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Recipe of the Week: Smokey Mountain Chicken

May 4, 2009 26 Comments

This week I’m sharing my Smokey Mountain Chicken recipe. I’ve been meaning to post it for some time, and since I had a couple of questions about it from last week’s menu, this seemed like a good time to post it.

This recipe is currently one of my favorites! It’s very tasty and easy. In fact, there’s not really much of a “recipe” to it; it’s just sort of thrown together.

Another great thing about this recipe is that it’s pretty versatile. It would be great to serve at a cookout with baked beans, potato salad, and cole slaw, or you could throw it on a bun and serve with fries or onion rings. Yet it would also go perfectly with steamed veggies, a rice pilaf, pasta, or mashed potatoes.

Recipe for Smokey Mountain Chicken:
Ingredients:
Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
Barbecue Sauce
Bacon, crumbled. (About 1-2 pieces for chicken breast, depending on size.)
Shredded Cheddar Cheese.
Directions: Rinse chicken and place on baking sheet. (Hint – I line the baking sheet with tin foil first. This makes for easy clean up and it keeps the sauce from burning on the baking sheet.) Pour a little barbecue sauce on each chicken breast. I use just enough to lightly coat the chicken, but you could use more if wish. You can coat both sides or just the side facing up; it’s up to you. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. In the meantime cook your bacon. Take chicken out of the oven and sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese (or your choice of cheese blend), and then top with bacon crumbles. Place make in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes.
Tips & Suggestions:
-Here’s a great short cut for an effortless meal: use Ready to Serve bacon. I buy mine at Aldi, and it’s really good and cheap!
-Or you could use Real Bacon Bits. (I recommend Kraft Oscar Mayer.)
-I got the name for this dish from something that they used to serve Ruby Tuesday about 10 years ago. In their version, they served it topped with raw, diced tomatoes, and I believe they also used either scallions or those little fried onion straw things.
-And of course you could use other cheeses. But I totally recommend that you try the cheddar first!
-And again, as I said above this is a great dish to cook with so many different side items and for so many occasions. And I just have to mention the idea of putting it on a bun again, because my husband just loves chicken sandwiches. When I make this, I like to do a little extra, so that I can pack him a sandwich for his lunch. It makes his day!

-Jerri


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I’m posting a link to this post on the following sites:
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday is hosted by Blessed With Grace.
Homemaker Mondays is hosted by 11th Heaven’s Homemade Haven.
Making A Happy Home Monday is hosted by As For Me and My House….
Make Something Monday is hosted by Go Graham Go! and Jolly Mom and Diana Rambles.
Tasty Tuesday is hosted by Balancing Beauty & Bedlam.
I Am Blissfully Domestic is hosted by Blissfully Domestic.
Ultimate Recipe is Swap is hosted by Life as Mom.
Friday Feasts is hosted by Momtrends


Filed Under: casseroles and quick meals, Recipe of the Week

Recipe of the Week: Mexican Chicken Casserole

April 27, 2009 26 Comments
This week I’m sharing my Mexican Chicken Casserole. I’ve posted the recipe before in a Menu Plan Monday post, but since then I’ve taken more pictures of the casserole and wanted to post it by itself. And since we’re having it this week, it seemed like a good time to share it.

This is one of our favorite meals! It’s a pretty versatile recipe, and it makes a great make-ahead meal, and I think it would be good to freeze too. Enjoy!

Recipe for Mexican Chicken Casserole:


Ingredients:
2 cans chicken breast, drained or 3-4 boneless chicken breasts, cooked & chopped/shredded
1 reg bag tortilla chips (use as much as you like)
1 1/4 cup chicken broth or water (I use the broth drained off of the canned chicken)
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 – 1 1/2 cups of salsa (I don’t really put an exact amount)

Instructions: Spray 9X13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Mix together all ingredients except chips. Layer bottom of casserole dish with crushed chips. Then place part of the chicken mixture on top of the chips. Continue to layer chips and chicken mixture, ending with chips on top. Then sprinkle some additional cheese on top. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Tips & Suggestions
-I usually place a pile of chips on a plate and then serve the casserole on top of the chips. Additionally I get out additional salsa, shredded lettuce, extra cheese, and sour cream to go on top. You could also use peppers, onions, diced tomatoes, or any other topping with this recipe.

