Arroz con Pollo (Rice with Chicken)

 

INGREDIENTS:

*  8-10 skinless pieces of chicken (I like to use chicken thighs)

*  "Goya" brand, Adobo all purpose seasoning with pepper (or your favorite chicken seasoning).  You can find this seasoning in the Latin aisle of your grocery store.

*  2 tbsp olive oil

*  1 large green (bell) pepper, finely chopped

*  1 red pepper, finely chopped

*  1 medium onion, finely chopped

*  1 tsp minced garlic

*  3 cups of rice 

*  2 small envelopes of "Sazon Goya con Azafran"

*  1 tsp chicken bouillon

*  6 and 1/2 cups cups water

*  1 cup frozen peas

*  salt to taste

Pour the olive oil in a large pan/skillet and brown the seasoned chicken (using Adobo all purpose seasoning with pepper) for about 5 minutes on each side.  I usually cook about 5 pieces at a time.  When ready, pull those chicken pieces out and continue with the rest of the chicken until all of the chicken is done and out of the pan.  In the same pan/skillet, sautee the chopped red and green peppers, onion, and minced garlic.  Add the rice, the contents of the 2 "sazon goya con azafran" envelopes, and the chicken bouillon.  Stir until all the ingredients are well mixed.  Add the water, salt, and frozen peas, stir well.  Place all of the chicken thighs on the top of the rice.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for about 25 minutes for the rice and chicken to finish cooking.  Enjoy!

White Chicken Chili

 

Today was one of those days that I thought would be perfect for chili! A friend had shared a recipe with me for a white chicken chili, but I wanted to try something new today.  I made this chili and I LOVED the result!  It was quick to prepare and delicious!

A few notes for you:  

1)  If you want your chili more soupy, I suggest you add one more can of chicken broth.  The way I made it was perfect for scooping it with Fritos.  The reason I suggest more chicken broth is because if you have left-overs, the chili will thicken and might not have enough "juice" later.

2)When I added the beans, I also added some of the juice from the beans, just to add more flavor.

3)  The chili was pretty mild.  Add more jalapeños or cayenne pepper if you want it spicier.  This was perfect that even my almost two year old ate it.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Rotisserie chicken (shredded)

1 medium to large onion (chopped)

2 tsp garlic (minced)

1.5-2 green peppers (chopped)

2 jalapeños (seeded and diced)

2 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth

1 (15.25 oz) can corn

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

salt to taste

4 oz cream cheese

1 c half and half

Beans, cooked (about 2 cups, I used a combination of great northern and peruano)

Begin by sauteing the onions, peppers, and garlic with a little bit of olive oil. When soft, add the shredded chicken, corn, chicken broth, all the spices, and the beans.  Simmer for about 10 minutes.  Add the cream cheese and half and half.  Cook for another 5 minutes or so, just enough for the cream cheese to be completely dissolved into the soup.  Serve with sour cream and avocados.  Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken Breasts with Chimichurri Sauce

 This recipe was shared a little while ago by my brother in law Hyrum who served a church mission in Argentina.  He actually sent me two recipes and I combined and tweaked them a bit.  This is one of those dishes that may look a little odd at first (specially to my kids) because of the green color, but do not let that stop you from trying this delicious chicken.  The chimichurri gives the meat the perfect flavor! Marinate it a while longer and the flavor will sink even more into the meat.  You have to give this a try!

INGREDIENTS:

Chimichurri Sauce:

1.5 -2 c parsley (about 2 small bunches)

4 tsp minced garlic

4 tsp oregano

1/4 c red wine vinegar

1/2 c olive oil

2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp salt 

Blend all ingredients in the blender until you have a smooth sauce.

I used 6 large chicken breasts for this recipe.  Rinse and pat dry the chicken breasts, salt them and them put them in a container to marinate.  Pour the chimichurri sauce over the chicken and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours to marinate.  Grill and enjoy!

Note:  If you want, reserve some of the sauce before pouring it on the chicken so you can add it to your chicken after it's grilled. Also, you can cut down on the red pepper flakes if you think it might be too spicy for you.  It was perfect for us with the amount I put in it, my kids ate it.

Chicken Broccoli Braid

This recipe was shared by a friend from church.  It's a quick, easy, and sure tasty.  I made some changes to the recipe just because, but either way it's delicious.  Instead of refrigerated crescent dough I used the "Best Rolls" recipe found here on the blog.

