Olive Garden Chicken Vino Bianco

1/2 pound dried linguine
3/4 cup all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, divided
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
4 (4 ounce) boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 medium yellow onion, grated
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 cup white wine, (I used Chardonnay)
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 scallions, chopped (divided)
2 Roma tomatoes, diced (divided)
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add linguine. Cook until al dente (tender but still with a bite to it), about 8-10 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta water. Drain pasta, set aside.

Meanwhile: in a pie plate or shallow dish, combine 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Stir with a fork to blend. Place the chicken breasts in the flour mixture, one at a time. Press the chicken into the mixture with tongs and flip the chicken over to coat the other side. Shake off the excess.

Add oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place all 4 chicken breasts in the skillet and cook until golden brown on both sides and cooked through, turning once between cooking, about 8-10 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

Add butter, onion and garlic to the pan. Cook until onions are translucent, about 2 minutes. Add 1/4 cup remaining flour to pan and whisk to combine. Add cream, lemon juice, wine, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese. Whisk until mixture is smooth. Add up to 1 cup of pasta water to help create the sauce.

Add cooked pasta, half of scallions and half of tomatoes, stir to combine. Return chicken to skillet and allow it to warm. Sprinkle remaining scallions and tomatoes on top of skillet.

Crispy chicken costoletta

Crispy Chicken Costoletta

• 4 chicken breasts, cut horizontally, and pounded to about 1/4 inch thick or 4 chicken cutlets
• Zest of 2 lemons
• 1 1/2 cups plain breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
• 2 eggs, whisked with 2 tablespoons water
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Lemon Sauce

• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• Juice from 2 lemons (1/4 cup)
• 1 ounce (1/8 cup) chicken stock or broth or water if you don't have stock readily available 
• kosher salt
• fresh ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 200°F.

Zest two lemons. Bake zest for about 5 minutes until dry. On one paper plate combine flour, pepper and salt. In shallow bowl combine eggs and water, whisk together. On another paper plate combine dry lemon zest, bread crumbs and cheese.

Place pounded chicken in the flour, coating well, followed by the egg mixture and the bread crumbs. Heat 2 tbs olive oil and 1 tbs butter in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Place chicken in pan and cook on each side about 5 minutes until middle is no longer pink. You will need to work in batches, adding more oil and butter as needed. Keep chicken warm in oven at 250°F.

For the lemon sauce:.

Over medium heat in a same pan you used for chicken heat olive oil, add minced garlic and sauté about 3 minutes. Add whipping cream and boil until reduced by one-third.

Add Dijon, lemon juice, chicken stock and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter until melted. Serve chicken with lemon sauce and mashed garlic potatoes.

Hash Brown Chicken Casserole

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour

Serves: 12

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs frozen hash brown potatoes, Southern Style
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper
• 1 cup frozen peas and carrots
• 1/2 cup summer sweet corn, canned
• 2 C sour cream or plain yogurt
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1/3 cup milk
• 3 cups cooked, shredded roasted chicken
• 2 cups bread crumbs

Heat over to 400 degrees. Place potatoes in 9 by 13 pan. In a large bowl, mix well the remaining ingredients, except bread crumbs. Pour over potatoes. Sprinkle crumbs on top. Bake for 1 hour or until top is golden brown. Serves 12.

Chicken parmigiana casserole

• 4 chicken breasts, butterflied
• 1.5 cup panko bread crumb
• 1 cup parmesan cheese fresh grated
• 1 cup mozzarella
• 3 tablespoons parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 bunch basil fresh chopped
• 2.5 cups marinara sauce
• salt and pepper to taste

In an 8x8 baking dish, spread marinara sauce evenly on the bottom, then layer mozzarella and basil evenly on top. Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper to taste, then place evenly into pan over mozzarella. Really. Put the chicken edge to edge. In a bowl mix panko, parmesan, parsley, and oregano. Sprinkle evenly over chicken then bake at 375 °F for 1 hour. Cut into squares with a very sharp knife to serve.  enjoy.