-Also, the original recipe included jalepeno peppers and rotel tomatoes with the chicken mixture instead of salsa.

-This is a great way to use up crumbled chips from the bottom of the bag. My husband hates eating small pieces of chips so I find that this is a great way to make sure that they don’t go go waste. Plus, you don’t have to work as hard to crush them.

Above is a photo of the casserole after it’s baked, and below is a picture of how it can be served. I like to place it on a bed of chips and top it with sour cream and extra cheese.

And if you like a little more heat, you can follow this example. In this photo, the casserole is served on a bed of chips, and topped with sour cream, cheese, salsa, and taco sauce.

-Jerri

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I’m posting a link to this post on the following sites:
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday is hosted by Blessed With Grace.
Homemaker Mondays is hosted by 11th Heaven’s Homemade Haven.
Making A Happy Home Monday is hosted by As For Me and My House….
Kitchen Tip Tuesdays is hosted by Tammy’s Recipes
Make Something Monday is hosted by Go Graham Go! and Jolly Mom and Diana Rambles.
Tasty Tuesday is hosted by Balancing Beauty & Bedlam.
I Am Blissfully Domestic is hosted by Blissfully Domestic.
Ultimate Recipe is Swap is hosted by Life as Mom.

Filed Under: casseroles and quick meals, Recipe of the Week

Recipe of the Week: Crispy Ranch Chicken

April 20, 2009 24 Comments
This week I’m sharing one of favorite chicken recipes. It’s one of the first dishes I made for my husband while we were dating, and it is super yummy!

Recipe for Crispy Ranch Chicken


Ingredients:

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup milk

1 envelope (1 ounce) ranch salad dressing mix

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 1/2 cups of crushed tortilla chips

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Directions: In shallow dish, mix soup, milk, and salad dressing mix. Reserve about a cup for sauce. Dip chicken into soup mixture. Coat with tortilla chips. Place chicken on greased baking sheet. Drizzle with margarine. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until done. In small sauce pan, heat reserved soup mixture to boiling. Serve with chicken.


Normally I put in some different suggestions and variations on the recipes, but I think this one is perfect as is. I suppose you could leave the chips out or use something else such as bread crumbs for the crispy part. Or you could use this recipe/technique with various types of sauce. Let me know if you have any good ideas!

-Jerri

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I’m posting a link to this post on the following sites:
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday is hosted by Blessed With Grace.
Homemaker Mondays is hosted by 11th Heaven’s Homemade Haven.
Making A Happy Home Monday is hosted by As For Me and My House….
Kitchen Tip Tuesdays is hosted by Tammy’s Recipes
Make Something Monday is hosted by Go Graham Go! and Jolly Mom and Diana Rambles.
Tasty Tuesday is hosted by Balancing Beauty & Bedlam.
I Am Blissfully Domestic is hosted by Blissfully Domestic.
Ultimate Recipe is Swap is hosted by Life as Mom.

Filed Under: casseroles and quick meals, Recipe of the Week

Recipe of the Week: Buffalo Chicken Fingers

March 23, 2009 14 Comments
I’m always getting questions about the buffalo chicken fingers on my menus. Sometimes we purchase these from a local resturant and sometimes I make my own. They’re actually just like regular chicken fingers except that you add buffalo sauce.

Method for Cooking Buffalo Chicken Fingers:
-You can buy frozen chicken fingers that are already breaded or you can buy boneless skinless chicken fingers (or buy breasts and cut them into fingers yourself) and cover them in the breading of your choice.

-Then choose your cooking method. They can be fried on the stove or deep fried, or you can bake them.

-Then after they’ve cooked you simply dip them in a little buffalo sauce. The sauce can be found at your local grocery store. Frank’s is the most popular brand, but I’ve also used Moore’s. And you can find these in hot or mild. You can also make your own sauce (and I’m sorry to say that I can’t recommend a recipe to you because I’ve never made my own sauce).

-After dipping they are ready to serve. Or if you choose, after dipping you can place them in the oven for about five minutes so that the sauce is warm.

-Then serve them with ranch of bleu cheese dressing and celery sticks. They are also great with french fries and Texas toast, or (as my picture indicates) fried pickles.

Tips – If you don’t like buffalo, you can dip these in barbecue, chipotle, honey mustard, or another flavor of your choice.

