The Easiest BBQ Chicken

I found this recipe on, you guessed it, Pinterest and it was super easy and really good.  You could serve the chicken as a whole breast but I shredded it with a fork and ate it as pulled BBQ chicken.  The original recipe came from the blog Stick a Fork In It.

BBQ Chicken

4-6 pieces boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 bottle BBQ sauce
1/4 c vinegar
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 c brown sugar
1/2 - 1 tsp. garlic powder

Mix BBQ sauce with all ingredients listed under it. Place chicken in crock pot and pour the sauce over it. Cook on LOW for 4-6 hours. If serving shredded, take out the breasts, shred with a fork and then add as much sauce from the crock pot until you have the desired amount in your shredded chicken.

Chicken and Shrimp Mexican "Lasagna"

A lot of times I find recipes that I want to make and as I am reading the ingredients I either don't like them or I do not have them handy.  I had printed a recipe for a shrimp enchilada bake and realized that it had green salsa and green enchilada sauce in it.  I don't like any kind of green Mexican sauce so I improvised! Also I didn't have a ton of shrimp and I had some leftover chicken so I just combined the two. This meal was really good and I realized I am obsessed with refried beans with melted cheese!!!

2 cups of cooked shrimp/chicken
1 can corn
2 cups salsa divided
1 can refried beans
6-9 corn or four tortillas
Shredded cheese

Mix chicken/shrimp, corn and 1 cup of salsa (or enchilada sauce) in a microwavable container.  Microwave on high for two minutes.  In a small casserole dish spread a thin layer of salsa on the bottom of the dish.  Layer tortillas over the salsa.  Spread refried beans over the tortilla and then spread some of the chicken/shrimp mixture over the beans.  Keep layering as desired.  On top of the last layer of tortillas spread refried beans and salsa.  Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees and five minutes before it is done spread cheese on the very top of the "lasagna". We ate ours with guacamole.

Muffin Tin Pizzas and a Quick Vent

This is a cooking/crafts/sewing etc blog but I am going to take this opportunity to vent for a second.  The job market in my current location is horrible for military spouses.  I called the base and they had one job opening that was located at a base 45 minutes away...ummm no thanks! I have looked online, in newspapers, made phone calls and nada.  I am open to most jobs however I know I would not find joy in working at Lowes, McDonalds, Loves Travel Stop or a cell phone company. And I do not want to substitute teach.  The school year is over but I don't like being the random teacher in the classroom that students think they can take advantage of (though they soon realize that is not an option).  So I have come to the realization that for now I am a housewife.  I guess I better get going on more cooking and craft projects!

I made dinner for the first time in a week or so last night because I was home in Maryland.  When I asked Fly Boy what he wanted he said, "Buffalo chicken pizza!" Of course that is what he wanted but that is not what I wanted! So I decided to make "Muffin Tin Mini Pizzas".  They came out really well.  I made three different kinds so it was a nice variety.

Ingredients:

1 pizza dough (either store bought or homemade)

sauce

toppings

cheese

Cut the pizza dough into 12 small squares and place them into a greased muffin tin. Try to stretch the dough up the sides of the tin a little bit.  Pre bake the dough for 5-7 minutes at about 400 degrees.  Take the pan out of the oven and add your toppings. I layered mine: meat/veggies, sauce then cheese.  Bake for another 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

I made buffalo chicken pizzas, broccoli and chicken and salsa and chicken.

Feta Stuffed Chicken

I got this recipe in an email from Better Homes and Gardens. It came from Diabetic Living Online. It was really good. I did not have tomato basil feta so I added basil and some tomato paste to the cheese mixture.  I just used frozen spinach and I made garlic mashed potatoes to go with it.  Fly Boy ate 4 of the 6 chicken breasts that I made.

