Tag Archive | Chicken

Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Nov11

platedsoupChicken Tortilla Soup is about as good is it gets on a cold winter night. It’s creamy, spicy, zingy, and cheesy, with every spoonful. In my opinion, The Cheesecake Factory makes the absolute best Chicken Tortilla Soup so they were my inspiration for this homemade version and I think this recipe hits the nail on the head. What’s more, it’s a perfect recipe for your crock pot or slow cooker. There are a ton of chopped veggies in this recipe so I strongly recommend busting out your food processor.

Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Soup
Serves 8

  • 1 1/2 pounds skinless chicken thighs (The flavor of bone-in meat is always so much better but if you prefer boneless then go with 1 pound)
  • 3 ribs of celery, finely diced
  • 2 large carrots, finely diced
  • 1 medium onion, finely diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chilis
  • 1 (10-ounce) package frozen or canned corn
  • 1 fresh poblano pepper, seeded and minced
  • 1 fresh jalapeño, seeded and minced
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 lime, zested and juiced
  • 1 (10.5 ounce) can chicken broth
  • 1 pint fat-free half and half (If you really want the real thing, go for it, but fat-free tastes just as good in this recipe and that means you can go back for seconds!)
  • 12 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (Plus extra for garnish!)
  • 6 corn tortillas, cut into strips
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions: 

1. Lay the chicken thighs on the bottom of the crock pot. Layer celery, carrots, onion, garlic, tomatoes, corn, peppers, spices and seasonings on top.

veggies

Pour chicken broth, lemon juice, and zest on top and stir well.

mixed raw veggies

2. Cook for 6-8 hours on LOW or 3-4 hours on HIGH. About 30 minutes prior to serving, switch the crock pot to warm and remove chicken and set aside to cool so you can shred it.

chickencooked

Add the half and half and cheese to the crock pot and stir.

soupwithcream

3. Heat a large skillet to medium high and add the vegetable oil. Add the tortilla strips and fry until nice and crispy. Remove from oil onto a plate lined with paper towels. Set aside.

slicedtortillas
sautetortillas
crispytortilla

 

4. Remove chicken from the bones and shred. Add back to the pot and stir.

5. Ladle up bowls of soup and garnish cheese and tortilla strips. I also like to add more chopped cilantro, sour cream, or avocado to my bowl. When serving for a group, I’ll fill up bowls with all of these ingredients and let people customize their soup. Lots of fun and so good! Enjoy!

platedsoup

Coconut Chicken Curry

Sep1

Plated curry.I love Indian cuisine with it’s complexities of flavors and perfect harmony of ingredients. That’s why I was ecstatic when a friend gave me this amazing recipe a few years back, which I consider a phenomenal chicken curry which hits all of the right notes. It also happens to be ridiculously simple and quick recipe to whip up so I frequently make it for busy weekday dinners. This is also a versatile dish so I like to mix it up sometimes by adding in veggies like carrots, potatoes, eggplant, peas, etc.

Coconut Chicken Curry
Makes 6 servings

  • 3 Tablespoons butter
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne pepper
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon curry
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 (12.5 ounce) can coconut milk *You can use light coconut milk but I don’t recommend unsweetened coconut milk
  • 2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into small bite-size pieces *I think the thighs have better flavor but you can certainly use breasts if you prefer.
  • 1 (14 ounce) can of diced tomatoes, drained
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped *I love cilantro so usually add more but you can adjust the amount to suit your taste.
  • Cooked basmati or jasmine rice to serve with the coconut chicken curry

Directions:

1. In a large skillet or medium soup pot, over medium heat, melt the butter and sauté garlic.

sautéd garlic

Add the spices and salt and sauté for a few minutes, stirring constantly.

sautéd spices

Add the sugar and onions and sauté for several minutes.

2. Add the coconut milk and chicken and bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium.

Raw chicken in pot

Simmer until chicken is cooked all the way through, approximately 10-15 minutes.

Chicken cooked

3. Once chicken is cooked all the way through, add the tomatoes and chopped cilantro.

Added tomatoes and cilantro

Serve in bowls over rice and enjoy.

Plated curry.

 

30-Minute Chicken Alfredo

Jul5

Chicken AlfredoThis Chicken Alfredo takes the traditional recipe but swaps out the heavy cream with cream cheese, which makes it much easier to prepare at home but, in my opinion, also makes for a richer and creamier sauce. With just a few ingredients needed, this is a great recipe to plan for a weekday meal or last-minute craving. Bonus: It takes less than 30 minutes! 

Easy Chicken Alfredo
Makes 4 Servings

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 2 cups milk
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup Parmesan cheese
  • Ground black pepper to taste
  • 1/2 pound of fettuccini, linguine, or spaghetti cooked to al dente (prepare while cooking your sauce)
  • *Fresh basil or parsley (Optional for garnishing)

Directions: 

1. In a pan on medium-high heat, sauté chicken in olive oil until no longer pink. Set aside.
Cooking Chicken

2. Using the same pan, melt butter on medium heat. Add the cream cheese and whisk together. Don’t worry if it looks lumpy or watery.

Cream Cheese & Butter

3. Add the milk and garlic and whisk well, making sure there aren’t any lumps for 2-3 minutes.

Cream Cheese added

4. Whisk in Parmesan cheese and black pepper. Sauce will thicken quickly so once you reach desired thickness (just a few minutes), remove from heat.

