or Ramen noodles!! Yummy!

Crunchy Garlic Chicken

I love using corn flakes as a crust for chicken! So yummy and yet it is baked, not fried! Another great recipe from my Betty Crocker Cookbook.

2 TBSP. butter, melted
2 TBSP. milk
1 TBSP. chopped green onion or chives
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 cups cornflakes cereal, crushed (1 cup)
3 TBSP. chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. paprika
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 TBSP. butter, melted

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Grease 13X9 pan.

Mix 2 TBSP. melted butter, milk, onion, salt and garlic powder. Mix cornflakes, parsley and paprika. Dip chicken into into milk mixture, then coat lightly and evenly with cornflakes mixture. Place in pan. Drizzle with remaining 2 TBSP. melted butter.

Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes until chicken is no longer pink in center of thickest piece.

Poppyseed Chicken Casserole

This is a yummy and easy chicken casserole that your family will love!

8 chicken breasts
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/2 stick butter
8 oz. sour cream
4 tsp. poppy seeds
2 rolls of Ritz crackers, crumbled

Bake chicken breasts until tender, then tear into bite sized pieces. Mix all ingredients together. Pour into 13X9 pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes, until heated through.

Turkey Tetrazinni

This recipe is an old family favorite that my Grandmother Allen has handed down. Very versatile and yummy! I love the crunch of the almonds and the creaminess of the cheese. So good!

1 quart turkey or chicken broth
2 cups elbow macaroni
2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (or more, I really like bacon, so I sometimes will add more)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 lb. shredded American Cheese (you can use Velveeta)
1/4 cup pimentos
1/2 cup toasted blanched almonds
1 3/4 cup cooked peas (or 1 can of peas, drained)
2 cups turkey, cooked and shredded
salt and pepper to taste

Boil macaroni in broth until tender. Drain noodles but reserve broth to moisten as needed. Mix all ingredients together and heat through, using broth as needed to moisten. MMM MMMM good!

Chicken and Dumplings

This is an easy recipe to throw together in the morning and let it cook on low all day. Super simple and delicious!

3-4 chicken breast, raw (frozen is fine)

6 cups water

2 cans cream of chicken soup

2 bouillon cubes (optional)

garlic powder to taste

few dashes poultry seasoning

1/2-1 cup frozen mixed vegetables 

1 small onion, chopped

1 cup flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 TBSP. butter

1/2 cup milk

Combine chicken, water, soups, bouillon, garlic, poultry seasoning, vegetables and onion in crock pot. Simmer on low all day (8-10 hours), or on high 5-6 hours. 

During last half hour of cooking, shred chicken. To make dumplings, cut butter into flour, add remaining ingredients to make a biscuit dough. Pinch off dough and form into small balls and drop on top of hot soup. Turn crock pot up to HIGH for last 30 minutes. 

VARIATIONS: if you want to use one can of celery or mushroom soup, you can. Figure out what you like! 

Simple Chicken Enchiladas

These are simple, fast and delicious! Perfect for a quick mid-week meal! I like this recipe because I usually have all the ingredients on hand and it's so good, even picky kids like it!

3-4 chicken breast, cooked and shredded
6-8 corn OR flour tortillas (I use flour), cut into quarters
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2-3 TBSP butter
1 small can green chilies
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2-3 cups cheddar or longhorn cheese, shredded
1 can Rotel tomatoes and Chilies, drained (optional)
1 cup chicken broth

Spray a 2-quart pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Brown onion in butter, until tender.

Combine chicken, onion, chilies,Rotel, soup and broth.

Layer tortillas, chicken mixture and cheese until ingredients are gone. Top with final layer of cheese.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, until heated through.

VARIATIONS: Add a cup of your favorite salsa. Pour a can of green or red enchilada sauce over the top. Add sour cream to the chicken mixture. My husband is not a fan of sour cream, so I keep it simple.

You may want to double the recipe for larger groups.

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

This can be made ahead of time during the day and refrigerated until you are ready to bake it that evening. Just pop it into the oven one hour before you are ready to eat. You may need to allow a few extra minutes of bake time if the pie is cold to allow the pie to get completely hot and bubbly. I do this recipe on Martial Arts night! It's great to come home to a hot meal straight from the oven! Remember to lower the oven temp after 15 minutes! I usually have my oldest son lower the temperature for me while I'm gone.

1 TBSP butter
1/4 cup onion
2 cups water
2 chicken breast
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1 small potato, cubed (optional)
3 dashes poultry seasoning
dash of garlic powder
pepper to taste
2 pie crust (see Pie Crusts for a great recipe)

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Saute onion in butter in medium saucepan. Add 2 cups water and chicken. Add bouillon cubes. Boil chicken until cooked, then take it out and cube it. Place back in broth. Add vegetables and potato and bring to low boil. Cook  for 3-5 minutes on medium-high heat to partially cook vegetables. Remove from heat. Add soup and seasonings. Mix well.

Pour into prepared crust. Cover with top crust and crimp edges. Make vent slits in top crust. Place pie on a cookie sheet so you don't have any accidental spills in your oven.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Then LOWER temperature to 350 degrees and continue cooking for another 45-55 minutes. Pie is done when crust is browned and you can see bubbles coming out of vent openings.