INGREDIENTS: 

1 cup chopped broccoli florets

2 cups chopped cooked chicken breasts (or 1 can chicken)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 tsp dill weed

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 tsp minced garlic 

1/4 tsp salt

Best rolls dough (or 2 pkg (8oz) refrigerated crescent dough)

1 egg white, lightly beaten

2 tbsp slivered almonds (optional)

NOTE:  When preparing the chicken, I usually spray a broiler pan with cooking spray.  I get some chicken breasts and season them.  I lay them on the broiler pan and broil each side for 6-7 minutes.  After both sides have been broiled, I get the chicken out and cover it with aluminum foil for 10 minutes (meat still cooks outside the oven).  Make sure juices run clear and your chicken is fully cooked.  If not, put it back inside the oven for a few more minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Combine broccoli, chicken, cheese, mayonnaise, dill weed, garlic, and salt in a bowl: Mix well.  

If you make the "Best Rolls" recipe, you'll only need a quarter of the dough for this recipe.  Roll bread dough to cover the bottom of a large cookie sheet.  

If using refrigerated crescent dough: do not separate.  Arrange longest sides of dough across width of cookie sheet.  Repeat with remaining package of dough.  Press all seams together.  

On longest sides of cookie sheet, cut dough into strips 1 1/2" apart, 3" deep. 

Spread filling down center.  Braid strips across center, twisting each strip one turn.  Tuck ends.  Brush with egg whites and sprinkle with almonds.

Bake 25-28 minutes until golden brown.  Enjoy!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

 Amazingly good, easy and perfect for the cold weather season.

Adjust the ingredients to your liking

 INGREDIENTS:
1 Rotisserie chicken, shredded
1 medium onion, chopped
2-4 stalks of celery, finely chopped
3 jalapenos, seeded, chopped
1/2-1 red pepper, finely diced
1/2-1 green pepper, finely diced
2 cans (14.5 oz) chicken broth
Water
salt and Pepper to taste
1 can RO*TEL Original Diced tomatoes & green chilies (or just dice some fresh tomatoes, that's what I  usually do)
3 Tbsp tomato paste

Green onions
Avocados
Cilantro
Tortilla strips

Place a little bit of olive oil to the bottom of a large pot and saute the onions, celery, jalapenos, red and green peppers.  Add the shredded chicken, chicken broth, can of diced tomatoes & green chilies, tomato paste, and extra water to your liking.  Cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes and serve.  Top with avocados, cilantro and tortilla strips.  Enjoy!

Chipotle Ranch Chicken Sandwich

Not too long ago I tried a chicken sandwich that was just plain delicious!! I told my husband that I was going to try and figure out the sauce and make the sandwich at home. I was in luck! The sandwich turned out just as good and we loved it!

To make the sauce you will need Chipotle Peppers. You will be able to find these in small cans at your local grocery store. There are many different brands, I just happened to buy this one. You won't use all of the peppers so you can freeze the rest and use them with other recipes.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb chicken breast/tenders

adobo from chipotle peppers

garlic salt

cooked bacon strips

1 large onion, sliced

Pepper Jack cheese

Cibatta bread

Chipotle Ranch sauce (see recipe below)

Put a little bit of olive oil on a skillet. Season the chicken with garlic salt and cook on medium heat on the skillet. Add a little bit of adobo sauce on top of the chicken. While chicken is cooking, sautee the onions. When the chicken, onions,chipotle ranch sauce and bacon are ready, you can begin making your sandwich.

Spread some chipotle ranch on the cibatta bread and then place on a hot griddle just for a little bit to help soften the bread and toast it at the same time. Add more sauce to your bread, add the chicken, cheese, bacon and finally the sauteed onions, place the top slice of bread and enjoy!!

INGREDIENTS for SAUCE:

1 cup sour cream
1 can of Nestle's Media Crema (Table cream) or add another cup of sour cream if you can't find this ingredient
1 cilantro bunch
1 pkg Ranch dressing mix
2 chipotle peppers

Place all ingredients for sauce in the blender and voila! The sauce is done!

