Chipotle Chicken Kabobs with Avocado Cream Sauce

These were delicious! My husband said while eating these I should be on Master Chef. If you know my husband that is saying something. Then as we were going to bed he said that was the best dinner! These really were amazing and easy! I had all ingredients on hand too... We just ate them plain because we are trying to cut carbs at dinner and it was plenty!

Adapted from Annies Eats
chipotle chicken kabobs with avocado cream sauce

Yield: about 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

For the chicken: 
Juice of 2 limes
½ cup of vegetable or canola oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
¾ tsp. chili powder
¾ tsp. paprika
½ tsp. cumin
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 chipotle in adobo, seeded and minced
2 lbs. chicken breasts and/or thighs, cut into 1½-2 inch pieces
Minced fresh cilantro, for serving

For the avocado cream sauce: 
1 avocado, split and pitted
½ cup low-fat greek yogurt
1 clove garlic, minced
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

• In a medium bowl or a baking dish/pie plate, combine the lime juice, oil, spices, garlic, brown sugar, and chipotle.  Whisk together to combine.  Add the chicken pieces to the marinade and mix well to ensure that they are all coated and mostly submerged.  Cover, refrigerate, and let marinate for 30-60 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat a grill to medium-high and oil the grates.  When the chicken is done marinating, thread the pieces onto skewers for grilling.  (If using wooden skewers, be sure to soak them first to prevent charring/burning.)  Dispose of the excess marinade.  Place the kabobs on the grill and let cook, turning once or twice, until all sides are slightly browned and the internal temperature registers 160˚ F on an instant-read thermometer.  Remove to a plate and let rest 5-10 minutes.  Sprinkle with minced fresh cilantro, if desired.
• To make the sauce, combine the avocado, yogurt, garlic and lime juice in the bowl of a food processor or a blender.  Process until smooth.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve alongside the kabobs for dipping.

Bourbon Street Chicken

I'm making this for the second time! Its delicious!!! And easy! We add green beans at the end to get our vegetables in!

2 poundsboneless chicken breasts; cut into bite-size pieces

1 tablespoonolive oil; (1-2)

1 garlic clove; crushed

1/4 teaspoonginger

3/4 teaspooncrushed red pepper flakes

1/4 cupapple juice

1/3 cuplight brown sugar

2 tablespoonsketchup

1 tablespooncider vinegar

1/2 cupwater

1/3 cupsoy sauce

1 tablespooncornstarch; (if thick sauce desired)

Bourbon Chicken Preparation

Heat oil in a large skillet.

Add chicken pieces and cook until lightly browned.

Remove chicken.

Add remaining ingredients, heating over medium heat until well blended and dissolved.

Add chicken and bring to a hard boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes uncovered.

Serve over hot rice.

Notes

I also like to mix about 1 teaspoon of Sriracha sauce (found in the asian food section of the grocery store) in with the ketchup for additional heat. Do it if you like it spicey!

Slow-Cooker Coconut Ginger Chicken and Vegetables

Pic courtesy Simple Bites

I made this for dinner on Sunday. It was risky b/c we had the sister missionaries to dinner, but man oh man, it was worth it. It was SO yummy. Christian even loved it! It'll definitely be a repeat.

Slow-Cooker Coconut Ginger Chicken and Vegetables
adapted from Simple Bites 

Ingredients

• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 inch cube of ginger (about 30 grams), roughly chopped
• 1 small sweet onion, peeled, quartered
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 2.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into four
• 2 cans coconut milk, not shaken
• 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 cup fresh or frozen vegetables of your choice (I used red pepper and carrots)

