Apricot Chicken

As a parent I am always trying to get my kids to try new things, but sometimes they have it stuck in their head that they aren't going to like something just because of what's in it.  

So, sometimes I have to just let my kids eat dinner without telling them what's in it.  You know, it could be the most amazing thing in the world and taste so delicious, but if it has one single ingredient that they don't like, or they think sounds gross they won't eat it.  This was one of those meals.  I knew they would love it if they tasted it so when they asked what it was I just said chicken.

They ate every bite and went back for seconds.  I never did tell them what was in it.

Apricot Chicken
4-6 chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 pkg Lipton onion soup mix
1 small bottle apricot preserves
1 small bottle (8 oz) Russian dressing

Mix soup, apricot and dressing, pour over chicken pieces.  Bake in a dish at 350 for 1 hour.  Serve over rice.

I got this recipe from my neighbor a while ago and finally gave it a try.  We loved it.  I will definitely make it again.

Chicken Stir Fry

I love me a good stir fry! And the best thing about them is that you can throw in whatever you want!  Most of the time I just put in whatever veggies I have on hand and it always comes out delicious!

Chicken Stir Fry

3-4 T. coconut oil (or canola)
1/3 c. cornstarch
2 chicken breasts, trim fat and cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 onion chopped
2 carrots, sliced thinly
1 zucchini cut up into 1 inch pieces
1 red and green bell pepper cut into thin slices
8oz lo mein noodles, or stir fry noodles
1 tsp. sesame seed oil

Sauce
1/2 tsp. fresh grated ginger
2 garlic cloves minced
4 T. soy sauce
1 T. sriracha
2 T. brown sugar

Cook noodles according to package.
Dredge chicken in corn starch.  Heat oil in a sauce pan and add chicken until brown.  then set aside.  
Mix ingredients for sauce and set aside.
Cook the veggies on high heat, add oil as needed,  until the veggies are softened. 
Add the chicken and noodles to the veggies mix.
Add sauce and stir, cook until warmed through and sauce thickens .
Take off heat and add 1 tsp. sesame seed oil, stir through and enjoy!!

Crockpot Chicken Gravy

two nights a week we have either dance or tumbling and dont get home until dinner time.  I struggle to cook on these nights and usually end up grabbing a pizza one night.  So on the other night I really try and have something that wont take to much work when we get home.  This recipe is perfect!  the gravy is already made and all you need to do is figure out if you want mashed potatoes with it or rice(I usually go with rice and put it in my rice cooker before we leave),  and a veggie.

Crockpot Chicken Gravy

3-4 chicken breasts
1 package chicken gravy powder
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 can of water
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
s&p to taste

put everything in your crockpot, cook on low 6-8 hours, or high for 3-4.  shred the chicken and put back in the gravy mix.  serve over rice or mashed potatoes.

Chicken Taco Soup

Every two weeks I get out all of my cookbooks and make a menu for my family.  Then I make a list of the groceries I need in order to complete each meal, then I shop.  This way I only have to go to the store twice a month or so.  I have found that this method works best for my family.  It helps me keep my grocery bill low and I find that most veggies will stay good in my fridge for this length of time.  Anything that I think will go bad more quickly, like lettuce (It starts to turn brown in my fridge after about a week) we use up first.  Then the next week we use meals with frozen or canned veggies. 

This recipe is one that I adapted from an old recipe I found in my recipe box.  It's one that I use during my second week of meals, because it's mostly canned or frozen items.  Plus it's perfect for this rainy January that we've had here. 

Chicken Taco Soup
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 c chopped onion
2 tsp minced garlic
2 TBSP chili powder
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp salt
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
3 c water
3 chicken bullion cubes
1 can (drained) corn
1(4 ounce) can chopped mild green chilies
1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans (drained)
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
2 TBSP chopped cilantro, fresh is best
Tortilla Chips

Heat oil in a large soup pan over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic, saute until tender, about 4 minutes.  Add seasonings, tomato, water,  corn, chilies, beans, and chicken.  Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. 

Stir in cilantro.  Then serve warm with tortilla chips.

This soup can also be made in a slow cooker.  Cook on low for 4-6 hours. 

Crock-pot Rotisserie Chicken

Sometimes when I'm in a hurry I like to stop at my local grocery store and grab one of the pre-cooked rotisserie chickens.  We eat a little bit and then I pull the rest of the chicken off the bones and freeze it for another meal.  It works great and we love it.  But every time I get one the chicken is a little smaller and the cost is a little higher.

