Crockpot Chicken & Stuffing Casserole

A recipe from my latest crockpot cookbook purchase.

Crockpot Chicken & Stuffing Casserole

1 pkg. (6 oz.) chicken-flavored stuffing mix
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" cubes
2 zucchini, cut into 1/2" pieces
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup

Combine stuffing mix (and seasoning packet) with 1 cup water unil just moistened in large bowl. Set aside.

Mix chicken, zucchini, mushrooms, bell pepper and onion in another large bowl. Stir in soup. Transfer half of the chicken-vegetable mixture to 4-quart or larger slow cooker. Spoon half of the reserved stuffing on top. Repeat layers.

Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or on high for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until vegetables are tender.

White Bean and Chicken Soup

As the weather turns to Fall, soups begin to show up as dinner in our house. This one is a first for us. And it turns out, it was very delicious! Even my kids ate it! In this recipe I used a garlic chicken sausage, but you can easily use diced chicken instead. I also really liked the simplicity of this soup. Ready in about 30 minutes. You may also cook this longer if you want the flavors to mesh more thoroughly and enhance the chicken broth. I served this with crackers and we, the parental figures, added a dollop of sour cream and grated Pepperjack Cheese. Mmmm...

White Bean and Chicken Soup

3 (15 oz.) can white beans, drained
6 cups chicken broth
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tbls. olive oil
1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced into 1/2" cubes
2 (4 oz.) cans whole green chilies
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teas. ground cumin
1 1/2 teas. dried oregano, crushed
1/4 teas. red pepper flakes, crushed
1 teas. salt
1/2 teas. black pepper

Place olive oil, chopped onions, garlic and cubed chicken into a large skillet over medium heat. Cook until onions are tender and chicken is longer pink. Transfer mixture to a stock pot or large soup pot. Add in green chilies, cumin, oregano and red pepper flakes. Cook until the smell of the spices have been released, about 1 minute. Add in chicken broth, then white beans, stir thoroughly. Add in salt and pepper to taste. Cook for another 10-15 on medium high to combine all of the flavors. Turn off heat and serve warm.

Garlic Chicken Brats & Pesto Rotini

My son came up to me as I was making this dish and asked, "Mom, how come you don't make up your own recipes when you cook?" "Well," I said, "it just so happens that this dinner is something I made up on my own." He looked at me with his mouth wide open in amazement and said, "wow, that is so cool!" "You really are a good cook, huh?" Now how could I argue with that comment? I love my son! He always makes me feel so good.

I created this dish using some of our favorite ingredients: bratwursts, artichokes, pesto and parmesan. As far as the recipes goes, and I know I've said this before in the past, but once again this is a recipe that can be made to your liking. And in the quantities that will suit you and your family. My hubby couldn't get enough of this pasta dish that night. I think he had a full 2 plates. He kept saying, "mmm, this pasta is sooo good!" You can also substitute the chicken brats with an Italian-type sausage and use alternative vegetables such as: mushrooms or zucchini. The garlic chicken brats were freshly made by the butchers at Harmons. I just discarded the casings and used only the meat. I cooked it just like I would regular ground beef.

Garlic Chicken Brats & Pesto Rotini

1 box of rotini pasta, cooked and drained

1 pkg. Harmons brand Bob's Garlic Chicken Brats

1/3 cup Kirkland brand Basil Pesto sauce

2 jars of marinated artichokes, drained

Sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced
Parmesan Cheese

Olive oil

In a large pot, bring water to boil and cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large, 2" deep skillet, remove casings from bratwursts, chop and brown till longer pink. Drain pasta, toss with some olive oil to prevently it from drying. Set aside. Remove grease from brats. Return skillet to stove and add artichokes and sun dried tomatoes till thoroughly heated. Add pasta, toss, add pesto sauce, toss and heated till completely cooked. If pasta looks dry, add more olive oil or extra pesto. Add parmesan cheese to each individual plate before serving. Serve with warm bread and a side salad, if desired.

