Baked Chicken Taquitos – Two Ways

One of my friends had a beautiful baby boy (to match her adorable little girl ), and I wanted to bring some dinner so she could avoid cooking dinner when I went to see them.  However, I knew it couldn’t be anything spicy so I made two versions of these – one of us, the “original” recipe, and an altered version for them that I made up based on the original recipe that I took with some homemade mac and cheese!

It thankfully appeared to turn out well, because her two year old apparently loved them so she asked for the recipe.  We demolished our version, so overall I would say this recipe is a keeper.  I particularly love the idea of making some to freeze…if they would ever last long enough to do so!

 Baked Chicken Taquitos – The “Non-Spicy” Version

•  3 oz of cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup of chicken, shredded
• 1/2 – 1 Tbsp. taco seasoning
• 1/4 cup salsa, mild
• 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese
• 1/2 – 1 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
• Flour tortillas
• Cooking spray
• Kosher salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line a cooking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients up to the flour tortillas together.  Place a couple tablespoons of the filling about an inch up from the bottom end of a  tortilla,  and roll it up as tightly as possible.

Place the rolled tortillas, seam side down on a baking sheet; you don’t want the taquitos to be touching each other.  Spray the top of the tortillas lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 – 20 minutes or until the tops of the tortillas become golden brown.

Baked Chicken Taquitos – The “Original”

• 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup green salsa
• 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice (juice from half a lime)
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
• 2 Tbsp. sliced green onions
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 1 cup shredded Mexican flavored cheese
• Small flour or corn tortillas
• Kosher salt
• Cooking spray

Preheat your oven to 425˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, ground cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic.  Once combined, stir in the cilantro and green onions. Add the chicken and cheese; mix thoroughly.

At this point, you can refrigerate the mixture if  you’re doing these in advance.

If you’re using corn tortillas, working with a few tortillas at a time.  Heat them in the microwave between two paper towels until they are soft enough to roll (about 20 – 30 seconds).

Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture onto the lower third of a tortilla. Roll the tortilla as tightly as you can.

Place the rolled tortilla seam side down on the baking sheet, making sure the taquitos are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until crisp and golden.

Serve with salsa, sour cream or guacamole.

**To freeze:  Before baking, chill the taquitos on the baking sheet in the fridge.  Once completely cooled, wrap each taquito individually with plastic wrap.  Place in a labeled freezer bag and freeze.  To bake a frozen taquito (no need to thaw first): Preheat oven to 425˚F and bake for 20 minutes.

Source: Adapted from Our Best Bites; Recipe found at Pennies on a Platter

Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas

The enchilada theme continued in our house several weeks back with these enchiladas.  My only change would be to maybe use a medium (versus mild) salsa to give them a little extra kick!

Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas

• 5 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 cups prepared salsa
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 1 cup shredded pepper-jack cheese, divided
• 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• Salt and pepper
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced
• 8 (8-inch) flour tortillas

Preheat oven 325 degrees.

In a medium bowl cream together cream cheese and sour cream. Stir in 1/2 cup salsa. Stir in 1/2 cup of each type of cheese.

In a second bowl toss together the chicken, corn, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and half of the scallions. Add the chicken mixture to the cheese mixture and stir to combine.

Spread about 1/2 cup salsa in the bottom of a baking dish. Place 1/3 to 1/2 cup filling on a tortilla, roll up and put in dish seam side down. Repeat process for remaining tortillas.

Pour remaining salsa over enchiladas, spreading to coat all of them. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Transfer to preheated oven and bake 20 to 25 minutes until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle with the remaining scallions and serve warm.

Source: slightly adapted from On My Menu; found at Cassie Craves

Sauteed Chicken with Mustard and Dill Sauce

Whew!  It’s been a long time huh?  Well, there was a little lull initially due to school work then Easter and school work again, but then we were asked to relocate for a job, so it’s been a little busy around here!

Anyways, posting may be a little sporadic especially since it doesn’t look like I’m going to have any access to a kitchen for some time, but I do have plenty of recipes in the hopper that will likely make it up over the coming weeks.

In the meantime, I highly recommend this chicken.  My only change was that I used chicken finger sized pieces, because I was concerned with the chicken cooking all the way through.   It was extremely flavorful and delicious!

