Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

This is a super easy recipe.  I don't do mine in the crock pot but you easily could.

Ingredients:
About 40 ounces of Chicken Stock
2 Chicken Breasts
1/2 Tbsp of Salt
1/2 Tbsp of Pepper
A few shakes of Oregano and Basil
4 large carrots, peeled and sliced
3 celery sticks, chopped
1/3 of a bag of Egg Noodles


In my cast iron pot, I add about 40 ounces of Chicken Stock and 2 Chicken Breasts and seasonings.  I put the lid on and cook in the oven at 350 for about 30 minutes.  I take it out and shred the chicken into large chunks.  I then add the vegetables and cook for 20 minutes.  I take that out and add the noodles and cook for another 10 minutes.

If you wanted to do it in the crock pot, you basically just follow the same directions but obviously cook each interval for longer.  Don't add the veggies in the beginning of you will end up with pure mush.  And let's be real, no one likes mushy veggies.  Or hard ones so don't put them in too late, either.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Ingredients:
Pizza Crust - homemade or store bought. Mine was store bought
1 or 2 Roasted Chicken Breasts, shredded
Mozzarella Cheese
BBQ Sauce


Directions:
After I roasted the chicken breasts in some olive oil, I shredded it and mixed the mozzarella in with the chicken. Then I added a little BBQ Sauce. Before adding the toppings, I baked the pizza crust as directed for about 6 minutes or until lightly browned. Then I brushed BBQ Sauce on and added the chicken and cheese mixture and spread evenly. I dotted the top with a little more cheese. Then baked for another 6 minutes or until golden brown.

Hawaiian Haystacks

Usually when people make these, they have tons of different toppings to choose from. Which is fine.  I however, like mine very simple. Mainly because I'm really picky.

Ingredients:
2-4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
2 Cans of Cream of Chicken Soup
1 Cup of Chicken Broth
1/2 Cup Sour Cream (optional)
3 Cups of Minute Rice
Salt & Pepper to taste

Toppings:
Chow Mein Noodles
Green Onions
Pineapple
Coconut
Celery
Bell Peppers
Cheddar Cheese
Tomatoes
Lettuce

Directions for Crock Pot:
There are several ways this can be done. If I've planned ahead, my choice way of cooking would be in the crock pot.
Put Chicken, Cream of Chicken Soup, Chicken Broth, and Sour Cream in crock pot and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Shred chicken.

Directions for Oven:
Place chicken and chicken broth in baking dish. Bake at 350 until cooked. Cube or shred and add cream of chicken soup and sour cream. Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until hot.

Directions for Stove:
Place chicken and chicken broth in pan and boil until fully cooked. Add cream of chicken soup and sour cream and cook until hot.

Prepare and serve over Minute Rice.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta

For those who have been to Firehouse (either in Logan, Smithfield, or Bountiful, UT) you know this dish. Mine is a little different, I'll explain. I used Angel Hair pasta but I definitely would have used Penne if I had had any. I thought for sure I had some and when I found that I didn't, it was too late.

Ingredients:
2 Chicken Breasts
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
Bacon
Penne Pasta
Green Onions
Alfredo Sauce (see below)

Directions:
Place chicken in baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast at 350 for 25-35 minutes or until thoroughly cooked. Slice. You could also grill the chicken to get a nice crisp outside but this way it comes out so tender I prefer this. Or you could grill it just enough to crisp it and then throw it in the oven, I'll have to try that next time.
Pan fry bacon. Pat dry and dice.
Make alfredo sauce.
Boil water for pasta and cook according to box directions.
Mix it all together and serve.

Alfredo Sauce:
1/2 Cup Sweet Butter (1 cube)
1 Garlic clove - minced
2 Cups Heavy Cream
1/2 tsp. Pepper
1/2 Cup Fresh Parmesan - no canned stuff
3/4 cup. Mozzarella

Directions:
Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium/low heat. Add garlic, cream, and pepper. Bring mixture to a simmer. Stir often. Add the parmesan and simmer for 8 - 10 minutes or until it has thickened and is smooth. Add mozzarella and stir until smooth.

Chicken Curry

This recipe is from my awesome brother, Scott. Thanks!

1 Jar Pataks Coconut Curry (find at Asian stores or Asian aisles at Supermarket)
1 Can 13.5 oz Coconut Milk
1.5 lbs diced Chicken
4 or 5 Red Potatoes
1 Sweet Potato (optional)
Handful of baby carrots
Peas (optional)

Mix Curry and Coconut milk in a wok, let simmer for 5 minutes, add chicken and cook for 15 minutes or so. Add potatos, carrots, peas and let simmer on low for 45 minutes. Serve over rice! Can be served with Naan bread (or Pitas if you can't find Naan.)

Cornish Game Hens

This was our Christmas Eve dinner.
I made 10 Cornish Game Hens, Stuffing, Roasted Veggies, Artichoke Cups, and Rolls. For dessert, my mom made Haddon Hall Gingerbread with Lemon Sauce and Kathie made Egg Nog.
We ate very well.

I got the recipe for the Cornish Game Hens from another blog, The Open Pantry. Thanks so much for the help, Emily!