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	2 tablespoons fat-free cream cheese (1 ounce) 1/4  cup crumbled basil-and-tomato feta cheese (1 ounce)*
	4  skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1-1/4 pounds total)
	1/4 teaspoon black pepper
	Dash salt
	1 teaspoon olive oil or cooking oil
	1/4 cup chicken broth
	10-ounce package prewashed fresh spinach, trimmed (8 cups)
	2 tablespoons walnut or pecan pieces, toasted
	tablespoon lemon juice
	Lemon slices, halved (optional)

1. In a small bowl combine feta cheese and cream cheese; set aside. Using a sharp knife, cut a horizontal slit through the thickest portion of each chicken breast half to form a pocket. Stuff pockets with the cheese mixture. If necessary, secure openings with wooden toothpicks. Sprinkle chicken with pepper and salt.
2. In a large nonstick skillet cook chicken in hot oil over medium-high heat about 12 minutes or until tender and no longer pink, turning once (reduce heat to medium if chicken browns too quickly). Remove chicken from skillet. Cover and keep warm.
3. Carefully add chicken broth to skillet. Bring to boiling; add half of the spinach. Cover and cook about 3 minutes or just until spinach is wilted. Remove spinach from skillet, reserving liquid in pan. Repeat with remaining spinach. Return all spinach to skillet. Stir in the nuts and lemon juice.
4. To serve, divide spinach mixture among 4 dinner plates. Top with chicken breasts. If desired, garnish with lemon slices. Makes 4 servings.

NOTE: I did not have tomato basil feta so I added a pinch or two of dried basil and a tbsp of tomato paste to the feta/cream cheese mixture.  Also I baked my chicken instead of pan frying at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.

Chicken Mac and Cheese

This recipe was super easy and super yummy! I used pre cooked chicken so I started with the second step in the directions.  This recipe is from Better Homes and Gardens.

1 pound skinless, boneless, chicken breast

1  to 2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

Salt and ground black pepper

1  tablespoon  olive oil

8 ounces dried pasta

1  medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

2 cloves garlic, minced

3  tablespoons  butter

3  tablespoons all-purpose flour

2  tablespoons tomato paste

3 cups milk

8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (2 cups)

Salt and ground black pepper

2 cups  soft sourdough or French bread crumbs

2 ounces finely shredded Parmesan or Romano cheese (1/2 cup)

3 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Cut chicken into pieces. In a large skillet cook chicken, Italian or desired seasoning blend, salt, and pepper in hot oil over medium heat. Remove chicken from skillet; set aside.

2. Cook pasta according to package directions until just tender. Drain; return pasta to pot.

3. Cook onion and garlic in 3 tablespoons hot butter over medium heat until tender. Stir in flour until well combined. Stir in tomato paste. Add milk. Cook and stir until mixture is thickened and bubbly; reduce heat. Add the shredded cheese. Stir until cheese is almost melted. Remove from heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add sauce and chicken to cooked pasta in pot; stir to coat. Spoon mixture into a 2-quart square or rectangular baking dish.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl stir together bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and 3 tablespoons melted butter. Sprinkle crumb mixture over pasta mixture. Bake, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes or until crumb mixture is golden and edges are bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Makes 6 servings.

Find the recipe here: Better Homes and Gardens

Chicken Taquitos

I have a million recipe books and I just bought another one: Our Best Bites. I highly recommend it! They have a website too that I use. 

Last night I made their chicken taquitos but I had a few changes due to taste preferences and ingredients we had here at home.  THEY CAME OUT AMAZING!!!



Our Best Bites



1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese (I use light sour cream)
1/4 C green salsa (I use regular 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 used like 1/4 to 1/2 tsp dried cilantro)
2 T sliced green onions (I omitted)
2 C shredded cooked chicken
1 C grated pepper jack cheese
small corn tortillas or flour
kosher salt
cooking spray

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

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.

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.

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.

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 or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.

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


Directions are from Our Best Bites website.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

I should call my blog "What Emily Makes" because I have been on a kick of just looking at her blog for recipes.  She always has yummy ones. Just in case you forgot, you can check out her blog here!

