Chicken, Spinach, and Noodle Casserole

Delicious and makes lots of leftovers! If you don't want to make your own breadcrumbs, just substitute about 1/2 cup of panko bread crumbs.

Chicken, Spinach, and Noodle Casserole

Spicy Chicken Rigatoni

Chuck saw this on my weekly menu I hang on the fridge and got very excited. It's pretty much covers his favorite food - pasta and chicken in a spicy sauce. This was VERY spicy - tone down the red peppers flakes if you're not up for a lot of heat.

This halved very nicely for the two of us (yes, we eat a lot). I would recommend using a pound of chicken for the full recipe though, and 8 ounces for half, if you enjoy meat in your meal.

Spicy Chicken Rigatoni

Crockpot Parmesan Garlic Chicken with Orzo

Another fantastic dish, I would even serve this to company! I ate the leftovers for days afterwards, couldn't help myself from taking a forkful everytime I passed the fridge. Leftovers may be a little dry - add some olive oil as needed. We used broccoli.

Crockpot Parmesan Garlic Chicken with Orzo

Chicken Broccoli Bacon Ranch Foil Packets

So, so delicious. And super easy for a weeknight! Feel free to sub in Real Bacon Bits if you don't have time to make bacon.

Chicken Broccoli Bacon Ranch Foil Packets

Salsa Verde Enchiladas

This enchilada recipe is an old favorite of mine. It's the only one I've tried with salsa verde and I really enjoy it as an alternative to red sauce enchiladas. Fairly simple to make and assemble, it requires shredded chicken mixed with the salsa verde and a simple sauce made on the stovetop. Assemble, bake, and voila, you have a delicious meal. I like to serve this with Sauteed Corn and Black Bean Salad.

Salsa Verde Enchiladas

from source unknown

Makes 8 enchiladas

1 rotisserie chicken, shredded or 1 pound shredded chicken (about 2 1/4 cups)

1 jar (16-17 oucnes) mild salsa verde

3 green onions, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons fresh or 2 teaspoons dried cilantro

8 medium-sized flour tortillas

1 cup sour cream

1/4 cup chicken broth

1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, stir 1/4 cup salsa verde into shredded chicken. Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat remaining salsa, onions, and lime juice over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in 1 tablespoon cilantro, keep warm on very low.

Place one tortilla in salsa mix, turning to coat (tongs help here), heat 10 seconds. Place coated tortilla on work surface, top with 1/3 cup chicken mixture. Roll and place seam side down in prepared dish. Repeat with all 8 tortillas.

Stir sour cream and broth into remaining salsa in skillet. Spoon over filled tortillas in dish.

Cover with foil, bake 15 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle with cheese and remaining cilantro and bake uncovered, 5 minutes, or until cheese melts.

White Bean and Chicken Soup with Pesto

While browsing through my mother's Sandra Lee magazine (I know, clutch your pearls in horror) I saw several recipes that I thought would be good for weeknight dinners. This easy, comforting soup was one of them. And it actually doesn't really use any pre-packaged processed food, unless you count the ready-made pesto. The white beans go nicely with the shredded chicken in a tasty broth. The pesto on top ends up just getting mixed into the soup of course, so if you don't like the taste of pesto, just skip it as a garnish.

I let the soup simmer a little longer than the recipe suggests both before and after the chicken is added. And if you are making shredded chicken instead of using a rotisserie one from the store, make sure you season it nicely with salt and pepper. I did not and I think it would have added even more flavor to this. Serve with a few slices of Texas Toast and a green salad!

White Bean and Chicken Soup with Pesto

from Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade magazine, Christmas 2011 issue

makes 5-6 servings

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 cup carrot, chopped

2/3 cup celery, chopped

3 cups low-sodium chicken stock

2 1/2 cups water

2 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon garlic powder

12 ounces roasted pulled chicken (I used a pound of shredded chicken)

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

6 tablespoons prepared pesto

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery and cook 5 minutes or until tender.

Add stock, water, beans, tomato paste, and garlic powder. Stir to mix and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to medium-low heat and simmer, partially covered, for at least 20 minutes.

Add chicken and vinegar, simmer 5 more minutes or until heated through.

Serve immediately and top each bowlful with a tablespoon of pesto.

