Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup (akayf)
Serves 6-8

8 corn tortillas
Cooking spray
1 ½ Tbs. plus 1 tsp chili powder
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into ½ cubes
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs. ground cumin
¼ tsp ground red pepper
3 cans chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1. Preheat oven to 350. Cut 4 of the tortillas into very thin strips and place on a baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with 1 tsp of chili powder and ¼ tsp of salt. Toss to coat and bake until crisp (10-15 minutes). Set aside when done.

2. While the strips are baking, heat oil in a large pot on medium high. Add chicken and cook until juices run clear. (about 5 minutes) Remove chicken and set aside.

3. Add bell pepper, onion, and garlic to pot and cook until they soften(about 5 minutes) Stir in spices and then add broth, tomatoes, corn, and beans to the pot.

4. Cut remaining 4 tortillas into thin strips and add to pot. Stir in chicken and cover. Cook for about 20 minutes on medium.

5. Top each serving with some of the baked tortilla strips.

Notes: If I don’t have any cumin or ground pepper, I just add extra chili powder to spice it up. I never measure the spices either; I just season to taste. Also, if you get the diced tomatoes with green chilies or jalapeños, it adds an extra kick to the soup

Chicken Soup With Avgolemono Sauce

Chicken Soup With Avgolemono Sauce (Egg and Lemon Sauce) (chatty76)
(My mom's recipe)

Chicken Soup:

1 4-5 pound chicken, ready to cook
1 onion
A few peppercorns
1 stalk celery
1 small carrot
Salt
1 cup rice

Wash chicken and place in heavy kettle. Cover with boiling water and add peppercorns, carrot, onion and celery stalk. Cover and simmer over low heat for 2-4 hours, or until chicken is tender, adding salt to taste during last hour of cooking. Strain broth and remove extra fat. (This process can be replaced with College Inn or Chicken Broth.) Add rice and continue to cook until rice or pasta is tender. Remove broth from heat and wait for boiling to stop. Add avgolemono sauce seen below.

8-10 servings


AVGOLEMONO SAUCE:
4 eggs
2 lemons, juice of

Beat eggs well and gradually beat in lemon juice. Add hot broth slowly to egg sauce, beating constantly. Return soup to heat, add sauce and stir vigorously until thickened. DO NOT BOIL.

Chicken Chili with Hominy

Chicken Chili With Hominy (wrysmyguy)

4 corn tortillas
12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or canola oil
2 small red bell peppers, seeded and diced
1 large onion, chopped
1 4-ounce can chopped green chiles
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 cups low-fat milk
2 15-ounce cans white hominy, rinsed
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
6 lime wedges

1. Place a tortilla directly on a stovetop burner set at medium-low and toast, turning frequently with tongs, until light golden and fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Cut tortillas into 1-inch-wide strips and set aside.

2. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

3. Add remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil to pan. Add bell peppers and onion; season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add chiles, garlic, chili powder, cumin and oregano; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chicken broth and milk and bring to a simmer, stirring. Stir in reserved tortilla strips, chicken and hominy.

4. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and chili has thickened, about 20 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup cilantro. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve with remaining cilantro and lime wedges.

Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Green Sauce

Chicken Enchilads With Creamy Green Sauce (wrysmyguy)
Serves 6.

3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves
Coarse salt and ground pepper
5 garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 jars (16 ounces each) medium green salsa
3/4 cup heavy cream
12 corn tortillas (6-inch)
12 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, coarsely shredded (3 cups)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Season chicken with salt and pepper; place with garlic on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of breast (avoiding bone) registers 165 degrees, 25 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine salsa and cream.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Once chicken is cool enough to handle, shred meat, discarding skin and bones. Peel and chop garlic. In a large bowl, combine chicken, garlic, and 1/2 cup salsa mixture.

Stack tortillas flat, and wrap in damp paper towels; microwave on high for 1 minute to soften. Working with one tortilla at a time, dip in salsa mixture, lay flat, and fill with 1/3 cup chicken mixture. Roll up and arrange, seam side down, 8 enchiladas lengthwise and 4 crosswise in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Top with remaining salsa mixture, then cheese.

Bake until cheese is browned and salsa is bubbling, 40 to 45 minutes; let rest 10 minutes. Serve, sprinkled with cilantro, if desired.

NOTE: To make these up to a day ahead, prep and assemble the enchiladas (steps 1 to 3); cover and refrigerate. Go to step 4 when you're ready to bake and serve. Before filling, soften the corn tortillas by stacking them between damp paper towels and heating for a minute in the microwave. This makes them more pliable and prevents tearing.

