Cream Cheese Chicken soup in homemade Bread Bowls

I made this last night for our NYE dinner. It is SO GOOD. Hope you all try it and enjoy!

Bread Bowls 

1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
2 1/2 cups warm water
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
7 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

Add salt, oil and 4 cups flour to the yeast mixture; beat well. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well with an electric mixer at medium speed after each addition until a soft but not sticky dough is formed (you may not need to use all 7 cups).

When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Punch dough down, and divide into 6-8 equal portions. Shape each portion into a round ball. Place loaves on lightly greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, until doubled in bulk, about 35 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, beat together egg white and 1 tablespoon water; lightly brush the loaves with half of this egg wash. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Brush with remaining egg mixture, and bake 10 to 15 more minutes or until golden. Cool on wire racks.

Cream Cheese Chicken Soup 

2 tablespoons butter
1 yellow onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 cup diced carrots (about 2 regular carrots or a handful of baby carrots)
3 cups chicken broth
2-3 potatoes, peeled and finely diced
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons flour
1 (8 oz. package) regular or light cream cheese
2-3 (about 1 pound) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced

In a large pot, melt the butter and add the onion, garlic, celery and carrots. Saute, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes, until the veggies are slightly tender and the onions are translucent. Add the chicken broth and potatoes. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. In a liquid measuring cup, vigorously whisk the flour and milk together until smooth. Whisk the mixture into the soup, stirring quickly, and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, until the soup begins to thicken slightly. Stir often to ensure the soup doesn’t burn. Soften the cream cheese in the microwave until it is very soft/melty, or let it set at room temperature for until soft. Add the cream cheese to the soup in small tablespoon-size pieces. Let the pieces sit in the soup and warm through then whisk or stir the soup until the cream cheese melts and mixes in well. Add the cooked chicken and heat through. Season with salt and pepper. Serve. 

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November Casserole

Ok, so you can make this with thanksgiving leftovers, or you can just make it when you are longing for fall and holiday times. (like the middle of June!)

2 pkg. Stove Top Stuffing
1 stick butter
3 c. chicken/turkey pieces
1 pkg. frozen vegetables (any will do, but my favorite is cut green beans)
2 cans cream of celery soup
1 c. milk

Melt butter and toss with dry seasoning and stuffing mix. Then transfer half to the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan evenly.
In separate bowl, mix milk, soup, vegetables, and chicken. Pour on top of stuffing layer, adding the rest of the stuffing on top.
Cover and bake for 30 minutes at 350. Uncover for the last 15 mins.

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Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

Cooked Chicken, diced - 3 Cups
Sliced carrots - 2 Cups
Potatoes, diced - 2 Cups
Peas - 1 Cup
Onion, chopped - 1/2 Cup
Corn (optional) - 1 Can, drained
Green Beans (opt.) - 1 Can, drained

Leftover Gravy - 2 Cups (I used three cans of Campbell's Chicken Gravy)
Chicken Bouillon cubes, crushed into powder - 3
Onion Powder - 1/4 tsp.
Celery Salt - 1/4 tsp.
Pepper - 1/4 tsp.

Pastry for top, from a mix or homemade. (I used Pillsbury pie crust in a box, found in the baking section next to pre-made graham cracker crusts, you only add water.)

Directions:
This recipe makes enough for two round pies or two 8x8s. I made one pie for dinner and then one to freeze for later.

Start by cooking all your vegetables. I simmered mine until tender, and then drained.

After draining, stir in your cooked chicken cubes, and let cool a little bit.

Mix your gravy and all the seasonings, including the crushed bouillon cubes.

Divide your chicken-veggie mixture into your pans.

Then pour half your gravy mixture on each one, then lightly mix with a fork so that all the mixture is covered with the gravy.

Next, roll out your dough and cover your pie. I found that that Pillsbury pie box mix was not enough for both, but I also like the crust a bit thicker on top. If you like lots of crust I would suggest mixing up two boxes if you cook both in one night.

I got a little bit fancy with mine and added some fall leaf cutouts. (It's been raining for 2 days, it almost feels like Fall, almost!)