For the spice blend

• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander (I subbed caraway seed)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder (I added a little more than this.)
• 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Combine ingredients from the spice blend together and set aside.
2. In a mini food processor, combine garlic, ginger and onion and pulse until it forms a paste.
3. In a saute pan, heat olive oil and melt butter. Add pureed aromatics and stir well. Cook for a few minutes, then add spice blend. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.
4. Move aromatics to one side of the pot and add chicken pieces to the pan. Cook chicken slightly on all sides, using a sturdy wooden spoon to move it around the pot. It should get thoroughly coated with the spice mixture. Transfer chicken and spices to slow cooker.
5. Open the cans of coconut milk and remove the cream from the top using a soup spoon. You should have about 1 cup. Pour the coconut milk over the chicken and with both cans, it should just barely cover the chicken.
6. Cook on low for 4 hours.
7. Whisk cornstarch with coconut cream until smooth and add to the chicken. Stir well. Add frozen or fresh vegetables of your choice. Cook for another half an hour or until you deem the chicken cooked and the vegetables hot.
8. Serve over hot rice.

Curried Chicken

I am not a curry fan at all, but there have been a couple of curry recipes I've tried that I love.  This is one of them.  Ignore the lentils in the picture above.  I forgot to take a picture of my finished product, and although it looks a lot like the above picture, it does not have lentils.  Grab some Naan bread from the store to go with it or eat it with rice.  Or try both like we did.  Either way, it's delicious!

Curried Chicken

2 lb chicken cubed

15 roma  tomatoes sliced,thin then halved

4 cloves of garlic, minced

3  t. curry powder *

2 t.  chili powder

¼ t. cumin

2 t. salt

1/3 c. vegetable oil

chopped fresh cilantro to taste

Heat oil in wok or very large saucepan over medium.

Add tomatoes, cook for 5 minutes, stirring

Add chili powder, curry, cumin salt and garlic.  Cook 3 minutes.

Raise heat  to Med-high and add chicken .  Stir fry for 5 minutes.

Turn heat down to medium or medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes.

Serve with fresh cilantro, rice  and/or Naan bread.

*I use regular McCormick curry powder, but if I want a bit more heat, I subsitute half of the curry powder with red curry powder.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

I LOVE this pizza, and you can be creative with it.  This is what I used:

Your favorite pizza crust (I copied the homemade one from Our Best Bites)
Your favorite BBQ sauce
Cilantro
Grilled Red onion slices (saute in butter on the stove)
Gouda cheese
Mozzarella cheese
Cooked, diced chicken marinated in BBQ sauce

Spread BBQ sauce on the pizza dough.  (I usually cook my dough slightly before this step so it isn't doughy.)  Add chicken, onion, cilantro, and cheese.  Feel free to layer as you like, the more you get on there, the better.  Bake according to pizza dough directions and savor the deliciousness!

Chipotle Chicken Tacos

Pic courtesy Mels Kitchen Cafe

These were SOOOOO good. Christian could not stop "mmmmmm"-ing the whole dinner. Like, I am craving these again right now. They were easy and kid-friendly, but still totally impressive.

Chipotle Chicken Tacos
from Mels Kitchen Cafe 

Note: Reduce the chipotle chiles to one teaspoon if you want to eliminate some of the spiciness. In a pinch, you could sub 1-2 teaspoons chili powder for the chipotle chiles but the flavor won’t be quite the same.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (you can find these in the Mexican Foods aisle at most grocery stores)
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)
• 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
• Salt and pepper
• 12 (6-inch) flour tortillas

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and chipotle and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the orange juice, Worcestershire sauce and 1/2 cup chopped cilantro and bring the mixture to a boil. Add the chicken and simmer, covered, over medium-low heat for 12-13 minutes, flipping the chicken halfway through cooking. When the chicken is done cooking, transfer to a plate and tent with foil.
2. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook the mixture left in the skillet until the liquid is reduced to about 1/4 cup, about 5 minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the yellow mustard. Using 2 forks, shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces and return to the skillet. Add the remaining cilantro to the skillet and toss until well combined. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm with tortillas topped with lettuce, cheese, tomato, sour cream and avocado.

Notes

To warm the tortillas, wrap them in foil and heat in a 350-degree oven for 15 minutes.