Mexican Lettuce Wraps

Mexican Lettuce Wraps (beachbrat)
Taste of Home

3 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
1 can (15oz) black beans rinsed and drained
1 medium tomato, seeded and finely chopped
1 can (4oz) chopped green chilies
1/2 cup salsa
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped sweet pepper
1 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 medium ripe avocado, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
12 Bibb or Boston lettuce leaves

In a large bowl combine first 11 ingredients. Refrigerate until serving.

Just before serving, stir in avocado. Place 1/2 cup chicken mixture on each leaf and top with sour cream. Fold and eat.

You can change your meat selection, omit anything you don't like and you can even have it warm...enjoy!

Mexican Lasagna

Mexican Lasagna (MrsD12*3*04)
(Altered from recipezaar.com)
Serves 8-10

Ingredients
4 cups cooked chicken (rotissere chicken chopped)
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup chopped onion or equivalent in onion powder
2 garlic cloves, minced or the equivalent in garlic powder (that's what I use)
1 (29 ounce) can red enchilada sauce
1 (15 ounce) can red enchilada sauce
1 (15 ounce) can beans of choice (I use red kidney beans- you can use a 2nd can if you are bean fans)
1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped (preferably fresh)
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup Monterey jack cheese, shredded
12 uncooked no-boil lasagna noodles

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375'.
Rinse can of beans under cool water (it helps remove some of the salt)

In a large skillet, cook onion and garlic in oil over medium heat until tender (or skip this step if you are using the powers and put in with enchilada sauce). Stir in enchilada sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened, add chicken and rinsed beans and stir to combine. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the eggs, ricotta cheese and cilantro.

Spread 3/4 cup chicken mixture into a sprayed 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. dollop ricotta mixture and cheese, Layer with three noodles, repeat chicken/bean mixture and 1 cup shredded cheese. Top with remaining noodles, sauce and shredded cheese.

Cover with foil and bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Quick Tips: I buy a roasted chicken already cooked and cut it up (a la Costco or the like). I also buy a pkg of Mexican Blend Cheese that already has two cups of the Cheddar and Jack.

Gianna's Easy Fajitas

Gianna’s Easy Fajitas (Luvin*Livvy)
***This doesn’t have much measuring, I just wing it.

Ingredients:
1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken OR approx 30 uncooked peeled shrimp (medium).
1 bottle of World Harbors Fajita Sauce (http://www.worldharbors.com/Fajita.html)
1 large Red Pepper
1 large Green Pepper
1 Large Vidalia Onion
Olive Oil
1 small tomato
¼ red onion
Juice of a lime
Sour Cream
Shredded Mexican Blend Cheese
Guacamole
Fajita shells (tortillas) LARGE

Directions:
Cut up chicken in strips or peel shrimp and marinate in ½ bottle of Fajita sauce for about an hour or so.
Cook chicken or shrimp in large frying pan until cooked through. Approx. 15-20 minutes.

Cut up peppers and Vidalia onion in strips.
Sauté in olive oil in medium pan until cooked, but still a bit crispy.

For salsa:
Dice tomato and red onion and mix in small bowl and add some lime juice. Mix well. (For topping).

Warm fajita shells in microwave for approx 1 minute.
Serve with sour cream, guacamole, homemade salsa and cheese.

Chicken Nacho Bake

Chicken Nacho Bake (alicianrj)
Kraft Foods
Prep: 10 minutes Total: 40 minutes

Ingredients:
4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1 lb.)
½ cup salsa
¼ cup sour cream
½ cup crushed tortillas
½ cup shredded Mexican four cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400. Place chicken on foil covered baking sheet. Slice 3 cuts on top of each chicken breast with sharp knife.

Top each chicken breast evenly with salsa, sour cream, and tortilla chips.

Bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Enchiladas (LizDP)
Food Network -- Tyler Florence
**This is a great meal to prepare ahead of time and serve to guests... I serve it with beans (black or baked) and yellow rice.

Level: Intermediate
Serves: 16 enchiladas, 8 servings

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons cumin powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon Mexican Spice Blend
1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
5 canned whole green chiles, seeded and coarsely chopped
4 canned chipotle chiles, seeded and minced
1 (28-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour
16 corn tortillas
1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce, canned
1 cup shredded Cheddar and Jack cheeses
Garnish: chopped cilantro leaves, chopped scallions, sour cream, chopped tomatoes

Directions:
Coat large sauté pan with oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken over medium heat, allow 7 minutes each side or until no longer pink. Sprinkle chicken with cumin, garlic powder and Mexican spices before turning. Remove chicken to a platter, allow to cool.