Sesame Teriyaki with Rice Noodles

I recently purchased this box of Simply Asia's Sesame Teriyaki with rice noodles meal kit. It comes with the rice noodles, teriyaki sauce and a small packet of sesame seeds.
I've made this recipe a few times because my kids really like it. But I need to warn you the box may not feed larger families or those with family members who have big appetites. So my solution... mix the rice noodles with some spaghetti broken in half (before boiling) and add some extra Mr. Yoshida's sauce to it. Which is what I did here with my own meal. It's an easy way to "bulk" up a smaller sized recipe.

In this recipe I added some sliced green cabbage and cubed chicken. I also think, broccoli, mushrooms, onions, zucchini, etc...would be other yummy alternatives. Use separate or a combination of them.

Sesame Teriyaki with Rice Noodles

1 box of Simply Asia's Sesame Teriyaki

Cook according to package directions. Add extra desired ingredients: chicken, broccoli, cabbage, mushrooms, zucchini, onions, etc...

For larger portions add:

Spaghetti
Mr. Yoshida' sauce

Top with packet of sesame seeds and serve warm.

Julie's "BAM-good" Chili

This recipe was inspired by a recipe that my youngest sister had several years ago. She would probably claim to this day that recipe is her's, but I can honestly say it is not. The ingredients have changed so many times since then, in hopes to find the right combination of flavors, that there is no way it could possibility be her's. And trust me...I would give credit where credit is due...as you can see by my previous recipes.

Feel free to change the meat up when you want. In this picture I used a fresh chicken sausage from Harmons, but you could use regular ground beef, turkey or chicken to the recipe. This is a really easy recipe and the onion and garlic can have more or less added depending on your liking. You can even add green bell pepper if you wish. This recipe is very adjustable and can fit anyone’s taste palate. If you don’t like corn, replace it with a regular can of pinto beans. And this recipe can also be placed into a crock-pot or slow-cooker on LOW for 3-4 hours after the ground beef, onions and garlic have been cooked.

Julie's "BAM-good" Chili

2-3 tbls. oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic
1 lb. lean ground meat, browned & drained
1 (28 oz.) can of tomato sauce
1 (15 oz.) can of S&W's brand tomatoes with jalapenos
2 (16 oz.) cans of Bush's brand chili flavored beans
1 (15.5 oz.) can of S&W's brand Santa Fe recipe beans with corn
1 (15 oz.) can of black beans, drained & rinsed
Optional: 1 teas. ground chili pepper - use for more heat or use a
liquid red pepper sauce and add to your taste.
Add additional salt & pepper if it needs it.

Chop onion, mince garlic and open all “canned” items, set aside.

In a skillet over medium heat, brown ground beef, drain and set aside.

In a large pot on medium heat, add oil. Then add chopped onion. Cook till tender and translucent. Add minced garlic. Continue cooking until garlic is infused with onion (about 1 min.). Add browned ground beef to onion mixture and stir to reheat. Then add cans of tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Stir to warm-up. Add the 4 cans of beans and simmer on low-heat for 10-15 minutes until all of the ingredients are heated thoroughly. Or combine all ingredients into a slow cooker/crock-pot.

At this point, taste to see if flavor is to your liking. This is a good time to add any extra salt or pepper or the chili pepper/red pepper sauce. Remove from heat. Serve in bowls with grated cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream (optional) and several saltine crackers or cornbread.

BAM!

Crockpot 10 Garlic clove Chicken

This recipe was inspired by another recipe that I recently saw on an online website a few months ago. The original recipe was for 40 cloves of garlic (yes, you read that right) but I was too lazy and in a hurry (church) to take time to print it off. So I was trying to remember the recipe off the top of my head as I was putting it together. I didn't have all of the exact ingredients so I used what I had and this is what I came up with. I'm sure the ingredients aren't anywhere close to the other recipe and I forgot to add the sauteed mushrooms on top before I took this picture. Just noticed that detail as I was uploading it. Don't be afraid of the garlic...it really was a yummy and flavorful dish.