-You can also use the buffalo sauce on grilled or baked fingers without breading.


Here’s a recipe for the plain breaded chicken fingers:

2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt (or regular salt)
1 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut crosswise into 1 1/2-inch strips

1. Heat oven to 425ºF. Melt butter in rectangular pan, 13x9x2 inches, in oven.
2. Mix flour, salt, and pepper. Coat chicken with flour mixture. Toss with melted butter in pan.
3. Bake uncovered 15 minutes. Turn chicken strips; bake 10 to 15 minutes longer or until no longer pink in center.

Options: You can leave the butter out, and cook these in the deep fryer or on the stove top in oil. You can also try dipping the chicken in a mixture of milk and egg before dipping in the flour mixture, or spread mayo on the chicken before dipping. *
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Please visit the following sites for more great recipes & other ideas:
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday is hosted by Blessed With Grace.
Homemaker Mondays is hosted by 11th Heaven’s Homemade Haven.
Making A Happy Home Monday is hosted by As For Me and My House….
Kitchen Tip Tuesdays is hosted by Tammy’s Recipes
Make Something Monday is hosted by Go Graham Go! and Jolly Mom
Tasty Tuesday is hosted by Forever Wherever.
I Am Blissfully Domestic is hosted by Blissfully Domestic.

-Jerri

Filed Under: casseroles and quick meals, Recipe of the Week

Recipe of the Week: Chicken Cordon Bleu

March 2, 2009 17 Comments

This week’s recipe is my chicken cordon bleu. It’s another easy recipe, and I don’t have to go out and buy anything special to make it, which is always a plus. And if you’re not a fan of ham and cheese, this recipe is easily customized with your favorite ingredients.

One change I make a lot is to use American cheese rather than the Swiss. We like the Swiss, but we don’t always have it on hand, so the American is a great alternative.


Recipe for Chicken Cordon Bleu

Ingredients:
2-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
thin sliced ham (2-5 pieces per chicken breast)
swiss cheese and/or American cheese (1-2 slices per chicken breast)
pepper/seasonings or shake & bake mix.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray baking sheet or casserole dish with cooking spray. Flatten out the chicken breasts. Place meat and cheese on top of chicken. Fold chicken breast over and stick 3-5 toothpicks in the chicken to secure it shut. Top each chicken breast with your choice of season. I use a little pepper and/or Morton’s Nature’s Season, and sometimes I sprinkle a little Shake n’ Bake seasoning on top as well. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until done.

Optional: 5 minutes before chicken is done, take out, and place half a piece of cheese on each chicken breast, or sprinkle some shredded cheese on top. Replace in oven and finish baking.

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Please visit the following sites for more great recipes & other ideas:
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday is hosted by Blessed With Grace.
Homemaker Mondays is hosted by 11th Heaven’s Homemade Haven.
Making A Happy Home Monday is hosted by As For Me and My House….
Kitchen Tip Tuesdays is hosted by Tammy’s Recipes
Make Something Monday is hosted by Go Graham Go! and Jolly Mom
Tasty Tuesday is hosted by Forever Wherever.
I Am Blissfully Domestic is hosted by Blissfully Domestic.


-Jerri


Filed Under: casseroles and quick meals, Recipe of the Week

Recipe of the Week: Chicken & Rice Bake

February 23, 2009 17 Comments

This week’s featured recipe is one of the first things that I ever made for my husband when we were dating. He loved it, and it’s become a dish that he requests quite often. And even though I’m branching out and trying to make different things, I still love this. In my mind it’s one of those “old faithful” recipes. If I’m running short on time, or ingredients, or if I can’t decide what to put on the week’s menu, I can always turn to the Chicken & Rice Bake!

Recipe for Chicken & Rice Bake
Ingredients:
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
2 cups water (or 2 2/3 cup for extra-creamy rice)
1 1/2 cups uncooked regular long-grain white rice
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 tsp pepper (or more if desired)
salt to season (optional)
Shredded cheddar cheese (as much as desired)

Directions:
Coat a 2 qt shallow baking dish with cooking spray. Mix soup, water,and rice together. Mix in some cheese (optional). Season with pepper and a little salt (if desired). Place uncooked chicken breasts on top of mixture. Season chicken with additonal pepper. Top chicken and rice with cheese. Cover with tin foil. Bake at 375°F. 45 min. or until done.

