Easy Cream Cheese Crockpot Chicken

from The Larson Lingo

I love easy meals. I saw this recipe floating around Pinterest and had to give it a try. I was a little worried it'd taste too cream cheesy but it wasn't at all; it had a good flavor to it. I added a little salt to mine because I like everything with a little extra salt.

- Bag of frozen Chicken Breast Tenderloins (2.5-3lb bag)
- 8 oz block of cream cheese (don't use Fat Free! 1/3 less fat or regular is fine)
- Can of Black Beans, drained & rinsed.
- Can of Corn, drained.
- Can of Rotel

Directions:
Put frozen chicken in the crock pot.
Put Cream cheese on top of the chicken.
Dump in the Black Beans (make sure they are drained & rinsed!!!)
Dump in the drained corn.
Dump in the Rotel,

Cover & cook in your Crock Pot on low for 6-8 hours.
Every 2 hours, I stir the ingredients.
You can shred the chicken when it is done, or just leave it as tenderloins.

I turn the crock pot off & let it sit for about 30-45 minutes.
It is a little soupy, but letting it sit causes it to not be as soupy.

I serve this over rice. The rice soaks up some of the soupy-ness.

It makes a lot, so this is usually 2 dinners & a lunch.
I actually like it better on the 2nd day, when it isn't as soupy.
So, you could make this the day before & then keep it in your fridge overnight.
When we have it on a leftover day, sometimes I combine the rice & the cream cheese chicken mixture and use it for burritos. Add a tortilla, some lettuce, cheese & salsa.
Easy. Good. Healthy.

This is the best enchilada recipe (courtesy of one of my favorite Food Network chefs, Tyler Florence). You can adjust the heat by changing the amount of chipotle peppers. I usually add 3 with the seeds and it is perfect for us. Serve with some Spanish rice and/or beans and you've got absolute yumminess!

Chicken Enchiladas

3 Tbls. cooking oil (I use canola)
1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp. cumin powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. Mexican Spice Blend
1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 small can diced green chiles
4 canned chipotle chiles, seeded and minced (adjust to your taste preference)
1 28-oz. can stewed tomatoes (I substituted a 14-15 oz. can of tomato sauce)
1/2 tsp. all-purpose flour
Corn tortillas (the original recipe calls for 16, I get about 12 when I make them)
1 large can of enchilada sauce
1 cup shredded Cheddar and Jack cheeses
Garnish: Chopped cilantro leaves, chopped scallions, sour cream, chopped tomatoes

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Coat large saute pan with oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken over medium heat, for about 7 minutes per side or until no longer pink. Sprinkle chicken with cumin, garlic powder, and Mexican Spice before turning. Remove to a platter and allow to cool.

Saute onion and garlic in chicken drippings until tender. Add corn and chiles. Stir well to combine. Add canned tomatoes, saute 1 minute.

Pull chicken breasts apart by hand into shredded strips and add to saute pan, combine with vegetables. Dust the mixture with flour to help set.

Microwave tortillas on high for 30 seconds (I do 4 at a time for about 20 seconds, fill and then continue with another 4 tortillas). This softens them and makes them more pliable. Coat the bottom of 2 13x9-inch pans with a ladle of enchilada sauce. Using a large, shallow bowl, dip each tortilla into enchilada sauce to lightly coat (I sometimes skip this step to save time). Spoon 1/4 cutp of chicken mixture into each tortilla, roll up and place seam-side down into prepared pans. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.

Bake for 15 minutes until cheese melts. Garnish with cilantro, scallion, sour cream and chopped tomatoes.

Serve with Spanish rice and beans.

Enjoy!

Spinach-Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken

I volunteered to make dinner again tonight. I love cooking for my family, although sometimes we end up calling for take out! I guess that's part of the wonderful life of experimental cooking!
(I didn't take this picture but it gives you an idea of the final product. Except, my chicken was swimming in bright, delicious tomato sauce.)

Spinach-Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken
Servings: 8

Serve with rice, noodles, or, my personal favorite, sourdough bread!

Ingredients:
18 ounces packaged prewashed fresh spinach
2 1/2 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
Freshly ground black pepper
Salt
Ground nutmeg
8 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 family-sized can garlic and herb spaghetti sauce
1 14-15 oz. can of diced tomatoes
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450°.