Slow cooker Chicken tortilla soup

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup 
• 1 cup salsa
• 2 cups frozen corn
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried cilantro
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• tomato, optional topping
• avocado, optional topping
• sour cream, optional topping
• crushed tortilla chips, optional topping.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Spray slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Place chicken into slow cooker.
3. In a bowl, mix together cream of chicken soup, salsa, corn, black beans, water, cumin, and cilantro. Pour over chicken in slow cooker. Cook on low for 4-6 hours (or high for 2-3 hours).
4. Remove chicken and shred using two forks.
5. Put chicken back into slow cooker, add cheese, and let cook for 15 more minutes.
6. Serve with your favorite fajita toppings.

Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 pound ground chicken (ground turkey, beef, or pork can be used.)
1 medium/large sweet Vidalia or yellow onion, diced small
1/3 cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Asian chili garlic sauce, or to taste (sriracha may be substituted) 

3 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
1 teaspoon ground ginger or 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger, or to taste 

one 8-ounce can water chestnut, drained and diced small
2 to 3 green onions, sliced into thin rounds
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
butter lettuce leaves, for serving 

Pine nuts to garnish generously


Directions:

To a large skillet, add the oils, meat, and cook over medium-high heat until meat is cooked through; stir intermittently to crumble while cooking.

Add the onion, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, chili garlic sauce, stir to combine, and cook for about 5 minutes, or until onion is soft and translucent and most of the liquid has been absorbed; stir intermittently.

Add the garlic, ginger, stir to combine, and cook for about 1 minute, or until fragrant.

Add the water chestnuts, green onions, salt and pepper to taste, and cook for about 2 minutes, or until tender. Taste filling and make any necessary flavor adjustments, i.e. more soy sauce, hoisin, pepper, etc.

Spoon about 1/4 cup of the mixture into each lettuce leaf to serve. Garnish generously with pine nuts. Eat "taco style" using lettuce leaf as the shell. Enjoy! The filling will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days.

CHICKEN BACON RANCH LAYER SALAD

INGREDIENTS

1 recipe Avocado Lime Ranch dressing
9 cups roughly chopped green leaf or romaine lettuce, divided
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 large poblano or green bell pepper seeded and diced
1 {12 oz} frozen corn, steamed and cooled
6 medium tomatoes, 5 chopped and 1 sliced into wedges for garnish
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
2½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
½ lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
4 cup roasted chicken, roughly chopped
3 green onion, thinly sliced
2 large hard boiled eggs, cut into wedges


INSTRUCTIONS

In a large trifle or glass bowl layer in this order: ⅓ lettuce, ½ red pepper, ½ poblano pepper, ⅓ corn, ½ tomatoes, ½ red onion, 1 cup cheese, ⅓ bacon and ½ chicken. Drizzle with ½ cup prepared dressing.

Repeat, ⅓ lettuce, ½ red pepper, ½ poblano pepper, ⅓ corn, ½ tomatoes, ½ red onion, 1 cup cheese, ⅓ bacon and ½ chicken. Drizzle with ½ cup prepared dressing.
Top with the final ⅓ lettuce, ⅓ corn, ½ cup shredded cheese, ⅓ bacon and sliced green onion. Drizzle with 1/.2 cup dressing drizzling around the edge. Arrange egg and tomato wedges on top to garnish.
Chill for 4 hours, Serve with additional dressing on the side.

Jungle Rice

1 chicken breasts, chopped into bite sized pieces
1 cup basmati rice
2 tsp olive oil
2 cloves fresh garlic
1 1/2 tsp fresh ginger root, finely minced
1 cup water
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 Tbsp fresh basil, minced
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, minced
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup raw unsalted cashews
freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in oven safe skillet and cook chicken breast with garlic, ginger, salt, and pepper, just until chicken starts to get some color. Add rice and stir until evenly coated with oil. Toast rice about 2 minutes. Add all other ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. When at full boil, cover rice with fitted lid and transfer to oven. Bake 15 minutes, stir, then bake another 5-10 minutes.

