Chicken and Dumplings

The other week when I was grocery shopping I accidentally grabbed cream of celery instead of cream of chicken. I have never used cream of celery and had no idea what to do with it. I searched high and low on the internet to find a good recipe to use it in. I came across this chicken and dumplings recipe and it was delicious! It was incredibly simple and only has four ingredients, (though many reviews I read people adjusted by adding more things, but I thought it was delicious the way it is).
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 cans cream of celery
salt and pepper
1 pkg refrigerated biscuit dough

In a large pot over high heat, combine the chicken with enough water to cover, and boil for 15-20 minutes. Drain some of the water, reserving 3 cups in the pot. Remove chicken and allow to cool, then pull it apart into bite size pieces, return to pot. Reduce heat to medium, and add the cans of cream of celery. Season with salt and pepper. Pull biscuit dough into pieces, and add to the soup. Simmer over medium heat for 7-8 minutes, or until dough is cooked through. Serves 4.

Chicken Posole

week 2/day 1
I love Mexican food. LOVE IT! The husband, not so much! But with following the Real Simple menu for a month we ate it. I really liked chicken posole. Definitely a meal for a cool day (which was not yesterday). I made some adaptions to the chicken. The recipe called for shredded rotisserie chicken, which would have been a lot easier, but my way was cheaper. I took about six chicken breasts and thawed them. Then seasoned with red pepper and oregano, wrapped in three different tin foil packets and baked at 450 for about 30 minutes. Then I used a fork to shred the chicken. Yum! Chicken posole has a nice spiciness to it and the lime added some good flavor. 1 T olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
Kosher salt
black pepper
32 oz chicken broth
1 can 28 oz diced tomatoes
1/4 crushed red pepper
2 cups shredded chicken
1 can hominy, rinsed (you can find hominy in the Mexican aisle and it comes in a 29 oz can, at least that's all I found, and I used the whole can)
1 lime, cut into wedges

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and 1/4 t of salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and beginning to brown, 10-12 minutes. Add the broth, tomatoes and pepper and bring to a boil. Stir in the chicken and hominy and simmer until heated through. Serve with lime. Serves 4.

Spicy Orange Glazed Drumsticks with Green Beans

week 1/day 3
The only suggestion I have for this, is it needed more of an orange flavor and it definitely wasn't spicy. Besides that it was really good. It's a keeper. I've been racking my brain on how I can make it have a more orange flavor. I would suggest doubling the orange sauce and to put the sauce on again right after you take it out of the oven. I made the cornbread from scratch and it was a great, easy recipe. This is most definitely a kid friendly meal.

1/4 c orange marmalade
1/2 t chili-garlic sauce
8 chicken drumsticks
Kosher salt
black pepper

Heat oven to 400. In a small bowl, mix the marmalade and chili-garlic sauce. Season the chicken with 1/2 t salt and 1/4 t pepper. Roast on a foil-lined baking sheet until cooked through, 35-40 minutes, brushing with the marmalade mixture during the last 10 minutes of cooking. Serves 4.

Cornbread

1 c all-purpose flour
1 c yellow cornmeal
2/3 c white sugar
1 t salt
3 1/2 t baking powder
1 egg
1 c milk
1/3 c vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well. Pour batter into a muffin pan or a lightly greased 9 inch round cake pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Serves 12.

Chicken Pot Pie

I've always wanted to make a chicken pot pie. I really like chicken pot pie, mostly the crust. Every time I think of chicken pot pie I think of Marie Calendar's frozen chicken pot pies, which honestly aren't good and I don't know why I think of those. This recipe was delicious. I used a frozen bag of vegetables, frozen peas and fresh celery. I also made my own pie crust, which can be a little tricky and if you aren't up to it don't feel ashamed using prepackage crust.

(photo courtesy of allrecipe.com)

Crust

1 c shortening
2 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 t salt
1 c cold water

Mix shortening, flour, and salt together with a fork or a pastry blender until very crumbly. Add as much water as needed to hold together, and mix lightly with a fork. Roll gently, one crust at a time, on a floured pastry cloth, to about an inch larger than pie plate. Fold carefully in half. Lift to pie plate, and unfold. Fit into pan. Makes 2 pie crust.

