Crock Pot Cashew Chicken

I miss my Chinese restaurant here in town and I am not a fan of buffets so I avoid my only other option.  When I picked up cashews on sale I thought of using some for cashew chicken but I needed a recipe.  I found three but I didn't have all the ingredients from each so I worked out my own recipe which turned out great.

3 chicken breasts, cubed
soy sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 Tablespoon white vinegar
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
green onions, sliced - optional
cashews

Cut up chicken breasts then sprinkle with soy sauce and let marinade while preparing sauce.

Combine soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, red pepper flakes, pepper and cornstarch in a bowl and set aside.

In frying pan brown chicken breast cubes for about 2 minutes per side.  Place chicken in crock pot and pour sauce over chicken.  Add chopped green onions if desired.  Cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours.  Serve over rice and sprinkle with cashews.

Sweet and Sour Jam

Steve's Mom has a cherry, apricot and two apple trees.  We were able to get cherries and apricots and have to see what comes of the apples.  I was looking for different ways to use apricots and stumbled upon this recipe.  I love sweet and sour chicken!  I keep saying that I love this or I love that but I really should say I love food!!!  I did make a couple of changes by not using habaneros, shallots, cherry tomatoes and cilantro.  I didn't have any of those so I used jalapenos, green onions and a tomato minus the seeds.  There wasn't any heat when I used the jam on the chicken so next time I think I will leave a few jalapeno seeds in.

2 jalapenos, minus seeds unless you like heat
3 cups fresh apricots, pitted and chopped
1 cup green onions, sliced into thin slivers
1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup fresh pineapple, chopped
1/4 cup tomatoes, minus seeds, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh cilantro (optional)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1 (1.75 ounce) package powdered fruit pectin
6 cups white sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon butter

9 sterilized half-pint canning jars with lids and rings

Wearing rubber gloves and avoiding touching your eyes or face, seed and mince the jalapeno peppers. Place the jalapenos, apricots, green onions, green and red bell pepper, pineapple, tomatoes, garlic, cilantro, cumin, and lime juice into a large pot over medium heat, and stir in the pectin until dissolved. Bring the mixture to a boil, and mix in the white and brown sugars, stirring until completely dissolved. Return the jam to a full rolling boil, add the butter to reduce foaming, and boil hard for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Turn off heat, and skim and discard any foam that forms on the jam. Pack the jam into the sterilized jars up to 1/8 of the rim and top each with a sterilized lid and ring.
 
Simmer the filled jars in a boiling water bath for 25* minutes, then remove the jars and listen for the popping sound. Let jars cool completely.

*25 minutes is for my elevation 5800 ft.  I consulted the packaging with the pectin which told me how to adjust my time.

I opted out of breading my chicken, you could use pork, to cut down on the calories but you can bread if you like using this recipe.  I cut up my chicken into bite-size pieces and then spooned jam over chicken.  Toss chicken to coat and bake at 325 for 1 hour. 

Chicken Parmesan Casserole

I found this recipe by Chef John on Pinterest and I love it because it is so simple.  I cut my chicken into smaller pieces and pounded them out so that the meat was about the same thickness.  I used basil from a bottle because I didn't have fresh.  For leftovers the croutons were not crunchy but I would think you could zap in microwave and put under the broiler for a minute and they would crisp back up but I didn't mind that they were soft.

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

hot red pepper flakes, to taste

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 cups marinara sauce

1/4 cup chopped basil

8 oz mozzarella, shredded

4 oz Parmesan, grated

1 (5-oz) package garlic croutons

Heat oven to 350.  Spread olive oil in the bottom of 9x13 casserole dish.  Add garlic and red pepper flakes.  Add chicken.  Spread marinara sauce over chicken.  Sprinkle with basil.  Use 1/2 of the mozzarella and Parmesan to cover marinara sauce.  Place croutons on top of cheese.  Place the remainder of the cheese on top of the croutons.  Cook for 35 - 60 minutes depending on the size of chicken breasts or until chicken is 155 degrees.

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

This recipe makes A LOT of food! I didn't see that it makes for 6-8 people until after...but it's DELISH! so I didn't mind the left overs :)



Serves 6-8

*Plan Ahead: the recipe calls for cooked chicken so use leftovers or plan enough time to cook the chicken beforehand.

