Chicken and Black Bean Enchilada Casserole

<3 <3 <3 I love this recipe because you prep/chop up everything in advance and pull it together layering as you go in the casserole dish. You don't even have to cook chicken yourself if you don't have leftovers. Today, I used two whole chicken legs, but you could easily use a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and shred it yourself instead. You could even make it vegetarian!

Shredded cooked chicken, about 3 cups

Diced sweet onion, about two cups

Shredded sharp cheddar (or fake cheese)

Chopped cilantro

one big can of red enchilada sauce

one bag of corn tortilla chips (no Fritos because they are too salty.)

one can of sweet corn, drained

one can of black beans, drained

one can of diced tomatoes with chopped green chilis, drained (brand name: Ro-tel or store brand)

and your favorite taco seasoning. One envelope, or about 2 tablespoons.

Garnish with sliced green onion before serving.

You're going to need an oblong glass or ceramic casserole dish.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In one bowl, add the drained corn, tomatoes with green chilis, and the black beans together with the taco seasoning and combine well. This is now called the canned vegetable mixture.

== The Layers ==

Place a layer of tortilla chips at the bottom of the dish. 

Then half of the canned vegetable mixture

Then chopped chicken

Onions

cilantro

cheese

tortilla chips

remaining canned vegetable mixture

then chopped chicken

onions

cilantro

Tortilla chips.

Open that big can of red enchilada sauce and stir it with a spoon in the can. Pour onto the cassarole.

Top with as much shredded cheese as you like.

Pop into a 350-degree pre-heated oven and bake for 40 minutes.

Chicken Shawarma

It was the first week of February 2023 when Chicken Shawarma was in the news for the wrong reasons. The dish was a part of multiple Grubhub orders that a young child made on his dad's cell. His father was shocked to find out his son ordered so much food that the bill ended up being over $1K and drained his bank account. What is this dish that's so good, a 6-year-old would want to order it? Let's find out by making it at home first.

Ingredients:

>>2 boneless-skinless chicken breasts 

I started with two frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts and took them out of the freezer and placed them into a microwave-safe dish. I set the microwave to the defrost setting for 15 minutes. Then I defrosted the chicken pieces. If you wanted to use chicken thighs, you could use 4-6 depending on their size. The goal is around 2 pounds of protein. Cut the chicken on the bias into thin strips.

Place the chicken strips and any juice from the defrosting into a gallon plastic bag.

>>The Marinade:

I was frustrated with the recipes I reviewed online because the measurements weren't exact. So my recipe solves that problem. This is my first pass at making this marinade. I omitted the coriander and cardamom because I simply didn't have them in my spice rack and doubled up on the paprika.

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp granulated garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper (50 twists of the grinder)

3 tbsp olive oil

1 thinly sliced lemon with the seeds removed

Place all of the spices into a bowl and mix. Add the sliced lemons into the gallon bag with the sliced chicken. Then add the spice mix and 3 tbsp of olive oil into the bag with the chicken. Close the bag and massage the chicken so that the marinade evenly coats the meat. Burp the bag if needed before placing it into the refrigerator to marinate. Marinade the chicken from 1 to 24 hours in advance of your cook time.

Cilantro Lime Chicken

I have bought pre-prepared Cilantro Lime Chicken at Aldi's for, I don't know, $8-9 something before, but that's lazy because I know how to cook, right?

So instead of buying the premade in a vacuumed sealed bag stuff, I decided I have enough culinary skills to pull this entre off at home.

OK, so still shopping at Aldi's, limes were .35 each, and cilantro was around the same price. I know I have boneless skinless chicken breasts from Costco in my freezer at home plus additional lime juice from a previous purchase.

So I bought 2 fresh limes and one packet of fresh cilantro to add to the ingredients I already had on hand at home. 

I also bought white mini white corn tortillas at Aldis, too.

Prep:

Take two frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts and dethaw them in the microwave. About 14 minutes on the defrost setting.