Tips & Suggestions:

– This is a great recipe to cut in half or double, depending on how many people you’ll be serving. You can also make the rice without the chicken on top; it’s a great side item!

-I often make this with 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup (rather than using the chicken). You could also use 2 cans of cream of chicken, if mushroom’s not your thing! Or try other flavors of soup that are to your liking.

– Change the size and taste of the recipe by adding a single canned or frozen vegetable (green beans, peas, broccoli, or carrots), or add some mixed vegetables.

-Or try substituting another type of cheese for the cheddar.

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Please visit the following sites for more great recipes & other ideas:
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday is hosted by Blessed With Grace.
Homemaker Mondays is hosted by 11th Heaven’s Homemade Haven.
Making A Happy Home Monday is hosted by As For Me and My House….
Kitchen Tip Tuesdays is hosted by Tammy’s Recipes
Make Something Monday is hosted by Go Graham Go! and Jolly Mom
Tasty Tuesday is hosted by Forever Wherever.
I Am Blissfully Domestic is hosted by Blissfully Domestic.


-Jerri


Filed Under: casseroles and quick meals, Recipe of the Week

Recipe of the Week: Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

February 16, 2009 19 Comments


I’ve had a huge headache all day, so I’m running a little behind with my recipe post, and since I’m still not feeling very well, I’m keeping it short tonight. But I do want to remind everyone to stop by for my 300th post and giveaway.

Now for this week’s recipe I picked something a little less fattening than last week. I imagine everyone could use a little broccoli in her life after a weekend of chocolate eating, so I’m posting this chicken broccoli alfredo recipe. It’s great for an easy, quick, and healthy meal.

Recipe for Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

Ingredients
6 ounces of uncooked fettuccine (I used a cup of rotini instead, or you can try a cup of spaghetti noodles)
1 cup broccoli flowerets
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup cubed cooked chicken
1/4 teaspoon pepper to season

Directions: Prepare pasta according to package directions. Add broccoli for last 4 minutes of cooking time and drain. Add soup, milk, cheese, chicken, an pepper. Heat mixture throughout, stirring occasionally

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Please visit the following sites for more great recipes & other ideas:
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday is hosted by Blessed With Grace.
Homemaker Mondays is hosted by 11th Heaven’s Homemade Haven.
Making A Happy Home Monday is hosted by As For Me and My House….
Kitchen Tip Tuesdays is hosted by Tammy’s Recipes
Make Something Monday is hosted by Go Graham Go! and Jolly Mom
Tasty Tuesday is hosted by Forever Wherever.
I Am Blissfully Domestic is hosted by Blissfully Domestic.


-Jerri


Filed Under: casseroles and quick meals, Recipe of the Week

Recipe of the Week: Easy Chicken & Dumplins

January 18, 2009 23 Comments

For this week’s recipe I decided to post my Easy Chicken & Dumplin recipe. I posted the recipe previously in an MPM post, but for future linking purposes, and because I love the recipe so much and feel that it deserves its own post, I decided to post it again. (not to mention, it’s a good time to do so, considering that I’m making it again this week!)

Originally I had found a recipe for Chicken Noodle Casserole and whenever I tried it, the taste reminded me a lot of these chicken & dumplins that a friend of ours used to make, so I decided to make a few changes to the recipe and relabel it “Easy Chicken & Dumplins.”

This recipe can be made in very little time, and it also makes a great make ahead meal for those of you who like to do all your cooking the day before.

Easy Chicken & Dumplings

Ingredients:
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup

1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup

1/2 cup milk

2 cans of white chicken OR 3/4 – 1 lb of cooked boneless chicken breast (I like to have some of it in shreds and some it in chunks.)

3 cups of egg noodles

Chicken Broth (optional, I don’t really measure it out, I just pour a little in, about 1/2 cup to a 3/4 cup, but you may put more or less, depending on how thick you want the mixture to be.)

Directions: Cook noodles according to package direction. When finished drain off water. Mix milk soups, and chicken in a large cooking pot. Heat through. Then stir in noodles.