To prepare chicken, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add spinach to pan; cook 5 minutes or until spinach begins to wilt, stirring frequently. Drain any excess liquid and finely chop spinach. Place spinach, 2 cups mozzarella cheese, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and a dash nutmeg; stir well to combine.

Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Place 1/4 cup mozzarella mixture in the center of each chicken breast, fold over, and secure with 1-2 toothpicks. Place rolls in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish (I used a slightly larger dish). Sprinkle salt and pepper evenly over rolls. Combine spaghetti sause, diced tomatoes, and onion. Pour sauce over chicken and sprinkle with 1/2 cup mozzarella and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese. Bake at 450° for 25-30 minutes, or until chicken is done (gage with meat thermometer. Poultry is thoroughly cooked once the meat reaches 180° F).

Don't forget to remove toothpicks before you dig in! That would be a nasty surprise..

Cranberry Chicken

This is really similar to the Apricot Chicken recipe I posted before, but worth a try if you feel like mixing it up a bit. There are lots of variations to this recipe, but here's the one I used from Favorite Family Recipes:

3-4 chicken breasts
1 can whole berry cranberry sauce
1 pkg. chopped pecans
1 bottle Catalina dressing
1 pkg. dry onion soup mix

Place chicken in baking pan. Generously spread cranberry sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle pecans and onion soup mix over chicken. Pour catalina dressing over top. Bake lightly covered with foil at 350 for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 more minutes.

I couldn't find whole berry cranberry sauce, so i just used the jellied kind and it was fine. I've seen variations that use French dressing instead of Catalina, and raisins instead of chopped pecans.

Mango Chicken

Wish I had a photo, but trust me that this was delish. If you like mango salsa, then you'll love this!

2-3 T oil

3 mangoes

1 large red bell pepper (or 2 small ones)

1 garlic clove

1" ginger root (or use ground ginger)

1/2 c apple cider vinegar

1/4 c white cooking wine or water

bunch of cilantro, chopped

Saute garlic in oil till lightly browned. Add ginger and cook a little longer. Add mangoes, saute till mashable. Add red pepper. Saute till soft. Reduce heat. Add vinegar and cooking wine/water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Add cilantro at end. Serve over grilled chicken and rice.

Southwest Chicken and Sweet Potato Fries

Grilled Southwest Chicken
Not really a recipe, but I thought I would share I love this marinade for chicken. Just follow the directions on the back of the packet and grill or bake.

Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Supposedly sweet potatoes are better for you than regular potatoes, so I gave this recipe a try last night by Cat Cora. I don't even like sweet potatoes usually but these were good. You just have to get them crispy enough and eat them while they're hot.

Ingredients:Serves 4

1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes , peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. dried Italian herb seasoning
Preheat oven to 425°. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil coated with cooking spray.

Spread the sweet potato strips out onto the baking sheet in a single layer, coat with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and spices, turning them over to evenly coat on all sides with oil and spices.

Bake for 30 minutes, turning every 10 minutes with spatula. Serve warm.

Chicken Fried Rice

1 cup diced cooked chicken

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1 cup uncooked rice

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup oil

2 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped green pepper

1/4 cup thinly sliced celery

2 slightly beaten eggs

1 cup finely shredded lettuce

Combine chicken, soy sauce and salt.  Cook rice in hot oil over medium heat until golden brown.  Reduce heat, add chicken mixture to rice and add broth.  Simmer, covered for 20-25 minutes.  Remove cover the last few minutes and stir in onion, green pepper and celery.  Cook uncovered over medium heat until liquid is absorbed.  Push rice mixture to sides, add eggs in middle and cook until almost set, then blend into rice.  Stir in lettuce and serve with soy sauce.

Lettuce Wraps

1/2 lb. ground chicken or turkey (I have always used ground turkey and it is fabulous!)