I took the two limes and with a Microplane, I took the skin off (zested) of each lime and added the zest to a plastic bowl. Why plastic? Because it won't react to the acid.

Then I cut up the limes into thin slices and placed them into the same bowl with the lime zest.

I finely chopped the cilantro all up until I got to the stem part, and I threw the rest of the stems away.

Then I diagonally cut the cilantro and then a third time, cut the cilantro to get any other leaves that didn't get cut before, and I added this into the plastic bowl with the lime.

I took the now dethawed chicken breasts from the microwave, cut open the bags, and placed them on my cutting board. I cut each breast on the bias sliced about a quarter of an inch thick and then placed them into the bowl with the lime.

At this point, I added the additional lime juice, kosher salt, and freshly ground pepper.

Then with a big plastic spoon, I mixed everything together and placed it into the refrigerator while I cooked the corn tortillas making them into taco shells.

 I added oil to my preferred frying pan to make taco shells in and I set-up a cookie sheet with 3-4 paper towels to catch the excess oil after the taco shells were cooked. Once all of the shells were cooked, I lightly salted them with table salt.

Cook:

I transferred some of the oil I cooked the tortillas into a larger frying pan that I intended to cook the sliced chicken and limes in. No, I did not remove the slices of limes before I cooked the chicken because I wanted to retain a strong bunch of lime flavor.

I cooked this on medium heat for about 15 minutes until the juice from the chicken and limes were reduced by about half. Then I removed it from the heat to cool for about 5 minutes.

Serve:

I guess I could have used some hot sauce or pico de Gallo along with the cilantro lime chicken, but I was too hungry to care. My homemade cilantro-lime tacos were yummy!

Homemade Chicken Tenders

I am a chicken tender nut. I usually buy the Tyson brand from Costco, but with me at home on quarantine, it's time to get creative with the chicken tenders and cook some of my own.

I always have a large bag of frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts on hand, so I defrosted three in the microwave. Cut first in a butterfly to make the breast thinner to cook faster. Then for each half of the breast, I cut three diagonal pieces. So that means each full breast will make about 6 pieces.

The coating:

The last time I went to the market, I looked at the price of good old Chicken Shake And Bake coating, and it was not appealing, so I found the cheapest premade coating, and bought that. I believe it's called Louisiana brand and it's sold in a yellow bag. And then when I got it home, I discovered in my haste, I bought the spicy kind. Will be edible? I don't know. I've had Wendy's spicy chicken sandwich before and that was o.k.

The prep and cooking:

 The cut chicken pieces were moistened in two beaten eggs and then dredged in the coating mix. 

The first pass was created on a Tuesday night. The tenders were arranged on a cookie sheet lined with Reynold's non-stick foil and baked in the oven at 400 degrees for about a total of 45 minutes.  At about the 30 minutes mark, they were checked for browning and, looking quite anemic, I decided to add canola oil and turn the cookie sheet. They were dry and just barely passing for food. We ate them anyway with corn.

The second pass was created on a Wednesday morning. A cookie sheet with a cooling rack was placed on top of the stove next to the cooking area. This time, I used a small steel frying pan to cook the tenders and filled it about 1/3 to 1/2 full of canola oil. I heated the oil until it was shimmering. And I cooked batches so that they were not touching in the frying pan. And this time, the whole situation was turned out much better. We had browned fried chicken tenders made at home that looked as good as they tasted.

Easy White Chicken Chili

This is a recipe inspired by my hunger shopping at my local Walmart in the spice aisle before I had breakfast as well as Sandra Lee, who would whip up some mean vittles for her and her family using a few fresh ingredients and prepared ones, too, in order to create a delicious meal. It also doesn't hurt to read the back of the spice mix bag for suggestions.