So I LOVE sweet and sour chicken from Chinese food places but I HATE all of the breading and gross chicken that you sometimes find.  Emily found this AMAZING recipe from another blog called
Life as a Lofthouse and it was better than sweet and sour chicken from a Chinese food place.

The chicken :

3-4 boneless chicken breasts

salt + pepper

1 cup cornstarch

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup oil

 

Sauce:

3/4 cup sugar

4 tbs ketchup

1/2 cup vinegar

1 tbs soy sauce

1 tsp garlic salt

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

 

Rinse your chicken and then cut into cubes. Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Dip chicken into the cornstarch and then dip into the eggs. 

 

Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet and cook chicken until browned but not cooked through.

 

Place the chicken in a 9x13 greased baking dish.

 

Mix all of your sauce ingredients in a bowl and then pour evenly over the chicken.

 

Bake for one hour and during the baking process you will need to turn the chicken
every 15 minutes.  

"Healthy" Chicken Tortilla Casserole

This recipe is from Betty Crocker and it uses reduced fat ingredients to make it "healthier". It was really good! I did not use the green chilies, peppers or tomato but instead used two cups of salsa.  This would be good over rice if you left out the tortillas.






1 can (10 3/4 oz) 98% fat free 45% less sodium condensed cream of chicken soup

1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chilies

1 container (8 oz) fat-free sour cream

1/2 cup fat-free (skim) milk

2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast

8 yellow corn tortillas (6 or 7 inch), torn into bite-size pieces

1 medium green bell pepper, chopped (1 cup)

1 large tomato, chopped (1 cup)

1 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese or Mexican cheese blend (6 oz)



1.Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In large bowl, mix soup, chilies, sour cream and milk until blended. Stir in chicken, tortillas and bell pepper. Stir in tomato and 1 cup of the cheese. Spoon and spread mixture in baking dish.

2.Cover with foil. Bake 40 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake uncovered 5 to 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted and mixture is bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes.

Chicken Florentine Bake

My friend Emily also has a cooking blog, which you can find here. I made this recipe last night and made some changes so that Fly Boy would eat it.  The biggest change was that I used broccoli instead of artichokes.  It was really yummy!

8 oz. dried bow tie pasta
1 small onion, chopped (I used minced onion)
1 Tbsp. butter
2 eggs
1-1/4 cups milk
1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper (optional)
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (8 oz.)
1 14-oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered (I used broccoli)
1 10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1/2 cup oil-packed dried tomatoes, drained and chopped (Emily used fresh tomato)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (We both skipped the topping)
1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. butter, melted


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. In medium skillet cook onion in 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat about 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; set aside.


2. In bowl whisk together eggs, milk, seasoning, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. black pepper, and crushed red pepper. Stir in chicken, Monterey Jack cheese, artichokes, spinach, tomatoes, half of the Parmesan, cooked pasta, and onion. Transfer to a 13x9x2-inch baking dish or 3-quart rectangular casserole.


3. Bake, covered, 20 minutes. In small bowl combine remaining Parmesan, bread crumbs, paprika, and melted butter. Sprinkle mixture over pasta. Bake, uncovered, 10 minutes more or until golden. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Greek Couscous with Chicken Two Ways

Ok so I think I should change the name of my blog to "The Lazy Housewife" because I have all of these recipes I want to try to make but some of them have a lot of steps/ingredients and just don't have the patience for that type of cooking.  With that said my friend Emily posted this recipe on her blog and I wanted to try it.  I bought the ingredients (I had to chase down some artichokes here in OK) and began cooking when I realized I DON'T HAVE TO DO ALL OF THE STEPS!!!! So here it is...Greek Couscous with Chicken...the long way and the lazy way.

