Not Even a Recipe Burritos

These burritos are SO easy because they are really just directions. Not even a recipe. But what you'll need is:

Chicken (One breast halved per person)
Black Beans (One can is good for 3-4 Burritos)
Rice Sides or Rice a Roni (One bag is enough for about 4 burritos)
Tortillas (One per burrito)

Okay so just cook your chicken and chop it up. I cook mine in a frying pan with just a tiny bit of olive oil after I've chopped it into small chunks. Heat your beans. And cook your rice as desired. I like Rice Sides because they cook faster and tend to have more flavor. I usually use either the chicken flavor or the Mexican or Spanish rice.
Layer each topping inside a warm tortilla and serve with sour cream, ranch dressing, salsa, etc.

I know this seems easy and way too bland to be good but its really surprisingly super good. So easy, I don't even consider it a recipe.

Roasted Tomato and Herb Pasta

What you need:
12 ounces pasta
5-6 cups cherry tomatoes
5-6 smashed garlic cloves
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 cup fresh chopped herbs, i.e. basil, parsley, oregano, chives etc.(I've used dry when I don't have any fresh and its still yummy)
Parmesan for serving if you want
Chicken grilled and cut in strips if you would like

Directions:
Turn on your oven to 400°
Meanwhile: Cook the pasta as normal, strain and return to pot when done
Meanwhile: On a cookie sheet, stir and toss around the tomatoes, garlic, 2 tablespoons of the oil, half teaspoon salt, and a little less than half a teaspoon pepper.
Roast the tomatoes in the oven... about halfway through toss them once, until they begin to pop open, (20 to 25 minutes)
Add the oven mixture to the pasta with the chopped herbs and remaining tablespoon oil.
Serve with the Parmesan and oil if you would like. Chicken can easily be added to this dish if you want!

Teriyaki Chicken

You will need:
4-6 Boneless skinless chicken breast (I prefer halved)

Sauce:
½ cup sugar
5/8 (1/2+1/8)cup soy sauce
1/2 - 1 tsp powdered garlic
dash ginger

Mix sauce ingredients and bring to a boil in deep frying pan or sauce pan
Drop in chicken and cook until done (20-30 minutes depending on thickness of chicken)

Chicken Stuffing Casserole

My favorite ever comfort food casserole recipe from my very own mama!

Chicken Stuffing Casserole

4 cups chicken cooked and cubed (can also use turkey)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
16 oz. sour cream
2 cups water
1 boxes chicken stove top stuffing

Mix sour cream, soup and water. Prepare stuffing according to directions. Mix chicken, soup/sour cream
mixture, and stuffing. Pour into freezer bag and freeze. When thawed, bake in greased 9x13 , at 350
for 40 minutes.

Stuffed Chicken Scallopine

If you don't have fontina I would recommend substituting parmesan =)

Ingredients
6 (4 1/2 to 5 1/2-ounce) chicken cutlets, pounded thin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 sage leaves
3 ounces grated fontina cheese
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, halved
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Special Equipment: toothpicks

Directions
Place the chicken cutlets on a clean work surface, narrow end facing you. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place one sage leaf crosswise on each of the pieces of chicken. Sprinkle each of the pieces of chicken with 1/2 ounce (about 2 tablespoons) of fontina cheese. Roll up the chicken and seal with one or two toothpicks.

Warm the olive oil and halved garlic clove in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat until the garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken. Brown the chicken on all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pan and remove and discard the garlic. Add the wine and simmer for 2 minutes while scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.

Meanwhile, combine the tomatoes and red pepper flakes in a blender and blend until smooth. Add the tomato mixture to the reduced wine in the pan. Simmer for 5 minutes to let the flavors marry.

Return the chicken to the pan. Simmer the chicken in the tomato sauce for 10 minutes. Turn the chicken over and simmer until cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the pan. Season the tomato sauce with salt and pepper. Spoon the tomato sauce onto serving plates or a serving platter. Slice the chicken into 1-inch rounds. Remove the toothpicks. Place the chicken over the sauce and serve immediately.