The last time it happened, the chicken cost $9 and was barely enough for one meal.  When I looked at the size of the chicken, it was only about 4 lbs. (so $2.25 a lb) Seriously, there has got to be a better way, right?

I started shopping around for chicken and found that if i bought it uncooked, I could get it for less than $1 a lb.  I adore my crock-pot and I use it about 3 times a week.  So I thought for sure I could make my own.  I bought a 7 lb chicken for around $6.00. 

Then I searched online and found several different variations and ideas on how to cook the chicken.  There are tons of ideas out there, but here is how I made mine.

Crock-pot Rotisserie Chicken
1 uncooked chicken (mine was 7 lbs)
1/2 onion (optional)
Mrs Dash - Original Blend Seasoning

Thaw out your chicken.  Then remove the stuff that is tucked inside (heart, gizzards, etc).  Rinse out and pat dry with a paper towel.  Cut your onion into large pieces and tuck inside the chicken.  Then rub the entire outside of the chicken with Mrs. Dash seasoning and place it in the crock-pot.  Cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 6-7, until the chicken is cooked thoroughly and reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

At this point you can eat the chicken.  But, if you want that beautiful golden skin, just scoop the chicken out of the crock-pot, put it on a cookie sheet and pop it in the oven on broil for about 5 minutes.  That's it.  Beautiful rotisserie chicken.  Plus it tastes every bit as good as the store bought and is half the cost.

As a side note, several recipes I found said to roll up balls of tin foil or potatoes and place in the bottom of your crock-pot then cook your chicken on top of that.  This is to help the chicken from cooking in its juices and falling off the bone.  But, I love really moist chicken and I don't mind if it's falling off the bone, so whatever you like the best.

Easy Freezer Meals

This month in our town it has been all about emergency preparedness.  With so much going on in the world, and disasters happening all over the place, even very close to home, we have been feeling a sense of urgency to work on our food storage. 

We were also counseled a couple of weeks ago to live within our means.  For me this meant that I needed to work on my budget.  The place we spend the most money is our food and unfortunately, even though I cook a lot, most of it takes place on the weekend.  During the week we are so guilty of eating out.  We eat out A-LOT!!!!  I mean a ridiculous amount.  So my sisters and I decided we would use recipes we already have, things we know our families love, and spend an afternoon making freezer meals. 

They are just nice to have on hand for all sorts of things.  Meals on the fly for when we are in a rush, or sick, or just don't feel like cooking. 

We chose 5 of our favorite dinners, 2 kinds of cookies, and 2 breakfast items.  We went shopping and kept the receipts because we wanted to be as accurate and we can be for those of your wanting to try it.

We also opted for the throw away pans, press n seal, heavy duty tin foil, and gallon size zip lock freezer bags for storage.

Before all the madness began, we stacked all of our groceries on the table.  We looked over our recipes and decided that one of us would start cooking our meats on the stove, while the other mixed her batch of cookies.   We had our sister Mary, and my daughters there helping us assemble things as we went along.

 Mary and Paige cooked the french toast sticks, while MaKady scooped the chocolate chip cookies onto the cookie sheets to be frozen. 

Meanwhile Tabitha put together the Shepherds Pie.

 After my batch of cookies I got my chicken enchiladas put together.

 We covered our pans with press n seal, then covered that with tin foil to help avoid freezer burn.

 We both shared the table so I could put together the lasagna and Tabitha scooped the chili into gallon size freezer bags.  We used freezer bags for things that don't need to bake in the oven in it's own container, like chili that will cook in a crock pot or on the stove, and Samoan chicken, which will get cooked on the grill.

 Next Tabitha made sugar cookies while I put together some breakfast burritos.

Here is what we made:

Shepherd's Pie - 3x this recipe (makes 48 servings)
Lasagna -2x this recipe (makes 38 servings)
Samoan Chicken - (makes 20 servings)
Chicken Enchiladas - 2x this recipe (makes 36 servings)
Chili - 3x this recipe (makes 60 servings)
Chocolate Chip Cookies (makes 6 dz, about 36 servings)
Sugar Cookies - 2x this recipe (makes 6 dz, 36 servings)
Breakfast Burritos - no recipe on this.  We scrambled 18 eggs, cooked 1 lb sausage, 1 lb bacon, 1 bag of cubed potatoes (in the freezer isle) and 30 flour tortillas.  Cook everything, mix together, then spoon into tortillas.  Roll and place in bags to freeze.  (makes 30 burritos, 30 servings)
French Toast Sticks - 2 loafs of bread, 18 eggs, a little bit of milk and cinnamon.  Cut each slice of bread into 3, dip in egg batter, then fry.  (Makes 8 dz, 24 servings)

In total, we have 328 servings of food.  Our groceries cost $150 for everything, with the exception of a few spices and flour that we already had on hand).