The lazy way:
Cooked chicken breasts
1 packages of Near East Whole Wheat Couscous with Garlic and Olive Oil
6 oz green beans, trimmed and halved
3 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 can artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
1/2 cup crumbled reduced-fat feta
1/3 up kalamata olives, halved
2 tbsp lemon juice


Prepare Near East couscous as directed on the package.  Right as your stir in the couscous to the boiling water, add the green beans to the water along with the couscous.  Let that sit for a few minutes. Chop up artichokes and tomato and add to couscous.  Add other ingredients as desired ( I left out olives).  Cut up your piece of chicken and serve it on top of or next to couscous mixture. Top couscous with feta.



The long way:

Greek Couscous with Chicken

courtesy of Family Circle Magazine

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups Israeli couscous
1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
6 oz green beans, trimmed and halved
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken breast
3 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
1/2 cup crumbled reduced-fat feta
1/3 up kalamata olives, halved
2 tbsp lemon juice
1. Heat oil in a medium nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook onion, oregano and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook 4 minutes.
2. Stir in couscous and cook for 1 minute. Add chicken broth and 1 cup water to pot and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low and cook, covered, for 12 minutes or until water is absorbed. Add green beans to pot for last 5 minutes of cooking.
3. Stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, chicken, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, feta, olives, and lemon juice and serve immediately.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

While I am on a roll today I thought I would go ahead and post tonight's dinner recipe. It is cold here, my husband is no where to be found (ok well I mean I know where he is but he is not at home) and I have some Christmas music TV station on right now.

Wait, did I mention where this recipe came from? No? Ok well it is from the "Dragon Food" cookbook. What is Dragon Food? It is recipe's compiled by a club at Nate's old high school Carroll High School.  Now this is no Maryland high school folks, actually it is a Texas high school.  At this school they play football playoff games in the Dallas Cowboys Stadium with THOUSANDS in attendance.  Currently, there are 3 New Orleans Saints players from Nate's high school.  The school performs "never done before by a high school drama club" musicals like Phantom and The Drowsy Chaperone.  So I am thinking to myself...well if these kids are so darn good, they are probably bringing in some good recipes...so here it is!!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1/2 cup chopped onion
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 garlic clove chopped
1/4 tsp Chili Powder
1/4 tsp Ground Cumin
2 (14.5 oz) cans Chicken Broth
1 (14.5 oz) can Diced tomatoes, undrained
1 small can chopped green chilies undrained
1 (14.5 oz) can black beans drained and rinsed
1 (14.5 oz) corn drained
2 tsp dried cilantro
Grated cheese
Lime
Sour cream
Tortilla chips

Cut chicken in cubes and cook in a stock pot with the chopped onion and garlic in some olive oil. When chicken is done add chili powder, cumin and cilantro to the chicken and cook some more. Add broth, tomatoes, chilies, corn, and black beans. Stir and simmer for ten minutes.

Serve with cheese, lime, sour cream, chips etc.

As always, add salt and pepper as needed.

Chicken/Turkey Divan

Chicken Divan

What's divan? That is what my husband asked when I told him I was making chicken  turkey divan.  Well it is yummy and easy to make and has broccoli in it....so yeah...chicken turkey divan.

http://www.lowcarbdiet.mobi/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Chicken_Divan_4b16925502912.jpg

1 package of frozen broccoli defrosted and drained

1 1/2 cups of cooked chicken or turkey

1 can of cream of something soup (mushroom, chicken, celery)

1/3 cup mayo

1 tsp lemon juice

pepper to taste

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Defrost broccoli and put it in the bottom of a casserole dish.  Cut up cubed chicken or turkey and layer over broccoli. In a separate bowl combine the soup, mayo and lemon.  Pour over chicken and broccoli. Season with pepper. Top with cheese. Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Now you have chicken/turkey divan!!

Oh yeah...serve over rice!



Chicken Pot Pie Betty Style

Easy Chicken Pot Pie
http://www.bettycrocker.com/

When you're out of food ...and haven't been to the store....who ya gonna call???? BETTY CROCKER!!!