1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 1/2 tsp. finely chopped fresh ginger

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

2 Tbsp. hoisin sauce (found in the Asian aisle)

2 tsp. brown sugar, packed

1 1/2 tsp. sesame oil

1 tsp. soy sauce

5 - 10 drops red pepper sauce (Tabasco)

2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped

1 head iceberg lettuce, separated into lettuce cups

In a large skillet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, saute chicken/turkey over medium heat until no longer pink.  Pour into dish; set aside.  Rinse pan; spray with nonstick cooking spray.  Saute bell pepper, onion, garlic and ginger for 2 minutes.  Add meat.  In a bowl, blend lemon juice, hoisin sauce, sugar, oil, soy sauce and pepper sauce.  Pour into pan; stir to coat chicken/turkey.  Reduce heat and simmer, stirring until sauce is absorbed, about 4 minutes.  Stir in cilantro.  Serve with lettuce cups. (optional, rice)

BBQ Chicken Salad with Cilantro Ranch Dressing

I think this one came from favorite family recipes (link on side) but i can't remember for sure. Next time I would add some of those thin tortilla chip strips to make it more like CPK's version.

3 cups thinly sliced green leaf lettuce
1 cup corn
1 cup black beans
8 grape tomatoes, halved
1 cooked grilled chicken breast
1 cup favorite BBQ sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup prepared ranch dressing
1 heaping tablespoon fresh chopped cilantro leaves

Place lettuce into a salad bowl. Layer with corn, black beans, and tomatoes. Dice cooked chicken breast and mix with BBQ sauce. Top over salad and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

Place ranch dressing and cilantro leaves into a small bowl to combine. Drizzle over salad and serve.

**This recipe is for 1 large serving, double accordingly**

EASY Tortilla Soup

 We made this last night and aside from being terribly easy, it was delicious! I got this recipe from another recipe blog.

Tortilla Soup by Linda Smith Ingredients:

1 lb. cooked chicken or browned hamburger meat (Or one can of canned chicken)
2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup
1 can chicken broth
1 can corn
1 can Ranch Style Beans
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 can Ro-Tel

Combine all of the above ingredients and simmer on medium heat to a boil. Pour over chips and sprinkle cheese on top.
Try to get the low sodium versions of all the canned stuff. There is enough salt on the chips. Also, thinner restaurant style chips get too soggy. Tostitos are the best. You can "customize" this recipe. For example, you can add chunks of avocado, or even a dollop of guac on top after you serve it, or add cilantro or let it chill and use it as a dip. It also doesn't matter if you like more corn, or more beans, although if you take any of the ingredients out, it will change the flavor. It also keeps really well in the fridge.

It's good! Try it!

Grilled Brushetta Chicken

1/4 Cup KRAFT Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing, divided 4 Small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (filleted)  1 Medium tomato, finely chopped 1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese 1/4 chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp dried basil leaves PLACE large sheet of heavy-duty foil over half of grill grate; preheat grill to medium heat. Pour 2 tbsp. of the dressing over chicken in resealable plastic bag; seal bag.  Turn bag over several times to evenly coat chicken with the dressing.  Refrigerate 10 minutes to marinate.  Remove chicken from marinade; discard bag and marinade. GRILL chicken on uncovered side of grill 6 min.  Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, cheese, basil and remaining 2 tbsp dressing. TURN chicken over; place, cooked-side up, on foil on grill.  Top evenly with tomato mixture.  Close lid. Grill and additional 8 min. or until chicken is cooked through. **We don't have a grill right now, so I used the stove top grill pan. It worked great!** ***Serve with buttered egg noodles and grilled or steamed vegetables.***

Chicken Yakisoba

SO YUMMY....

From food

And not to hard to make!

1/2 tsp sesame oil

1 tbsp canola oil

2 tbsp chile paste (rooster brand)

2 cloves garlic

4 skinless chicken breasts cut in 1 inch cubes

1/2 cup  soy sauce

1 onion sliced length wise in 8ths

1/2 medium head of cabbage

2 carrots cute roughly

8 oz soba noodles cooked

In a large skillet combine sesame oil, canola oil and chili paste. Stir fry 30 seconds. Add garlic and stir fry and additional 30 seconds. Add chicken and 1/4 cup of the soy sauce and stir fry until chicken is no longer pink.  Remove mixture from pan, set aside and keep warm.

In the emptied pan combine the onion, cabbage and carrots.  Stir fry until cabbage begins to wilt.  Stir in the remaining soy sauce, cooked noodles and the chicken mixture to pan and mix to blend. Serve and enjoy!