Garlic and Herb Roasted Cornish Game Hens
Recipe by: Emily

2 Cornish Game Hens, washed and dried
1/2 tsp dried Tarragon
1/2 tsp dried Thyme
1 tsp Parsley, dried
1 tsp Chives, dried
2-3 Garlic cloves, minced
1 Orange, cut into wedges
4 tbsp Butter, softened
3/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper

1. Combine the butter, herbs, salt and pepper together. Smear each game hen with the butter. Be sure to lift the hen skin and rub the butter underneath and on top of the skin. Lightly sprinkle the hen cavities with salt and pepper and then fill each cavity with the orange wedges. Place hens on a baking sheet and tuck the wings underneath the bodies and then tie the drumbsticks together with kitchen twine. Bake in a 450 degree preheated oven for 55-60 minutes. After 15 minutes cover the hens with foil to keep them from over browning and then remove the foil for the last 5 minutes to crisp the skin. Allow hens to rest after baking for 5-10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!!!

Mozzarella Chicken

The Finished Product

I got this recipe from my sister, Suzie. Except she calls it Swiss Chicken because she uses swiss cheese. I use mozzarella because my hubby is lactose intolerant and mozzarella has lower levels of lactose.
Anyway... it is SUPER easy and delicious!

2 Chicken Breasts
8 oz Swiss or Mozzarella Cheese
1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
1-2 Cups of Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned Stuffing (Pictured Below)

You can put the chicken breasts in the baking dish whole or cube them. My husband likes it cubed because each bite is then covered in the yummy gooeyness of it all.
Layer chicken, cheese, cream of chicken soup, then sprinkle uncooked stuffing on the top until completely covered, in that order.
Cook at 350 for 45 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.

You can get this in any store. There is another package that is red, but buy the blue. The red has bigger chunks.

Turkey Steak Sandwiches

Turkey Steaks
Rosette Buns
Litehouse Thousand Island Dressing
Olive Oil
DeVerle's Seasoning
Tomatoes
Lettuce
And whatever else you like on a sandwich

Soooo yummy. And living in Arizona, I've been deprived of these for too long.
For those in Cache Valley, Utah, or anyone who has ever been to Juniper Take Out or Maddox, you know what I'm talking about.

When I was in high school, I worked at a restaurant in Logan, Utah, called Juniper Take Out. I may have been the best employee ever. Every penny I ever made went straight back into their pockets because I could not stay away from their food. I basically worked for food. Sadly, their prices have sky rocketed, and as a poor med student's wife, I can no longer afford their extremely delicious food. (Hint Hint, Kirk) So I have found an alternative. You can buy at almost any local (northern Utah) grocery store, frozen turkey steaks from Maddox. I then buy some of the best buns out there, rosette buns from the bakery that's located in Macey's in Providence. And honestly, they're better buns than what Juniper uses. Sorry Juniper.

And then this is what I do.

Defrost turkey steaks in microwave completely.
Warm up your griddle that you would normally use for pancakes, etc. to medium high. If you don't have a griddle, a frying pan works just fine. With a griddle you can cook a lot more at one time and it's easier to handle.
Cover the surface you'll use in olive oil.
Place the turkey steaks in the olive oil making sure they're completely coated. Move the steaks over and place more olive oil on the griddle. Then flip the turkey steaks, covering the other sides in olive oil. After each side is oiled up, generously sprinkle the DeVerle's Seasoning on both sides. Turn occasionally until browned to your liking. Then turn the heat down to medium and let them cook through without burning.
Place on rosette bun with Litehouse Thousand Island Dressing and if you'd like to add tomatoes, cheese, lettuce and whatever else, please do.

Chicken Parmesan

FYI for my recipes. My hubby is lactose intolerant so usually when I call for some diary product, I either substitute it for his milk or a product that has lesser levels of lactose, like mozzarella cheese. So this isn't really Chicken Parmesan, it's more like Chicken Mozzarella. I also used linguine here instead of spaghetti. I think I like it better with spaghetti.

2 Chicken Breasts
1 Cup Flour
2 Eggs
2 Tbsp Milk
1 1/2 C. Seasoned Bread Crumbs
3 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
8 oz Mozzarella Cheese
Spaghetti
Spaghetti Sauce

Place the chicken inbetween 2 sheets of plastic wrap or place in a large ziploc bag. Using a meat mallot, pound it until nearly flat. Cut each piece of chicken into serving size pieces.
Mix the eggs and milk together. Cover the chicken in the flour, then the egg and milk mixture, then the seasoned bread crumbs. Place oil in frying pan and get warm. Brown the chicken in the oil on both sides and place in baking dish. Cook at 350 for about 45 minutes or until chicken is done. Start boiling the water for the spaghetti about 15 minutes before the chicken is done. When chicken is cooked, top the chicken with spaghetti sauce and mozzarella cheese. Place back in oven until cheese has melted.
Place chicken and spaghetti sauce on top of spaghetti.

Mexican Chicken

4 Chicken Breasts - cubed or whole
3 Cups Salsa
1 Cup Water
2 Cups Minute Rice
8 oz Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Put chicken, salsa, and water in frying pan and cook until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Turn chicken often and make sure salsa doesn't stick to the pan. If it does, add more water. When chicken's cooked, add rice. You can add more salsa or water if you need to. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes. Add cheddar cheese and let melt.