If you want the crust to bake glossy then brush with egg whites before cooking.


Once your pie is covered bake @ 400'F for 30 minutes or until heated through and light brown.

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Chicken Nachos

(This is my leftovers that I took to work with me today, not a very good pic, but you get the idea)

I got this recipe last week from my wards crock pot night with the Relief Society and it is fantastic! I don't have the exact recipe in front of me, so this is going off of my memory, but I''m pretty sure I'm not forgetting anything.



4-6 chicken breasts

1 can corn drained

1 can black beans drained

2 cups salsa

8 oz cream cheese



Combined all (minus cream cheese) into crock pot, cook on low 4-6 hours or until chicken is cooked. Add cream cheese last 30 minutes of cooking. Stir and serve (the chicken should be tender enough that you can shred it. I learned a tip at the crock pot night that you can stick your beaters in and beat it all together for a couple seconds and it automatically shreds and stirs it, amazing!) You can either use it as a dip, or pour it over your chips, mmmmm......

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Chicken Stuffed Tomato Bakes

This particular meal came to me nearly by accident.  I had about ten tomatoes in my fridge that were starting to get soft, so I knew I had to eat them soon.  I also made my own chicken broth earlier that week, so I had a lot of chicken that I needed to eat up too.  Last night, I didn't have any any clue of what to cook for dinner... until it hit me: "How about I make some sort of chicken stuffing and put it in hollowed tomatoes... they do stuff like that as appetizers in fancy restaurants, right?" So I started looking through my fridge to see what I could use to make the "stuffing part". After looking, here's the ingredients I came up with:

10 vine tomatoes (they work best because they are round enough on the bottom, and not too big)

1 chicken breast , cooked and shredded

1/2 large onion

4 garlic cloves

1 handful of spinach

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1 tsp basil

1 tsp parsley

1 tsp salt

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

oil for drizzling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Rinse tomatoes. Slice off tops of tomatoes, then with a spoon, carve out the inside pulp of each tomato. Place hollowed tomatoes onto baking sheet, set aside.

 Place pulp remains into food processor of blender.  Add to pulp the remaining ingredients (except parmesan and oil), and blend until you have a pulpy mixture.

Spoon mixture into each tomato, leveling off the top of each.

Sprinkle each tomato with parmesan cheese, then drizzle the top with oil.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.  Let cool for 5 minutes, then enjoy!  Serves 2-3

Can be served as an appetizer or a main dish. We ate it as a main dish, with garlic toast as a side.

*Note: There will be left over stuffing. You can use it to stuff other tomatoes, or save it for the next morning to  be the filling of an omelet for two (which is what we did)!  :)

**Note Note: If you want it to be more creamy, try adding 4 oz. of cream cheese. I didn't add any because 1. I wanted it to be healthier, and 2. I didn't have any! haha

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Chicken Tetrazini

I make this recipe for company sometimes because it's impressive (I think). But let me tell you, it's not quick or easy :) And it uses a lot of dishes. But if you're not scared of those small details then you're in for a great meal!

8 oz pasta (penne rigatte works well)
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
1 & 1/2 TBsp butter (for sauteing veggies)
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1-2 celery sticks
1-2 chicken breasts cooked and chopped
2 cups grated cheese
1/4 - 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 can cream of chicken or mushroom (save the can)
1/2 bar or 4 oz cream cheese
1/2 soup can milk

Cook pasta al dente and drain. Saute veggies in butter. Mix in large bowl. Add cheese and cooked chicken.



Warm up soup, cream cheese, and milk in a separate bowl and pour into the pasta mixture.


Mix it all together and place in a greased pan. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over top. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Yield 6 servings.

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Skillet Chicken Parmigiana

This recipe comes from Betty Crocker's Quick and Easy Cookbook. Every recipe takes 30 minutes or less. LOVE IT! And this one is all done on the stovetop which makes it even better.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/4 lbs)
1/3 cup Italian-style dry bread crumbs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
2 TBsp olive or veggie oil
2 cups spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (2 oz)
spaghetti noodles

Start by cooking the noodles according to package. Meanwhile, flatten each chicken breast half to 1/4 inch thickness between sheets of plastic wrap or waxed paper. Mix bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Dip chicken into egg, then coat with bread crumbs mixture. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken in oil 10 to 15 minutes, turning once, until no longer pink in center. Pour spaghetti sauce around chicken in skillet; heat until hot. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over chicken. Serve over spaghetti noodles.

