Apple Poppyseed Lemon Chicken & Bacon Pasta

Thanks to: Busybeelauren.blogspot.com

when i opened the case of dressings, the "Apple Poppyseed" was the one that made Ted the most excited. i decided to pair the apple flavor with chicken, and the method should definitely be slow cooking, to really create a rich, tender piece of chicken.

i placed 3 frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts into the crock pot, along with 3/4 of the bottle of dressing, 1 golden delicious apple (cored), about 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar and 1/2 an onion. i cooked on low for 7 hours. i decided it was done when it looked like this, and the chicken fell apart when i touched it with a fork.

the chicken came out with such a glorious golden color...

i then shredded the chicken, and then tasted it. when i tasted it, it had a very distinct sweet, apple taste. i wanted to create a savory dish, so i decided the best route to take was to pair it with some sort of lemon base.

i placed half a box of rotini pasta into a pot of boiling water, and while it cooked, i browned 5 pieces of turkey bacon cut into small bites.

i then zested two lemons, and then saved the two lemons to use later on...

i toasted about a 1/4 cup of pine nuts in a saute pan to bring out the flavor.

when the pasta was tender, i drained it, reserving about 2 tablespoons of the cooking water in the pot to help bind the sauce. i added about 2-3 tablespoons of good quality olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter. after the pasta is tossed with the oil, toss in the lemon zest and the juice of both of the lemons. add salt and pepper to taste and 1 tablespoon of dried basil. toss in the shredded chicken, turkey bacon and pine nuts.

after everything was tossed together, i decided to kick it up ONE more notch by adding in 1 large spoonful of tomato paste, and 1/4 cup of sour cream. mix everything together well.

to serve, shred fresh parmesean on top.

Crockpot Italian Chicken

From: thegirlwhoateeverything.blogspot.com

4 Chicken Breasts
1 packet dry Zesty Italian Seasoning
1 (8 0z.) package Cream Cheese, softened
2 cans Cream of Mushroom Soup

Place the chicken in the crockpot and sprinkle Italian dressing over it. Combine cream cheese and cream of chicken soup in a small pot over low heat and pour over the chicken. Cook on low for at least 4 hours. You can leave it in there all day. If you feel the sauce is too thick you can thin it to your preferred consistency with a little milk. Serve over pasta or rice.

Moroccan Chicken

1 lemon- cut into 8 wedges
1 T. olive oil
1/2 onion halved and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves chopped
1 T. paprika
2 t. ground cumin
1t. cinnamon
1 t. ground ginger
1 3/4 c. chicken broth
3-4 chicken breasts, cubed


Saute olive oil, garlic and onion until onion is translucent. About 8 minutes. Add all the spices and cook for 1 minute (it will look a little dry). Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Once it has boiled add chicken and lemon wedges and turn heat to medium low and cover for 30-40 minutes until chicken is done.

I served it over rice.

Mexican Rice Casserole

From: Kristie Swindlehurst

• 1 1/3 cups uncooked white rice
• 2 2/3 cups water
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup(fat free)
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup(Fat free)
• 1 onion, chopped( i didnt use) there is enough for my liking in the salsa:)
• 1 1/2 cups mild salsa
• 1/2 packet chiken taco seasoning

Directions
1. Place rice and water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, place chicken breast halves into a large saucepan, and fill the pan with water. Bring to a boil, and cook for 20 minutes, or until done. Remove chicken from water. When cool enough to handle, cut meat into bite-size pieces.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
4. In a medium bowl, combine Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses. In a separate bowl, mix together cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, onion, chiken taco seasoning, and salsa. Layer 1/2 of the rice, 1/2 of the chicken, 1/2 of the soup and salsa mixture, and 1/2 of the cheese mixture in prepared dish. Repeat layers, ending with cheese.
5. Bake in preheated oven for about 40 minutes, or until bubbly.

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

From: the Sister's Cafe

4-5 T. honey
5 T. lime juice
1 T. chili powder (use a little less for a milder version)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded (I put some chicken in the crockpot. You can save time by using a store bought rotisserie chicken. If you like a lot of filling in your enchiladas, I would recommend doubling this which I did.)
8-10 flour tortillas (I made 6 enchiladas with 10" tortillas)
1 pound monterey jack cheese, shredded
16 ounces green enchilada sauce
1 cup heavy cream (I followed the other reader's recommendation to only use a 1/2 cup since a full cup can make it too rich)

Mix the honey (their tip: spray your measuring spoon with cooking spray before measuring out the honey), lime juice, chili powder and garlic together and toss with the shredded chicken. Let it marinate for at least 1/2 hour (or toss together in a Ziploc bag and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours). Pour about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9X13 baking pan. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese (and a little enchilada sauce), saving about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas. Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the cream and leftover marinade. Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. *Both my sisters both made this and said they didn't have enough sauce. I don't know how because when I make it there is tons. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until brown and crispy on top. I served mine with sour cream, pico de gallo, rice and black beans.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

From: thegirlwhoateeverything
1 (10 ounce) can chunk chicken, drained (I use one 12 oz can from Costco)
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup Ranch dressing
1/2 cup Buffalo wing sauce (such as Frank's Red Hot, not to be confused with their pepper sauce. Start with less if you want and add more to your desired hotness.)
3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
blue cheese crumbles (optional)

Heat chicken and Buffalo sauce in a skillet over medium heat, until heated through. Make sure to break up the chicken so there are no big chunks. Stir in cream cheese and ranch dressing. Cook, stirring until well blended and warm. Mix in shredded cheese. From here you are actually supposed to stick it in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Since we are always in a hurry we just sprinkle more cheddar cheese and blue cheese crumbles and microwave it until the cheese melts. The blue cheese is a little much for some people so we usually only sprinkle it on half. Serve with chips.