Crockpot BBQ Beer Chicken

Crockpot BBQ Beer Chicken

Cream Cheese and Black Bean Chicken

Cream Cheese and Black Bean Chicken

Baked Buffalo Chicken Pasta

Baked Buffalo Chicken Pasta

Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells

Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells

Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas

These were deeee-licious. We are big fans of buffalo chicken and as soon as we sat down and started to eat these Chuck said, "I didn't know this was exactly what I wanted to eat until I started eating it". Suffice it to say that we both loved them and I will be making them again soon! (Especially since we already ate the ones in the freezer as well!)


I didn't change anything that Jessica of How Sweet It Is wrote in the original recipe so I'll link you below. If you want to freeze half, just pile the enchiladas into a container, freeze half the sauce, and do the final baking when you defrost them. Enjoy!


Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas

Grilled Chicken and Roasted Tomato Salad

This salad-as-a-meal was a big winner in our house - Chuck even said he liked it better than any other salad entrees I've made! It was a nice, simple recipe, and the roasted tomatoes really added a delicate sweetness to the salad. Don't be afraid of the cannellini beans either (MOM!), they taste delicious mixed with the dressing.

The amounts in the link to the recipe will definitely serve 4 people - but if you keep all the ingredients separate (esspecially the dressing), you can definitely make a lunch out of the leftovers the next day. And as you can see above I added some large chunks of fresh mozzarella to the mix. Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken and Roasted Tomato Salad

Grilled Balsamic Chicken and Vegetables

This was a great weeknight meal, especially because I could prep it and Chuck could grill it! The blog I took it from, C+C Marriage Factory, said they liked it as a healthy meal; but of course I had to add some au gratin potatoes on the side. :)

The marinade was delicious, but I would marinate both vegetables and chicken much longer than the suggested half hour to absorb more of the flavor. And maybe save some of the marinade before adding it to the chicken so that you can baste while grilling. The only other change I made to the original recipe was to eliminate the mushrooms because Chuck doesn't care for them. I also think this would be good for a crowd because it's so easy to prep and cook!

Grilled Balsamic Chicken and Vegetables

Crockpot Santa Fe Chicken

Head on over to C+C Marriage Factory and check out the picture for this recipe - it's what made me save the recipe in the first place. Christina's picture is so light and clean, it didn't remind me of your typical heavy crockpot meal. I have made variations on this recipe, but I liked that there was no salsa added to the chicken, just vegetables and spices. I served this over rice for myself and Chuck had it on tortillas. Delicious!

Crockpot Santa Fe Chicken

Chicken Hot Pockets

This is a nice, hearty appetizer good for a cocktail party or any other event where you aren't serving a full meal right away. Basically a crescent roll wrapped around a mixture of chicken, cream cheese, and green onions; it's great finger food and very delicious.

I thought it would be a little troublesome to fold the cresecent rolls around the mixture but it was really very simple and just took a little bit of prep time. I was bringing these to a party so I made the chicken mixture in advance, refrigerated it and then assembled the pockets and baked them right before the leaving for the party. These can be reheated in a 350 degree oven for about 5 minutes, covered with foil.

Assembled and ready to go in the oven

I had printed this recipe out before I started blogging so there is no citation, but I changed a few things around anyway. If this looks like it might be your recipe, please send me the link to it and I will give you credit!

Chicken Hot Pockets

adapted from unknown source

Makes 24 pockets

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted

2 cups chicken (about 1 pound or two chicken breasts), cooked and shredded

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

3 green onions, chopped

3 (8-ounce) packages crescent rolls

cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with non-stick foil or parchment paper.

In large bowl, combine cream cheese and melted butter with an electric hand mixer. Add chicken, salt, pepper, and green onions, and mix to combine.

Unroll dough (it's easier if you do this one package at a time). Cut each package into 8 squares. Firmly press perforations in rolls to seal. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of chicken mixture into the middle of each square. Pull the 4 corners of the square up to the center; twist and pinch edges to seal.

Place on prepared baking sheet. Lightly spray the top of each pocket with cooking spray.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

And here we have another delicious dinner that doesn't photograph well. This meal had a great Mexican flavor with the refried beans, enchilada sauce, and taco seasoning; and anything with chicken and cheese is a winner with us as well. I didn't use all the shells that were cooked - it really depends how much you stuff in each shell - and I wanted each shell to hold more of the filling. I also didn't use the Doritos on top, just to save on the calories, although I'm sure they would be delicious! The amounts in this recipe gave me two 8x8 dishes, one for dinner and one for the freezer of course!