Sauteed Chicken with Mustard and Dill Sauce

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds) cut into chicken finger-sized pieces
• Salt and pepper
• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 shallot, minced
• 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 3 Tbsp.  unsalted butter
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill
• 1 Tbsp. whole grain mustard

Spread flour in shallow dish.  Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.  Dredge chicken in flour, shaking off excess.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking.  Cook chicken until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side.  Transfer to plate and tent with foil.

Heat remaining oil in empty skillet.  Add shallot and cook over medium heat until softened, about 1 minute.  Stir in broth and wine, scraping up any browned bits.  Simmer until slightly thickened, about 8 minutes.  Off heat, whisk in butter, dill, mustard, and any accumulated chicken juices.  Season with salt and pepper.  Spoon sauce over chicken.  Serve.

Chicken and Broccoli Braid

I was honestly surprised by how much I liked this.  I kind of expected it to be one of those I was desparate to think of something that could be from packaged crescent rolls, and this is what I came up with recipes.  But, it’s not!  The almonds add a wonderful crunch and texture, so don’t skip out on those.

I will say though that this is best eaten when it’s cooked.  I have a little bit of texture issues, and the dough started to get a tiny bit soggy in the refrigerator, but Corrie happily took it as leftovers, so who am I to say?

Chicken and Broccoli Braid

• 2 cups diced, cooked chicken
• 1 cup fresh broccoli, chopped
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 clove crushed garlic, finely minced
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/4-1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used 1/4 cup, but it’s up to you and your preferences!)
• 2 teaspoons dried dill weed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons slivered almonds
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 2 (8 ounce) packages refrigerated crescent rolls
• 1 egg white, beaten

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees F).
2. In a large bowl, toss together chicken, broccoli, red bell pepper, garlic, Cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, dill weed, salt, almonds and onion.
3. Unroll crescent roll dough, and arrange flat on a medium baking sheet. Pinch together perforations to form a single sheet of dough. Using a knife or scissors, cut 1 inch wide strips in towards the center, starting on the long sides. There should be a solid strip about 3 inches wide down the center, with the cut strips forming a fringe down each side. Spread the chicken mixture along the center strip. Fold the side strips over chicken mixture, alternating strips from each side. Pinch or twist to seal.
4. Brush braided dough with the egg white. Bake in the preheated oven 25 to 28 minutes, or until golden brown.

Source: Allrecipes

Skillet Chicken with Pasta and Broccoli

I love one-skillet meals particularly for during the week meals.  This meals satisfies my quickly bored taste buds by giving me pasta, chicken, broccoli, and sun-dried tomatoes flavored with my favorite product, cheese, all in one dish.  There’s something to be said about having multiple things to eat which is why I was mildly obsessed with a lunch place in Columbus where you got mini-sizes of THREE items for lunch.  You could never get bored with what you were eating!

Although you can’t really tell in the photo, there is a little bit of sauce to the dish too to keep it flavorful.  Please note though that you need a skillet WITH a lid.

Skillet Chicken with Pasta and Broccoli

Serves 4-6.

• 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch squares
• Table salt and ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 3 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 12 ounces ziti or penne
• 4 1/4 cups water
• 2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 4-5 cups broccoli florets
• 1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed and chopped coarse
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese or asiago
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a 12-inch or slightly larger non-stick skillet (one that you have a lid for!) over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook for 1 minute without stirring. Stir the chicken and continue to cook until most, but not all, of the pink color has disappeared and the chicken is lightly browned around the edges, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to a clean bowl and set aside.

Add the remaining tablespoon of oil, onion, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the skillet. Return the skillet to medium-high heat and cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened, 2 to 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the pasta, 3 cups of the water, and the broth. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until the liquid is very thick and syrupy and almost completely absorbed, 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes, and the remaining 1 1/4 cups water. Cover, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the broccoli turns bright green and is almost tender, about 2 minutes.

Uncover and return the heat to medium-high. Stir in the cream, parmesan, and reserved chicken with any accumulated juices and continue to simmer, uncovered, until the sauce is thickened and the chicken is cooked and heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, passing more grated parmesan at the table, if desired.