Ingredients:

One boneless skinless chicken breast, diced into small bite sized pieces
1 tbsp canola oil
One envelope of McCormick White Chicken Chili Seasoning Mix
One can (10 oz) Ro-Tel Mild Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilis
One can (15.5 oz) Cannellini Beans
One can (15.25 oz) Golden Sweet Whole Kernel Corn
1 cup water

Instructions:

So I started out with one frozen chicken breast which I defrosted in the microwave, then cut up into small bite-sized pieces. Then in dutch oven on the stove top with the burner on medium, I added the oil and heated that and added the chopped raw chicken. I cooked the chicken stirring it about as to not get it too brown and tough for about 5 minutes. Then I added the rest of the ingredients and turned down the heat to be one quarter and placed the lid on the pot to be vented to the back of the stove top and put the timer on to let this cook for 10 minutes.

Then I came back to the pot after 10 minutes, turned the stove off, placed the entire lid onto the pot this time without a vent and let the flavors meld on top of the stove for an additional 10 minutes. This also allowed the dish to be cool enough before serving.

Coconut Lime Chicken

COCONUT LIME CHICKEN
PREP TIME
10 MINS
COOK TIME
30 MINS
TOTAL TIME
40 MINS

Creamy Coconut Lime Chicken Breasts - a one pan, Whole 30 approved dish made with only a handful of ingredients. Dairy Free + Paleo + Gluten Free
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Thai
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 317 kcal
Author: Sarah

INGREDIENTS:

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts, about 1 1/2 pounds
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1/2 cup red onion it came out to 1/2 onion for me, chopped
1 whole red chili chopped optional
1 cup organic chicken stock*
2 tablespoons lime juice about 1 large lime
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
1/2 cup full fat coconut milk from a can or coconut cream
1 teaspoon turmeric powder (optional)
1 tablespoon arrow root starch for paleo/whole 30 or corn starch mixed into 1 tablespoons water optional
Cooked rice to serve with enough for 4 servings.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Place the chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic cling wrap and pound them down to make them even in thickness. This will help the chicken cook evenly and make for more tender chicken. Sprinkle each side of the chicken with salt and pepper.
2. Melt the coconut oil in a large skillet over a medium high heat on the stove. Add the chicken breasts and cook each side for 5-7 minutes or until browned on each side. Remove the chicken from a skillet and set aside on a plate. The chicken doesn't need to be fully cooked yet because you'll be returning it to the heat shortly.
3. Add the chopped onion to the same skillet and sauté for a few minutes to soften. Add the chili pepper if you're using it. Sauté another couple of minutes. Add the chicken stock, lime juice, cilantro and chili flakes. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce down to a simmer. Let simmer for about 5 minutes to let reduce down. Add the coconut milk and the turmeric and bring to simmer again for another 5 minutes. Add the starch and water at this time if you're using it. You may need to raise the heat slightly higher to bring this to a boil to activate the starch. Once the sauce thickens reduce it back down to a simmer.
4. Add the chicken back to the skillet, cover and let cook for another 5-10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked all the way through.

Serve with rice or cauliflower rice with the sauce spooned over the top.

Add an extra sprinkling of cilantro & chillies and enjoy!

From:

https://www.asaucykitchen.com/coconut-lime-chicken/

Paleo Chicken Vegetable Soup

This is the soup I made on 6/27/14.

Defrost for 10 minutes 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts in the microwave.

In a large cast iron pot on medium heat, add 2 tbsp of canola oil (you could use olive oil if you want). Heat through. Add 1 coarsely chopped yellow onion, 1 clove of garlic, crushed with the blade of a knife and then coarsely chopped, 1 chopped stalk to celery and 1 tsp of Kosher salt to the pot. Stir to combine and redistribute in order to sweat, not brown. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the onions are soft.

Add 3 teaspoons of Mazola chicken flavored bouillon and enough warm water to fill the pot 2/3rds full. Remove defrosted chicken from the microwave, cut into one inch pieces and add to the pot.