White Chicken Enchiladas

This is a super yummy enchilada recipe I found at the Pioneer Woman Website. It's not your typical enchilada recipe, or at least not the ones I had in Mexico anyway. I really like the fact that she uses corn tortillas rather than flour because that's what we use when making enchiladas. I think flour tortillas get extra soggy. Anyway, I made some changes to her recipe and that's what I'll post here. To get her original recipe and of course many other yummy ones click here.

Some of the changes that I made was to replace a few ingredients such as fresh peppers rather than canned (fresh is always best) and also used a rotisserie chicken rather than cook one, among other things. Again, visit her site if you would like to see her original recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Rotisserie chicken, shredded (about 2- 1/2 cups)

2 c chicken broth

1 tbsp canola oil

corn tortillas

1 large onion, diced

6-7 Anaheim peppers, diced

2-3 jalapenos, seeded and finely diced

1 tsp paprika

1/2 c heavy cream (you can use Nestle Table cream/Media crema instead)

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp flour

1 c sour cream

2- 1/2 c monterey jack cheese, grated

salt and pepper to taste

cilantro, chopped

PREPARATION:

Heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and jalapenos and saute for a minute or so. Add chicken and half of the Anaheim peppers, and 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Stir together. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth and stir. Add cream and stir, allowing mixture to bubble and get hot, Mix in the cilantro (reserve some to garnish enchiladas when done). Turn off the heat and set aside.

In a separate pan, melt butter and sprinkle four. Whisk together and cook for about a minute. Add in one and a half cups of chicken broth. Whisk together and cook for a minute or two. Add the rest of the Anaheim peppers. Reduce heat, then add in sour cream and some cheese to melt (about a cup or so). Add 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Add salt and pepper as needed.

Soften tortillas on a griddle. You don't need to cook them too long, all you need is for them to be soft enough to roll.

To assemble: spoon chicken mixture on top of a tortilla, add some cheese and roll up. Place in a 9x13 casserole dish seam side down. Continue to do the same with the rest of the tortillas.

Pour cheese mixture over the top of the tortillas. Top with extra cheese if you'd like but I don't think it's necessary at all cause they are plenty cheesy. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Breaded Ranch Chicken

I just gave this recipe a try and we loved it. I got the recipe from an old issue of Taste of Home magazine. Anyway, I'm always looking for quick, easy and tasty recipes and this sure is one of them. I accompanied the dish with rice, salad and some ranch roasted potatoes.

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 c crushed cornflakes

3/4 c grated Parmesan cheese

1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix

8 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (2 lbs)

1/2 c butter or margarine, melted

In a shallow bowl, combine the cornflakes, Parmesan cheese and salad dressing mix. Dip chicken in butter, then roll in cornflake mixture to coat. Place in a greased 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes or until chicken juices run clear. Enjoy!!

Chicken Parmesan

I know, not really the best picture for this meal, I was on a hurry.
Nevertheless, I promise you'll like this easy yummy dinner.

INGREDIENTS:

4 boneless chicken breast (halves)
1 bottle of Ragu sauce
Bread crumbs (I use Italian herb)
1 egg
Shredded Mozzarella cheese

Put a little bit of Ragu sauce on the bottom of a baking dish. Coat chicken breasts with egg, then cover with bread crumbs and place in baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over the top and bake for 20 minutes (or until done) at 375 degrees. Add cheese and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Serve with/over rice or pasta. Enjoy!

Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breasts with Tomato and Basil and Potatoes with Peppers and Onions

Okay, it's been a long time since I posted on here, but I have an excuse! I just moved back to the U.S from Brazil and my life has been hectic. I only now got pots and pans and since I'm back to cooking everyday, I'll be sharing my favorite ones with you.

So here's the first one!

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 1 1/2 to 2 pounds fingerling potatoes or red skin baby potatoes
• 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
• 1 Italian mild green pepper, cubanelle, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 medium yellow skinned onion, thinly sliced
• 4 large cloves garlic, cracked away from skin
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• Coarse salt and pepper
• 2 cups shredded Parmesan, available in tubs near deli -- make sure to get shredded cheese, not grated
• 4 (6 to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 4 plum Roma tomatoes or small, vine ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 15 to 20 leaves fresh basil, pile leaves, roll then thinly slice -- chiffonade
•  

Directions

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

Cut fingerling potatoes into halves or quarters, depending on thickness of fingerlings -- thin, small fingerlings may also be left hole, larger potatoes should be quartered to speed cooking process. If you are using small red potatoes, halve or quarter them in the same way.