Recipe found at My Kitchen Cafe; adapted from The Best Skillet Recipes

Ranch Chicken Bites

This was a very easy meal to throw together.  My only change for next time would be that I think I would use slightly less of the ranch packet so that I’d be able to taste the Parmesan and cereal a little bit better.  Using a full ranch packet means the ranch flavor definitely dominates, but if you love ranch, you should keep the quantity as is!

Ranch Chicken Bites

• 1 c. parmesan cheese
• 1 c. corn flakes (I used Rice Krispies, because I had about 1 cup left in a box that I wanted to use up!)
• 1/2 – 1 pkg. ranch dressing mix depending on your preference
• 1 tbsp. butter, melted
• Boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenders

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cover a 13 x 9″ baking pan or a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.

Cut the chicken into 2-3″ pieces.

Mix together the cheese, corn flakes, and dressing mix.

Roll in butter, then in cheese mixture.  Place on baking sheet.

Bake for 30-40 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

Recipe found at See Jane in the Kitchen

White Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chile Sour Cream Sauce

The enchilada reign continues over here.  With the blog to document it, it’s becoming quite a problem recurrence around here it seems like.  What’s random is that I’m 99% sure I only ate enchiladas at restaurants growing up, AND even crazier – I didn’t really like Mexican food! Well, Corrie loves Mexican food, and he loves enchiladas, so essentially 4 out of 5 recipes I come across out here in the blog-o-sphere end up making it onto our menu at one point or another since I’m little (a lot) dorky when it comes to him…

If you have cooked chicken on hand (or a rotisserie chicken available), these are an easy weeknight dinner.  What SHOCKED me, was that while I initially thought they were a little bland until the green chiles “built up” a little, Corrie had nothing but good things to say about these all the way through.

Easy, tasty, keeper!!

White Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chile Sour Cream Sauce

• 8-10 soft taco size flour tortillas
• 2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese, divided
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 can chicken broth
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 7-ounce can diced green chiles
• Cilantro for garnish, if desired
• Hot sauce, if desired

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix together 1 cup of the cheese and the chicken. Place an equal amount of the mixture into each tortilla, roll up and place seam side down into a 9 x 13-inch pan.

In a skillet or saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth, whisking until smooth. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Stir in sour cream and green chiles. Pour over the top of the enchiladas; sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.  If not “browned” enough for you, put under the broiler on low for just a minute, but make sure you watch it carefully! Sprinkle with cilantro, if desired.

Source: Cassie Craves; originally found at Home Cooking with Sonya

Salsa Verde Chicken with Herbed Cornmeal Dumplings

Corrie loves chicken and dumplings, but it’s generally not a favorite of mine.  I think the dumplings are too soggy and the dish in general is too bland.  But, I think we found a good compromise, enter this dish.   The herbed, only half submerged dumplings work to appease my texture issues, and although this is really, in my opinion a two dish dinner, it still was not much of a mess to put together.

I’m sure we’ll be making this again!

Salsa Verde Chicken with Herbed Cornmeal Dumplings

Serves 6

The chicken/sauce portion can be made two days ahead of time (up to the point of making the dumplings).  Reheat it before topping and baking.

Chicken

• 1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) butter
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) chicken broth
• 1 jar (15 ounces) salsa verde
• 1 can (5 ounces) evaporated milk
• 1 large rotisserie chicken, meat deboned and left in large chunks (about 6 cups)

Dumplings

• 1 cup whole milk (I used skim.)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups bleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallion greens
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Chicken: Heat butter over medium-high heat in a large (11 – 12 inch), deep ovenproof skillet or 5-6 quart Dutch oven.  Whisk in flour to make a paste.  Mix broth, salsa verde, and evaporated milk and whisk in all at once.  Whisk, vigorously at first, until mixture simmers and thickens to sauce consistency.  Stir in chicken, heat through, and cover to keep warm.  Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees.

Dumplings: Heat milk and butter in a small saucepan until steamy.  Mix flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, scallions, and cilantro in a medium bowl with a fork.  Stir in milk mixture to form a smooth, firm dough.  Pinch off Ping-Pong-ball-size pieces of dough with your fingers and drop onto chicken mixture.  Return chicken to a simmer over medium-high heat.  Cover and transfer to oven and bake until dumplings are cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.