*Giada*

Sun Dried Tomato and Basil Chicken

What you need:

3 or 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

1/4 cup Sun Dried Tomato dressing from Kraft

1 tomato chopped

1 tbsp dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh

What you do:

Put the chicken in a ziploc bag with about 2 tbsp. of the dressing as a marinade. Shake it up, turn it over, get it covered - then stick it in the fridge

While this is marinating for about 10 minutes, you can chop up your tomato and basil if necessary and get a pan out to grill the chicken.

Place the chicken on the grill or pan and let it cook, covered, for about 5 or 6 minutes.

While this is grilling, combine your tomato, dressing, and basil.

Turn your chicken over and pour your mixture over the top. Continue to cook, covered, for about 8 minutes or until your chicken is done.

Right before you serve, you can grate some mozzarella or parmesan cheese over the top for extra flavor.

Enjoy!

Mediterranean Chicken Packets

I'm making this for dinner tonight =) Its from Martha Stewart Everyday Food. Fantastic Recipe Magazine!!!

Ingredients (Serves 4.)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 to 8 ounces each)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained
4 artichoke hearts (from a 14-ounce can), quartered
12 Kalamata olives, halved and pitted
4 teaspoons capers
1/2 cup crumbled feta (2 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place four 12-inch squares of parchment paper or heavy-duty foil on a work surface. Place a chicken breast on one half of each square, leaving a 2-inch border; season with salt and pepper.
Dividing evenly, top chicken with tomatoes, artichokes, olives, capers, and feta. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and oil. Fold parchment over ingredients, and crimp edges to seal.
Place packets on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until chicken is opaque throughout, 20 to 22 minutes.

Easy Crockpot Chicken

Super Easy and just an all around "comfort food" type meal.

Ingredients:
4 Chicken Breasts
1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 Can Chicken Gumbo Soup

Directions:
Mix the soups and pour over chicken in crockpot. Cook for 3 hours on high or 5-6 hours on low.



... I told you it was easy =)

Low Sodium, Low Fat Chicken

Low Fat. Low Sodium. Just the way I like it!

Heat about 2 tbls Olive oil in a frying pan. Place 2 chicken breasts in the pan about one minute each side. Sprinkle with your favorite Mrs. Dash seasonings (I used original blend) and cook another 2 minutes each side. Continue to cook covered as much as possible (of course flip the chicken over every now and again) Low Sodium and Seriously good. Who knew???

Rosemary Lemon Chicken with Prosciutto

MmmMmmm... just made this tonight, it's from the food network and it is seriously good!!

Ingredients
Extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped
Leaves from 2 small sprigs fresh rosemary
1 whole chicken, quartered (about 3 pounds) ** I use chicken breast **
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 lemon, juiced

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Put a cast iron or other ovenproof skillet large enough to hold the chicken in a single layer, or a small roasting pan, over medium heat and get it good and hot. Drizzle the pan with a 3-count of oil. Add the prosciutto and rosemary and cook, stirring, until the prosciutto is crisp and lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Push to 1 side of the pan. Season the chicken on both sides with a generous amount of salt and pepper and add it to the pan, skin side down, in a single layer. Cook for about 5 minutes until the skin begins to set and crisp. Turn and cook 3 more minutes. Turn the chicken again, stick the pan in the oven and roast until the chicken is tender and cooked through, about 30 more minutes. ******** see below
Take the pan out of the oven. Remove the chicken and prosciutto from of the pan and arrange on a platter with rosemary and prosciutto sprinkled on top, keep warm while you prepare the pan sauce. Pour out all but about 1 tablespoon of the rendered chicken fat and return the pan to the stovetop. Stir in the stock and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, scraping up the flavors stuck to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, until reduced to a syrup, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle the pan sauce over the chicken and serve immediately.