INGREDIENTS:
2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed or shredded
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
4-ounce can diced green chilies
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
2 (10-oz) cans green chili enchilada sauce (I used mild)
2/3 cup red enchilada sauce (I used mild)
1 can large black olives, cut in half
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar)
16-20 oz. penne pasta (Depending on how “saucy” you want the pasta)

DIRECTIONS:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the pasta until tender. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet and add the onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes until onion is translucent. Add the garlic and red pepper and cook for another 2 minutes, until pepper is barely tender. Add the cooked chicken, green chilies, spices, enchilada sauces and olives. Let the sauce simmer for about 8-10 minutes. Add the sour cream and cheese and heat through, until the cheese is melted (but don’t boil!). Pour the sauce over the hot pasta. Garnish with extra sour cream, cheese, diced tomatoes, green onions or crushed tortilla chips.
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Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

The chicken coating:

3-4 boneless chicken breasts

salt + pepper

1 cup cornstarch

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup canola oil

The sweet and sour sauce:

3/4 cup sugar

4 tbs ketchup

1/2 cup vinegar

1 tbs soy sauce

1 tsp garlic salt

Start by preheating your oven to 325 degrees. Rinse your chicken breasts in water and then cut into cubes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dip chicken into the cornstarch to coat then dip into the eggs. Heat your 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet and cook your chicken until browned but not cooked through. Place the chicken in a 9x13 greased baking dish. Mix all of your sweet and sour sauce ingredients in a bowl with a whisk 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.

I got this recipe from http://life-as-a-lofthouse.blogspot.com/

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

Marinade -

6 tablespoons honey

5 tablespoons lime juice (1 large lime)

1 tablespoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded

8-10 flour tortillas (I used whole wheat tortillas)

1 pound monterey jack cheese, shredded

16 ounces green enchilada sauce

1 cup heavy cream

Directions:

1. Whisk the first four ingredients and toss with shredded chicken in a Zip-loc bag.

2. Let it marinate for at least a 1/2 hour, but preferably a half day or so.

3. Pour about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9X13 baking pan.

4. Fill the tortillas with chicken, saving marinade, and shredded cheese, saving about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas.

5. Put tortillas in 9x13 pan as you go.

6. Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the cream and leftover marinade (if there is any).

7. Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas.

8. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

9. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until brown and crispy on top.

This recipe was found at dinner on a dime.
This is also a great recipe to make as a freezer meal- put into 2 8x8" pans. Bake 1 pan for dinner now, put the other pan into the freezer. Pull it out and bake it when you need it!

Buffalo Chicken Bites

I found this recipe from Sweet Pea's Kitchen on Pinterest and made them tonight for dinner.  I don't like things too spicy but I thought the 1/2 cup of Frank's Hot Sauce was just right.  If I were making them for Beau I would add a finely diced  jalapeno because Beau likes his spicy food HOT!

3 cups shredded cooked chicken
1/4 to 1/2 cup hot sauce (to taste) - I used Frank's Hot Sauce
3 1/2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 3/4 cups sharp shredded cheddar cheese - I used medium cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped green onions - I omitted
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs, lightly beaten
3 – 4 cups Corn Flakes cereal, crushed

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine chicken, cream cheese and hot sauce, cheddar cheese and green onions.
Roll a heaping tablespoon of mixture into a 1½-inch ball and place onto a plate or separate baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining mixture.

Place flour in a shallow dish. In a second shallow dish, place eggs. In a third shallow dish, Place cornflakes. Dip each chicken ball first into the flour, then the egg and ending with the Corn Flakes. 

Place on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm with ranch or blue cheese dressing.

Yields: 48 bites

Note:

If freezing place the dipped and uncooked chicken balls onto a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze for 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a freezer bag and store in the freezer until ready. When ready to bake, place the frozen chicken balls on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350˚F for 25 to 30 minutes, until crispy and golden brown.

How To Shred Chicken, Pork or Beef

Found this nifty tip here at Simply Healthy Family.  After you have cooked your chicken and while it is still hot put in into your Kitchen Aid stand mixer with the cookie paddle attachment.  Turn it to speed 4-6 and it will shred it better then two forks and in a lot less time.

I did a Google search and found that both pork and beef can be done the same way.  The pork or beef needs to be in 2 - 3 inch pieces.

Rustic Pot Pie

I love pie!  They aren't always easy but this one is.  The fun part about this is that you can make them personal size and customize the filling for each member of your family if needed.  The instant potatoes keep the filling from being runny.  You could also make a bunch of these and freeze them before you bake them for a fast and simple dinner.