 

Pesto Ranch Crock Pot Chicken

Pic courtesy Picky Palate

Crock pot meals are a lot more common in our house these days as we are busy, busy with house stuff. We love pesto so I thought I'd give this one a try. The flavor was good, but it was a tad bit dry, so next time, I'd cook it for a little less time. Also, I made it with brown rice, not mashed potatoes and I used chicken breasts- not thighs. I changed the recipe up quite a bit from the recipe on Picky Palate since I didn't want to add a package of preservative-filled Ranch dressing mix. Found a substitute ranch packet recipe on allrecipes that I used. This is a great weeknight meal to throw in the rotation and mix things up a bit.

Pesto Ranch Crock Pot Chicken
adapted from Picky Palate 

3 chicken breasts (frozen is fine)
3 oz jar of pesto
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/3 tsp black pepper (or to taste)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
pinch of onion powder
pinch of dried thmye
1/2 cup chicken broth

Place chicken breasts in crockpot. Combine all remaining ingredients except broth. Spread pesto mixture over chicken breasts. Pour broth over and cook for 4 hours on low.

Italian Crock Pot Chicken

Mom made this at Emily's house while I was visiting in Albuquerque to see the triplets! It was delicious! I came home and wanted to make it but its nowhere to be found on the blog. It's in our cookbook so I thought I would post it. Jennefer submitted the recipe but doesn't know how to post on the blog so I'll do it for her!


Italian Chicken
8 oz cream cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can mushrooms (optional)
4 chicken breast
Italian dressing packet

Cook chicken and dressing packet with 1/4c. of water for 3 hours on high in crock pot (chicken can still be frozen). Mix cream of chicken soup, mushrooms, and cream cheese and blend into crock pot. Cook for one more hour. Serve over rice or noodles.

Fiesta Chicken Salad

Fiesta Chicken Salad

3 cups red leaf lettuce
3 cups napa cabbage
1 cup cooked, diced chicken
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 yellow bell pepper
1/3 cup tortilla chips, crushed
1/4 cup corn (fresh)
pumpin seeds, toasted (or pepitas)
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup Cojita cheese, crumbled

Mix together and add dressing (below).

Cilantro Lime Dressing:
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (2 limes)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1 Tbs minced garlic
1/2 cup oil

Blend.

Chicken Enchiladas by Campbell's Kitchen
I made these last night and they were delicious! They have more of that cream of chicken soup flavor. I would add more sour cream next time because the soup flavor was a little strong, just my personal opinion. But I loved them and they were easy to make! 

Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 25 Minutes Ready In: 45 Minutes Servings: 4

"Chopped chicken, green chiles and a flavorful sauce made from sour cream, onion, chili powder and Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup are wrapped in tender tortillas and baked with more sauce and shredded Cheddar cheese for a delicious Southwestern-style dish."

INGREDIENTS:

1 (10.75 ounce) can Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free) 1/2 cup sour cream 1 tablespoon butter or margarine 1 medium onion, chopped 1 teaspoon chili powder

2 cups chopped cooked chicken or turkey 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies 8 (8 inch) flour tortillas, warmed 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Mix soup and sour cream. Heat butter in saucepan. Add onion and chili powder and cook until tender. Add chicken, chilies and 2 tablespoons soup mixture.
2.	Spread 1/2 cup soup mixture in 2-quart shallow baking dish. Spoon about 1/4 cup chicken mixture down center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam-side down in dish. Spoon remaining soup mixture on top. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes or until hot.

Simple Shredded Chicken

Pic courtesy of Mels Kitchen Cafe

I have used this method of cooking chicken twice now and it's now going to be the only way I cook chicken because it is THAT good. Chicken just pulls apart (almost crockpot-like) and it's yummy and so easy.