Chicken Enchilada Pasta
from Better Homes and Gardens
Makes about 8 servings

1 (12-ounce) package dried jumbo shells
3 large green or red sweet peppers, chopped
1 1/2 cups red onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and ribs removed, chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 (16-ounce) can refried beans
3 tablespoons taco seasoning mix (about half an envelope)
2 (10-ounce) jars enchilada sauce
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 cup sliced green onions (optional)
2 cups Doritos (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add peppers, onion, jalapeno, and 1/4 teaspoon salt for 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in chicken, beans, taco seasoning mix, and 1/2 cup enchilada sauce. Cook and stir 5 minutes. Stir in half cup each of cheese and green onions.

Spoon filling evenly into shells. Spread one cup enchilada sauce into 3-quart baking dish (or divide among two 1 1/2 quart dishes). Arrange shells over sauce. Drizzle with remaining enchilada sauce.

Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 5 minutes more or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with chips and remaining green onions. Serve immediately with sour cream if desired.

Slow Cooker Jambalaya

Chuck loves to make jambalaya so when I asked him if he wanted to make dinner one night I knew this would be on his list of options. He did some recipe searching online and found one that could go into the slow cooker. This was very tasty with all the different proteins and had a good flavor, especially served over rice.

He didn't change anything from the original recipe (and I love that it's called Colleen's Slow Cooker Jambalaya!) except for the ingredient amounts. Although we must eat a lot because he portioned it out for 6 people and it would be a stretch if that amount fed 4 in our household. Also, the cayenne pepper makes it REALLY spicy, so if you don't like spice, tone that down or omit it completely. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Jambalaya

Cheesy Chicken, Bacon, and Rice Soup

With no end in sight to the snowfall here in the Northeast, a good hearty soup is an ideal dinner. This was more of a very thick stew than a soup but it was delicious and filling. The cheese, rice, chicken, and bacon are superb all together and there are a whole bunch of veggies in there to make it a complete meal.

I saw it on Picky Palate and made it according to the orginal recipe from smithfield.com (link below). The only thing I changed was to use a pound of shredded chicken breast instead of a store-bought chicken. To make this even better, serve with some Texas Toast! :)

Cheesy Chicken, Bacon, and Rice Soup

Grilled Chicken with Basil Dressing

This was a simple and delicious main dish - from Giada of course. I am glad I chose to make this after seeing it on The Piggly-Wiggly. I made the basil dressing the night before the party, marinated the chicken the morning of, and Chuck grilled it right before serving. The dressing recipe makes a lot, so even though I doubled the chicken and marinade, I probably could have made the original amount of dressing and been fine. Use fresh basil - you'll notice the difference! Link below:

Grilled Chicken with Basil Dressing

Buffalo Chicken Cheese Bites

With all the craziness of the party, I didn't get a chance to take an individual picture of these little guys. But if you look closely they are on the plate at the front of the table, the one with the green bowl of dip on it.

I really liked the idea of this recipe because they aren't fried, but baked. Not that I have anything against deep-frying itself, but I really don't want to do it in my kitchen. So I prepped these bites the morning of the party, stuck them in the fridge, and baked them right before the guests showed up. They were delicious - nice and cheesy, not too spicy, and crispy enough on the outside. Serve with blue cheese dressing or the dip of your choice!

Buffalo Chicken Cheese Bites
adapted from Macaroni and Cheesecake, originally from Made by Melissa via Food Network
Makes about 3 dozen bites

2 small cans Swanson chicken breast, shredded
1/4 cup hot sauce (preferably Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Sauce)
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 3/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with non-stick foil or lightly spray a 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine chicken, hot sauce, cream cheese, and cheddar cheese. Mix thoroughly. Using a small cookie scoop, scoop out mixture, roll into a ball between your hands, and place on a plate to begin dipping process.

Place flour, eggs, and bread crumbs into three separate bowls for dipping. Take each buffalo chicken ball and roll it in the flour, then egg, then bread crumbs. Place on prepared baking sheet or in baking dish.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve hot with dipping sauce.