Tada!!




Quick, easy and so yummy!

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Easy Chicken

OK, this is super easy.

1 whole chicken (or as many boobies or thighs to suit your family needs)
1 jar green salsa (the tomatillo kind)

Plop it in a crock pot on low for 6-8 hours (watch it, too long and it falls right off the bone, and digging out bones is no fun) and shred meat for tacos, enchiladas, anything! I shred mine in 1 cup portions and put it in Ziploc bags in the freezer so I always have yummy chicken for casseroles and such.
ENJOY!

(pic to come soon)

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Chicken Stroganoff

I got this recipe from one of my favorite cooking blogs: http://www.365daysofcrockpot.com. You all should check it out! Karen is the author of most of the recipes but this one was a guest post by Lynn. And it is excellent!

Chicken Stroganoff

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (3 to 4 breasts)
1 10.5 oz can cream of chicken soup
2 cups sour cream
1/4 cup instant minced onion
2 TBsp chicken bouillon (or 3 cubes)
1/2 tsp onion powder
3 cups cooked egg noodles

Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Combine all ingredients in crock pot and mix well. Cover and cook on low 4-6 hours or high 2-3.

When I made this the first time I was a bit confused about putting already cooked noodles in the crock pot and cooking them for 6 more hours. So I've always just cooked them right before I'm ready to serve it and add them in at the very end. Also, I usually omit the onion powder. The minced onion is plenty of onion flavor for me :)

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Crockpot BBQ Chicken

I would have pictures, but seeing how I haven't cooked this in a while...(It's so hard to cook in the summer! It's always go go go, so we eat out a lot :s) I thought I'd better hurry and post my crockpot recipes before the week is over ;). I found this recipe on allrecipes.com

Frozen chicken breasts (3 or 4 if big, 6 or so if small)
One bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce (I like kraft brown sugar, or honey flavor)
1/2 cup of Italian salad dressing (I like the zesty kind)
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 TBS worchestire sauce

Lay chicken breasts on bottom of crockpot. Mix all the other ingredients in a bowl till brown sugar is disovled, then pour mixture over chicken (make sure some of the sauce gets under the chicken so it doesn't burn). Then you can cook it on high for 3 or 4 hours, or on low for 6 or 8 hours (slow is always better). I like to serve with baked potatoes, and then you can pour the sauce mixture over the tatoe...mmm...

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Slow Cooker Southwest Chicken Stacks

This is what I will be making for the 4th! I'll post pictures soon. But seriously, how easy could this be?!

2 c. frozen corn
1 can black beans- rinsed and drained
2 lrg. frozen chicken breasts
1 1/2 c. salsa

Lightly grease slow cooker, pour corn on the bottom. Layer frozen chicken on top, then cover with beans & salsa. Cover and cook on low for 6 hrs. Remove chicken and shred with forks. Return to cooker and stir until combined with beans and corn.

Serve on a bed of tortilla chips & top with garnishes of lettuce, tomato, avocado, sour cream, cheese, cilantro, lime wedge, etc.

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Baked Nachos

When I'm feeling lazy- I am the first to dollop some refried beans on a plate of tortilla chips and fire it up in the microwave. But when I'm feeling a bit more adventurous, I make these yummy baked nachos! (bonus? They work great with leftover turkey from Thanksgiving- yay leftovers!) You can substitute cooked chicken to make things easier, I just boil some frozen chicken breasts. Easy peasy.

3 tbl. lime juice
2 tbl. olive oil
1 tea. cumin
1 tea. garlic powder
2 c. coarsely chopped, cooked turkey or chicken
1 (10 oz) pkg. tortilla chips
1 can refried beans
shredded cheese
salsa
sour cream

Whisk lime juice, olive oil, cumin, and garlic powder. Toss with meat in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Layer tortilla chips in the bottom of a greased baking dish. Spoon beans over chips, then top with meat and sprinkle with cheese. Add another layer of chips, pour salsa on top and sprinkle with cheese.
Bake for 15-20 mins at 425. Serve with sour cream (and whatever other toppings you like on your nachos!)