Cover a large cookie sheet with foil. Place potatoes on cookie sheet. Combine with peppers and onions, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. Coat the potatoes, peppers and onions with extra-virgin olive oil just enough to coat vegetables in a thin layer, 2 to 3 tablespoons. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Place potatoes in the oven and roast 20 to 22 minutes, until potatoes are just tender and peppers and onions are crisp at edges. Toss mixture with tongs, turning the potatoes after 15 minutes. When the potatoes are cooked, transfer them to a serving dish and peel the foil off the cookie sheet and discard for super-quick clean up!

While potatoes cook, prepare chicken. Roll out a 2-foot piece of waxed paper or foil near the stove top. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat -- your pan must be very hot when the chicken is added. Pile the shredded cheese on the work surface created with the waxed paper or foil. Season your chicken breasts with black pepper but no salt; the cheese will add enough salt to the taste of the dish. Press the breasts firmly into the cheese. Coat both sides of breasts with as much cheese as possible. Add 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil to the skillet, 1 turn of the pan. Set breasts into the skillet and cook 7 minutes on each side, until cheese forms an even, golden casing around the tender chicken breasts.

While chicken cooks, combine chopped tomatoes with basil in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to your taste.

Drain off any excess oil from chicken as you remove it from the skillet. Top chicken with big spoonfuls of raw sauce and serve with potatoes, peppers and onions.

And for some reason blogger isn't letting me post the other picture.
But I hope you enjoy, it's totally worth it!

Beer Butt Chicken

Ingredients:

Olive Oil

Whole Chicken

Kosher Salt

Fresh Pepper

Can of Beer

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Place a half full beer can on a cooking sheet covered with foil. Set chicken on can, inserting can into the cavity of the chicken. The chicken should be standing on its legs supported by the beer can inserted into the cavity, hence the name beer butt chicken. Lightly Oil, using enough to make the entire surface of the meat glisten but not so much that you leave a puddle.

Season the chicken well. Kosher Salt and Pepper is all you need but I also added a red Goya spice packet just for fun.

Place baking sheet with beer and chicken in the pre-heated oven. The chicken is done when internal temperature reaches 180 degrees. For a 4-5 pound bird expect 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours. Use a thermometer to be sure you don't under cook, or even worse overcook!

Once the chicken is done, let it rest 10-15 min. to allow the juices to settle in the meat. Remove the chicken from the beer can using oven mitts and tongs. (Careful - this is very hot! Two sets of hands are the best)

The chicken will be very juicy and flavorful, and so tender it is almost falling off the bones.

Chicken Pot Pie

This recipe usually makes three 9 inch round pies. The nice thing about this is that if you are not having a big group to eat you can freeze them and just cook them whenever.

INGREDIENTS:

1-2 Chicken breast, cut into small bite-size pieces
1 onion, chopped
1 large can of cream of chicken soup (this last time I used 3 small ones)
1/2 stick of butter
Garlic Salt

Vegetables cut into small-medium chunks (carrots, potatoes, broccoli, etc)
1 can of peas (I used frozen peas this last time)
3-4 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped

Sautee onions in the butter, add chicken and garlic salt. When chicken is cooked add remaining ingredients and pour into store bought pie crust (or make your own).

Cover with a thin layer of pie crust. Use a knife to cut a few slits at the top and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, until crust is baked (Could take up to an hour).

If you freeze the pies, make sure you thaw them out before baking. Enjoy!

Chicken Tenders w/ Wanna-be Winger's Amazing Sauce

For those of you who have never been to Winger's Restaurant, let me tell you that you are missing out. Their Amazing sauce is delicious! Specially on chicken fingers. My husband and I were just there last week and I told him that I really wanted to learn how to make the sauce and I was going to figure it out. Lucky for me, I didn't have to experiment much as someone had already come up with the perfect copy-cat recipe! Anyway, I found the sauce recipe on a site called "Favorite Family Recipes" (I'll put a link on the side of this blog), and it really tastes just like the sauce from the restaurant! Amazing!!!!

I believe the chicken fingers from the restaurant are fried so I wanted to do a healthier version and decided to find a recipe that is baked. After much searching, I found a perfect, and super easy recipe from Rachael Ray's Show.

