Chicken Salad

This chicken salad was served at my very first baby shower and has since been my FAVORITE chicken salad. I love it on toasted crescents! One could make money serving this chicken salad.



Ingredients:
4 croissants, split and toasted
2-3 chicken breasts, cooked, cooled and shredded
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2-3/4 cup seedless red grapes, cut in half
1/2 - 3/4 cup pineapple tidbits
handful slivered almonds
1/2 cup Hellman's Real Mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. pineapple juice
1 Tbsp. mustard.

Directions:
(1) Combine chicken, celery, grapes, pineapple and almonds together in a mixing bowl.
(2) In a smaller bowl combine the dressing ingredients: mayo, pineapple juice and mustard until smooth. Pour dressing over chicken mixture. Toss together.
(3) Let ingredients settle in refrigerator for at least on hour.
(4) Spoon onto toasted crescents and serve.

Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

From: GGma Reger - From Sherry Stanbrough



Ingredients:
3 large chicken breasts
1 cup water
1 cup cooking Sherry
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup celery, sliced
2 pkgs. of Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice mix
1 4 oz. can of sliced mushrooms
1 cup sour cream
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can of French Fried onions


Directions:
(1) Simmer chicken breasts in the first 6 ingredients (water, cooking sherry, salt, curry powder, onion and celery).
(2) Remove chicken from the bone and set aside.
(3) Measure broth and add water or chicken broth to make 4 cups.
(4) Boil 2 packages of Uncle Ben's Long grain and wild rice in the broth according to directions.
(5) Combine the chicken and rice.
(6) Add the can of sliced mushrooms, sour cream and cream of mushroom soup.
(7) Place in a greased 9x13" pan and top with can of French Fried onions.
(8) Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour covered with foil.

Creamy Pesto Chicken & Bowties

I found this simple and delicious recipe on the Campbells website. I love the creaminess of the sauce with the pasta. A simple and hearty meal.


Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. butter
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into cubes
1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup pesto sauce
1/2 cup milk
3 cups bow tie pasta, cooked and drained

Directions:
(1) Heat the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until well browned, stirring often.
(2) Stir in the soup, pesto sauce and milk in the skillet and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low.
(3) Cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
(4) Stir in the pasta and cook until the mixture is hot and bubbling.

Helpful Hints:

(1) I have yet to find already made Pesto sauce. So I use the Knor packet of Pesto and follow the directions on the packet. Then add the prepared pesto as required in this recipe.

Company Chicken

Six years ago I took charge of creating a cookbook for our church. For the most part I had some go-to recipes that I always used from it. But the other day I was checking a recipe and came across this one from my friend Laura Norman. I tried it for 2 reasons - (1) it looked like I could pull it together in less than 5 minutes and (2) it had everything in it I knew my family would eat. If I had a 5-star rating I think it would earn all 5!

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts - halved (for a total of 8 chicken pieces)

8 slices of bacon

1 cup sour cream

1 can cream of mushroom soup with roasted garlic

Directions:

(1) Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

(2) Wrap each half of chicken in one piece of bacon. Arrange in a 9x13" casserole dish.

(3) In a mixing bowl combine sour cream with undiluted soup. Spread over chicken. Cover dish with aluminum foil.

(4) Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour. Remove foil and continue baking for 1 more hour.

Chicken and Rice Bake

I'm not going to lie to you. This may sound boring and flavorless but it is a very simple, inexpensive and quick dish to put on the table. And doesn't lack flavor. I always like to serve mine with a dark green veggie. I've had this recipe so long I don't remember where I found it.

Ingredients:
1can (10 3/4 oz.) Cream of Chicken soup
1 1/3 cup water
3/4 cup uncooked regular long-grain white rice
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
4-6 chicken breasts, skinless/boneless
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:
(1) Preheat oven to 375.
(2) Mix soup, water, rice, onion powder and black pepper in 2-qt. shallow baking dish.
(3) Top with chicken. Sprinkle chicken with additional pepper.
(4) Cover and bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and rice is done.
(5) Uncover and sprinkle cheese over chicken. Bake 5 minutes longer uncovered.

Helpful Hints:
(1) This does work well for a freezer meal as well.
(2) There are days where I'll make this up early in the morning before I've had a chance to clean up after breakfast and place the dish in the refrigerator until I'm ready to bake it. Makes dinner so effortless and then I only have to clean up once.
(3) This is also a great dish to come home to after church. Just place the refrigerated dish in the oven and set your oven timers to turn on 45 minutes before you expect to come home. EASY!
(4) One of the tips on the recipe was to add 2 cups fresh, canned or frozen vegetables into the soup mixture before adding chicken.

Chicken Vermicelli

This is a meal that is pretty quick to put together. The Girls and Da'Hubby like it as well so it's a winner in my book.

Ingredients:

1 - 16oz. pkg. vermicelli, coarsely broken

4 cups. chicken, cooked and shredded

1 - 2oz. jar chopped pimentos, drained

1 small onion, chopped

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

4 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1- 10.5 oz can cream of mushroom soup

Directions:

(1) In a large saucepan with boiling water place frozen chicken breasts and boil until chicken is done. Remove chicken and shred.

(2) In the water you used to cook the chicken place the vermicelli and boil until al dente. Drain.

(3) In a large bowl combine shredded chicken, pimentos, onion, salt, pepper, 2 cups of cheese, and soup. Add in noodles.

(4) Place in a lightly greased 9x13" pan. Sprinkle remaining 2 cups of cheese on top.