Filling

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
1 c sliced carrots
1 c frozen green peas
1/2 c sliced celery
1/3 c butter
1/3 c chopped onion
1/3 c all-purpose flour
1/2 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
1 3/4 c chicken broth
2/3 c milk
2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C.) In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside. In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside. Place the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Jambalaya

We must really like the South because it seems we are having a lot of food originated from the South. This time we had some delicious jambalaya. It's very similar to the gumbo I make. It's definitely not for the weak. It's has a kick to it, it's so spicy it makes my husband's nose run. If you don't like a lot of spice you can eliminate the Cajun seasoning and do less of the other seasonings. Serve it over some rice.


1/2 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 lb andouille chicken sausage, sliced
1 can diced tomatoes with juice
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1 c chopped celery
1 c chicken broth
2 t dried oregano
2 t dried parsley
2 t Cajun seasoning
1 t cayenne pepper
1/2 t dried thyme
1 lb shrimp

In a slow cooker mix all ingredients except the shrimp. Cover and cook for 7-8 hours on Low or 2-4 hours on High. Stir in shrimp for last 30 minutes.

Chicken Florentine & Pasta

This was a delicious and easy meal to make. I was able to do most of the work ahead of time and then just pop it into the oven when I was ready for dinner. I served it with some rotini pasta but any type of pasta would work great with it.

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast
1/4 c butter
3 t minced garlic
1 T lemon juice
2 c fresh spinach
1 T Italian seasoning
1/2 c half and half
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
1 can cream of mushroom
2/3 c bacon bits
2 c shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Place the chicken breast on a baking sheet, bake of 25 minutes or until no longer pink. Remove from heat and set aside. Increase oven to 400 degrees. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in garlic, lemon juice, cream of mushroom, Italian seasoning, half and half and Parmesan cheese. Stir constantly. Arrange spinach over bottom a 9x9 baking dish. Cover the spinach with half of the mixture. Arrange chicken in pan and cover with remaining sauce and mozzarella cheese. Bake 20-25 minutes until bubbly and lightly browned.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

My Mom made this meal frequently when I was growing up and now it's become a favorite in my household. It's the prefect mixture of sweet and sour. I've had many different type of sweet and sour chicken and this is by far my favorite. Make sure you cover the chicken well with the cornstarch and that it gets crispy when cooking in the wok. Also make sure you using a glass baking dish.

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast
1 egg
cornstarch
vegetable oil

Cut chicken in to 1 inch strips. In a wok or a frying pan pour enough oil that will cover chicken. Dip chicken in beaten egg then cornstarch. Cook in wok, until golden crispy. Remove and place on a paper towels to absorb excess oil. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a glass baking pan pour chicken and sauce* in pan. Cook for 1 hour turning every 15 minutes.

*Sauce

3/4 c sugar
4 T ketchup
1/2 C white vinegar
1 T soy sauce
1/2 t garlic powder
(I often double the sauce)

In a saucepan over heat mix all ingredients together until sugar is dissolved.

Chicken Roll-Ups

This is one of my husband's favorite meals. I'd consider it his comfort food. They are super easy to make and can even be made ahead of time. It's a pretty cheap meal too. This is probably a meal the rotates more frequently in our menu line up. When ever I make these my husband likes to sneak some of the dough from the crescent rolls, I find it disgusting, but he loves it and I love him so I let him usually sneak some dough. I will usually add some rice if I'm feeding a lot of people.

4 boneless skinless chicken breast
8 oz pkg of cream cheese
4 T margarine
2 c bread crumbs
salt and pepper
1 pkg Pillsbury 8 crescent rolls
can of cream of chicken
1/2 can of milk

Cook chicken all the way through (I used the tin foil method, but anyway gets the job done). Cut into small chunks. Mix together cream cheese, 2 T margarine and chicken. Salt and pepper to taste. In two bowls melt the other 2 T of margarine and in the other bowl pour the bread crumbs. In each roll wrap about 2 T of cream cheese mixture. Fold and then dip in margarine then bread crumbs. Place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees. For 20 minutes or until golden brown. Heat cream of chicken and milk to make a gravy. Serves 4.