Thickened sauce

5. Add chicken and stir to combine. I also add in fresh basil as well for a little color but that’s optional.

Chicken & Sauce

6. Toss chicken Alfredo sauce with cooked al dente pasta, garnish with optional parsley or basil and serve.

Chicken Alfredo

See Also:
Easy Chicken Parmesan
Pizzeria Garlic Knots

Easy Chicken Parmesan

Jul1

I must have some Italian ancestry somewhere because I have a serious love for Italian food. Seriously…I buy garlic in bulk and I usually cook for two. 🙂

Italian Food Addiction: Exhibit A

Italian Food Addiction: Exhibit A

That being said, as much as I love Italian food it can take time and isn’t always realistic after a long day. That’s why I love shortcut recipes that still pack a lot of Italian punch, such as this Easy Chicken Parmesan. It has all the flavors of of a traditional Chicken Parmesan without all the fuss. You also only need one skillet for the dish and one pot for boiling your pasta. Being able to get such a hearty and tasty dinner on the table in 30 minutes makes this my go-to Italian meal for busy weekdays. Facile e Delizioso!

Picture of Skillet Chicken Parmesan

Skillet Chicken Parmesan
Serves 4

Ingredients: 

  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 cup Panco breadcrumbs
  • 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (the powdered kind works great!)
  • 1 pound of boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenderloin strips
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 large jar (26-28 ounces) of your favorite pasta sauce
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 pound of spaghetti or substitute for your favorite pasta, cooked al dente
  • 1 cup mozzarella, shredded

Directions: 

1. In a shallow dish or bowl (large enough to dunk the raw chicken into), beat the egg and set aside. In another shallow dish or bowl, combine the Italian seasoning, breadcrumbs, and Parmesan cheese, and set aside.

Helpful Hint: Any time I batter and fry, I set up a little workstation from left to right, with the hot pan as the last station on the right. I also use my left hand for handling the wet ingredients—picking up the chicken, dunking the chicken in the egg, etc.—and my right hand for handling the dry—scooping breadcrumbs over the eggy chicken, and finally picking up the breaded now-dry chicken and placing in the pan. This keeps mess to a minimum and ensures you have one gooey-free hand instead of two.

Raw chicken, egg, and breadcrumbs frying station

2. Heat your skillet to medium-high heat and add olive oil. If you’re working in batches due to the size of your pan, divvy up the olive oil accordingly. Dredge the chicken into the egg and coat generously in the breadcrumbs and cook for 2-3 minutes per side or until no longer pink in the middle. Cooking time may vary depending on the thickness of the breasts so be sure to test. Remove cooked chicken from pan and place on a plate lined with paper towels.

Frying Chicken

3. Using the same skillet you used for the chicken, sauté onion in the hot pan for several minutes. Add garlic and sauté an additional minute or so.

Garlic & Onions sauteing

Reduce heat to low and add jar of pasta sauce and stir.

Note: Have some mushrooms or peppers sitting around and needing a good home? Feel free to throw them into the skillet when sautéing your onions. This is a very versatile dish and great for using up leftover veggies!

4. Place cooked chicken on top of the sauce and sprinkle with Mozzarella cheese. Cover pan to let cheese melt (2-3 minutes).

Melted Cheese over Chicken

Serve sauce and chicken over your favorite pasta and dig in! You might also like to try with my awesome Pizzeria Garlic Knots!

Picture of Skillet Chicken Parmesan

This recipe is so good that it instantly turns on full throttle pug manipulation.

Picture of Buddy begging for Chicken Parmesan

Buddy prays I made enough Chicken Parmesan for him.

See Also: Pizzeria Garlic Knots

 

My Infomercial Addiction

May1

Let it be known…I have a serious infomercial addiction. But it’s really not that bad (spoken like a true addict)! I enjoy watching the infomercials but rarely do I actually buy the product advertised. Until now! First a little back story…Since I was little, my all-time favorite infomercial was for the Ronco rotisserie. You know the one; SET IT AND FORGET IT! As a little girl, I dreamed of all the amazing things I could make in that silly rotisserie. Well, needless to say I never bought it (I was maybe 11 at the time) and pretty much forgot all about those days of lusting after rotisserie chicken and screaming along with the audience as Ron turned the dial.

After a recent trip to Guatemala to visit my boyfriend’s family, his Dad made us the most amazing pork loin I’ve ever had in his Ronco rotisserie that’s he’s had for maybe 15 years. It was absolutely amazing and took me back to the days of SET IT AND FORGET IT!

So we get back from our trip and for the past few months I’ve been talking about that stupid pork loin and all the other great things that we could make in one of these machines. My poor boyfriend has probably started to go batty from listening to me prattle on about it. Since it’s $130 it wasn’t an easy decision since the last thing I wanted was to buy the machine and have it die the oh to frequent infomercial death we all hear about and occasionally participate in. Alas, my birthday rolled around and I scored some serious Amazon gift card moolah and bought one for my very own! UPS just delivered it so I’m ready to get started! Here’s the white one I bought: 

It was a toss-up between white and stainless steel:But I think the white goes best with my kitchen. I promise you this; I shall prevail and come out on the other side pudgier but happy that I’ve used the crap out of my Ronco.