Chicken Enchiladas

Toppings optional

fresh cut onions

olives

Chicken Enchiladas

1 Family size can of cream of mushroom soup

1 large can or 2 small cans green chile enchilada sauce

16oz container sour cream

8- 10 corn tortillas (depending on how you like to layer them.)

2-3 cans or about 2lbs shredded chicken

Combine soup, chile sauce, and sour cream. You can also add onions to this mix, I like it with, but I wasn't sure if some did not like them so you can have cut up onions for a topping if you wish.

Place a small amount of the soup mixture on the bottom of your 9x13 pan, then place a layer of the tortillas. (I just placed them in the pan in full circles and ripped some in half for the open spaces. When I put them in the bag for the freezer I ripped them into smaller pieces so they could all be coated and not big pieces stuck together.) Then a soup layer, chicken and then some cheese sprinkled on top. Then start over with your layers until you fill your pan. I do 2-3 layers ending with the cheese on top, but make sure your chicken is mixed in with the soup mixture on top so the chicken won't dry out. (Of course you won't need to worry about this in the bag.)

Bake on 350 for 45 minutes or until center is bubbly.

I think most of the oven meals have taken a little longer to cook than what we put because they are frozen so you might need a little longer.

I love to make a fresh green salad with this and put my salad on top on the enchilada and put a little ranch on top of that. I just love that mixture. You could also have some rice if you would like. I haven't had that but it might be good.

Hope you all enjoy and have a great weekend!

April

Hawaiian Haystacks

Chicken Sauce for Hawaiian Haystacks

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size chunks (or leftover cooked chicken, cubed)

3 tablespoons butter

½ onion (about ½ cup), finely chopped

3 cloves garlic; finely minced

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

¼ cup flour

2 cups milk

1 cup chicken broth

In a large skillet melt the butter over medium heat and add the onion and raw chicken (if using leftover cooked chicken, don’t add it to the skillet now, you’ll add it later). Saute the onion and chicken, if using, until the onions are soft and translucent and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about one minute, stirring, until fragrant.

Sprinkle the flour over the onions and chicken and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat for one minute - this helps get rid of the starchy, flour taste. Slowly whisk in the milk and chicken broth. Cook, stirring constantly with a whisk, and bring the sauce to a simmer over medium to medium-high heat. Add the salt and pepper. If you are using leftover cooked chicken, add it now. Continue simmering, stirring the sauce frequently, until the sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes.

Serve the chicken sauce over rice with your toppings of choice, such as olives, tomatoes, shredded sharp cheddar cheese, green onions, mandarin oranges and chow mein noodles.

Katie

Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Pot Pie Prepared by Amber Coglianese

SUGGESTIONS: Corn Bread and/or Salad

TO PREPARE: Thaw completely. Roll out bottom piecrust and place in 9-inch pie pan. Place chicken mixture in pie dish; top with upper crust. Bake in pie shell in 400- degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups package frozen peas and carrots
½ cup onion, chopped
½ cup mushrooms, chopped
¼ cup butter
1/3 cup flour
½ t. salt
¼ t. sage
1/8 t. pepper
2 cups water
¾ cup milk
1 T. chicken bouillon
3 cups cooked chicken
¼ cup chopped pimiento
¼ cup snipped parsley
Double piecrust

DIRECTIONS:
Cook peas and carrots according to package directions; drain. Cook onion and mushrooms in butter until tender but not brown. Stir in flour, salt, sage, and pepper. Add water, milk, and bouillon granules all at once. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 1-2 minutes more. Stir in drained cooked vegetables, chicken, pimiento, and parsley; heat until bubbly. Freeze, using freezer bag method.

NOTES:
This recipe came from Don’t Panic- Dinner’s in the Freezer: Great-Tasting Meals You Can Make Ahead by: Susie Martinez, Vanda Howell & Bonnie Garcia

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup From the Pioneer Woman (thepioneerwoman.com)
(note: I have made tortilla soup several times and normally just make up a recipe as I go, but I thought I’d try to follow a recipe this time, and the Pioneer Woman’s looked tasty, so I used hers and adapted it a bit.) J
Ingredients
* 2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
* 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
* 1-1/2 teaspoon Cumin
* 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
* 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
* 1/2 teaspoon Salt
* 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
* 1 cup Diced Onion
* 1/4 cup Diced Green Bell Pepper
* 1/4 cup Red Bell Pepper
* 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
* 1 can (10 Oz. Can) Rotel Tomatoes And Green Chilies (I used 2 cans of diced tomatoes and about ½ can chopped green chiles)
* 32 ounces, fluid Low Sodium Chicken Stock (I like Better Than Bouillon – 1 tsp. per 8 oz. of water, and actually I probably used more.)
* 3 Tablespoons Tomato Paste (I omitted this – I tried it for my family on the day before cooking for our group and thought the soup was too “tomato-ey.”)
* 4 cups Hot Water
* 2 cans (15 Oz. Can) Black Beans, Drained (I used 2 cans black beans and 1 can pinto beans)
* 3 Tablespoons Cornmeal Or Masa
* 5 whole Corn Tortillas, Cut Into Uniform Strips Around 2 To 3 Inches
* I added one can of CORN
* _____
* FOR THE GARNISHES:
* Sour Cream
* Diced Avocado
* Diced Red Onion
* Salsa Or Pico De Gallo
* Grated Monterey Jack Cheese
* Cilantro
* (when I made it for my family, we just used cheese and cherry tomatoes – right now a container of cherry tomatoes is only 99 cents at Winco.)
Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix cumin, chili pepper, garlic powder, and salt. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil on chicken breasts, then sprinkle a small amount of spice mix on both sides. Set aside the rest of the spice mix.
Place chicken breasts on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until chicken is done. Use two forks to shred chicken. Set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pot over medium high heat. Add onions, red pepper, green pepper, and minced garlic. Stir and begin cooking, then add the rest of the spice mix. Stir to combine, then add shredded chicken and stir.
Pour in Rotel, chicken stock, tomato paste, water, and black beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes, uncovered.
Mix cornmeal with a small amount of water. Pour into the soup, then simmer for an additional 30 minutes. Check seasonings, adding more if needed---add more chili powder if it needs more spice, and be sure not to undersalt. Turn off heat and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. Five minutes before serving, gently stir in tortilla strips.
Ladle into bowls, then top with sour cream, diced red onion, diced avocado, pico de gallo, and grated cheese, if you have it! (The garnishes really make the soup delicious.)
Note from Rebecca: If you want to be fancy, you can lightly brush the tortilla strips with a little butter or margarine or vegetable spray and bake them in your oven until they are nice and crispy. You could also fry them, but I like to bake them to save on fat/calories. I wasn’t sure how the baked tortilla strips would freeze, so I’m just giving you the strips as the recipe states. You can also use tortilla chips if you are in a hurry – that’s what we used when we ate the soup for leftovers.
SIDE DISHES:
I served this with cornbread and green salad this week. If you want a good cornbread recipe that is more like cake, go to http://gatherroundourtable.blogspot.com/2008/07/cornbread-frontier-pies.html
Just a warning, it tastes more like cake because it has more sugar and margarine than regular cornbread!