Cashew Chicken

Cashew Chicken

10 3/4 oz can of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom

1/3 cup of Milk

1 4 oz can of sliced mushrooms

2 cups of baby carrots

1/2 cup of whole cashews

2 Diced up Chicken Breasts

Optional: 1 cup of sliced celery
Combine Cream of Mushroom and 1/3 cup of milk in slow cooker, mix well. Chop baby carrots in half. Add mushrooms, baby carrots and celery to crock pot, mix well. Place diced up chicken into crock pot, mix well. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Add cashews approx. 30 minutes prior to serving. Serve over brown rice with a side of steamed broccoli.
Serves 3-4 adults

Haystacks

A super easy meal that tastes delicious is Haystacks. This is on our weekly rotation.

1 8 oz. can of pineapple tidbits

1 2.25 oz. can of sliced olives

chow mein noodles

1 12.5 oz. can of chunk chicken (or 1-2 diced up and cooked chicken breasts)

1 10 oz. can of cream of chicken

1/3 cup of milk

grated cheddar cheese

1 cup of rice

optional toppings: diced celery, diced tomatoes

Cook rice using your preferred method. About 5-10 minutes before rice is done heat cream of chicken, chunk chicken and milk in sauce pan on stove pan just until warm.

Serve sauce and toppings over desired amount of rice.

Gumbo

When I was about a week away from delivery we tried everything possible that could induce labor, including spicy food. We have a Cajun restaurant in town that we went to and I got some spicy food and gumbo. It was delicious gumbo, but looked disgusting. I decided to make my own gumbo that would look and taste delicious. Needless, none of the spicy food helped induce labor but I found a new favorite recipe for us. It always makes enough for dinner and plenty for left overs. I recently discovered chicken sausage and replaced that instead of pork sausage and it's much better.

1 lb Italian sausage links, sliced
1 lb uncooked, peeled and deveined shrimp
3 T vegetable oil
1 red pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 t dried thyme
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t cayenne pepper
3 c chicken broth
2/3 c uncooked rice
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained (I used a fresh tomatoe this time and it was just as good)


In a large pot brown sausage in oil. Meanwhile in a crockpot combine all other ingredients except shrimp. Add sausage to crockpot. Cook on low for 3-4 hours. Add shrimp. Cook for another hour or two. Gumbo should be thick. Serves 12.

Lemon Asparagus Chicken

I'm a huge fan of the crock pot. It makes it so easy to cook, especially when I have a little one at home who doesn't always allow me to spend an hour whipping something up. Most of the time it takes less than 10 minutes to throw everything into the pot and turn it on. One of our favorites is Lemon Asparagus Chicken.

1 10 3/4 oz can of Campbell's Cream of Asparagus

2 Medium Sized Lemons

2 Chicken Breasts

Combine Cream of Asparagus and juice from 2 lemons in crock pot, mix well. Place chicken into crock pot. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Serve chicken and cream sauce over whole wheat thin spaghetti with a side of asparagus.

Serves 2

Sweet and Spicy Chicken

This is a nice take on baked chicken. It definitely is more spicy than sweet but it's enjoyable. I love recipes that requires little preparation and I can just cook it in the oven. I gives me time to spend with my little baby. Plus with the summer around the corner (yes around the corner because it seems like it just keeps raining) it's great to just pop it in the oven and go do what you enjoy. Just don't leave the house with the oven on. The original recipe called for a whole chicken but I used some chicken breast. Serve with some pasta, rice or vegetables.


1 T olive oil
1 T chili powder
1 T brown sugar
1 t dried oregano
3/4 t kosher salt
1/4 t pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast

Heat oven 400 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the oil, chili powder, sugar, oregano, salt and pepper. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Place the chicken in a roasting pan and rub with the spice mixture. Roast until cooked through, 45-50 minutes. Server hot, room temperature, or chilled.