Chicken Casserole

• 4-5 chicken breasts or tenderloins 
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tube crushed Ritz crackers
• 1 stick melted butter
• 1 T poppy seeds (optional)

Cook chicken in oil on the stove, seasoned with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper)

cut up cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces, and put in a 9 x 13 casserole dish

Mix cream of chicken soup and sour cream and spread over chicken. Put the tube of crackers in a ziploc bag and crush with a rolling pin, spread crushed crackers over soup and sour cream mixture. Melt butter and drizzle over the top. Sprinkle poppy seeds on top (I usually omit these.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 1/2 hour until golden brown and bubbly.

Chicken tortilla soup

Ingredients
2 1/2 (14.5 oz) cans low-sodium chicken broth (4 1/2 cups)
1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
3/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
4 cloves garlic, pressed through a garlic crusher
2 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground coriander
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 (14.5 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
For serving:
Tortilla strips or tortilla chips
Shredded cheddar or monterey jack cheese
Diced avocado, diced roma tomatoes, sour cream (optional)



Directions
Pour chicken broth and diced tomatoes into a slow cooker. Add onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, paprika, coriander and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add chicken breasts then cover with lid and cook on LOW heat 6 hours, or until chicken is cooked through.
Remove chicken and shred, then return to slow cooker along with black beans, corn, cilantro and lime juice, stir. Allow to cook until heated through.
Serve warm with tortilla strips and cheese and other optional ingredients.
Recipe source: Cooking Classy

Lime Cilantro Shredded Chicken Tacos

1 (16 oz) jar salsa- I used a green tomatillo salsa
1 package taco seasoning
1 lime, juiced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

3 lbs skinless boneless chicken breast halves
Place the salsa, taco seasoning, lime juice, and cilantro into a slow cooker, and stir to combine. Add the chicken breasts, and stir to coat with the salsa mixture. Cover the cooker, set to High, and cook until the chicken is very tender, about 4 hours. If desired, set cooker to Low and cook 6 to 8 hours. Shred chicken with 2 forks to serve.
I also made lime cilantro rice with this. In my rice maker I melted 2 tbsp butter, added 1 tsp pepper, 2 tbsp cilantro and 3 tbsp lime juice. I stirred in 2 cups uncooked rice and made sure it was all coated thoroughly in the mixture. Add 3.5c water and cook. Tasted just like qudoba rice :-)

Chicken Tortilla soup

4 boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces 
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans or pinto beans (or one of each) 
2 (15 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 cup salsa (heat of your choice)
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies 
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can tomato sauce  

Combine all ingredients into crockpot and cook on low for 8-10 hours. To serve, top with sour cream, avocado, tortilla strips or chips, diced green onions, sliced black olives. This is a nice "throw together" dinner that can cook all day and be ready when you are.  If soup is too thick, add a cup of chicken stock.

Chicken Enchilada Pizza

1 pkg (13.8 oz/283 g) refrigerated pizza crust or bread dough from your bread machine

1/2 medium onion

1 jalapeño pepper

8 oz Colby & Monterey Jack or marble cheese blend (about 2 cups grated), divided

2 cups diced cooked chicken breasts

1/2 cup mild green taco sauce3 garlic cloves, pressed

1/2 cup grape tomatoes

1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425°F. Lightly brush baking stone with vegetable oil. Spread dough on bottom of pan, stretching and pressing dough to cover bottom. Bake 12–-14 minutes or until crust is golden brown. (If using dough from bread machine, you may have enough enough for 2 pizzas. If you use it for one pizza, you may have to cook it longer to cook it thoroughly.)