Stolen from http://www.bettycrocker.com/

1 package (16 ounces) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed


1 cup cut-up cooked chicken

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup

1 cup Original Bisquick® mix

1/2 cup milk

1 egg



1.Heat oven to 400ºF. Mix vegetables, chicken and soup in ungreased 2-quart casserole.

2.Stir remaining ingredients in small bowl with fork until blended. Pour into casserole.

3.Bake 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Portola Valley Chicken

Portola Valley Chicken

If you have every had chicken divan this is very similar...and YUMMY!

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken
1 package of frozen chopped spinach thawed
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup water
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 tsp curry
rice
Parm cheese

Combine soup, water, mayo and curry. Spread a little in the bottom of a pan.  Place spinach in a layer on the bottom of the pan. Pour more soup over it.  Place chicken next. Pour rest of soup over.  Sprinkle parm cheese over top. Bake at 350 for one hour.  Serve with rice!

Mom's Chicken and Dumplings

Mom's Chicken and Dumplings

Do you want puffy dumplings (Mom's) or flat dumplings (Granny's)?

Nate said puffy so here it is.

When I was little I didn't like Granny's flat dumplings (shocker, I know!) but now I love both....I need to get Granny's recipe!

bettycrocker.com

1lb chicken
Salt
Pepper
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 cups Bisquick
2/3 cup milk
frozen veggies

Boil the chicken for 12-15 minutes or until done with some salt and pepper in the water.  Remove chicken from water and add 1 can of mushroom soup to the water.  Mix milk and Bisquick together. Scoop Bisquick mixture out and into the water/soup mixture.  Boil/simmer the mixture for 15 minutes or so. Cut up the chicken.  Cook frozen veggies. When dumplings are done you can mix chicken and veggies in the pot or keep it all separate.  Eat and enjoy!!  PS my Mom does not use mushroom soup but my chicken isn't greasy enough to make a good broth so I add the soup for flavor.

Italian Chicken with Stuffed Shells

Italian Chicken with Stuffed Shells

A few years ago I went to Granny's and asked her to write down the recipe for her stuffed shells that were always one of my favorite meals that she made. She responded "Oh, it's on the box of the shells!" So she cut it out and gave it to me.  I love my Granny!

The shells and chicken!

My Granny rocking Caitlin's sun glasses!

Ingredients for the shells:

1 package (12 oz.) SAN GIORGIO JUMBO SHELLS
4 cups (2 lb.) ricotta cheese
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 eggs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 cups (about 26-oz. jar) spaghetti sauce


Heat oven to 375°F. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, in large bowl, stir together cheeses, eggs, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper. In 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish, spread 1/2 cup sauce. Fill each cooked shell with about 2 tablespoons cheese mixture. Layer one-half filled shells in prepared baking dish; spread one-half remaining sauce over shells. Layer remaining filled shells over sauce; spread remaining sauce over shells. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired. Cover with foil. Bake 35 minutes or until hot and bubbly. 8 to 10 servings. Make-Ahead Directions: Prepare as directed above. Do not bake. Cover baking dish tightly with plastic wrap, then foil. Freeze up to 2 months. Remove foil and plastic wrap; replace foil. Bake at 350°F. 2 hours or until hot and bubbly. If thawed in refrigerator overnight, bake at 350°F. 1 hour 15 minutes or until hot. To make individual portions, prepare as directed in recipe above except place three filled shells in single serving microwave-safe dishes. Do not bake. Cover tightly. Freeze up to 2 months. Microwave each dish, loosely covered, at MEDIUM (50%) 7 to 9 minutes or until hot and bubbly. If thawed in refrigerator overnight, microwave at HIGH (100%) 2 minutes or until hot.


Chicken:
1 lb of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup of fat free Italian dressing
Salt
Pepper
 
Rinse the chicken off and place it in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.  Stab with a fork and pour dressing over so that it is covered. Marinate for two hours. Bake in a pan at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until done.