Add one head of green cabbage chopped in half through the root and then quartered and thirded. To the top, add 2 cups of fresh Green Giant vegetable medley (cauliflower, broccoli and baby carrots).

Cover with lid and cook for 15 minutes on medium, then 15 mins on simmer.

Why did I called this soup Paleo? It a meat and vegetable based soup that doesn't have any potatoes, rice or noodles in it.

Chicken Soup

2 boneless skinless chicken thigh legs, frozen
2 tbsp oil
1 cup finely diced onion
2 finely diced carrots
2 rib of celery, finely diced
4 tsp dried chicken broth (measure this carefully otherwise the sodium will overpower the soup)
warm water to full the pan half full
1 tbsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp garlic
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup cut fideo noodles

Defrost the chicken in the microwave for 8 minutes.

While that is happening, in a large sauce pan, heat oil. Add onion, carrot and celery. Cook for 2 minutes. Fill the pan half full of water. Chop chicken thigh meat and add to pan. Add seasonings to pan. Raise heat and bring to a boil. Add noodles and lower heat, simmer for 15 minutes. Serve hot.

#1 Chicken Salad

One boneless, skinless chicken breast grilled with lemon pepper seasoning, then diced
1/4 cup diced sweet Maui onion
1/2 diced Rome apple
1 rib of celery diced
2 teaspoons Thompson seedless raisins
1 teaspoon dill
pepper to taste
Enough mayonnaise to moisten the mixture, about 2 tablespoons

Because of the salt already in the lemon pepper seasoning used on the chicken, you don't need to add any more.

Cozymel's Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 cooked chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 cartons (32 ounces each) chicken broth
3 cups cooked white rice
1 large chopped tomato
1/2 cup diced brown onion
1 15 oz can corn kernels, drained
1 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp Morton's Nature's Seasoning
minced cilantro
crushed corn tortilla strips

Empty chicken broth into 4 quart saucepan. Heat on low. Add diced chicken.

In a grill pan, add canola oil and heat at medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and add to saucepan. Add drained can of corn into grill pan and saute until grill marks appear. Remove from heat and add to saucepan. Add chopped tomato, minced cilantro and three cups of cooked rice to saucepan. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Serve and garnish with crushed tortilla strips. May also be garnished with avocado wedge, shredded cheddar cheese, diced green onion, a wedge of lime or sour cream.

Serves 4-6.

Coconut Curry Chicken

1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp yellow curry powder
1 can 13.5 oz coconut milk
2 tsp Chinese 5 spice

1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips

In a medium sauce pan, heat one tbsp olive oil over medium heat, stir in the curry powder and cook one minute. Add the coconut milk and cook until reduced by half, about 7 minutes. Mix together salt, pepper and Chinese 5 spice on a plate and coat raw chicken strips. In a heavy skillet, heat 2 tbsp olive oil, cook chicken for about 6 minutes until done. Serve over cooked white rice.

Chicken and Squash Stir Fry

2 tbsp canola oil
1 boneless skinless chicken breast
Chinese 5 spice
Trader Joe's General Tsao Sauce
1 small Japanese eggplant, sliced thin
1 small yellow squash, sliced thin
1 small zucchini sliced thin
1/2 large maui onion sliced into 1/4 inch slices
peanuts for garnish

Heat canola oil in wok. Cut chicken into bite size pieces and coat with Chinese 5 spice. Add to wok and cook until done. Pour General Tsao sauce over chicken until coated. Add onions and and sliced squash. Cover with lid and let steam for 2 minutes. Remove lid and continue to stir fry until all vegetables are heated through and sauce is incorporated. Garnish with peanuts after serving. Yield: 4 servings. Serve with rice.

Chinese Style Chicken

1 lb chicken breasts filets, slivered
1 garlic clove, cruched
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 2/3 cup chicken broth
2 carrots, sliced diagonally
1 cup snow peas
1 can baby corn, drained
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 green onions sliced diagonally
1 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 cups dry Minute Rice

In large skillet over medium heat, saute chicken in oil until browned, about 5 minutes. Add cornstarch and stir until blended, Stir in broth and remaining ingredients except rice. Bring to a full boil. Stir in rice. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Makes 4 servings.