Meanwhile, coarsely chop onion and jalapeño. Grate cheese; combine onion, jalapeño, 1/2 cup of the cheese, chicken, taco sauce and garlic pressed; mix well.

Remove pan from oven . Sprinkle 1 cup of the cheese evenly over crust; top with chicken mixture and remaining cheese. Bake 6-–7 minutes or until crust is deep golden brown and cheese is melted. Remove pan from oven to cooling rack.4

Slice tomatoes lengthwise into quarter. Coarsely chop cilantro. Sprinkle tomatoes and cilantro over pizza. Cut pizza into 12 rectangles. Serve.

Chipotle Lime Butter Whole Roasted Chicken

1 (5-pound) whole chicken, giblets removed
4 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo
2 limes, zest freshly grated and limes cut in half
1/4 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 tsp pepper
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (If you can't find it, use part regular paprika and part cumin)
1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Pat the chicken completely dry with paper towels. In a small bowl, mash together the butter, adobo sauce, lime zest and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Lift the skin over top of the chicken breast and stuff the butter mixture underneath, dispersing it over the chicken breasts and legs. Be gentle so the skin doesn't rip. Cover the outside of the whole chicken with the olive oil (rub it down all over!) and sprinkle it evenly with the remaining salt, pepper, paprika and chili powder. Stuff the lime halves inside the cavity of the chicken.  Place the chicken in a roasting pan or baking dish and roast for 75 minutes, or until the juices run clear when you slice into the leg.

Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Slice the chicken and serve it with corn and black bean salad.

Goat Cheese Roasted Chicken

5 pound fresh chicken, giblets removed

8 ounces goat cheese, slightly softened to room temperature
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 lemon
1 bulb garlic, top cut off
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Pat chicken completely dry with paper towels.

In a bowl, combine goat cheese with herbs and garlic salt, mixing well until combined. Rub the non-breast side of the chicken with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put that side down in a baking dish or roasting pan. Lift the skin of the chicken above the breast and stuff with goat cheese, pressing it into the thighs and as far back as possible. Rub the outside of the chicken with some goat cheese as well, using up the mixture. Rub with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stuff the garlic bulb, cloves-facing inward, in the top opening and the lemon, slice-side up, in the bottom opening. Roast for 75 minutes, then remove and let rest for 30 minutes before cutting.

Catalina chicken

From chef Ron Lock: 

Ingredients:

4 Chicken Breasts
1 cup apricot jam
1 cup catalina or french dressing
1 & 1/2 packet Lipton Onion Soup Mix


Directions:

1. Place  chicken in a crock pot. Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl; pour over chicken. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve over rice or pasta. (I think I would try rice pilaf

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

Dressing:

·        1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

·        2/3 cup light sour cream

·        1 tablespoon minced chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce

·        1 teaspoon ground cumin

·        1 teaspoon chili powder

·        4 teaspoons fresh lime juice

·        1/4 teaspoon salt

·        1 spoonful Adobo sauce (optional) for an extra kick

Combine ingredients and stir well.

Salad:

·        4 cups shredded romaine lettuce

·        2 cups chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 breasts)

·        1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

·        1/2 cup diced peeled avocado

·        1/3 cup thinly vertically sliced red onion

·        1 (15-ounce) can black, Kidney, or Pinto beans, rinsed and drained

·        1 (8 3/4-ounce) can no-salt-added whole-kernel corn, rinsed and drained

Be sure to use romaine lettuce as it is sturdy enough to stand up to the moist ingredients and won’t wilt as quickly. Combine lettuce and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over salad; toss gently to coat. Serve immediately, but salad is still good the next day.  