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PIZZA!!!

I was on a pizza kick the other day, but wanted it to be semi-healthy. I love buying pre-made crusts and just throwing a bunch of stuff on them. It's fun!

For this pizza I used

-1 medium zucchini

-a handful of grape tomatoes

- a handful of green onions

- Ranch salad, spritzer (normal Ranch would be just fine)

Brush the crust with a little EVOO and decorate your pizza with the remaining ingredients. Then throw on a couple handfuls of whatever cheese you want (I used mozzarella) and bake according to the packaged crust directions. Mine was a whole wheat thin crust and came out almost flat bread/cracker texture. I loved it, but the hubs likes a thicker, bready crust.

My version of CPK's BBQ Chicken Pizza!

-1 pre-made crust

- a couple glugs of your favorite BBQ sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's... all the way!! Woot woot!)

- 1-2 grilled chicken breasts (or enough off a rotisserie to your liking)

- diced or julienned red onions (I buy them pre-cut along with my green onions... I HATE cutting oninos)

- small handful of green onions (not pictured)

- mozzarella cheese, as much as you want

Brush the crust with a bit of EVOO then squirt on a nice, thin layer of BBQ sauce. Cut up the chicken and arrange that on top with the rest of your ingredients, with the cheese last. Bake according to crust package directions.

YUM... enjoy!

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Coconut-Crusted Chicken

I got all this produce and more from Bountiful Baskets. (Check it out.) And as you can see there was a whole coconut. Not wanting to waste it and feeling adventurous, I searched recipes using a whole coconut and found this recipe.

2 large eggs

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon coconut extract

Coconut meat from 1 small coconut (see recipe link for how to shell a coconut)

2 teaspoons curry powder

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 cup melted butter

1 cup salted, roasted peanuts, minced

3 1/2 lbs. chicken thighs, skin removed

In a shallow pan, beat eggs, cornstarch, and coconut extract. Cut coconut meat into small chuncks and chop finely in a food processor or with a knife. In another shallow pan, mix coconut, curry powder, sugar, butter, and peanuts.

Dip chicken in egg mixture to coat, then roll in coconut mixture to coat lightly, pressing coconut into chicken. Place chicken, slightly apart and meaty side up, in 2 greased 10- by 15-inch baking pans.

Press remaining coconut mixture on top of chicken pieces to form an even layer. Bake in oven at 375 degrees until chicken is well browned and no longer pink at bone, about 45 minutes.

Cracking the coconut and scraping out the meat was a pretty labor-intensive task, but it was worth it. The chicken was tender and delicious.

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No-Soy Stir Fry

So, speaking of crazy and picky husbands... I love me a good stir-fry, and upon finding out that Logan hates soy sauce and my stir-fry days were over, I cried a little bit. Until I found this recipe. It's good! And easy!

3 c. water
5 cubes chicken bouillon
2 c. rice
2 tbl. veggie oil
1 lb. chicken breast (optional- I'm cheap and lazy sometimes)
4 c. assorted vegetable blend (bell peppers, celery, carrots, onion, snow peas, whatever!)
2 tea. cornstartch
1/2 tea. garlic powder
1/4 tea. ground ginger

Bring 2c. water and 3 bouillon cubes to boil in a pot, add rice. Cook to tender.

 While rice is cooking, in skillet, heat 1 tbl. oil. Add chicken until cooked through. Remove to a plate and add veggies and other 1 tbl. oil, cook for 5 mins, then add chicken back in.

In separate bowl, combine 1 c. water, 2 bouillon cubes, ginger, garlic powder, and cornstartch. Pour over the veggie mixture in the skillet. Simmer 5 mins. until thick- serve over rice.

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Chicken Fiesta...

Yeah I totally made up the name for that. There is no title, I just throw things in a skillet and eat it :)
OK, so here's the ingredients.

