Chicken Enchiladas with White Chili Sauce

My neighbor is the best cook. I truly mean that, she's AMAZING!!! I remember once having Chicken Enchilada's at her house when I was about 11 years old. They were AWESOME!!! I begged for the recipe, she gave it to me, but I lost it. I haven't dared ask for it again.

I saw this on Pinterest the other day and decided to give it a try. I made several changes so I can call it my own. But, when I tasted it, it was like I was thrown back to my 11 year old self eating the culinary creations of my amazing neighbor!

CHICKEN ENCHILADAS


12 Soft Taco Shells (I made two pans, one had 8, one had 4 - to give away)
5 Chicken Breasts - Shredded (cooked in a pressure cooker with chicken base for flavor, broth will be used later)
2 C. Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
1 C. Shredded Cheddar
1/2 C. Shredded Mozzarella
6 Tbs. Butter
6 Tbs. Flour
1/2 tsp. Chili Powder
Pinch of Cayenne pepper Pepper to taste in sauce - Optional
3-4 C. Chicken stock (strained and used from cooked chicken)
2 (4 oz) cans of diced green chilies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease a 9x13 pan and an 8x8 pan if making extra.

Mix shredded chicken with 2 C. cheese mixture and 1/2 C. sauce

In a sauce pan, melt butter, stir in flour and chili powder and a dash of pepper, cook for one minute. Add stock and whisk until smooth. Heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly.

Stir in Chilies - Add 1/2 C. to chicken mixture.

Add 2 C. Sour Cream off the heat, you don't want the sour cream to boil, it will curdle.

Pour remaining sauce over rolled enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.

Bake for 25 minutes and then under a high broil until cheese is brown.

Mexican Egg Rolls

My neighbor made this recipe for a gathering and it was amazing. It is so yummy with the avocado ranch dipping sauce. I love this dish. I decided to make it last night with a few alterations... You've got to try it,it's TASTY!

MEXICAN EGG ROLLS

1 Chicken breast filet
1 Tbs Vegetable Oil
- Cook chicken in oil, set aside
Cook the following until tender in the same pan:
2 Tbs minced red bell pepper (I used green)
2 Tbs minced green onion (I used regular onion)
-Add chicken and the following:
1/3 C. frozen corn
1/4 C. black beans, rinsed
2 Tbs frozen spinach, thawed and drained (I used fresh)
2 Tbs green chilies
2 Tbs minced fresh parsley (I used celantro)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt
Dash of Cayenne Pepper
(I added one diced tomato at the end to give it a fresh taste)

Cook until all ingredients are cooked through, add 3/4 C. Monterey Jack cheese. Stir until Cheese is melted. Spoon chicken mixture into tortillas. Freeze for 4 hours or overnight. Deep fry or spray with cooking oil and bake at 375 for 15 minutes. (I cooked them fresh on a flat griddler.)

AVOCADO RANCH DIPPING SAUCE

1/2 C. Prepared fresh Ranch dressing
1/4 C. Smashed fresh avovado or 1 avocado
lime juice from half a lime
celantro leaves
blend together

Serve with egg rolls.
Yeild: 6-8

Dijon Chicken Linguine

This dish was AMAZING! I found the Recipe off of Pintrest.
It was very good and something I will totally make again! YUMM!!!

DIJON CHICKEN LINGUINE
Serves 4

1 package cooked Linguine
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup chanterelle mushrooms
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves minced garlic
Salt and pepper to season
1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds

Heat olive oil in a large heavy bottomed frying pan over medium low heat. Add chicken breasts, garlic, season with salt and pepper and continue to fry the chicken until completely cooked.
Remove chicken from pan and hold in a warm oven.

Add to the pan:

4 oz white wine

Simmer until volume is reduced by half. Then add:

2 cups whipping cream
3 tbsp Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to season.
Simmer until sauce thickens enough to coat a metal spoon. Return Chicken to the sauce, add the chanterelle mushrooms and simmer for an additional 2 minutes. Serve over cooked linguine. Sprinkle with toasted slivered almonds.