** soba noodles and chili paste are found in the asian section of the grocery store.**

***Great sides are edamame (sp?) and fortune cookies.***

Butter Chicken

2 Tbsp butter
1 medium chopped onion
2 tsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1 tsp Indian chili powder (use less if you don't like spicy)
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 can chopped tomatoes (including juice)
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 whole rotisserie chicken, skin and bones removed and cut into bite-size pieces
1/3 c half-and-half
1/4 c sour cream
1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1. Saute onion and garlic in butter until onion is tender (about 5 minutes).
2. Add ginger, chili powder, turmeric and cinnamon. Cook and stir for one minute.
3. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
4. Add chicken, half-and-half and sour cream. Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes more.
5. Remove from heat. Stir in cilantro. Serve over basmati rice or Indian Fried Rice.

Chicken Pot Pie

This recipe was extremely tasty and easy to make. I made it for the first time last night for the missionaries and I couldn't have been happier with how it turned out.

1/3 cup margarine/butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
¼ teaspoon pepper
2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¾ cup chicken broth (about 1 can)
2 cups cooked chicken
Pie crust (I just bought the pre-made kind in the store - so much easier!)
Any cooked vegetables (carrots, peas, potatoes)

1.) Cook chicken and any veggies that you are using (carrots, potatoes, etc.)
2.) Melt butter and sauté onions on medium heat.
3.) Mix flour, salt, and pepper and add to butter and onions. It makes a paste-looking substance. 4.) Remove from heat. Stir in broth and milk.
5.) Put on heat again and bring to a boil stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minutes. Sauce will start to thicken.
6.) Stir in chicken and vegetables.
7.) In a pie pan, place crust on bottom and pour chicken mixture in. Place a second crust over the top. Seal around the edges and cut several slits in the top. Cover edges of crust with foil. Cook at 425 degrees for 30 minutes, removing the tin foil after 15 minutes. Cook with a cookie sheet under pie pan in case pie boils over.

I like pot pies really huge and billowy, like you would find in a restaurant, so I used about 4 carrots, 5 potatoes, and about 1.75 pounds of chicken. It looked fantastic! This also doubles really well.

Lemon Crusted Chicken

from This Week For Dinner

i tried this out last night and the chicken was great. very moist and yummy. i liked that it had a different taste to it. It's not good as leftovers though so don't make too much, oh and I had to cook it in the oven for about 13 minutes instead of 8.

LEMON CRUSTED CHICKEN
2 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Dipping Mixture:
Blend: 2 egg whites
2 tsp cornstarch
Juice of 1⁄2 lemon

For the Crusting Mixture:
Combine:
1 cup course bread crumbs
1 T. chopped fresh parsley
1 t. kosher salt
1⁄4 t. ground black pepper
Zest of one lemon, minced

Saute chicken in:
3 T olive oil

Preheat oven to 450˚. Prepare chicken breasts by slicing each piece in 1⁄2 lengthwise. Place chicken in ziplock bag with small amount of water, and lightly pound till uniform in thickness. Blend egg whites, cornstarch, and lemon juice with a fork in a shallow dish; set aside. Combine bread crumbs, parsley, salt, pepper, and zest in another wide, shallow dish. Dip both sides of the chicken breasts in the dipping mixture, and transfer to the crumb dish. Pat crumbs on both sides of chicken –its ok if some crumbs fall off. (Here, the recipe says to air dry on a rack for 20-30 minutes, but for the sake of time, I never do this. But feel free to do so if you wish). Saute chicken in oil in a large, nonstick, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp. Carefully turn with a spatula, and transfer the skillet to the oven to finish cooking. Roast chicken just until done, about 8 more minutes.

This makes a very moist and flavorful chicken.

Kabobs

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 pineapple
1 green pepper
1 red or orange pepper
1 onion
you can add zucchini, tomatoes, etc.

marinate chicken for a few hours in your choice of marinades (i usually use Kikkoman's teriyaki marinade, but you can do look up different ones like honey barbecue). cut chicken into 1 inch cubes. *bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes until cooked through. cut everything else up into bite sized pieces and arrange on skewers (i like the metal ones but if you use wooden ones make sure to soak them for 30 minutes ahead of time).

arrange skewers on barbecue and grill on low or medium for 5-8 minutes, turning occasionally. they also work okay on a George Foreman grill if you don't have a barbecue.

serve with rice.

*i like to cook my chicken ahead of time so that they don't have to be on the grill for as long, but you don't have to. it just seems like when i cook them on the grill everything else gets too crispy.