Honey Glazed Chicken

I got this recipe from a recipe blog called My Sisters' Cucina. You'll love it if you like curry. This dinner was super yummy and I give them full credit. Carson even said it was good and he usually won't try my food so you know it's gotta be good. Mine looked different than theirs but either way is fine.

Honey Glazed Chicken
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup butter
4 chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 350. Mix flour, salt and cayenne pepper together in a large ziploc bag. Drop chicken in bag and shake to coat. Melt butter and place in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Place flour coated chicken in baking dish and turn to coat both sides with butter. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

Honey Glaze Sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp curry powder
1/4 cup butter, melted

Combine all ingredients. Pour over chicken until well coated. Bake for an additional 45 minutes. Serve over rice.
(Keep your eye on it so it doesn't burn)

Shredded Chicken Burritos

A NEW FAMILY FAVORITE!

The Finished Product


The Filling


This was inspired by a recipe I saw on Picky Palate but I made it my own. One of the best parts I got out of her recipe was browning the burrito in a frying pan and then warming it in the oven.

Filling:
2 Chicken Breasts
1 Can (14.5 oz) Diced Tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp. canned Green Chilis
1 tsp. canned Jalepenos (Not pickled)
1 Clove Minced Garlic
1/4 Cup finely chopped Onion
1 tsp. Cumin
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Pepper

Tortillas
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
8 oz Mozzarella Cheese


Place all ingredients for the filling in the crock pot and let cook on low for 4-6 hours. Shred chicken.
Fill tortillas and roll tight. Brown in olive oil in frying pan then place in baking dish. Top with 8 oz Mozzarella Cheese. Heat through in the oven at 350 for 10 minutes or until cheese is completely melted.

Fajitas

Your Favorite Tortillas
McCormick's Fajita Seasoning
Refried Beans
Rice-A-Roni Mexican Rice
Chicken
Red and Green Bell Peppers
Sour Cream
Cheddar Cheese

Follow directions on Rice Box.
Cut chicken into strips, follow McCormick's Seasoning directions.
Wash and cut peppers. Add to cooked chicken.
Warm tortillas and refried beans in microwave.
Layer beans, rice, chicken, peppers, sour cream, and cheese on tortilla.

Asian Chicken Salad Pitas

I got the salad recipe from my sister, Suzie. I decided to make it a meal and throw it in a pita. A great summer dinner. Or make without the pitas and have a great salad. You don't have to add the chicken.

2 Chicken Breasts
1 Head of Romaine
2 Cups Grapes
2 Cups Fried Won Tons
1 Package of Whole Wheat Pitas

Cook chicken in frying pan with 1 cup of water on medium heat. Cover with lid.
When thoroughly cooked, remove from water and cube on cutting board.
Wash lettuce and shred.
Cut the grapes in half.
Cut the won tons into strips. Put oil in frying pan about an inch deep. Get really hot, then add won tons stir constantly. Remove when they turn brown.
Put salad, chicken, grapes, and won tons in a salad bowl.

Dressing:
4 Tbsp. Sugar
1 tsp. Black Pepper
2 tsp. Salt
2 Tbsp. Vinegar
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
1/2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce

Toss dressing in with the salad. Serve as is or put in whole wheat pitas to make it a dinner.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

I grew up with this as one of my very favorite dinners. My mom got the recipe from the Lion House Cookbook.

4 Chicken Breasts
4 Slices of Ham
4 Slices of Swiss Cheese
1/2 Cube Melted Margarine or Butter
2 Cups Crushed Corn Flakes

Place chicken between two heavy sheets of plastic. Pound with a meat mallet until flat. Place ham and cheese on chicken. As you roll up the chicken, fold in the sides so the cheese doesn't leak out, then secure with toothpicks.
Coat in margarine and then roll in corn flake crumbs. Place in baking dish and cook at 350 for 45-50 minutes.
Remove toothpicks before eating.

Sauce:
1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 Cup Sour Cream
Juice of 1 Lemon

Mix all ingredients together in a pan and heat through. Do not bring to a boil or sour cream will curdle.

Chicken Pesto Linguine

4 Chicken Breasts
13 oz (1 box) Whole Wheat Linguine
3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 Cloves Garlic
1 Cup Chopped Mushrooms
8-10 oz Pesto Sauce
1/2 Cup Half & Half

Place chicken breasts in frying pan with 1 cup of water. Put a lid on the pan and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes or until cooked.
Boil water for Linguine, follow directions on the box. When finished, drain water from the pan.
When chicken is fully cooked, remove from pan and place on cutting board. Cut into cubes.
In a larger frying pan, put olive oil and minced garlic into pan on medium heat. Let heat for a couple minutes. Then add linguine, chicken, chopped mushrooms, pesto sauce (add however much you'd like), and half and half.
Let heat through. Serve with french bread.

(I used store bought pesto sauce that came in a 10 ounce jar. You can do homemade pesto, but I like the easy way.)

Servings: 6-8