Crockpot 10 Garlic Clove Chicken

5 chicken breasts, cut into 2" big chunks
10 garlic cloves, minced
2 teas. Italian seasoning
1 teas. salt
1/2 teas. ground pepper
1/3 c. olive oil
1 (14 oz.) can of chicken broth
1 can of condensed Cream of Celery soup
1 can of condensed Golden Mushroom soup
2 tbls. of cornstarch (dissolved in 1/4 c. cold water)
2-3 c. of sliced mushrooms, sauteed
Cooked rice

In a small bowl combine, olive oil, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper and stir together. The mixture will resemble an oily paste. Pour this mixture over cut up chicken, toss to coat and place into a crock pot/slow cooker. Pour cream of celery soup and 1/2 of the can of chicken broth into the crock pot. There's no need to dilute the soup because of the moisture that will be created from the crock pot. Place the lid on and turn setting on High and let it cook 3-4 hours.

Turn off crock pot. (This is usually a good time to begin cooking your rice). In a medium sized bowl, remove chicken from liquid and set aside. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan or large deep skillet pour the chicken drippings from the crock pot into the pan. Add in remaining chicken broth and stir into liquid the dissolved cornstarch. The heat will start to thicken and create a sauce. Add in golden mushroom soup. Stir to combine. Once the sauce is heated through, take the chicken chunks and shred using your fingers and place into sauce. Add enough chicken until there is an equal chicken/sauce ratio. I ended up with about 5-6 chunks leftover. Which I used for another meal that week. Make sure the sauce isn't too thick. You can add a little milk or water to it if it is. If it's too runny, add one teaspoon of cornstarch at a time until it is the right consistency. Once the sauce is too your liking, turn off heat and set aside.

Saute sliced mushrooms in another pan using more olive oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Once the mushrooms and rice have cooked, plate this dish up, baby! Put rice on plate, pour chicken sauce over top and pile a spoonful of mushrooms on top. Serve warm with a side of salad and bread/rolls. Yummy! Enjoy!

Panang Curry over Rice

A few months ago some friends and I went out for dinner at a Thai restaurant here in town called Benja's Thai. This was our first time eating there and we loved it! Later, I decided that would be a great place to go again for our anniversary. Kerry and I had the same dishes my friends and I had earlier. And he loved them! Well, in my quest to try to recreate recipes that I try in restaurants, the hunt for the right ingredients began... In my research online, I discovered that some of the ingredients weren't available in most grocery stores and would need to be purchased in a speciality store. So I gave up hope in making it on my own. Well guess what? Little did I know that I was going to find this wonderful jar of already made Panang Curry in my grocery store's Asian section. Along with this jar of Chili Garlic Sauce...


I was so excited to try out my new discovery! The premade curry sauce made this recipe very simple to put together. In the time I was steaming rice, I was able to chop the veggies, add the two sauces, heat and dinner was ready in about 25-30 minutes.

(A Rick "warning"... no mushrooms on this guy's plate!)

Panang Curry over Rice

2 cups of chopped veggies, sauteed in skillet
1/2 lb. chicken, cubed (or shrimp)
1 jar of Thai Kitchen Panang Curry
1 teas. Chili Garlic sauce
Precooked rice, warm and ready to eat

The directions to this recipe is located on the back of the bottle of curry sauce. I used carrots, mushrooms, zucchini, and broccoli with chicken. You may also use: bell peppers, onions, potatoes, etc...

Once the meat and the veggies are cooked, add both sauces and heat till warmed. Pour mixture over warmed rice and serve.

Notes: The sauce should be runny and there should also be a little more sauce than veggies. That's the typical way it was presented to us at the restaurant. Also, they asked us what level of "heat" we wanted our dish to be. So if you would like to taste the red chilies more in your dish, then add more of the chili garlic sauce.

Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken

I sure hope this recipe isn't grossing you out by the looks of this picture. I don't think I could get it to look any better before it was cooked or after. So trust me this really was a simple and tasty recipe done in the crockpot. I used my favoritre new sauce I discovered at Costco earlier this year. I'm sure most of you have seen or even tried it yourself, but I've really come to enjoy the convenience and ease of this sauce and marinade.
I was desperate for a Sunday after church meal and was craving some kind of Asian-type dish. I immediately thought of my bottle of Mr. Yoshida's sauce. So I hurried and cut up some chicken breasts into 2 inch pieces and poured this sauce over it, added some brown sugar, garlic powder, soy sauce and some fresh pineapple chunks I had in the fridge. You can't see them in the picture, but they're in there. I then set the crock pot on High and let it cook while we were at church. The sauce ended up a little watered down so I removed the chicken to a bowl and took about one cup of the sauce from the crockpot. I then poured that sauce over the chicken in the bowl and started to shred the chicken into smaller bites and added another cup of fresh sauce from the bottle. The warmth of the cooked chicken was warm enough to heat up the extra sauce. We ate the cooked chicken on top of steamed rice and some cooked veggies on the side. The whole family loved my dinner that night and was pleased with it's simplicity.

Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken

4-5 chicken breasts, cut into 2" pieces
2-3 cups Mr. Yoshida's Gourmet Sweet & Savory sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teas. garlic powder
1 teas. ground ginger
Fresh or canned pineapple chunks

Put ingredients into crock pot, add lid and simmer on High for 3 hours. Remove chicken and reserve 1 cup of liquid from crockpot. Shred chicken with liquid and the 3rd cup of sauce. Serve over steamed rice and cooked veggies.

Crescent Chicken Roll-ups

I came across this recipe from another website. The recipe couldn't have been yummier! AND I actually got most of my family to eat it...which is always a bonus in our house. The recipe called for chopped walnuts which was an optional ingredient, but I chose to add it to the chicken mixture to try it out. I felt like it was a nice addition as it gave it a light crunchy texture to the roll-ups. Another ingredient that's listed was chopped celery. I didn't have any of that on hand so I of course left it out. We didn't notice the ingredient missing. But I think the next time I make these, I'll add it. I think it will give a good flavor balance to the walnuts and mushrooms. I used a Cream of Chicken and Herbs soup instead of the regular Cream of Chicken. Since it was being used as the gravy, I wanted it to have more flavor than the regular soup. But both flavors are also very good. Also, 2 cans of canned chicken can also be used when you are in a hurry or don't have leftover cooked chicken. Serve with your choice of side dish. A nice, colorful green salad works and looks really good.

Crescent Chicken Roll-ups

6 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/8 teas. pepper
2 cups cooked chicken
1 (4 oz.) can of mushrooms, diced
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
1/2 cup celery, chopped (optional)
2 cans of refrigerated Crescent rolls
1 can Cream of Chicken & Herbs soup
1/2 soup can of milk

Preheat oven to 375 F degrees.

Mix first 7 ingredients. Unroll crescent rolls and flatten them into a more even-shaped triangle. Place 2-3 tbls. of chicken mixture on wide end of each piece of dough. Roll up and place each one in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake until roll-ups turn golden brown and dough looks fully cooked. About 15-20 minutes.

In a small sauce pan, pour in Cream of Chicken & Herbs soup with the milk. Stir to combine and warm until the soup resembles a gravy. Pour over rolls and serve.

Green Chile and Chicken Enchiladas

These enchiladas were quite heavenly. And with very little heat behind them, the kids even ate them. I've seen several different recipes over the years for these, but never actually kept any of them. So I basically put these together using ingredients I thought would be quite tasty. I hope you like them just as much as we did. The only complaint I received from my hubby was, "they were real good, but I would have like some jalapenos on mine". So with that said, you jalapeno lovers out there may want to have a small can on hand for a dinner like this.