***** Since I didn't use a whole chicken I cooked covered just like you would cook chicken breast normally and it turned out perfect =)

Chicken Cigars

The kind of cigars even I can enjoy!!
This is a Rachael Ray recipe from her 30 minute meals book. It has a few things I happen to love: chicken, basil, and most of all..... PHYLLO dough =) =)

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion
4 garlic cloves
1 1/2 - 2 lbs ground (or shredded) chicken breast
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes chopped
1 cup, about 20 leaves, fresh basil chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tbls fennel seeds
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt and Black pepper to taste
8 sheets phyllo dough
1 stick butter, melted
2 hearts of romaine lettuce, chopped
juice of 1 lemon

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425.
Heat a medium skillet with 2 tbls olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic, cook until soft (onions should be see throughish; 6-7 minutes). Let the mixture cool in a medium mixing bowl. Add the chicken, tomatoes, basil, oregano, fennel, pepper flakes, cheese, salt and pepper and combine. Brush a sheet of Phyllo with some of the melted butter. Top with a second sheet of Phyllo and brush again. Form 1/4 of the chicken mixture into a 1 inch thick log as long as the phyllo sheet and roll. Cut the roll into 3 "cigars" and brush with a dab more butter. Repeat to make a total of 12 cigars (serves 2-3 total). Bake for 16-18 minutes, until golden brown.

Toss the lettuce with the lemon juice and remaining olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Capers and Artichoke Pasta

This is one of my favorite recipes. Fast, Easy, and healthy too!

Ingredients:

1 jar artichoke hearts
1 can olives sliced or whole (black or kalamata, your choice)
1 roma tomato diced
2-3 tsp capers (I add more, but then again I LOVE capers)
1 garlic clove diced or 1/2 tsp from a jar
1 small-med zucchini diced
2 chicken breasts cooked and cubed (if desired)
2 spins around the pot of Olive Oil
Parmesan Cheese if you want
Your choice of noodles!

Cook pasta as directed. Drain water and add all the ingredients listed above. Stir while on heat and let everything heat through. Serve! Yes, it really is that simple. And it really is THAT good.

Parmesan Chicken

This is another Kraft foods recipe.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 env. GOOD SEASONS Italian Dressing Mix
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (2 lb.)

Directions:
HEAT oven to 400°F.
MIX cheese, dressing mix and garlic powder. ( I don't always use all the seasons packet. Its pretty strong)
MOISTEN chicken with water; coat with cheese mixture. Place in shallow baking dish.
BAKE 20 to 25 min. or until chicken is done (165°F).

**Serve with noodles of choice and spaghetti sauce

Chicken Pockets (or roll ups, or diapers, or whatever you call them)

This is an old favorite. My mom made it growing up and I love it!

Ingredients:
3 cups chicken cooked and cubed
1 8 oz. Cream cheese
¼ cup green onion, chopped (or celery for the texture)
1 can cream of chicken soup (for gravy)
¾ cup milk (for gravy)
2 packages pop up crescent rolls
Bread crumbs

Mix chicken, cream cheese, and onion. Unroll crescent rolls. Place about 1 heaping tablespoon of chicken mixture onto each crescent roll. Wrap roll around mixture so that it is sealed inside. Roll in bread crumbs. Place in freezer bag. When thawed, bake on cookie sheet at 375 for 30-40 minutes until golden brown. Combine milk and soup to make gravy, heat well. Serve with gravy, and rice.

Chicken Enchilada Suiza

I got this one from my mama =)

Ingredients:
2 cans cream of chicken soup
16 oz. Sour cream
Mix and set aside
3-4 cups chicken breast, cooked and cubed ( 1 breast =about a cup)
2, 4 oz. Cans sliced olives
1 4 oz. Can green chilis, chopped and drained
1 cup onion chopped
1 Tbls. Chili powder
½ tsp. Salt
½ tsp. Garlic powder
8 Tortillas
1 ½ -2 cups cheddar cheese grated

Directions:
Mix ¾ cup sour cream/soup mixture together with chicken, olives, chilis, onion, chili powder, salt, garlic powder, and ½ cup cheese. Divide evenly onto 8 tortillas. Roll and place in gallon Ziploc freezer bag. Cover with remaining sour cream/soup sauce. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Freeze. To thaw, spray 9x13 pan with Pam or the like, and cut frozen bag open. Let enchiladas thaw in pan, in the fridge. Bake at 400 for 15-25 minutes. Serve with salsa.

Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

Again, Alicia gave me this recipe. I make it a lot, its fast and easy and out of this world good.

INGREDIENTS:
4 chicken breasts
8 oz sour cream
1/3 C margarine or butter
1 can cream of chicken or mushroom

Toppings:
1 roll crushed Ritz crackers
¼ C margarine or butter, melted
1 Tbsp poppy seeds

DIRECTIONS:Preheat oven to 350°F. Boil chicken in water with a bouillon cube. Salt and pepper chicken and shred it once cooked and put in an 8x8 casserole dish. Mix soup, sour cream, and margarine and pour over the chicken. Mix the topping ingredients together and pour them over the chicken mixture. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes. Serve over rice.

Can be frozen without topping

Fettucine Alfredo

So most of you probably don't want to know whats in your alfredo sauce.... but regardless its delicious!

Ingredients:
1 pound fettuccini pasta
1 1/2 cups butter, divided
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into cubes
2 (16 ounce) containers whole milk ricotta cheese
1 pint heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add fettuccini and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute chicken until no longer pink and juices run clear.
In a large saucepan combine ricotta cheese, cream, salt, Parmesan cheese and remaining butter. Cook over medium heat until well combined, about 10 minutes. Stir in cooked fettuccini and chicken; cook until heated through.

Best Ever Chicken Cordon Bleu

Ingredients:
**You will need one of these for each person you are serving. So for this you would be making only one chicken cordon bleu. (So if you are making 2 you need 2 chicken breasts, 2 slices of cheese, 1 piece of ham, etc...)
1 Chicken Breast
1 Slice of Swiss cheese
1/2 of a slice of black forest ham
4-5 sheets Phyllo dough- thawed (found in the frozen food aisle, usually by the frozen pie crusts, cool whip, etc.)

Preheat the oven to 375. On a cutting board, pound chicken until flattened and can easily be folded in half. You can butterfly cut the chicken instead but unless your chicken is pretty thick this method can be a little bit more tricky. (search for directions on how to butterfly cut chicken on google if you don't already know) Place one piece of ham on half of chicken (trim so that it fits inside and the chicken can be folded around it as needed). Place one slice of swiss cheese or more if desired on top of ham and fold chicken on top of it like a pocket. Unroll Phyllo dough until it is large enough to wrap around the chicken breast. You only need to use about 4-5 sheets of phyllo dough to wrap the chicken in. Cut the phyllo dough using a pizza cutter and peel the layers off. Place the chicken breast in the middle and wrap the sides around the bottom like you would a present. You can also fold the phyllo dough the same way you did the chicken and press the sides together for a nice look. Using a wet paper towel you can wet the dough and make it stick together. Bake in oven for 45 minutes. The phyllo dough will be golden brown and the chicken inside will be moist and done to perfection!

I like to serve it with a white chicken gravy but you definitely don't need to. Its good all on it's own!

Chicken Stir-Fry

One of the easiest and fastest recipes ever. Originally from Kraft Foods, I've modified it a little to suit my taste.

Ingredients:
8 oz. angel hair pasta (capellini), uncooked
2 cups small broccoli florets
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1/2 cup Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing (I use Kraft, its good :)
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 tsp. each: ground ginger, garlic powder
1/8 - 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/3 cup chopped Dry Roasted Peanuts

Cook pasta as directed on package, adding broccoli to the boiling water for the last 3 min. of the pasta cooking time.MEANWHILE, spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 6 to 8 min. or until cooked through, stirring occasionally. Stir in dressing, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and crushed red pepper; cook 1 min., stirring occasionally.DRAIN pasta mixture; place in large bowl. Add chicken mixture; mix lightly. Serve in bowls and sprinkle peanuts on top.

**suggested additions: water chestnuts, red peppers (don't use red pepper flakes if you use these), carrots sliced.

** Sometimes I just make rice instead of pasta and then add broccoli towards the end to the chicken and sauce. I still love it!
** If you don't have peanuts its still really good without them, they are just a nice touch!
** The crushed red pepper adds a lot of spice... so I don't always add it, but for those of you who love the burn... have at it!