Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken--Super easy!

Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken

Ingredients

1 lbs chicken thighs
1 cup chicken broth
½ cup teriyaki sauce
⅓ cup brown sugar
3 garlic cloves, minced

Directions

1. Combine chicken broth, teriyaki sauce, brown sugar and garlic cloves in large bowl.
2. Add chicken to crockpot and pour sauce over. Stir to coat chicken well.
3. Cook on low 4-6 hours, or until chicken is cooked through.
4. Serve over hot cooked rice and spoon on extra sauce if desired

 

Chicken and Rice Soup (Stovetop)

I made this last night and my child who willingly tries things but rarely, if ever, adopts a new food declared it a good soup and ate two bowls! So I'm sharing it here so I can find it again.

Chicken and Rice Soup
(Adapted from here)

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 2 celery ribs, sliced
• 1/2 bag frozen green peas
  
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup of water
• 1/2 cup long grain white rice, uncooked
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
• Salt and pepper to taste

• Place a large pot over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, thyme and bay leaf. Cook and stir for about 6 minutes, until the vegetables are softened but not browned.
• Pour in the chicken broth and water and bring the liquid to a boil. Add in the peas, rice and chicken; season with salt and pepper.
• Cook on medium-low until the rice is tender, about 25-30 minutes. Serve warm.

 

Spaghetti Squash Enchilada Casserole

Spaghetti Squash Enchilada Casserole
(Adapted from here)

1 large spaghetti squash

1 tbsp veg oil, plus a little extra to rub on the squash

1 cup diced onion

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp taco seasoning mix

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 can (10-14 oz) red enchilada sauce 

1 1/2 cups shredded leftover roast chicken

1 can (4 oz) Pickled Jalapeño Slices, diced (optional)

1/2 cup red bell pepper, finely diced

1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed

1/2 cup black beans, rinsed and drained

3/4 cup shredded colby jack cheese.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 

Cut spaghetti squash in half, lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds. Rub oil on the cut sides of each half. Place the squash halves face down on a foil-lined half sheet pan. 

Bake in the preheated oven 40 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork. Lower the oven temp to 350 degrees.

Using a fork, separate the strands of squash from the skin and place cooked squash into a square greased casserole dish. Sprinkle with salt.

In a medium saucepan, sauté onion and garlic with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. When translucent, add taco seasoning and stir in tomato paste. Stir in the enchilada sauce and let simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. 

Mix 1 1/2 cups of the sauce with the shredded chicken, chopped jalapeños (if using), bell pepper, corn and black beans. Spoon filling over the squash. Pour the rest of the sauce over the casserole, and place in the 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. 

Remove the casserole and top it with the cheese.

Turn on broiler and broil 3-4 minutes until the cheese is golden and bubbling. Sprinkle chopped cilantro on top, if desired.  

Serves 4, easily. 

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

I've made these twice in one week. They're THAT good!

Green Chile Enchiladas
(Adapted from I Heart Nap Time)

• 8-10 large flour tortillas
• 2-3 cups shredded cooked chicken (about 2 large chicken breasts)
• 1-2 tsp. garlic powder, your preference
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder 
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 (4.5 oz) can of diced green chilis
• 4 ounces of cream cheese, softened
• 2 tbps. lime juice
• 1 (10-ounce) can green chile enchilada sauce
• 1 1/2 cups shredded jack cheese, divided
• Fresh cilantro (optional)

In a large bowl combine the softened cream cheese, spices, chicken, diced green chilis, lime juice, and 1/2 c of the shredded jack cheese. Stir until well blended. 

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Pour a small amount (1-2 Tbsp?) of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan and spread it around. Warm 2-3 tortillas a time in the microwave, then put 2-3 Tbsp. of the chicken filling into each one. Roll them up and place them in the 9x13 dish.

Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the rolled enchiladas, then top with the remaining jack cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and back for an additional 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly. Remove from oven and garnish with fresh cilantro if desired. 

Richards Fam Chinese Chicken

I guess this is a huge favorite of my husband's family from growing up, and I can see why! The recipe calls for drumsticks, but feel free to use whatever type of meat you want. I prefer the chicken tenders from costco :) The cook time may vary depending on the meat...

6 lg drumsticks
1/2 c soy sauce
3 Tbs brown sugar
1/4 tsp garlic powder
3 Tbs vinegar
1 tsp. ginger
1 c water
1 chicken boullion cube

Pull skin off drumsticks
Boil water (microwave works) and add the boullion
Mix the rest of the ingredients into the water
Marinate chicken

Bake at 350 for 45 min. until chicken is falling off the bones :)

A couple notes...
-According to my SIL the marinating doesn't really need to happen, I did it for about 20 minutes and mine still had plenty of flavor
-I made this recipe in my pressure cooker, it took 15 minutes and turned out PERFECT (Chicken was about 2/3 still frozen, I did half drumsticks, half chicken tenders)
-Pair it with the fried rice and some broccoli and you will be so happy.
-I'm going to try to do a make-ahead freezer meal with this and I'll update with how it turns out

Cranberry Chicken

I made this last night and LOVED it.  It was so easy and so tasty!

6 Skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 1/2 (1 ounce) packages dry onion soup-mix
1 (16 ounce) can cranberry sauce
1 cup French or Russian salad dressing

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place the chicken breasts in a baking pan.  In a small bowl, combine the onion soup mix, cranberry sauce, and dressing.  Stir until well blended.  Pour sauce mixture over the chicken breasts. Cover with foil and bake for 60-75 minutes or until top is bubbly and slightly browned.

*For a more flavorful dish, let chicken marinate in the sauce for several hours.

I came home from work yesterday and threw this together.  I didn't really thaw my chicken before putting it in the dish and pouring the mixture over it.  I let it marinate for about 40 minutes while I went jogging and then I came home and threw it in the oven.  I served it with brown rice.  My husband and I both loved it, it was so tender and juicy.  And, super easy to throw together after a really long day.

Parmesan Chicken

2 Boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 c. olive oil or butter
2 tsp. crushed garlic
1/4 c. bread crumbs (I liked the Italian seasoned ones)
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the oil and garlic together so that the flavors blend. In a separate dish, combine bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. Cut the chicken breasts in half and dip them first in the oil, then the bread and cheese. Place in a shallow baking dish and cook at 425 for about 30-35 minutes.

This was SO easy and so quick! Not to mention SO good! We ate it with rice, but I bet it would be even better with mashed potatoes.

Funny story... it looks like Sarah already added a recipe exactly like this except italian dressing instead of oil and garlic. So... I bet hers tastes even better. That's why we're BFF!

Poppy Seed Chicken

Boil (or bake) 6 chicken breasts
Dice in 9x13 pan

Heat:
Mix 2 cans cream of chicken soup and 12 oz. sour cream
1 cup butter

Mix with chicken in the pan
Top with:
1 Tbsp poppy seed
1/2 box crackers
1/2 cup butter

Chicken Italian Dressing Bake

1/2 c. Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1/8 tsp. salt

4 chicken breast halves, skinned and boned

1/4 c. commercial Italian salad dressing

Vegetable cooking spray

Combine bread crumbs, cheese, and salt in a plastic bag; shake to mix. Dip chicken in   salad dressing. Place one piece of chicken in bag, and shake to coat. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken. Place in a lightly greased pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Spray chicken with cooking spray, and bake an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until done. Yield 4 servings.