Green Chile and Chicken Enchiladas

3 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
1 pkg. corn tortillas
1 jar Herdez brand green Salsa Verde (use 1 cup)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese (plus more for top)
1 small can green chiles (or jalapenos)

Preheat oven to 375 F degrees.

Boil chicken breasts in water for 15 minutes or until they are no longer pink inside. Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, add 1 cup of Salsa Verde, soup, mayonnaise, cheese and green chiles. If mixture is too dry, add 1/2 cup of sour cream or more Salsa Verde. The mixture should look more creamy than meaty.

Warm package of tortillas in it's plastic bag for 30 seconds in the microwave. Remove and scoop about 1/4 cup of mixture on each tortilla, roll and place in baking dish. Once the baking dish is full, spread any extra mixture over top and more shredded cheese. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted and the inside is bubbly. Serve warm with a side salad or Mexican rice.

Stuffing mix Chicken tenders

Here's another easy recipe that your kids will thank you for. Actually my hubby and I thought these were little tasty morsels of goodness too. So it's a great all-around family recipe. Add any desired sides and you've got a great meal. The stuffing mix will only coat maybe 4 chicken breasts at the most. I only used 3 in this recipe for my family. And just so you're forewarned your fingers with get messy in coating the chicken. Just wash your hands thoroughly afterwards. I also had a thought come to me after all was said and done. Instead of dipping the chicken in the flour, then the beaten eggs and finally in the stuffing mix, try adding the flour in the stuffing mix and see if that is any easier. It will cut back on one extra step which in the end will save you time. I would like to try it that way the next time I make these. You could even keep the stuffing mix in the zippy bag and add the flour to that so you're not dirtying another bowl. Place a few chicken pieces at a time in the bag and toss to coat. Remove and put on baking sheet. If any of you try it this way, please let me know how it turned out.

Stuffing mix Chicken Tenders

1 box of chicken-flavored stuffing mix, uncooked and crushed
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 c. all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 375 F degrees. Line baking sheet with tin foil.

Meanwhile, crush stuffing mix in a gallon sized zippy bag with a rolling pin or meat mallet. Not all pieces will be crushed but do the best you can. It makes for a better crunch! Pour into small bowl and set aside. In another bowl, beat eggs until combined. Slice each chicken breast into 1/2 inch slices and set aside. Place flour into another bowl and begin to dip one chicken piece into flour, then egg and ending with the crushed stuffing mix. Place chicken on tin-foil lined baking sheet and continue dipping the remaining pieces. Bake chicken tenders in preheated oven for 15-18 minutes or until chicken pieces are no longer pink on the inside. Remove and cool slightly before serving. Serve with your choice of side dishes. Yum!

Chicken Pot Pie

If this recipe doesn't say "comfort food" than I don't know what does. For me and my family this is one type of food we don't make very often. I think because I forget it's an option. My friend, Julie made pot pie one night using another recipe and it made me realize I hadn't made one in a long time. So with my search engine in tow, I went looking for a recipe. I went to my trusty and loyal Allrecipes.com site and found this recipe that had over 1,400 reviews. After making this I can totally see why. For any of you reading this right now... let me just tell you... this is an awesome recipe! There was only one flaw to the recipe and that was it needed a can of cream of chicken soup (undiluted) to it. The sauce was too thin and clear for what I think a chicken pot pie should look like. I think of a chicken pot pie sauce being thick and creamy. So I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did. My kids had their quirks about it though: Kaylee removed the peas and the carrots, Kason removed the peas and Jaynee removed the carrots. Not so bad, right? Oh, and the recipe called for 1/2 cup of celery. We didn't have that (nor did I want it in there anyway) so I added some diced potato to it instead. I will give you the recipe with those options. And the pie crusts are the ones that come rolled up in the refrigerated section. Don't skimp on the brand...buy the brand name...they taste better. I also used my Pampered Chef 2 inch deep dish pie plate for this recipe. You could probably half the recipe and use a regular pie plate instead. Or use some other deep, round casserole dish instead. If you have any questions, please email me.