(5) Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Helpful Hints:

(1) The original recipe also called for a 1/2 cup of chopped green pepper. But knowing my family - I knew that they would automatically shun this dish if they saw it in there. I don't know if green peppers would really do much for it - perhaps a small can of green chilies would be better and add a lot more flavor.

(2) A 9x13" pan of this would be way too much food for our family of 4 so I made up the entire batch and divided it into two 8x8" pans. I then froze one for a night where I don't feel like cooking.

Chicken Divan

One word. Awesome. Believe it or not but da'hubby had two big helpings of this and it had broccoli in it! Either his taste buds have died or it was just that good.

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts - trimmed

Salt and pepper

2 cups heavy cream

2 cups chicken broth

2 Tbsp. mustard

2 cups instant rice

1 (10 oz) package of frozen broccoli spears, thawed and chopped

2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed

Directions:

(1) Preheat oven to 45o degrees.

(2) In a large microwave-safe bowl whisk the cream, broth and mustard together. Microwave on high until boiling. About 8 minutes.

(3) Meanwhile, pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then cut into 2" chunks. Spread in a greased 9x13" baking dish and season with salt and pepper.

(4) Stir the rice into the cream mixture,t hen pour over the chicken. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.

(5) Pat the broccoli dry. In a mixing bowl combine the broccoli and cheddar cheese and mix together. Spread over chicken and rice mixture.

(6) Sprinkle Ritz crumbs over the top. Continue to bake unitl the edges are bubbling and the crumbs are browned, 5-10 more minutes.

Enchiladas Suisas

I found this awesome recipe in my "Easy Everyday Favorites" from allrecipes.com cookbook. A real crowd pleasing enchilada.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. butter

2/3 cup Spanish onion, chopped

2 Tbsp. flour

1 1/2 cup chicken broth

1 cup chopped green Chile peppers

1 clove garlic, minced

3/4 tsp. salt

1 dash ground cumin

12 (8 inch) flour tortillas

Olive Oil for frying

1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

1 cup shredded mild Cheddar cheese

2 cups shredded, cooked chicken breast

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup chopped green onion

1/2 cup sliced green olives

1 pint cherry tomatoes

Directions:

(1) Prepare salsa Verde: Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Saute the onion until soft. Stir in the flour. Add the broth, then add the chiles, garlic, salt and cumin. Simmer about 15 minutes to blend flavors, then set aside.

(2) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

(3) In a heavy skillet, lightly fry tortillas in shallow oil, being careful not to make them too crisp to roll.

(4) Combine the cheeses and keep 1/2 cup aside for topping.

(5) Dip each tortilla in salsa Verde (both sides). Place 2 heaping tablespoons chicken and about 2 tablespoons cheese down center of each. Roll and place seam side down in a shallow dish.

(6) After all the rolled tortillas are in the dish, spoon additional salsa Verde over them and then cover evenly with heavy cream. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese mixture and green onions.

(7) Bake uncovered in preheated oven for 20 minutes (or until tortillas are crisp). Serve immediately, garnished with the olives, cherry tomatoes and with additional salsa on the side.

Helpful Hints:

(1) The first time I made these I followed every.single. step. And realized there had to be an easier way. Now when I make these I go to the Mexican aisle in the store and purchase a large jar of Salsa Verde sauce. Much, much easier and I think it tastes a lot better - more authentic.

(2) Don't leave out the cream. That's what makes them "Suisas".

Poppy Seed Chicken

I got this recipe from my buff and beautiful friend Amber Kuphal. It's my standard "you had a baby, I bring you a meal" dish.

Ingredients:
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 8oz container sour cream
1 sleeve crushed Town House Club crackers
1 stick butter, melted
2 Tbs. poppy seeds

Directions:
(1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
(2) Lightly grease a 9x13" pan and line with chicken.
(3) In a bowl mix the cream of chicken soup with the sour cream and spread over chicken.
(4) Mix crushed crackers, melted butter and poppy seeds together. Spread over soup layer.
(5) Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour uncovered.

Helpful Hints:
(1) Use the Club crackers. Seriously. I tried once with Ritz because I was out of the Club and it just wasn't the same. Don't try some off brand either.
(2) Use butter not margarine. I've found that the butter gives it amazing flavor and the margarine gives it a greasy texture.
(3) This is great served with some sort of steamed vegetable, like carrots.

Chicken Cordon Blue

If my memory serves me correctly my mom was the one that first started making these when I was a little girl. Now I make these for my little girls.

Ingredients:
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Farmers Cheese cubes, frozen
Thin sliced, brown-sugared ham
2 cups Italian bread crumbs
1/4 cup butter, melted
toothpicks

Directions:
(1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
(2) On a cutting board cover chicken breasts with Saran Wrap. Then using a rolling pin pound the chicken until they are thinned but still hold their shape.
(3) One one side of the chicken place about 3-4 slices of ham. In the center of the chicken and on top of the ham, place a frozen cube of Farmers cheese.
(4) Roll chicken and secure with toothpicks.
(5) Coat chicken bundles in melted butter until completely coated.
(6) Transfer to a shallow dish with the Italian bread crumbs and completely coat.
(7) Place in a lightly greased 9x13" baking pan and bake for 1 hour or until juices run clear.

Helpful Hints:
(1) I've learned from experience that the frozen cheese works the best. Usually, I'll go to the store and buy a brick of Farmers Cheese, come home and cut it into cubes, then put it in the freezer until I'm ready to use them. Using frozen cheese will ensure that that cheese melts in the last few minutes of baking.

(2) Use Italian bread crumbs if you can. It really helps to give the chicken good flavor. If I have them I will usually mix in ground flax seed too. It helps give the crumb coating a nice crunch.