Easy Chicken Enchiladas

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tbsp oil
1 envelope taco seasoning
3 tbsp water
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 small can (4 oz) chopped ortega green chilies
12 corn tortillas
1 large can (28 oz) red enchilada sauce - traditional style
2 cups longhorn cheese, course grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Directions:

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet. Add onion and saute until translucent then remove from pan. Add chicken breasts and cook for 10 minutes on each side then add chopped green chilies, onion, taco seasoning and 3 tbsp water. Shred chicken with a knife and fork and cook for another 10 minutes while mixing occasionally

Heat one corn tortilla in a hot skillet or in the microwave wrapped in a wet paper towel for 10 seconds to make it pliable. Take one large spoon of shredded chicken mixture and put it in a line the middle of the tortilla and then roll the tortilla. Place the roll in a glass casserole dish with the loose side down. Do this 11 more times or until the chicken mixture is gone making one layer of rolls in the bottom of the casserole dish. Pour on top 1 can of red traditional enchilada sauce and then top 2 cups of course graded longhorn cheese.

Place casserole dish on bottom rack in oven and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve warm.

Chicken Jambalaya

2 pounds boneless chicken breast or a combination of boneless breasts and thighs
5 tbsp olive oil; divided use
1 pound smoked spicy sausage
2 onions, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 can 28 oz plum tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 tsp fried thyme
1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper to taste
1/2 to 1 tbsp salt to taste
1 to 3 tsp freshly ground black pepper to taste
5 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 cups long grain white rice
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

1. Cut chicken into 3/4 inch cubes. In a 6 quart Dutch oven over medium high heat, heat 2 tbsp oil and saute chicken until light brown (about 10 minutes); remove and set aside.

2. Cut sausage into large 2 1/2 inch pieces. In Dutch oven on medium heat saute sausage until lightly browned (about 10 minutes). Remove with slotted spoon and drain onto paper towels.

3. In remaining oil over medium heat, saute onions, celery, carrot, bell pepper, and garlic until golden brown (10 - 12 minutes). Stir in flour and cook until light brown (about 10 minutes). Stir in tomatoes. Season with thyme, add cayenne, salt and pepper to taste.

4. Add chicken broth; bring to a boil over medium high heat and add rice and chicken. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook covered until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender (about 20 minutes). Stir in reserved sausage and cook 15 minutes more; taste, adjust seasonings if necessary. Garnish with parsley. Serve hot.

Yield: 8 servings

Chicken Salad Piccata

1 1/2 pounds small red potatoes, quartered
1/2 pound green beans, halved crosswise
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped capers
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Grated peel and juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and pepper
1 large egg
1/4 cup flour
Two 6-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, lightly pounded
1/4 cup chicken broth

Directions:

1.In a large saucepan, add the potatoes and enough salted water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil and cook until almost tender, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a colander. Add the green beans to the boiling water and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Drain in the colander with the potatoes; let cool slightly.

2.In a large bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon capers, 3 tablespoons parsley, the lemon peel and half of the lemon juice. Add the potatoes and beans and toss; season with salt and pepper.

3.In a shallow bowl, beat the egg. In another shallow bowl, season the flour with salt and pepper. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Coat the chicken breasts with the seasoned flour, then dip in the egg, allowing any excess to drip off, and coat with the flour again, shaking off the excess. Add to the skillet and cook, turning once, until golden, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into strips.

4.Add the chicken broth to the skillet; cook over medium heat, scraping up any browned bits. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon capers, 1 tablespoon parsley and lemon juice. Top the salad with the chicken and drizzle with the pan sauce.

Yield: 4 servings.

From: Rachael Ray Every Day Magazine