Make or buy a pie crust.

1 jar gravy
Chicken, beef or pork
Vegetables - I usually use frozen mixed vegetables but I had a leftover baked potato and carrots
Instant Potatoes

Preheat oven to 450.  Pour jar of gravy in a pan and add enough instant potatoes to thicken but no too much that you end up with mashed potatoes.  Stir in meat and vegetables.  Heat.

While the gravy mixture is heating roll out you pie crust and place on cookie sheet.  Place the gravy mixture in the middle of the pie crust leaving 1 - 2 inches of space around the edge.  Fold the edges up, pleating if necessary.  Bake in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes or until the crust is brown.

Chicken Wonton Cups

When Mom and I were visiting Jamie, Beau and Christopher in Oklahoma the wives had a potluck because they all felt like they were in a rut with what they fixed. This was my favorite that wasn't a dessert of course.

24 Wonton skins
12 oz Chicken, cut into bite size pieces
Fajita dry packet
Onion, diced
Red bell pepper, diced
Ranch dressing
Cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 400. Spray muffin tins with cooking spray and place one wonton skin in each tin. Bake until slightly crisp, about 3 minutes. While wonton skins are baking, cook chicken with fajita packet.

Fill each cup with 4 - 5 pieces of chicken, onion, red bell pepper, 1 tablespoon ranch and cheese. Cook until cheese is melted, about 4 - 5 minutes.

Chicken or Turkey Haystacks

This is a recipe that Becky introduced to me when we had Girl's Weekend at the cabin in Heber in 2003.

Mix a 16 oz. can or chicken or turkey with a can of cream of chicken soup, warm. Serve with your choice of the following:

• Hot rice


• Diced celery


• Chinese noodles


• Chopped tomatoes


• Grated cheese


• Crushed pineapple


• Almonds


• Shredded coconut

Enchilada-Zagna

This recipe I found in the Sunday paper among the coupons. I thought that this recipe lacked flavor so next time I will add Frank's Hot Sauce or use medium enchilada sauce and serve with salsa.

3 cups cooked chicken breast, cubed
28 oz. mild enchilada sauce
8 oz. sour cream
1 can evaporated milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 can diced green chilies, undrained
12 corn tortillas

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 13x9-inch baking dish.

Combine enchilada sauce and sour cream in medium bowl. Combine evaporated milk, cheese and chilies in medium sauce pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until cheese has melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat.

Spread 1 cup enchilada sauce mixture on bottom of prepared baking dish. Layer with 4 tortillas, 1 cup enchilada sauce mixture, 1 1/2 cups chicken, 1 cup cheese sauce; repeat layers one more time, starting with tortillas. Top with remaining tortillas, enchilada sauce mixture and cheese sauce. Cover with foil.

Bake for 40 minutes. Uncover; cook for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Chicken Fettuccine Casserole

I get emails from Pillsbury all the time with meal ideas. Beau and I tried this one and really liked it!

1 Package (9 oz) fettuccine
3 T butter
3 T flour
1 3/4 C chicken broth
1/2 C half-and-half
1 1/2 C cubed cooked chicken
1/2 C sun-dried tomatoes
2 Slices bacon, crisp cooked and crumbled (I used bacon bits)
3 T shredded parmasan cheese

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray square baking dish, 8x8x2 inches, with cooking spray. Cook and drain fettuccine as directed on package.

While fettuccine is cooking, melt butter in 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour. Gradually stir in broth. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly; remove from heat. Stir in half-and-half. Stir in chicken, tomatoes and bacon.

Add fettuccine to chicken mixture; toss gently to mix well. Spoon into baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered about 30 minutes or until hot in center.

Chicken Enchiladas

I found this Campbell's recipe in a magazine. Beau and I really like it! I altered it a little...

1 can Cream of Chicken
1/2 C Sour Cream
1 C Pace Picante Sauce
2 t Chili Powder
2 C Shredded Chicken, cooked
1/2 C Shredded Cheese
6 Tortillas

Cook the chicken and then shred it. Heat soup, sour cream, picante sauce, chili powder and chicken in sauce pan. Scoop some into tortilla and add cheese then roll and place in greased glass casserole dish. After all tortillas are rolled put remaining chicken mixture on top and bake @ 350 for 20 mins. Add cheese and bake for another 5 mintues.