Simple Shredded Chicken
from Mel's Kitchen Cafe 

*Makes 3-4 cups of cooked, shredded chicken
INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 (about 2 pounds) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
3/4 cup water or low-sodium chicken broth
DIRECTIONS:
In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet with a lid, heat the olive oil over medium heat until hot and rippling. Pat the chicken dry and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Place the chicken top-side down in the hot skillet and let the chicken cook for 5 minutes until golden brown on top. Flip the chicken, add the water or chicken broth, cover the skillet and let the chicken simmer gently over medium heat for 7-10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through (it will register 160 degrees on a thermometer). Don’t overcook or it might be dry. While the chicken is simmering, add additional water 1/4 cup at a time if the liquid evaporates too quickly. Remove the chicken from the skillet. Let it cool slightly before shredding. The cooked chicken will keep well-covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or can be frozen for up to 2 months. 

Crockpot Barbecue Chicken

Pic courtesy Stick a Fork In It

In food, just as in life, there's the sweet and the savory. Barbecue, for me, is one of those foods that kinda lingers between the two. It's so sweet but savory at the same time (at least the way I like it)! There's really not much better- whether it's a nice steak or a yummy ice cream sundae. I could literally eat it for a week straight. That being said, here's another BBQ crockpot recipe that I made a couple days ago that we loved. I made mashed potatoes with it and then sprinkled it with cheese. Mmmmm.


Barbecue Crockpot Chicken
from Stick a Fork in It 

4-6 pieces boneless skinless chicken breasts (i threw them in frozen... even easier!)
1 bottle BBQ sauce
1/4 c vinegar
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 c brown sugar
1/2 - 1 tsp. garlic powder

mix BBQ sauce with all ingredients listed under it. place chicken in crockpot. pour sauce over it and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours. Shred if desired.

Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken

I made this last week and it was really good and super easy.  I served it with a side of broccoli and it came together perfectly.

courtesy

Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken

From The Comfort of Cooking

4 chicken breasts (about 2 pounds) 
Salt and pepper 
1/2 cup diced onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup honey 
1/4 cup ketchup

1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce 
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil 
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 
4 teaspoons cornstarch

1/3 cup water 
1/2 tablespoon (or more) sesame seeds

3 scallions, chopped

Cooked rice

Place chicken in crock pot and lightly season both sides with salt and pepper.  In a medium bowl, combine onion, garlic, honey, ketchup, soy sauce, oil and red pepper flakes. Pour over chicken. Cook on low for 3-4 hours, or high for 2 hours.  Remove chicken to a cutting board, leaving sauce. Shred chicken into bite-sized pieces; set aside.   In a small bowl, dissolve 4 teaspoons cornstarch in 1/3 cup water; add to crock pot. Stir to combine with sauce. Cover and cook sauce on high for ten more minutes, or until slightly thickened.  Serve over cooked rice. Sprinkle evenly with sesame seeds and chopped scallions.

Chicken Taco Rice

This is such a yummy meal and a different turn on taco night. I don't have a pic, but you'll get the idea, I think. You can prepare this so many ways and eat it so many ways- it really is very versatile. For example, tonight I made it with black beans instead of corn but you could easily sub the black beans for chicken. I also only use regular brown rice and cook it almost all of the way and then add it in. So yummy.

Chicken Taco Rice
adapted from Blogging: It's what's for Dinner

1 lb. chicken (about 2 chicken breasts)
2 Tb. oil
1 can chicken broth
1- 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 pkg. mild taco seasoning
1- 12 oz. can drained corn
1 med. red pepper sliced in strips
1 1/2 cup minute rice (or mostly cooked regular rice)
1 cup shredded cheese
1 bag tortilla chips
some sour cream
Some guacamole

Cut chicken in to bite size pieces and saute in oil in a big skillet (big enough to hold all of these ingredients). When chicken is done, add broth, tomato sauce, and seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, simmer for 5 minutes. Add drained corn and sliced pepper. Bring to a full boil. Stir in uncooked rice. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover again and let stand for just a little while. Serve with chips, sour cream and guacamole. This is even better hours after you make it so you can make it one night have it the next day or make it in the morning and have it that night.