Sauté 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. Add shredded chicken to sauté pan, combine with vegetables. Dust the mixture with flour to help set.

Microwave tortillas on high for 30 seconds. This softens them and makes them more pliable. Coat the bottom of 2 (13 by 9-inch) pans with a ladle of enchilada sauce. Using a large shallow bowl, dip each tortilla in enchilada sauce to lightly coat. Spoon 1/4 cup chicken mixture in each tortilla. Fold over filling, place 8 enchiladas in each pan with seam side down. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.

Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated 350 degree F oven until cheese melts. Garnish with cilantro, scallion, sour cream and chopped tomatoes before serving. Serve with Spanish rice and beans.

15 Minute Chicken Soft Tacos

15-Minute Chicken Soft Tacos (joesbride07)
(kraftfoods.com)
Prep Time: 5 min
Total Time: 20 min
Makes: 5 servings, two tacos each

1 Tbsp. oil
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips / ground turkey
2 cups water
1 cup TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Thick 'N Chunky Mild Salsa
1 pkg. (1-1/4 oz.) TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Taco Seasoning Mix
2 cups instant white rice, uncooked
10 flour tortillas (6 inch)
3/4 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Make It:
HEAT oil in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook and stir 6 min. or until cooked through.

ADD water, salsa and seasoning mix; stir. Bring to boil. Stir in rice; cover. Reduce heat to low; cook 5 min.

SPOON chicken mixture evenly onto tortillas; sprinkle with cheese. Fold up sides of tortillas to enclose filling.

Smothered Chicken

Smothered Chicken (Cathy&John)
4 servings

1 Chicken, cut up or 4 boneless chicken breasts, cut up (I use the breasts)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 lg onion - sliced
1 can French onion soup or 1 pkg. Lipton/Knorrs (prepared)
Garlic, fresh or powder to taste
1 pack fresh mushrooms - sliced
Poultry seasoning to taste (optional)

Add all ingredients to crock pot, cover and simmer on low for at least 5 to 6 hours, but can cook all day if that's easier for your schedule.

Serve over rice, potatoes, noodles, biscuits, etc. Can be frozen and reheated. You can double or triple recipe if you need to and then freeze in dinner size portions.

Slow Cooker Upside-Down Chicken Pot Pie

Slow Cooker Upside-Down Chicken Pot Pie (linda98ny)
From Betty Crocker

1 1/4 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 dried bay leaf
1/4tsp pepper
1 jar (18 oz) chicken gravy
2 medium celery stalks, cut into thin slices (I use alittle less)
1 bag (1lb) frozen mixed veggies
instant biscuits (I use the ones in the tube)

1. Place chicken in slow cooker. Top with onion, bayleaf, pepper, and gravy. Place celery on gravy.

2. Cover and cook on low heat for 8-10 hours

3. About 30 min before serving, bake biscuits.

4. Meanwhile, gently stir frozen veggies into chickenmixture. Cover and cook 15 min. Remove bay leaf.

5. For each serving, split biscuit and place one half on the bottom of a bowl. Spoon chicken into bowl then top with other half of biscuit. Enjoy!


(photo courtesy of smallbutfeisty)

Slow Cooked Garlic Chicken

Slow Cooked Garlic Chicken (3 Points) (Proud2bMrsV.)
Serves 4 @ 3pnts

4 skinned chicken breast halves
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons lemon pepper
1 large onion, sliced
10 cloves garlic (about 1 medium), un-peeled

Mix together salt, pepper and paprika. Rub all over meat side of chicken breast. Place onion in slow cooker. Place chicken breast side up on onion. Place garlic on chicken. Cover and cook on low in slow cooker for about 6 hours or until juices run clear.

Salsa Chicken

Salsa Chicken (4 Points) (Proud2bMrsV.)
***My absolute favorite. I have been making it for the last 4 years and never get tired of it. I actually microwave WW or LC Santa Fe Rice and use that as my side.)
4 servings @ 4 points ea.

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 jar salsa
2 Tbs. Flour

Layer chicken and salsa in crock-pot ending with salsa. Cook on low 10-12 hours. When ready to serve, turn crock-pot to high and stir in 2 Tablespoons of flour. Cook until thickened. I serve this with rice (4 pts. per cup). If you have leftovers, shred chicken and put it in a low fat flour tortilla with fat free sour cream and fat free shredded cheese.

Crock Pot Italian Chicken

Crock-Pot Italian Chicken (melbride2005)

6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 can (28oz) crushed tomatoes (or whole peeled tomatoes)
1/4 cup red wine
1 small package frozen green beans (or can)
diced green olives
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup chopped carrots
1 onion, chopped
salt, pepper, oregano, basil, garlic powder

Throw all ingredients in the crock-pot and cook on high for 4-5 hours (or low for 7-8). Serve over pasta or rice.