Chicken Parmesan with Spaghetti

Adapted from Eat Better America.  I placed the chicken in a ziploc bag with the milk and egg and allowed it to soak while we were at church.  I also prepared the breading in another ziploc bag so that when we got home it would be easy to assemble.  I found that the cereal was hard to crush so I put it into my Magic Bullet and it was done in no time.

1/2 cup Fiber One® original bran cereal
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/4 teaspoon oregano leaves
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1 egg white
2 teaspoons fat-free milk
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch-thick strips
6 oz uncooked whole grain spaghetti
2 cups favorite pasta sauce
Chopped fresh parsley, if desired

Heat oven to 400°F. Line 15x10x1-inch pan with foil; spray foil with cooking spray. Place cereal in resealable food-storage plastic bag; seal bag and finely crush with rolling pin or meat mallet (or finely crush in food processor).

In shallow bowl, mix cereal, cheese, Italian seasoning and garlic salt. In another shallow bowl, mix egg white and milk until blended. Dip chicken pieces in egg white mixture, then coat well with cereal mixture; place in pan.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until crisp and chicken is no longer pink in center.

Meanwhile, cook spaghetti as directed on package; drain. In 2-quart saucepan, heat pasta sauce over medium heat until hot.

Place drained spaghetti on serving platter; top with pasta sauce and chicken. Sprinkle with parsley.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

I needed an excuse to make this recipe that I found on Your Homebased Mom and the BYU bowl game was the perfect fit. It was a hit but next time I am going to put it in the crockpot and stir the cheese in.

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 C of shredded or diced chicken
1 cup ranch dressing
3/4 cup red hot sauce (I used Frank’s Red Hot Wing sauce)
1 1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese
Frito corn chips Scoops or Tortilla Chips

Mix cream cheese, ranch dressing and red hot sauce together. Add in shredded chicken. Place mixture in a pie pan that has been sprayed with Pam. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake for another 10-15 minutes until nice and hot and bubbly.
Serve with Fritos or tortilla chips.

Apricot Chicken

Skinned chicken pieces
1 pt. apricot jam
1 pkg. onion soup mix
1 pt. French dressing

Optional:
Green pepper
sliced carrot
chunk pineapple
Rice
Pasta

Mix together apricot jam. 1 package onion soup mix and 1 pint French dressing. Bring to a boil and pour over chicken already placed in baking dish. Bake 1 1/2 hours at 350. and Serve with rice or pasta.

Crockpot Chicken Stew

After two weddings in the family within a week I have been neglecting my house and everything else so I thought I would throw something in the crockpot to help with dinner. I didn't measure anything I just cut up what was in the house and threw it in.

Chicken, boneless breast

Celery

Onion

Carrots

Green Beans

Potatoes

Salt

Pepper

Poultry Seasoning

2 cans Chicken Broth

Cornstarch

Put everything except the cornstarch into the crockpot first thing in the morning and cook on low. One half hour before serving mix cornstarch and water together then stir into stew to thicken.

Jen's Chicken Tortilla Soup

For Lisa's wedding we left the corn out, used two cans of beans and used one 12.5 oz. can of chicken and we did not drain it. With our portions it made 3 quarts.

November 2 - Omitted the can of water and used the soup, salsa, corn, beans and 12.5 oz. can of chicken. Added crushed red pepper and 10 shakes of Frank's Red Hot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce. This made for a thicker and spicer soup. ~ Cheryl

1 (26 oz.) family size can Campbell's Chicken and Rice soup
1 (26 oz.) can of water
1 16 oz. jar of your favorite salsa
1 (15 1/4 oz.) can corn (undrained).....we left this out
1 can Texas Style Ranch Beans (undrained)
2-4 chicken breasts, cooked and diced......we use canned chicken, the cannery chicken is perfect
Cilantro (if desired)

Place all ingredients in a large saucepan and simmer.

Place the following items on the table for each person to add individually as they like:
Shredded cheese
Sour cream
Tortilla chips
Pico de Gallo
Guacamole

Mexican Potpie

This is another tasty recipe from Jamie.

1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 cup Water
1 cup Salsa
¾ cup Rice (uncooked)
½ teaspoon Onion Powder
1 cup Corn
1/c cup Cheese
1 can ‘Chewna’ - canned chicken
½ cup Sour Cream
1 can Black Beans
Pie Crust

Mix all ingredients together. Place pie crust in pie pan and fold in ingredients. Place pie crust on top and make slits for pie to vent. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.