Roasted Red Pepper and Asiago Caesar Salad

On our recent girls' trip to Utah, we ate at Cafe Zupas and I ordered this salad and their amazing Cauliflower Soup (if you ever go, you MUST try this soup).  It was a perfect combination.  I kept thinking that I could make this same salad at home and so I went home and did just that.  Its so delicious and so easy to throw together.  What I loved about it too is that you can make it into a meal by  adapting it to what you and your kids like (see suggestions below).  My kids LOVED this when I added pasta to it and we all ate it for dinner.

courtesy

Roasted Red Pepper and Asiago Caesar Salad

Adapted from Cafe Zupas

Head of Romaine Lettuce, chopped

Jar of sweet Roasted Red Peppers, diced small (add desired portion)

Asiago Cheese, shredded

Brianne's Asiago Caesar Dressing (found in dressing aisle)

Garlic Croutons (we like Texas Toast Garlic & Butter flavor)

Shredded Chicken (optional)

** Preparation Suggestions: you can prepare this however you like, whatever proportions you like.  Leave out the croutons, add shredded chicken, add a box of cooked pasta, make it into a wrap, whatever you like! We made it without chicken and added cooked pasta and ate it as a main course. 

Crockpot Chicken Fajitas

Crockpot Chicken Fajitas

1 yellow onion, sliced
3 sweet peppers, sliced
1 ½ pounds boneless chicken breast or thighs
1/4 to ½ cup chicken broth, depending on preference
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cumin
1 ½ tablespoons chili powder
Squirt of lime juice
Tortillas
Fajita fixings

Combine sliced onion and peppers in the bottom of a greased crockpot. Lay chicken on top of veggies. Pour chicken broth over top. Sprinkle everything with cumin, salt, and chili powder. Give a nice quirt of lime juice over the top. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours (or on High for 4-6 hours). When meat is done, shred with two forks and stir back into juices. Serve meat mixture with slotted spoon on tortillas with your choice of fixings.

Crock Pot Cream Cheese Chicken Chili over Rice

I found this recipe through pinterest and made it for dinner last night...everyone LOVED it.  And, its ridiculously easy to make, despite the humongous recipe title.  So, make it!  :)

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Crock Pot Cream Cheese Chicken Chili over Rice

Adapted slightly from Rita's Recipes 

2 frozen chicken breasts

1 can Rotel tomatoes (with diced green chilies)

1 cup of frozen corn (or one can)

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 pkg. Ranch dressing mix

1 Tbs. cumin

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1/2 cup water (skip this if you're using canned corn)

1-8oz. package 1/3 less fat cream cheese, cubed

Put all ingredients besides cream cheese into the crock pot.  Stir to combine.  Place cream cheese over the top.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  After 2-3 hours, stir in cream cheese until combined.  Shred chicken before serving.  Top with cilantro, if desired.  You don't have to serve it over rice- you can just serve as a chili.

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake

by HowSweetEats 

4.19 Mitt(s)21 Rating(s)

Prep Time 15 Minutes

Cook Time 30 Minutes

Difficulty Easy

Servings 

This is an easy recipe and most ingredients are on hand! And for someone that doesn't do leftovers this one was good the next day! 

A quick, easy and healthy casserole to throw together when you’re pressed for time!

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except for cilantro and mix thoroughly to combine. Make sure the yogurt and cheese are stirred in throughout the entire bowl. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Transfer to an oven-safe dish and top with extra cheese if you would like. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until heated through. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

To make this process easier, I always have cooked chicken on hand, and use Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice. If you have those two things, this can be throw together in a matter of minutes! It can also easily be made ahead of time and reheated.

Ingredients

• 2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 4 cups Cooked Brown Rice
• ¾ cups Frozen Corn
• 15 ounces, fluid Can Black Beans, Drained And Rinsed
• 1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt (or Sour Cream)
• 4 ounces, fluid Can Green Chilis
• ½ cups Salsa
• 1 cup Low-fat Cheddar Cheese, Plus More For Topping
• 2 Tablespoons Fresh Cilantro For Garnish