Chicken Chili

This is my fool proof Chicken Chili recipe and one of our winter staples.

Put the following ingredients in your crockpot:

1/2 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups of tomato sauce (I usually use 1/2 of an extra large jar of Prego spaghetti sauce from Costco)
2 cans beans, drained & rinsed (I usually like pinto and black beans)
1 chicken breast, uncooked
2-3 T chili powder
1 T cumin
Season to taste with: garlic powder, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper
1 cup frozen corn (I usually add this at the end of cooking)

Set crockpot on low and cook for 7-8 hours. Shred chicken and serve. Makes 6-8 servings.

Time saving tip: I often put 1-2 extra chicken breasts in the chili to cook for another use later in the week.

Sweet and Spicy Chicken

I found this recipe off another blog, but I altered it just a little. It was originally called Bourbon chicken, but it doesn't have any Bourbon in it, so I decided to rename it! :)

Ingredients
2 lbs boneless chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1-2 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove crushed
1/4 teaspoon ginger
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup orange/apple juice
1/4 cup agave nector or brown sugar
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce


I usually prepare this the night before and let it marinade, but the recipe will work if you don't let it sit overnight. Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and then mix all of the ingredients below the olive oil together and pour into a ziploc bag and add the chicken (you can make a double batch so you have one for later and put it in the freezer!) .

The next day remove chicken from marinade, but reserve the marinade. Cook chicken in olive oil until done. Remove chicken from pan and set aside. Add reserved marinade plus cornstarch to the same pan. Once this mixture comes to a simmer add the chicken back in. Bring to a hard boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve over rice. I also served this with steamed broccoli and carrots

Honey lime enchiladas

I found this recipe on the Sister's cafe. I like that it comes together quickly and also makes enough to freeze the extra pan. Todd loved this recipe!
1.5 lbs pork or chicken, cooked and shredded
Sauce:
1/3 c honey
1/4 c lime juice
1 Tb chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 (10 oz) cans green enchilada sauce
equal parts mixed together of:
mozzarella cheese, shredded
cheddar cheese, shredded
flour tortillas

Mix together sauce ingredients then add to shredded pork or chicken. Let the sauce soak into the meat for about 30 minutes.

Lightly spray 2 pans with non-stick baking spray. Pour 1 can of green enchilada sauce into each pan to coat the entire bottom. Fill tortillas with shredded meat and desired amount of cheese. Roll and place in dish.

Pour remainder of sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle more cheese on top - don't be stingy! Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Then turn on broiler and place enchiladas nearer the top of oven. Let it broil until cheese is slightly brown and crispy. Top with salsa and sour cream!

Chicken in a creamy sun-dried tomato and wine sauce

This is one of my favorite foods. I only make it a once or twice a year, but I seriously could eat it every day. I found this recipe in Oprah magazine many years ago.

Ingredients
3 T butter
3 T olive oil
1 lbs boneless skinless chicken strips
2 T flour
1 lbs pasta, I like fetticine
2 shallots, minced
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup heavy cream
1 8 oz jar of oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and julienned
fresh basil
salt and pepper

Melt butter and oil in a large skillet. Toss chicken strips in flour and sear over med-high heat until golden brown. Transfer chicken to a plate. Add shallots to the skillet and saute for 1 minute. Add wine, cream, sun-dried tomatoes, and basil into skillet while scraping up bits of chicken from the bottom of the skillet. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until sauce thickens. Return chicken to skillet to heat through. Salt and pepper to taste and serve over cooked pasta!

Yogurt marinade for chicken

This is a great marinade for grilled chicken. Since James loves yogurt we seem to always have this on hand.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups(12 oz) plain yogurt
1 T canola oil
1 T grated peeled fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T montreal steak seasoning or seasoning of your choice

Combine all ingredients in a ziploc plastic bag. Add chicken and marinate for 2 hours before grilling.