I made this for dinner last night and it turned out delicious, hope you enjoy it!

SAUCE INGREDIENTS:

3 Tbsp Franks RedHot Original Sauce

2 Tbsp water

3/4 c brown sugar

******

Heat all of the ingredients in a saucepan until all the sugar is dissolved, it will have the consistency of syrup. Anyway, I actually doubled the recipe because I didn't think it would make enough. I'm glad I did, and ended up with about a cup of sauce. We had enough to coat the chicken and also some more for dipping.

Chicken Tenders:

1 1/2 lbs chicken

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 c milk

1 c flour

2 c bread crumbs (mine were Italian-seasoned, but they don't have to be seasoned)
Salt and pepper

******

You can buy the chicken tenders or just use boneless chicken breasts cut into thin strips (this is what I did). You will need three shallow dishes. In one you will mix the eggs and milk, in another place the bread crumbs and in the third the flour with some salt and pepper to season.

You need to season the chicken with some salt and pepper, then coat the chicken with the flour (remove any excess), then dip in the egg mixture, then coat with the breadcrumbs. Place the chicken tenders on a baking pan or cookie sheet that has been lined with aluminum foil (See picture below). Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until they are golden brown.

When chicken tenders are done, dip them in the amazing sauce until they are completely covered. I accompanied this meal with some steamed rice, steamed broccoli, and a baked potato. You could just make the chicken tenders or wings as an appetizer on their own.

p.s. The rice tastes super good with a little bit of sauce over it.

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

I made this for dinner tonight and my family LOVED it. My picky 5 year old daughter even asked for seconds!


*Plan Ahead: the recipe calls for cooked chicken so use leftovers or plan enough time to cook the chicken beforehand.

2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed or shredded
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
4-ounce can diced green chilies
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 (19-oz) can green chili enchilada sauce (I used mild)
2/3 cup red enchilada sauce (I used mild)
1 can sliced black olives
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar)
12-16 oz. penne pasta (Depending on how "saucy" you want the pasta)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the pasta until tender. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet and add the onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes until onion is translucent. Add the garlic and red pepper and cook for another 2 minutes, until pepper is barely tender. Add the cooked chicken, green chilies, spices, enchilada sauces and olives. Let the sauce simmer for about 8-10 minutes. Add the sour cream and cheese and heat through, until the cheese is melted (but don't boil!). Pour the sauce over the hot pasta. Garnish with extra sour cream, cheese, diced tomatoes, green onions or crushed tortilla chips. Serves 6-8.


Recipe Source: My Kitchen Cafe (http://www.mykitchencafe.blogspot.com/)

Creamy Parmesan Chicken Pasta & Vegetables

Ingredients:

Sauce:

2 Tbsp. minced Garlic
4 Tbsp. Butter
2 Tbsp. Flour
2 cups Milk
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt to taste

2 chicken breasts, cubed
Favorite chicken marinade (I like Stubb's)
8 oz. Penne Pasta (or whatever pasta you have on hand)
1 cup diced Tomatoes
Fresh Green Beans, cooked
Fresh or dried Parsley Flakes and Pamesan Cheese

NOTE: Use whatever veggies you have on hand. Red bell peppers, zucchini, artichoke, asparagus would all be good in this dish.


Cover diced chicken with marinade in a bowl. Set aside in refrigerator to allow chicken to absorb the flavors of the marinade. Cut off ends of Green Beans and cut in half. Place in small saucepan and add water until beans are covered. Cook over medium heat until beans become al dente. (Tender, yet crisp) As beans are cooking, heat water for pasta and cook pasta according to package directions.

In a seperate pan saute garlic in butter over medium heat. Add flour to make roux. Slowly mix in milk. Allow sauce to thicken, stirring constantly. When sauce reaches desired consistency, add Parmesan and stir until combined. If sauce becomes too thick, add additional milk as desired.

To cook chicken, heat a Tbsp of oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Place cubed chicken in the pan and cook for 4 min. Flip the chicken to other side and cook an additional 4 min. or until cooked.

To serve on a platter or individual plates: Spoon pasta on to plate or platter. Add tomatoes, chicken and green beans. Spoon sauce over all and sprinkle grated Parmesan and parsley over top. Serve with toasted french bread.