Grilled Pesto Chicken Packets

Grilled Pesto Chicken Packets
from Rachel Ray

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 2-1/4 pounds)

Salt and pepper

1 cup pesto

2 zucchini, thinly sliced

4 plum tomatoes, chopped

8 scallions, trimmed


Directions:

1.Preheat a grill to medium. Cut four 12-inch-long sheets of heavy-duty foil. Drizzle 1 teaspoon olive oil into the center of each sheet.

2.Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Lay 1 piece of chicken in the center of each sheet and spread 1 tablespoon pesto on top.

3.Mound one-quarter of the zucchini, tomatoes and scallions over each chicken breast. Dollop 3 tablespoons pesto over each mound. Fold the foil over the chicken and vegetables; pinch the edges to seal.

4.Cover and grill the packets over indirect heat for 25 minutes. Remove from the grill and open carefully.

What I changed:
I followed this recipe closer than the last Rachel Ray attempt.  This time I just used onions instead of scallions and broccoli instead of tomatoes.  We had this with oven baked red potatoes. (See separate recipe!)

Mexican Chicken Lasagna

from Pampered Chef

Mexican Chicken Lasagna



1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, lightly packed

1 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese  (I used half a block of fat free cream cheese and 4 oz of fat free sour cream instead)

2 cups monterey jack cheese, shredded, divided (or cheddar)

1 medium onion (about 2/3 cup chopped) optional

1 (28 ounce) cans enchilada sauce (You can also add 1/2 cup of water to a jar of salsa)

12 (6 inch) corn tortillas (cut each in half)

3 cups cooked chicken (diced or shredded)

fresh cilantro leaves, chopped


Chop cilantro. Place cream cheese in a bowl. Microwave on HIGH 30-45 seconds or until very soft. Add cilantro and 1½ cups of the Monterey Jack cheese; mix well. Chop onion; set aside. Spread 2/3 cup of the enchilada sauce over bottom of Deep Covered Baker (or a casserole dish). Pour remaining enchilada sauce into Stainless (4-qt.) Mixing Bowl; set aside. To assemble lasagna, dip four tortillas into enchilada sauce in mixing bowl and arrange over sauce in baker overlapping as necessary. Scoop half of the cream cheese mixture over tortillas; and spread . Top with 1 cup of the chicken and one-third of the onion. Repeat layers one time. Dip remaining four tortillas into sauce and arrange over second layer. Top with remaining chicken and onion. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over lasagna and sprinkle with remaining ½ cup Monterey Jack cheese. Microwave, covered, on HIGH 12-15 minutes or until center is hot. ( Or in a casserole dish bake at 350 for 10 -15 or so.) Let stand 10 minutes. Sprinkle with additional chopped cilantro.
 
I suggest having extra salsa to eat with it!

French's Crunchy Chicken-- Yumm!!

 Crunchy Chicken!
2 cups (4 oz.) FRENCH'S® Original or Cheddar French Fried Onions
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
4 (5 oz.) boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 egg, beaten



Directions:

Place French Fried Onions and flour into plastic bag. Lightly crush with hands or with rolling pin. Transfer to pie plate or waxed paper.

Dip chicken into egg; then coat with onion crumbs, pressing firmly to adhere. Place chicken on baking sheet.

Bake at 400°F for 20 min. or until no longer pink in center.

Double recipe for one lb of chicken. I also seasoned with pepper!

Jamie's Variation on the Mexican Chicken

 From Jamie:

(Adjust amounts as needed)

Heat olive oil in a pan, add minced garlic (from a jar) and 1/2 an onion. Brown onion until soft. Move onio...n to the outside of the pan and add two chicken breasts. Brown chicken breasts until cooked through. Add about 1/2 a jar of black bean and corn salsa (my favorite) to the pan around the chicken, simmer until hot.



Serve onion, salsa and chicken over rice. Top with cheese and sour cream.