Chicken Noodle Soup

I've been a little under the weather the past few days. Last night the only thing that sounded good, besides a bed and Nyquil, was some chicken noodle soup. So, I decided to make a small batch for myself. It ended up not being a small batch since a few others wanted dinner too. I guess I'll feed the household. :)

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP


1 Onion chopped
3 Carrots chopped
4 Celery Ribs chopped
1/4 tsp dried Thyme
1 Tbs. butter

Saute veggies and Thyme in butter until they start to sweat.

In a large pot boil 2 Chicken Breasts in broth in pressure cooker until tender. Strain liquid to remove chicken stuff. (What is that stuff called that floats around after you've boiled chicken? Get rid of that stuff. Yuck!)

Mix veggies with chicken and add noodles. Gently boil until noodles are cooked through and veggies are tender. Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped fresh Parsley.

Nothing better than homemade Chicken Noodle Soup.

Baccon Wrapped Stuffed Chicken

I saw this on a Pintest. Click HERE for the original. I wanted to try it. The original recipe calls for 12 Chicken breasts. I only wanted to make three. So, I altered a bit. But, it's still very simple, only three ingredients and it was delicious!

BACON WRAPPED STUFFED CHICKEN


Chicken breast, flattened with a mallet
Stuffed with Chive and Onion Cream cheese
Wrapped with two strips of bacon
Use toothpicks to hold in place (I didn't need toothpicks, the bacon held everything together just fine.)

Cook at 400° for 20 min or until juices run clear. Then cook for 8 minutes under the broiler to crisp the chicken.

This was really yummy chicken. Next time, I may cook the bacon first, sprinkle it inside of the chicken with the cream cheese and then put Swiss cheese on top of the chicken for the last 8 minutes and melt cheese on top of chicken.

Chicken Broccoli Casserole

Chicken Broccoli Casserole has been one of those dishes I've had my entire life, about once a month at least. It's a staple and one everyone loves. It's very simple to make and only has a few ingredients.

CHICKEN BROCCOLI CASSEROLE

Cook 4-5 Chicken breasts in chicken stock or broth until tender (I always use a pressure cooker and freeze the broth for another meal.)

Steam 3-4 heads of Broccoli (I always do it in the microwave with a little water.)

Sauce:
2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup
1 C. Mayo (I always use less, about 3/4 C.)
2-3 tsp. Curry Powder

Add Broccoli

Mix Chicken, broccoli and sauce and pour into a 9x13 baking dish.

Cover with shredded cheddar cheese and a two teaspoons of breadcrums.

Cook at 400° until golden brown and bubbly

Serve with rice and soy sauce


This amount will serve 8-10 people, but we always eat it for leftovers the next day.

Pad Thai

My dad lived in Thailand for two years in 1974-1976. I lived in Thailand the summer of 2005 after the Tsunami. Thailand and Thai food have always been a staple at my home growing up. Living in Thailand made me appreciate my fathers cooking even more. I am grateful he passed on some of his skill at cooking fantastic Thai food. Pad Thai is a family favorite (pronounced: Paa Tye). It's a noodle dish with chicken and sometimes shrip or pork strips. It has tofu and egg as well. I made this particular dish with Chicken.

Pad Thai


½ C. Fried Tofu (prepared and set aside)
1 Egg beaten and fried separately and cut into cubes

8 Oz. Rice Noodles (Soaked in cold water for 30 min.)
3 TBS. Oil (Added to HOT pan)
3 Cloves Garlic minced
1 TBS. minced fresh Ginger
1-2 Chicken breasts cut up, or pork or shrimp
2-3 TBS. Pad Thai Sauce
¼ C. Fish Sauce
¼ C. Sugar
2 TBS. Tamarind Juice (Or Lime)
1 TBS. Paprika
¼ C. 1 inch chopped green onions or chives
¼ C. Ground roasted peanuts
2 TBS. Peanut Butter
1 C. Bean Sprouts

Cook the egg before hand, set aside. Cook the Tofu before hand, set aside.
Cook Chicken or Pork or Shrimp in oil and garlic and cook through, add the remaining ingredients.

Garnish with chopped raw peanuts, celantro and lime.