Each serving cost $0.46.  You guys!!!!  Seriously.  Compare that to what you would spend getting a pizza, which is about $1.00 per serving, or eating at McDonald's which is about $5.00 per serving.  You can see that a little bit of time is so worth it.

It took us 4 hours to get all this food done, and there were 4 of us working together.  Just a couple of notes:

1.  Plan ahead.
2.  Select meals that you know your family will eat.  It doesn't do anyone any good picking meals if your family won't eat them.
3.  Label your meals.  Write what it is, cooking instructions, and the date it was made.  
4.  Many hands make light work.

Now our freezers are full and we don't have to worry about spending money eating out.  Woohoo!!!

Chicken Broccoli Curry

This recipe is an old family favorite, again it is one my Mom has made for years and years!  I have no idea how it is not already on this blog, but lucky for all of you I made it and am posting it now.  This is the dinner I chose EVERY SINGLE YEAR on my birthday, all the way till I graduated High School and moved away from home,  yes it really is THAT good!!

Chicken Broccoli Curry

2-3 chicken breasts
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 tsp. curry powder
2 T. miracle whip
1 T. lemon juice
2 T. dry onion
2 c. sour cream
Broccoli pieces

Cut chicken breasts into 1 inch pieces and fry in olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt.  In a separate bowl, combine cream of chicken soup, curry, miracle whip, lemon juice, onions, and sour cream.  Layer chicken and broccoli pieces in a greased casserole dish, cover with sauce.  Bake at 350* for 30 minutes.  (Good with buttered bread crumbs baked on top)---- Serve over rice!

Samoan Chicken

My mom and I talked one day, a few months ago, about our usual subjects and recipes came up.  I gave her my hummus recipe and I told her how sick I was of cooking the same things, or new recipes that just weren't very good.  She started naming old tried and true recipes to see if I'd cooked them in a while.  Nothing sounded good... then she said Samoan Chicken.  I had no idea what she was even talking about because this is not a recipe I grew up with.  She got it only a few years ago from my sister Katie's friend, Amy's- Husband, who is in fact Samoan...  So you know this has to be good!  So I made it, and loved it!   And the next day we warmed it up and threw it on our salads and loved it even more!!!  My husband regularly asks me to marinade it so he can cook it on the grill.  This chicken is so good the next day, it's almost worth it to cook it, and wait 24 hours just to reheat and eat again.  So when you make this make extra  so you can have a round 2 recipe for a few days later in the week!


Samoan Chicken

1 small bottle of soy sauce
1/2 bag of brown sugar
1 1/2 piece of ginger peeled and chopped fine
             (or get it in a squeeze tube like me and use 1 1/2 T.)
2 cloves garlic chopped fine (or 1 tsp minced from jar)
3-4 lbs chicken thighs (or we do breasts a lot)

Mix together the soy sauce and brown sugar until mostly dissolved.  Then add ginger and garlic, and mix.  At this point you can either 
1-add the chicken and the marinade into freezer bags and pop them right into the freezer (thaw in the fridge 24 hours before grilling)..... 
2- or you can leave the marinade in your fridge over night like my mom does to let the flavors marinade add the chicken and let marinade the next day for 2 hours.
3- be like me and instead of the thighs which although is really good, I add breasts instead because that's what I usually have on hand and let the chicken thaw in the marinade most of the day.

Then when it's all ready,  throw it on the grill add marinade on top a few time to add more criminalization while grilling.  Grill until no longer pink in the middle.

This chicken is so versatile there is a few ways we eat it---

1- with the thighs we serve it with potatoes and gravy and a veggie
2-with breasts we serve it with rice-a-roni and a fruit salad
3- you could do kabobs and put it on sticks with veggies before grilling
4- the next day for lunch we usually warm up the chicken and serve it over a cold, crisp salad with ranch dressing (as seen in picture)
5- on big rolls as a sandwich

This is seriously the best chicken marinade and so good with so many things... play around with different sides and leave us a comment with what you come up with!  