Recipe found at Sweet Savory Life from Pam Anderson’s Perfect One-Dish Dinners: All You Need for Easy Get-Togethers

Queso Chicken Pasta (with a possible vegetarian modification)

With all this cold weather sometimes what you need is a warm, cheesy, filling pasta bake.  Corrie loves southwestern/mexican flavors…so, that’s what I made!  I think you could easily make this without chicken for vegetarians (maybe just add in a few more veggies like peppers, peas, or mushrooms – if you like mushrooms that is…bleech!)  But anyways, just wanted to throw that out there since I love/adore/worship/could live next door to for the rest of my life a certain vegetarian aka my brother!  He’s pretty darn awesome…okay…back to the pasta!

I made two changes – one I used an entire 12 oz. of pasta – reflected below, because I had two half boxes, and I hate that.  Messes with my organization…literally.  Speaking of, my pantry is seriously unorganized right now and it’s driving. me. crazy.   Okay, one more random side note…I read some organizing blogs, because I love organizing, but I mean really, anyone can organize two boxes of cereal and 5 cans in a full-size pantry.  I am a I always have a back-up/one waiting in the wings kind of girl.  Who can do any real cooking without having to run to the store to shop for every meal with 15 things in your pantry?!?  Same thing for toiletries.  Who has 2 rolls of toilet paper in their house and no back-up shampoo, deodorant, or toothbrush?  What do I do if I run out of toothpaste? What do you do? If you have this problem, are your teeth unbrushed?

Anyways….the other change was I doubled the flour so I could use skim milk, and I still thought it was tasty plus cuts out a few extra calories.  The unsaid third change was that I obviously added more cheese…duh.  Some leftover chicken or a rotisserie chicken would make this easy peas-y for those who are going the carnivore route and a great warm dinner for after work.  Will it ever be light again at 6:30?

Queso Chicken Pasta   Serves 4-6

• 12 ounces penne pasta
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup diced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon coriander
• 1 tablespoon flour (I used 2 tablespoons.)
• 1 1/3 cup milk, 2% or higher (I used skim.)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons cream cheese
• 6 ounces colby-jack cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup drained Ro*Tel tomatoes
• 2 cups cooked shredded chicken

Preheat oven to 350 F, and spray a medium casserole dish with non-stick spray.

Cook the pasta according to the package directions, but reduce the cooking time by two minutes.

In a medium pot, heat the oil over medium heat.  Once the oil begins to shimmer add the onion, garlic and jalapeño.  Cook until it begins to soften, about three minutes.  Add the cumin, coriander and salt and cook for an additional two minutes, or until the spices become fragrant.

Add the flour and cook for three minutes, stirring constantly, until all the flour is moist.  Gradually whisk in the milk and stir until smooth.  Bring the mixture to a simmer and allow to thicken.

Turn off the heat, and add the cream cheese and 4 ounces of the shredded cheese and whisk until melted.  Stir in the Ro*Tel tomatoes.  Add the pasta and stir to combine.

Pour the pasta mixture into the prepared casserole dish.   Top with the remaining shredded cheese.

Bake 20 to 30 minutes, or until the pasta is bubbly and the cheese has melted.  Let stand five minutes before serving.

Recipe slightly adapted from Evil Shenanigans

Chicken Enchilada Roll-Ups

When I was putting together a menu for the party, I wanted a few appetizers that were more than just chips and/or dip related, so I ended up adding these to the southwest egg-rolls and pepperoni bread to help round out the line-up.  I’m glad I did!

I did have one thing I’d change…I would use a flavored/sturdier tortilla.  I find that the refrigerator plain ones I usually buy have a little bit of a softer texture, and I think I would have like the texture and flavor difference of a slightly firmer and flavored tortilla.

Chicken Enchilada Roll-Ups

• 2 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, softened (I used reduced fat.)
• 1 1/3 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
• 1 teaspoon garlic, finely minced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• cayenne pepper to taste
• salt to taste
• 1 small rotisserie chicken, skinned and shredded or ~12 oz. cooked chicken breast, shredded
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 10-oz. can Rotel tomatoes, drained
• 1 package tortillas, any flavor (Next time I would use a flavored tortilla versus plain)

Mix cream cheese and Mexican cheese together until well blended. Add all remaining ingredients and mix well.

Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Place one heaping spoonful onto tortilla.  Spread to edges using a spatula or knife.

Roll and cut into slices.  Repeat until you run out of filling!

Recipe found at Delicious Meliscious