Chicken and Dumpling Casserole Bake

I found this recipe on a southern cooking blog and it looked really good. I'll try to post a picture of the finished product. The cook who made it types just like she must talk, and it's really a cute blog called "Deep South Dish." There were enough other fun things on that blog that I might poke around for more. Anyway, the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 3-4 cups of cooked chicken (or 3 to 5 pieces of raw chicken) I'll bet you could also use leftover turkey
• 2 cups chicken stock/broth 
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) of unsalted butter
• 1 cup self-rising flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 can Campbell's cream of chicken soup

Instructions: Use precooked chicken or poach raw chicken in the chicken broth or stock in a medium sized saucepan. Cook on a low simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes or until chicken is mostly done. It will finish cooking in the oven. Remove the chicken and set aside to cool but reserve the stock.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a Pyrex measuring cup, melt 1/2 stick of butter in the microwave and pour that into the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Shred the chicken and spread it on top of the butter.  In that same Pyrex cup, whisk together the milk and the flour and slowly pour that over the chicken taking care not to disturb the chicken too much. Don't stir it up!  Strain the chicken stock through a colander into the same Pyrex cup (now you know why I wanted ya to melt that butter in it!) and whisk in the cream of chicken soup. Very carefully pour that over the flour and milk mixture and again, don't stir it up!  Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes, or until top is light golden brown.

Chicken Casserole

Sarah and I saw this on TV, but we think it's easier to use prepared chicken instead of cooking it yourself.  (We're all about making life easy when we can!)  Also, we decided that even though you can use raw potatoes (cook for about 15 minutes longer) it's so much easier to use the prepared cubed hash browns than slicing or cubing your own poatoes. 

Ingredients:
3 cups cooked chicken chunks (packaged fajita strips work well)
3 cups frozen diced potatoes
3 cups frozen vegetables
Sauce
Grated Cheese

Sauce:
2 cups sour cream
1 cup milk
1/4 cup flour
8 tbsp butter
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1-3 Tbs. seasonings of your choice (you can change these to change the flavor of your casserole.)
1 chicken bullion cube
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Melt the butter in a saute pan and add the flour to create a roux. Whisk in the milk, cheddar cheese, spices, bullion cube, salt and pepper.
2. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes while stirring. Remove from the heat and allow it to cool for about ten minutes.
3. Add the chicken and the sour cream to the cooled white sauce. Mix together and set aside.
4. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with vegetable spray. Cover bottom of the pan with the potatoes
5. Create a layer of vegetables on top of the potatoes.
6. Spread the chicken mixture over the vegetables. Sprinkle with shredded cheese.  Cover the pan with aluminum foil and place in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.
7. After 30 minutes, remove the foil, and continue cooking for 10 additional minutes to brown up the top.
8. Remove from the oven and allow the casserole to sit for 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Tukey or Chicken Pot Pie

I haven't tried this, but I like home made pot pie and I saw this in a magazine and it looks good.  I want to save this recipe but not the magazine.  :)

1 egg
1 tb. water
6 cups diced cooked turkey or chicken
5 cups mixed vegetables (fresh or frozen)
2 tbs. butter
1/2 cup flour
2 cups Chicken stock
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 of a 17.3 oz. pkg purr pastry sheet (1 sheet) thawed
2 tbs. coarsely chopped fresh herbs (parsley, thyme, and/or oregano)

Heat oven to 400, beat egg and water in small bowl with fork.  Stir turkey and veggies together in 9 x 13 pan.  Heat butter in 2 quart pan over medium heat and add flour. Cook and stir 3 minutes, and gradually stir in stock.  Cook and stir 5 minutes until mixture boils and thickens.  Stir in pepper.  Pour stock mixture over turkey and veggies.

Unfold pastry sheet on lightly floured surface. Roll into 9 x 13 rectangle and place over filling.  Press pastry to rim of pan to seal.  Brush with egg mixture and sprinkle with herbs.  Bake 25 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and filling is hot and bubbly. 

Okay, here's the thing.  At Thanksgiving time I always make a TON of gravy.  If I make this with leftover turkey after Thanksgiving, I will use leftover turkey gravy instead of doing the stock/butter/flour thing.  But doing this at other times of the year, I will totally do this using a pre-cooked turkey breast from the deli.