Chicken, Bacon & Avocado Quesadilla

When I grocery shop, it is usually a 2 week list.  It's a big chunk of change for our family of 5 so I need to make it all stretch and last as long as possible.  When my 2 weeks worth of Dinners are made and gone I try and dig through my pantry and freezer and try to make as many meals as I possibly can before it is absolutely necessary to go back and do a big shopping trip yet again.  (This may sound vaguely familiar to some of you)..... Well this recipe is one that I threw together on one such night and it was delicious.

Chicken, Bacon, Avocado Quesadilla

8-10 tortillas

cooked, shredded chicken (about 4 chicken breasts)

taco seasoning packet

6 pieces bacon

shredded cheese (I used some mozzarella and cheddar I had on hand)

2 avocados, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

Fry the bacon, cut into smallish pieces and set aside.  While cooking your bacon you can also be cooking and shredding your chicken breast. Put the chicken into a pan and follow the instructions on the taco seasoning package.  set aside.

To make the Quesadillas-  Place one tortilla on a tortilla pan, (or any pan would do) on Med heat.  Layer some cheese, shredded chicken, bacon, avocado, a little more cheese and another tortilla on top.  When the cheese starts to melt and the tortilla starts to get a little crispy flip over. (you may need to use 2 spatulas)  and let the other side get crispy. Cut into 6-8 pizza type slices, and repeat with the remaining ingredients until you have 4-5 big quesadillas...then enjoy!

The best thing about this recipe is that you can add as much or as little of something as you would like.  If a kid doesn't like bacon, don't put it in theirs...but if you love bacon, load up!  My family liked dipping these into ranch and hot sauce.

Ritz Cracker Chicken

Ritz Cracker Chicken
3 Chicken Breasts (thawed & cut into strips)
1/2 c Melted Butter
1 package Ritz Crackers
Salt

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease cookies sheet and set aside for the chicken. 

Put your crackers in a gallon size zip lock bag and crush to piecies (I usually use my rolling pin and roll it on the counter, this prevents any holes from being punctured through the bag).  Melt butter in a small microwaveable dish.    Cut chicken into strips.

Next take a chicken strip, dip it in the butter, then put it in the bag with the crushed crackers and shake it around till coated.  Place coated chicken on cookie sheet.  Continue this process till all chicken is coated and placed on pan.  Sprinkle the pieces of chicken with a little salt.  Bake for 15 minutes, then turn them over and bake another 15 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in the middle and the crackers are nice and golden.

So the other night during dinner, I realized that I have made this recipe a thousand times and never posted it on the blog.  Big oops on my part.  It's an old family favorite.  My mom has made it for as long as I can remember.  When I called my sister to tell her that we had never put it on here she laughed and said that they had just had it for dinner as well. 

Baked Buffalo Chicken Bites

Super bowl is coming up and while I'm not a crazed sports fan, I am a huge 'any reason to make lots of snack food' Fan...  I love hot wings!  Not so much the sticky fingers and bones laying around though so my husband and I spent a night trying to come up with the best way to make bite sized buffalo flavored chicken.  We tried deep frying and stir frying but the best taste and crunch was these puppies!  Plus they are healthier than the alternative because they are baked.  Whoop Whoop!!

Baked Buffalo Chicken Bites

2 chicken breasts (thawed and cut up into one inch chunks) 
5 T. Franks Buffalo style hot sauce
1 cup. panko bread crumbs
ranch or blue cheese for dipping.

Preheat your oven to 350 * and spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.  Place chunks of chicken and hot sauce in a ziplock bag and let marinade for 30 mins - an hour.
Put the panko bread crumbs in a dish and dump the whole bag of chicken into it as well.  Stir the chicken until all of the pieces are covered in the bread crumbs and place each piece onto the cookie sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes, turn pieces over and bake for 5-10 minutes more until your thickest piece is cooked through.  Use a toothpick and dunk in what ever sauce you desire.!! Easy and fast! 

Bacon Ranch Chicken Salad

Bacon Ranch Chicken Salad

1/2 lb bacon
2 C  rotisserie chicken
1 C (cooked) bow tie pasta (or spiral)
Lettuce (about 2 cups)
Cherry Tomatoes (about 1/4 cup)
Ranch


Cut bacon into pieces and fry till crispy.  Set aside on paper towel to drain the grease and let cool completely.  Remove chicken from bones and cut into bite side pieces.  Rinse lettuce and tomatoes.  Break lettuce up into smaller pieces.  Put bacon, chicken, pasta, lettuce, and tomatoes in a large bowl.  Pour enough ranch over it to just coat the salad, you don't want to add to much. 

