Southwestern Chicken Salad

A couple months ago one of my friend's posted this recipe on her blog. I've tweaked the recipe a little to suit our tastes and my hubby asks for it to be on the menu at least every two weeks!

Southwestern Chicken Salad - Adapted from Brown Sugar Toast

(Printable Recipe)

2 chicken breasts, cut into strips

1-2 T. oil

salt

1 T. taco seasoning

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

salad greens (we usually use the "spring mix")

black beans, rinsed and drained

about 1 cup frozen corn, thawed

sour cream

salsa

shredded cheddar cheese

ranch dressing

broken tortilla chips

Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken strips and sprinkle with salt - this helps the chicken not to splatter and pop so much. Brown chicken on both sides, then sprinkle with taco seasoning and garlic powder. Stir to coat both sides of chicken, then cover and cook on low for about 5 minutes. 

We assemble individual salads on each of our plates, but you can layer the salad in a serving bowl if you'd like. Layer in this order - salad greens, black beans, corn, chicken strips, sour cream, salsa, shredded cheese, ranch dressing and tortilla chips. The reason I didn't put amounts for the "condiments" is because we do it "to taste" instead of measuring! 

We get about 4 servings out of this recipe - you don't have to overload on the chicken since the black beans provide protein as well.

Enjoy!

Chicken Alfredo

Hubby says this tastes like Olive Garden's Chicken Alfredo...I've never eaten either because of food allergies, but I must say making this for him is much cheaper than going to Olive Garden!

Chicken Alfredo
(Printable Version)
1 pkg fettuccine pasta

olive oil
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin 1 inch strips
garlic powder
parsley
salt & pepper

1 pkg cream cheese
1 stick butter
1 1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
freshly ground black pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and sprinkle with garlic powder, parsley, salt & pepper, as much or as little as you like; saute 5-10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. Cover skillet to keep chicken warm while preparing sauce.

In another skillet, melt cream cheese and butter over medium heat. The mixture will look kind of gross (just warning you!) and cream cheese will be chunky. Once the mixture begins to bubble, turn heat to low and slowly whisk in milk, parmesan and pepper. Warm over low heat until sauce is hot.
Assemble pasta, chicken, and sauce on plates and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Hop over to Cooking During Stolen Moments for more yummy main dish recipes!

Crockpot Chicken Parmesan

Crockpot Chicken Parmesan

5 chicken breasts, cut into strips (I cut each breast into 3 strips)
1 T. olive oil
8oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 green pepper, cut into chunks
1 onion, cut into wedges
2-3 small zucchinis, cut into chunks
1 jar pasta sauce
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 bay leaves
Hot cooked pasta

Heat oil in a large skillet. Brown chicken on both sides; set aside. *Note: chicken does not need to be cooked through, just browned on the outside.

In a medium bowl combine pasta sauce, basil, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and parmesan cheese; set aside.

Layer veggies in the bottom of a large crockpot. Next, add chicken and pour sauce mixture on top. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and add the bay leaves right on top. Cover and cook on Low 5-6 hours or High for 3-4 hours.

Before serving discard bay leaves. Serve over hot pasta.

Makes about 6-8 servings

*I have substituted eggplant for the zucchini before and it turned out great!

Print this recipe! .:see instructions in left sidebar!:.

This post is linked to Smockity Frocks "What's In Your Crockpot?"

Roasted Chicken & Vegetables

This is one of our favorite meals! I love it because you can pretty much add whatever veggies you have on hand and it always turns out yummy!

Roasted Chicken & Vegetables (modified from Good Housekeeping)

1 lb red potatoes, unpeeled & cubed (I use about 8 small potatoes)

2 large carrots, peeled & cut into chunks

1 large onion, cut into wedges

1 T. pre-minced garlic

3 T. olive oil

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. dried rosemary leaves, crushed

1 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper

4 chicken breasts (I sometimes cut the chicken into strips, but it is best to leave them whole so they don't get too dried out)

1 red pepper, cut into chunks

1 green pepper, cut into chunks

2 small zucchini, cut into chunks (I've also used yellow squash)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease a 15 1/2" x 10 1/2" roasting pan (I just use a 9x13 baking dish). In a large bowl combine potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic, 1 T. olive oil, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. rosemary leaves, and 1/2 tsp. black pepper; toss to coat. Pour into roasting pan. Cover with foil; roast vegetables 20 minutes.

Meanwhile in the same large bowl combine chicken, red & green pepper, zucchini, and remaining olive oil and spices; toss to coat. Remove pan from oven; uncover. Add chicken mixture to roasting pan; stir gently to combine (I use tongs to toss the mixture and then place the chicken breasts on top of the vegetables). Roast, uncovered for 25 minutes; stir chicken and vegetables to brown evenly.

Roast 25 minutes longer or until vegetables are golden and juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a knife.

Serves 4, but is great as leftovers!

Print this recipe! .:see instructions in left sidebar:.

Be sure to check out Kelly's Korner for more Go-To Dinner Recipes!!

Spicy Chicken & Rice Casserole

This casserole is a big hit in our family and at church dinners! I've changed the original recipe a good bit to suit our tastes. I love that this recipe doesn't use cream soups (a rare find when it comes to casseroles!), so it's gluten free!

Spicy Chicken & Rice Casserole
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
salt & pepper
olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pkg mushrooms, sliced
2 cups chicken broth (I use gluten-free)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1-1/2 tsp salt
1 can Rotel (tomatoes & chilies), slightly drained
1-1/4 cups raw long grain rice
1 tsp each Italian seasoning, poultry seasoning, paprika, & garlic powder

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9x13 baking dish. Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium high. Sprinkle a dash of salt on the bottom of the pan. Season the chicken pieces all over with salt and pepper. 

Working in batches, brown the chicken pieces on two sides, about 1-2 minutes per batch. Add a little more salt to the pan (and more olive oil if needed) after every batch. This will help prevent the chicken from sticking to the pan. Remove chicken pieces and place in baking dish. Note: the chicken does not have to be cooked through, only browned.

In the same sauté pan add 1 Tbsp olive oil, add the onions, and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add onions to baking dish.
Raise heat to medium high, add the sliced mushrooms. Dry sauté them (no need to add butter or oil), allowing the mushrooms to brown lightly, and release some of their moisture. Add the mushrooms to the casserole dish.

Add chicken stock, milk, sour cream and salt to sauté pan. Whisk together over low heat until blended. Add the raw rice and rotel to the casserole dish, then carefully pour the sauce mixture over top. Add the seasonings to the dish. Stir the mixture so that everything is evenly distributed in the casserole dish.

Cover the casserole dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake in a 375°F oven for 45-50 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before removing foil. If the casserole is still too liquidy, let it cook a few minutes more, uncovered, until the excess liquid has evaporated away.

Approx 6 servings (the leftovers taste great too!)

This recipe is linked to LifeasMom's Ultimate Recipe Swap.