Chicken Pot Pie

1 lb. skinless chicken breast, cubed
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup sliced celery and/or 1 large diced potato
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teas. salt
1/4 teas. black pepper
1 teas. garlic powder
1 (14oz) can of chicken broth
2/3 cup milk
1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
2 (9 inch) unbaked, refrigerated pie crusts

Preheat oven to 425 F.

In a saucepan, combine cubed chicken, sliced carrots, celery and diced potato. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.

In the same saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft. Stir in flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Using a whisk, slowly stir in chicken broth and milk and stir constantly as sauce begins to thicken. Add in can of soup. Add in chicken mixture and thoroughly combine. Set aside.

To prepare pie plate, line bottom with 1 softened pie crust. Add in frozen peas to the chicken mixture just before pourly the mixture into the pie plate. Pour in chicken mixture. Line the top with the other pie crust. Cut off excess, seal the edges and crimp. Poke several holes on top of the crust to prevent the build up of steam while baking. Place pot pie in preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes until bubbly and top is golden brown. If pie starts to turn brown quickly, lay a piece of tin foil (shiny side up) over the top of it to prevent the crust from burning. After baking, remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Chicken & Broccoli casserole

Hmmm...doesn't this look yummy? Look at that nice white sauce and toasted parmesan cheese on top. Are you getting lost in deliciousness? Hmmm...

Let me first off say that when I came upon this recipe from another website I was very intrigued by the list of ingredients and of course the photo. So I decided to give this a try the other night. As I was putting this recipe together, I noticed the sauce was going to be this rich and thick sauce. And definately not a very healthy one I might add. But everything in moderation, right? And the recipe had several steps to it. I continued to plug along and after several pans, bowls, etc... and some oven time we finally had dinner. Let me just say, we ate mouthfuls of white sauce richness that night. We all loved the flavor of it, but it was too thick. I also discovered that it made quite a bit so we had plenty of leftovers the next night. Which may not be the case with some larger families. For us I ended up diluting the sauce with some milk and boiling a pot of spaghetti to go along with it. I mixed up the spaghetti with the sauce and served it with some toasted garlic bread. So I believe this recipe fits perfectly under the "cook once, serve twice" concept. I also need to mention that the recipe I'm posting here isn't the actual recipe I made on this night. I'm giving you the revised version with the more practical way of making it. And of course, you can subsitute any of the ingredients for fat-free or low-fat versions.
Chicken & Broccoli casserole

3 quarts water
3 cups chopped broccoli
4-5 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
3 tbls. butter or margarine
1/4 c. flour
2 cups milk
1/4 teas. salt
1/4 teas. ground pepper
Dash of nutmeg
1 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. sour cream
1 teas. worchestershire sauce
1 can of condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1/2 - 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 - 1 cup crushed butter crackers

Preheat oven to 400 (F) degrees.

Cut broccoli into small florets and set aside. Cube chicken into 1 inch pieces and set aside. Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Place broccoli into water and cook for 2 minutes. Remove quickly and set aside. Keep water boiling and place cubed chicken into the water. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside. Do not over cook or chicken will become rubbery. Remove from water and set aside.

In a medium sized mixing bowl. Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, worchestershire sauce, soup and mix thoroughly. Set aside.

In a large sauce pan or deep skillet. Melt butter or margarine. Using a whisk, stir in flour and whisk until flour is dissolved and no longer lumpy. Slowly pour in milk and continue to whisk until it reaches a thick consistency. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg. Pour into the sauce the mayonnaise mixture and stir to thoroughly combine. Fold in broccoli and chicken and stir to completely coat. Pour mixture into a 9 x 13 baking dish and top with crushed crackers and grated parmesan. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until sauce is bubbly and topping is golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm with a side salad. Store leftovers in fridge.