There isn't an exact science to this recipe.  I added as much lettuce and tomatoes as we like, but you can add less or more depending on your family.  You could also add onions, or whatever else you like.  It's a pretty versatile recipe and can be adapted in many ways.  We loved it because its a simple summer time meal.

Honey Lime Grilled Chicken & Mango Salsa

Honey Lime Grilled Chicken

Marinade:
2 TBSP Honey
2 TBSP Lime Juice
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/3 c water

Place chicken in a shallow dish (you can use any chicken pieces, I used chicken breasts cut in half).  Pour marinade over chicken.  Cover with plastic wrap and store in fridge for at least an hour.  Then cook chicken on grill till chicken is no longer pink inside.

Mango Salsa

1 peeled mango, seeded and diced (about 2 cups)
1/4 c diced white onion
1/4 c diced red bell pepper
1 tsp fresh cilantro, minced
1 tsp lime juice
pinch of salt

I love when the weather heats up and I can get out of my stuffy kitchen and outdoors.  My family loves fresh fruit, veggies and grilled food in the summer.  This was something new for us.  (I'm trying to incorporate more fruit into our diet).  At first my husband wasn't sure he even wanted to try it, but I asked everyone to eat 1 bite.  It turns out they loved it.  (We served our chicken over rice, but you could have it without)  You could also use this fresh mango salsa on fish tacos or even eat it by itself with a few corn chips. 

Oven Baked BBQ Chicken

Oven Baked BBQ Chicken

12 Drum Sticks, thawed
Favorite BBQ sauce or marinade

Place drum sticks in a shallow dish and put bbq sauce or marinade over the top for atleast 1 hour prior to baking, up to 24 hours in advance.  Refrigerate while marinating.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray and place marinated drum sticks in a single layer on pan.  Bake for 30 minutes, then turn drum sticks, brush with extra bbq sauce and bake for 30 more minutes.  Tada...all done. 

I had family over for a couple weekends ago and it was just a little bit to cold to bbq outside, so I baked my chicken in the oven.  I had many comments like "this is how your bbq chicken" and "oh this chicken is so good."  It was awesome, the chicken tasted great, and there were no leftovers.  I doubled the batch for my family.

Copy Cat Pasta Factory Chicken caesar salad

A Few months ago I went to a friends baby shower.  They had an amazing spread of food but my favorite was the salad that they had catered from pasta factory.  I've been craving it lately but with the new baby, going out a lot is not an option so I just tried to remember as much as I could. It turned out pretty amazing and it fed my hubby, his brother, me, 2 kids, 2nds for some and leftovers for 1 the next day.  Plus we were all full and it was yummy!  I worry about doing salads for dinner because they never seem that filling but the boys all said they were stuffed and they wanted it again sometime.   Sounds like a keeper recipe to me!

Chicken Caesar Salad

2 bunches romaine lettus (washed and cut up)
2 cups bow tie pasta (cooked and cooled with cold water)
2 chicken breasts (cut up and cooked with S & P)
Texas toast croutons
creamy caesar dressing
freshly grated parmesan cheese

I tossed everything together in a big bowl adding a little of the dressing at a time so it would coat everything but not overwhelm the salad.  You can use as much or as little of any of the ingredients to make it taste how you like it!!

*I served garlic bread sticks on the side .

Easy Chicken Corn Chowder

It's been a really cold winter here.  That being said, we have eaten a lot of soup.  This past week I wanted to try something new using ingredients we already had on hand.  This is what I came up with.  Enjoy!!

Chicken Corn Chowder

1 can (10oz) of chunk chicken

1 can (15.25 oz) whole kernel sweet corn

1/2 onion, chopped

3 medium potatoes, peeled & cubed

4 c water

4 chicken bouillon cubes

3 TBSP corn starch & 1/2 c cold water, mix together, set aside

1 c heavy whipping cream

Put chicken, corn, onion, potatoes, water and bouillon in a pot on high heat, bring to a boil.  Turn to medium/low heat, simmer covered for about 8 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.  Turn heat back up and bring soup to boiling.  Then add the cornstarch/water mixture.  This is to thicken it up.  Boil for 1-2 minutes.  Then add whipping cream.  Salt & Pepper to taste.  Top with cheese (optional)

Italian Basil Chicken

I have been on a -eat whats in the pantry mode- since we got home from our new years trip up north.  Mainly because I don't want to go shopping and now that we've caught the colds that everyone else has been passing around I want to go shopping even less.  This is something I came up with the other night when plain old chicken and rice just wasn't going to cut it.  My husband really liked it (had seconds and took some for lunch the next day)  and even suggested garlic bread which went perfect with it's Italian flavor.  It's also gluten free so when my nephew was over the other day for lunch he just loved it and had 2 servings!  It definitely did not go to waste like so many of my other left overs do.  Enjoy!