Hawaiian Haystacks

recipe from cooks.com

2 (10 3/4 oz.) cans cream of chicken soup
1 c. chicken broth or water
2 c. chicken, cooked & cubed
4 c. cooked long grain rice
1 (9 1/2 oz.) can chow mein noodles
3 med. tomatoes, sliced
1 c. chopped celery
1/2 c. chopped green pepper
1/2 c. chopped green onions
1 (20 oz.) can pineapple chunks, drained
1 c. grated cheddar cheese
1/2 c. slivered almonds (i dont use)
1/2 c. coconut (i dont use)
1 (2 oz.) jar pimiento, drained & diced (opt.- i dont use)

Combine soup and chicken broth in saucepan. Add chicken and simmer 8 to 10 minutes until heated through. On serving plates layer all ingredients. First, stack rice, chow mein noodles, chicken and gravy. Add tomatoes, celery, green peppers and green onion. Top with pineapple chunks, grated cheese and more chicken and gravy if desired. Stack almonds, coconut and pimiento on top. Makes 8 servings.

I know there are different variations to this recipe, so please share in the comments if you have a different way of doing it. When I am really pressed for time and feeling super ghetto I replace the chicken broth mixture with canned chicken and teriyaki marinade. You can omit or add toppings depending on your taste and what you have lying around.

Bruschetta 'n Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Okay so I know this picture looks kind of nasty but these were actually really tasty. Chris liked them so much that after dinner he told me to go lay down while he cleaned up the kitchen! If you are not convinced and want a good laugh at my expense you can see what they are supposed to look like on the Kraft website here . 

Prep Time: 15 min (i'm pretty sure it took me like 45 min but I struggle)

Total Time: 1 hour

Makes 8 Servings

1 can (14 1/2 oz) Italian style diced tomatoes, undrained

1 1/4 cups mozzarella cheese, divided

1/4 cup fresh chopped basil

1 pckg. (6 oz) stuffing mix for chicken

8 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (2 lbs.)

1/3 cup KRAFT roasted red pepper Italian with Parmesan dressing

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Combine tomatoes, 1/2 cup of the cheese, the basil and dry stuffing mix; stir just until moistened.

PLACE 2 chicken breast halves in large freezer-weight resealable plastic bag. Pound chicken with meat mallet or side of heavy can until chicken is 1/4 inch thick. Repeat with remaining chicken, adding two at a time to bag. Place chicken, top-sides down, on cutting board; spread evenly with stuffing mixture. Starting at one of the narrow ends, tightly roll up chicken. Place, seam-sides down, in 13x9-inch baking dish. Drizzle evenly with dressing.

BAKE 40 min. Sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake an additional 5 min. or until chicken is cooked through (165°F) and cheese is melted.

I think next time I would put more bruschetta mixture on top of the chicken breasts after the dressing because the bruschetta mix is very tasty. Or, if rolling the chicken breasts is a little overwhelming for you, i think you could just lay them out flat and put the bruschetta on top. I did that on one of mine accidentally and it was really crispy and good.

Chicken Veggie Casserole

We went to Disneyland, got the free Mission Tortilla, and we got a free cookbook to go with it! I decided to try something out of it. This is what we tried, and it was really good.

1 C sliced mushrooms
1 Tbsp margarine
1/2 C sour cream
1/2 C Sliced green onions
1 medium garlic clove minced
1 C sliced cooked carrots
1 C cooked broccoli florets
1 C condensed cheese or broccoli cheese soup undiluted (10 oz)
2 C cooked or leftover chicken cubed
6 Mission Fajita size flour tortillas

1. Lightly brush six 1 c custard cups or small oven proof bowls with softened margarine
2. Shells soften tortillas by warming briefly in skillet or microwave, then gently push tortilla into cup or bowl and place on baking sheet.
3. Filling saute mushrooms and garlic in 1 tablespoon margarine. Stir in soup and sour cream, blend well.
4.Add chicken, broccoli, carrots and green o nions. Spoon 1/2 cup filling into each tortilla shell, Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes until filling is hot. Carefully remove shells from cups and serve.

Sorry no picture... but they it was SOO good. I ate it before I could take a picture!

Ritz Chicken

This is a Heyman recipe that i love.

chicken tenders

1 cube melted butter

Ritz crackers (I use one package), crushed

garlic salt to taste

salt and pepper to taste

Dip chicken in melted butter, then Ritz/garlic salt/S&P mix.

Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.