2 or more cups of cooked chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken, just for you Lacie :) )

About a full can of corn

And black beans

A shake or two of Ranch Mix (I'd guess about 1-2 Tbsp)

1/2 to a full packet of McCormick (sp?) Chicken Taco seasoning 

Here's the chicken. It was all I had left, I would have used more though.

Cut up the chicken into chunks and toss into a skillet to start warming it through. I toss in a little EVOO, because I can... I have a fear of food sticking to my pans. George probably fears it more, he is the designated dishwasher in this house :)

After about 3-5 minutes, toss in the corn and black beans. Use the whole can if you use 2 or more cups of chicken.

Sprinkle the Ranch mix and Chicken Taco mix on and start mixin' it all together. If you feel like it's too dry, put a glug of water or salsa or something in it.

Here it is :) Yummy.

Serve over rice, in a hard corn taco, in a flour tortilla, on a salad, in a cup, straight-outta-the-pan... whatever you choose.

And yes, that IS cottage cheese on top of mine. Sour cream was gone and George hadn't come back from the store yet with a new pint, I had to improvise. Starving momma.

ENJOY!

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Creamy Orzo with Chicken & Red Peppers

I made this tonight for dinner. It is the perfect summer dish. Made entirely on the stove top, it is just so light and tastes... summery! Yet still filling!


1 tbl. olive oil
2 chicken breasts- in chunks
2 red bell peppers- 1/2 in. pieces
1 tea. dried thyme
3 cloves minced garlic
1 lb. orzo pasta
8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
1 c. reserved pasta water
1/2 tea. salt
1/2 tea. pepper
1/2 c. shredded parmesan cheese
3 tbl. chopped fresh parsley
The juice of 1 lemon

First, take out the cream cheese to soften. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook orzo and reserve 1 c. of the water. While orzo cooks, heat olive oil in a large skillet and season the chicken with a pinch of salt & pepper. Cook chicken in the oil; brown on all sides, but not fully cooked through. Add red peppers and thyme. Stir and cook for about 5 mins. until peppers are soft and liquid has evaporated. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. On med. heat, cut in cream cheese in bite size pieces and stir to coat. Add pasta water (1 c.) bring to a simmer, and add 1/2 tea. salt & 1/2 tea. pepper, stir well. Let it cook down for a bit then remove from heat. Add orzo, parmesan cheese, lemon juice, and parsley stir to combine and serve.

The kiddos even ate it:

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Honey-Wheat Fried Chicken

Nothing says home cooking like some fried chicken. I love me some fried chicken..."BUCKET A CHICKEN!" This isn't your typical bucket or box of chicken. For Mother's Day I wanted to make a special dinner for Shannon. I wanted to make her some of my Chicken Cordon Bleu but was missing some key ingredients like Canadian Bacon, Creme Fraiche and Gruyere Cheese. Poor planning on my part and is why I am not a chef. She chose fried chicken instead...and I was excited. I wanted to experiment with a new breading instead of the Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs I had in the pantry. This concoction is a first in the Cancellare home and was a success.

Honey-Wheat Fried Chicken
4 pieces boneless skinless chicken breast
3 cups buttermilk
Oil
Gallon zip lock baggy
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tspn kosher salt
2 tspn coarsely ground pepper
2 tspn garlic powder
1 tspn paprika
1 tspn ground sage
1 tspn thyme
1 tspn celery seed
1 tspn parsley

Soak the chicken in buttermilk over night

Combine seasonings in gallon sized zip lock bag and shake.

Drain chicken from buttermilk and place chicken (one piece at a time) in flour mixture and shake and coat the chicken

In cast iron skillet heat oil on medium high until it sizzles when you add some flour to it. Fry chicken 10 to 12 minuets on each side or until internal temp is 165. Watch the chicken and temp. If chicken browns before temp is 165 remove and finish in the oven at 450F for 15 minutes.
Drizzle honey on chicken as much or as little as you like.

Serve with buttery dill carrots (boil carrots in water and half stick of butter until fork tender and sprinkle with dill to taste) and cheddar biscuits.

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