Minestrone Soup

Minestrone Soup

Suggestions:

*You will need 2 C. cut zucchini and 2 C baby spinach for soup(optional... but it's super yum! )

Serve with a light salad and rolls or breadsticks.

To Prepare:  Thaw- Bring to a low boil and simmer for 30-45 min.-or- Crock Pot for 3-4 hrs on low.

Ingredients:

1/2-1 lb. ground Italian sausage

1 C chopped onion

1C chopped celery

2-3 cloves of garlic- minced

1 C chopped carrots

1 tsp oregano

1 can tomato paste

1 can diced tomatoes (I used Italian style)

5 C chicken stock

1 can white kidney cannellini beans with liquid

1 can red kidney beans, drained

2 C cut zucchini

2 C baby spinach

1 cooked bowtie pasta

fresh grated Italian blend or Parmesan cheese

Directions: Stove Top

1. Brown sausage in a large skillet.

2. Add onion, celery, garlic, carrots and oregano.

3. Add paste and tomatoes, stir.

4. Add stock and beans.

5. Simmer for 30-45 minutes.

6. Add zucchini, spinach and cooked pasta. 7. Simmer until zucchini is tender.

8. Serve with cheese on top.

Directions: Crock-Pot

1. Brown sausage in a large skillet.

2. Add onion, celery, garlic, carrots, paste and oregano.

3. Put in crock pot with tomatoes and stock.

4. Cook 6-7 hours on low.

5. Add beans, zucchini, spinach and pasta.

6. Cook on high until zucchini is tender.

7. Serve with cheese on top.

Teresa

Creamy White Chili Recipe

Creamy White Chili Recipe

I got this wonderful recipe from one of the issues of taste-of-home magazines. It was that month's contest winner.

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1-1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 2 cans (15-1/2 ounces each) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) chicken broth
• 2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions

• In a large saucepan, saute the chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add the beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

I modified it a bit by usually adding a bit more cumin, less cayenne for the kids (if you like it spicier you can add it at the table)

 Cooking directions: Reheat on stove or microwave

Side dishes: Salad, breadsticks

Chicken Rolls

1 8 oz. pkg. of cream cheese

¼ c. butter
1/8 tsp. pepper

Soften and cream the above ingredients.

Fold in: 2 c. cubed chicken

1 4 oz drained slices & Pieces mushrooms  (optional)

Unroll 2 cans of plain crescent rolls.  Spread apx. ¼ c chicken mixture on each roll.  Roll up and seal.  Dip in melted butter.  Roll in finely ground dressing. (I blend a package of Stove Top in my food processor or blender)  To avoid rolls sticking together, flash freeze at this point if using it for a freezer meal.  Thaw  before cooking.
 

Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 375* for 15-20 min. 

Serve with gravy.  I usually use a can of Cream of Chicken Soup thinned with milk.

Dried Soup Mix cooked up works great too.

I usually make my chicken rolls with refrigerated crescent rolls, but also like making them with a bread recipe.  Make sure that the dough is rolled thin and they are defrosted completely before cooking if frozen.   I simplified this recipe from Girlfriends on the Go.
 

Chicken Pocket Recipe:
2 ½ c warm water
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. yeast
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. salt
1/3 c oil
6 c flour

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water.   Add salt and oil.  Mix in 6 cups flour and knead in mixer.   Let dough rise for about one hour.  Divide the dough into 3 balls and then roll out each ball into a thin circle. Cut each circle as if slicing a pizza into 8 or 12 pieces.  Each piece should be about the same size as the refrigerated crescent rolls.  Place 1/3 c of chicken mixture in center of each triangle.  Pull up the corners  and roll like a crescent roll.  Dip in melted butter and then dressing .   Let rise until double in size.  If freezing, flash freeze chicken pockets at this time.    Otherwise, bake at  400*for 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve with chicken gravy.

Usually served in the Esplin home with gravy, green beans, jello, and green salad