Crock Pot Chicken or Turkey Soup

Crock Pot Chicken or Turkey Soup (Mrs.cbcg)
This recipe works for a 5 to 6-quart crock pot
I make the soup in 2 “stages” by discarding the vegetables used to make the stock and throwing in fresher chopped vegetables at the end, but that’s optional. The original veggies are too soft for my personal tastes. I usually quickly cook the second round of veggies in a little bit of the broth in a small pot on the stove and then throw them back in the crock pot.

5 chicken drumsticks OR 3 turkey drumsticks
2 stalks of celery, roughly cut into thirds
2-3 regular carrots, peeled and cut into thirds OR about 12-15 baby carrots,
1 yellow onion, cut in half
2-3 cloves garlic, cut in half
2 pieces of fresh ginger, each about 1 inch cubed
2 dried bay leaves
1 handful fresh parsley
Freshly ground pepper (about 1 tsp)
About ½ gallon water
1 ½ Tbsp lemon juice
¼ to ½ tsp dried dill
1 cup cooked pasta (orzo, egg noodles, whatever) or cooked rice or cooked barley

Chopped vegetables to reserve for the end:
2 stalks chopped celery
½ to ¾ cup chopped carrots
½ cup chopped yellow onion

Place the celery carrots, onion, garlic, and ginger in bottom of crock pot. Place chicken or turkey on top of vegetables. Pour water over the chicken/turkey. Water level should be about 1 inch above the meat. Add bay leaves, parsley, dill and pepper. Cook on High for 7 hours or Low for 10 hours.

During the last 30 minutes of cooking time, in a small pot on the stove, cook reserved vegetables in about 1.5 cups of the broth until tender. At the end of the cooking time, take out and discard all the vegetables, including garlic and ginger and parsley. Take out the chicken/turkey and remove meat from the bones. Chop meat roughly into bite size pieces. Discard bones. Return meat to the broth in the crock pot along with the cooked chopped vegetables.

Stir in the pasta/rice/barley and the lemon juice.

Crock Pot Chicken Fricassee

Crock Pot Chicken Fricassee (Junebug1)

3 lbs chicken parts cut up
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 jar pearl onions, drained (optional)
Pepper to taste

1 lb egg noodles, cooked

Season chicken with pepper. Add all ingredients to the pot. Set on low for 8 hours. Serve over egg noodles.

Creamy Mushroom Chicken

Creamy Mushroom Chicken (seashorebride)
(for a large oblong crock pot)

4-6 chicken breasts
1 package sliced fresh mushrooms
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery soup
2 cans chicken broth (1 can for a thicker consistency)
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup couscous
2 teaspoon minced or powdered garlic1 tablespoon fresh or dry sage (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients (EXCEPT COUSCOUS) in crock pot and cook on low 6-8 hours. During the last hour add the couscous.

Crock Pot Chicken Tetrazzini

Chicken Tetrazzini (CarissaS)

cornstarch
1 cup half and half
¾ cup Parmesan cheese
1 package spaghetti
1 package shredded mozzarella cheese 16oz

Into crock pot place:
chicken
1 can chicken broth
1 cup white wine
1 chopped onion
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon thyme
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoons parsley
1 package sliced mushrooms (optional)

Place on LOW for 4-5 hours. (I have cooked it all day for 10-12 hours on low without a problem.)
Combine 3 tablespoons of cornstarch with ¼ cup water. Stir into pot. Cook on high for 20 minutes.

Stir in 1 cup ½ and ½, cooked spaghetti, and ¾ cup Parmesan cheese. Heat thru out for approx. 5 min.

Add 1-3 additional tablespoons of cornstarch mixed with a minimal amount of water as needed to thicken sauce.

When appropriate thickness is reached, add 1 package of shredded mozzarella cheese. When melted and mixed thoroughly, serve over warmed pasta.

Chicken and Sweet Potato Soup

Chicken and Sweet Potato Soup (akayf)
(From Weight Watchers)

Makes 4 servings
5 points per serving
270 calories, 1.5 grams fat, 7 grams fiber

¾ lb skinless, boneless, chicken breasts, cut into 1” cubes
3 small or 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1” cubes
1 large onion, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes with chilies, undrained
1 can fat free chicken broth
1 teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon cumin
1 ½ cups frozen corn kernels (do not thaw)

In large crock-pot, combine all ingredients expect corn. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours.
Stir in corn and cook on HIGH for 30 minutes or until chicken and veggies are very tender.