Italian Basil Chicken

Olive Oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 servings of rice ( great value brand long cook rice--1 c water to 1/2 c rice)
15 oz can pinto beans (washed and drained)
8 oz can tomato sauce
4oz water
S&P
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. basil


-In one pot cook the rice as directed.  I use 20 minute rice but you could probably use instant if you prefer.  While the rice is cooking defrost and slice the chicken into pieces, taking off any fat.  In a big pan on med/high heat cook the chicken in olive oil and add a little salt and pepper, cook just until the outsides begin to turn white but the inside is still a little pink.  Rinse and drain beans and add into the pan with the chicken.  Also add the can of tomato sauce and a half can of water (4 oz).  Add all seasonings, you can add more or less to taste.  Stir and turn heat down to medium/low.  Add in the rice and put the lid on.  Every couple of minutes stir the food and check the chicken.  When the chicken is all the way cooked turn off burner and enjoy!

Turkey, Chicken, Bacon Wrap

Turkey, Chicken, Bacon Wrap
8 slices turkey (we use sliced turkey lunch meat)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (flattened)
8 slices bacon

Put chicken in a plastic bag and pound it flat, then cut in half so you have a thin piece of chicken.  Take a slice of turkey, wrap the chicken around it, then wrap a slice of bacon around that.  Place it on a cookie sheet, seam side down.  Bake for 20 minutes on 375, then another 15-20 minutes at 400 till the chicken is cooked and your bacon is crispy.  Serve with your favorite side dish.

This is one of those meals that my kids love.  Everything is better with bacon right?!!  It's easy and delicious and it goes great with just about anything, rice, potatoes, salad, etc.

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

2 lg. chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1/3 c honey
1/4 c lime juice
2 tsp to 1 T chili powder
2 gloves garlic, minced
12 corn tortillas
2 c shredded cheese
1 (14 oz) can green enchilada sauce
1/2 c heavy whipping cream
1 T. chopped cilantro, to garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place chicken in a medium size bowl.  Set aside.  In a small bowl mix honey, lime juice, chili powder and garlic.  Pour over chicken and cover with plastic wrap.  Allow to marinate while preparing tortillas, or for up to an hour in the refrigerator.  Heat tortillas in a small amount of oil until flexible and allow to drain between paper towels.  Spray 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray.  Combine enchilada sauce with whipping cream.  Spread about 1/2 cup mixture in bottom of dish.  Put about 3 tablespoons of chicken mixture on each tortilla and about 1 tablespoon of cheese.  Then roll up and place in pan seam side down, making 2 rows of 6 enchiladas.  Add any remaining chicken to remaining sauce and pour over top.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Bake 30 to 35 minutes.  Serve with sour cream, black beans and rice.  Garnish with cilantro if desired.

Found this recipe in a cookbook my mother in law gave me.  I was looking for a different twist on the standard chicken enchiladas and came across this recipe.  It was so good.  Very filling.  The kids thought it was a little spicy (I used 1 T chili powder), so if you don't like the heat just use a little bit less chili powder.

Deep Dish Chicken Pot Pie

Deep Dish Chicken Pot Pie

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1/3 c zesty Italian Dressing
1/2 cube Cream Cheese
2 TBSP flour
1/2 c chicken broth
1 small package frozen mixed veggies (I used the corn, peas, carrots, and green beans)
1 ready-to-use refrigerated pie crust

Preheat oven to 375.  Cook chicken in dressing in a large skillet on medium heat for 2 minutes.  Add cream cheese, cooking until melted, stir in flour until well blended.  Then add broth and vegetables.  Stir.  Simmer 5 minutes.

Pour into 10 inch deep dish pie plate.  Cover with pie crust.  Seal and flute edge.  Cut slits in crust to allow steam to escape.

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

I've been looking around for an easy version of chicken pot pie and I happened to stubble across this one (originally posted on kraftrecipes.com).  It was quick and easy, just perfect for a mid-week dinner.