Please visit the following sites for more great recipes & other ideas:
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday is hosted by Blessed With Grace.
Homemaker Mondays is hosted by 11th Heaven’s Homemade Haven.
Making A Happy Home Monday is hosted by As For Me and My House….
Kitchen Tip Tuesdays is hosted by Tammy’s Recipes
Make Something Monday is hosted by Go Graham Go! and Jolly Mom
Tasty Tuesday is hosted by Forever Wherever.

-Jerri

Filed Under: casseroles and quick meals, Recipe of the Week

Works For Me Wednesday: Bagel-Fuls

January 14, 2009 1 Comment

If you are looking for a new snack to serve to your kids (or to yourself, for that matter) consider trying Bagel-fuls. Bagel-fuls are one of the latest products from Kraft. A box of 4 sells for around $2, and they come in the following flavors: Original, Strawberry, Cinnamon, Chive, and Whole Grain.

I’ve personally tried the Original flavor, and I liked them very much. You can eat them straight out of the fridge, or you can warm them in the microwave for about 10 seconds. Either way, it is great for a quick snack. I totally recommend this product to anyone who’s looking to save time in the morning or anyone who rushes off to work or other appointments and is tired of eating the same old quick breakfasts.

Over the years I’ve eaten a lot Nutri-grain bars, cereal bars, and other quick/instant breakfasts both at school, at the office, and at home, and I think Bagel-fuls are really good for a change. It is true that for just a little more money you can buy a bag of 6 or 8 bagels and a container of cream cheese and just make it yourself, but for a quick, convenient, mess-free, on-the-go snack, Bagel-fuls work just fine for me.

For more WFMW, visit Rocks in My Dryer.

-Jerri

Filed Under: appetizers and snacks, breads and sides, casseroles and quick meals, product review, Simple Solutions

Recipe of the Week: Bacon Cheeseburger Skillet

January 11, 2009 26 Comments


I’ve been looking at a lot of new recipes lately, and a few weeks ago, I decided to make up one of my own. My husband really liked it. It’s a kid friendly, and I would say a man friendly recipe. And best of all, it was relatively quick and easy! My husband called it Bacon Cheeseburger Surprise, but I called it Bacon Cheeseburger Skillet. You can use whichever name your prefer!

I had a good time visiting the other blogs from the memes last week, so hopefully I’ll be able to join in on the fun every week. And now here’s my recipe for this week.

Ingredients:
1 pound hamburger meat
3-4 potatoes, peeled, & diced (boiled or fried)
3-6 bacon strips, cooked. (I think I used about 4 or 5.) Or use bacon bits.
Shredded cheese (I just sprinkled some over the top)
Mustard (poured on top & serve on the side)
Ketchup (poured on top & serve on the side)

Directions: Cook potatoes potatoes entirely. You can boil or fry them; it’s up to you. Cook bacon (I actually used the pre-cooked bacon that you just microwave.) Brown hamburger meat in skillet. Drain fat. Add potatoes to skillet and mix. Crumble the bacon and place it in skillet. Mix all ingredients together. Top with cheese, ketchup, and mustard. (I only put a little; then everyone can put on as much they want on their plate.) Season with salt or your choice of seasoning if desired.

Tips & Suggestions

– You could spoon the mixture out on tortillas and have wraps, or perhaps roll it up inside refrigerated pizza dough and bake and make your own hot pockets or calzones. Or you could do sub sandwiches or pitas. It would work with just about about every kind of bread-type that you could think of. You could even load it up with lettuce, tomato, onions and other sandwich toppings.

-Instead of potatoes, use hasbrowns, french fries (possibly chopped up), or those little potato cubes from the freezer section.

-Instead of shredded cheese, use slice cheese, cheese cubes, or slices of block-cheese. I used cheddar with mine, but I know it would been great American or other cheeses.

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Well, that’s it. Pretty simple, huh? And best of all, my husband loved it!

Please visit the following sites for more great recipes & other ideas:
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday is hosted by Blessed With Grace.
Homemaker Mondays is hosted by 11th Heaven’s Homemade Haven.
Making A Happy Home Monday is hosted by As For Me and My House….
Kitchen Tip Tuesdays is hosted by Tammy’s Recipes.
Make Something Monday is hosted by Go Graham Go! and Jolly Mom.
Tasty Tuesday is hosted by Forever Wherever.


-Jerri

Filed Under: casseroles and quick meals, Recipe of the Week, Simple Solutions
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