Sour Cream Chicken & Veggies

This is a new take on cream of chicken and rice recipe. It is super easy. It's one of those last minute idea meals. I'm sure everyone has a can of cream of chicken, sour cream, rice and chicken in your cupboards or freezer. I spiced up the original recipe because it just seemed to blah. And it called for white wine but seeing as I don't keep it in the house I used water instead and it tasted great. I baked some veggies in tin foil like this and it made a complete dinner.

Sour Cream Chicken

1 c sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/3 c water
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast
garlic salt
Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 350. Combine sour cream, soup, and water. Season with garlic salt and Italian seasoning to taste. Mix well. Place chicken breast in 9x13 inch baking dish. Pour mixture over chicken and bake for 1 hour. Serve over rice.

Jerky Chicken

This is a spicy and sweet chicken recipe. It was very simple to make and goes great with rice, zucchini and asparagus. You can take the jerky sauce and put it on beef, pork, shrimp or anything else you can think of. I had a red pepper so I traded that for the habanero pepper and I just used garlic powder since I didn't have any garlic on hand. It still turned out fabulous.

(photo courtesy of allrecipes.com)

1 t onion, chopped finely
3 T brown sugar
4 T soy sauce
4 T red wine vinegar
2 t thyme
1 t sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 t allspice
1 habanero pepper, sliced
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast cut into strips

Combine the onion, brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, thyme, sesame oil, garlic, allspice and pepper in food processor or blender. Process until smooth. Place the chicken into a large resealable bag and pour in 3/4 of the sauce. Squeeze out excess air and seal, Marinate in the fridge for one hour. Preheat oven boiler. Remove chicken from bag and discard marinade. Broil chicken for 7 minutes, then flip and cook for 8 minutes. Heat remaining sauce and pour over chicken when serving. Serves 4.

Baked Honey Mustard Chicken

This is a great chicken recipe, because it requires no effort! I was a little skeptical at first because I am not a huge fan of honey and my husband is not a fan of mustard, by any means. But the honey and mustard neutralize each other to create a great taste. I added broccoli rice and a fruit & lettuce salad with feta cheese crumbles.
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c honey
1/4 c mustard
1 t Italian seasoning
1 t paprika
1/2 t parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle chicken with seasonings and place in a lightly greased baking dish. In a small bowl, combine the honey and mustard, mix well. Pour 1/2 of mixture over chicken. Bake in oven for 30 minutes. Turn chicken over and pour remaining mixture over chicken. Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Serve immediately. Serves 2.

*For more servings add chicken and double honey, mustard mixture.

Chicken, Zucchini & Squash

Here is another recipe I made up by taking ideas from other ones. I've discovered cooking chicken in the oven wrapped in tin foil is a simple way to do so with great results. Sprinkled with kosher salt it brings out the juices but the tin foil holds it in resulting in a moist, tender piece of meat.
3 boneless, skinless chicken breast
medium zucchini
medium yellow squash
one lemon
kosher salt
pepper


Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Slice zucchini and squash. Cut chicken in halves and place on separate large sheets of tin foil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Squeeze lemon all over chicken and vegetables. Wrap in tin foil. Bake for about 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. I added Rice-a-Roni Rice Pilaf as a side. Enjoy. Serves 3.

Dad's Fried Chicken

Technically this isn't my Dad's recipe, he got it from somewhere but I don't know where, all I know it's some good oven fried chicken. Often when I would visit my Dad on Sundays he would make this with mashed red potatoes (with the skin still on), gravy, green beans or salad. It was always delicious. After many failed attempts at making fried chicken I got the recipe from my Dad and use it on Sundays, call it tradition.

Boneless, skinless chicken breast (depending on how many people are eating)
1 cup flour
1 bread crumbs
1 egg
1 T water
1/4 c margarine
1/4 shortening

Preheat oven to 425. In a 9x12 baking pan melt margarine and shortening in preheating oven. Meanwhile, whisk egg with 1 T water. Dip chicken in flour then egg then coat in bread crumbs. Place in pan of melted margarine and shortening. Cook for 30 minutes, flip chicken and cook for another 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Depending on size of chicken may only take 20-25 per each side. Serve with your choice of sides.

Chicken Broccoli Pasta

This recipe I made up from stealing ideas from different other recipes to create this. It turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself. It's very simple, quick to do and has lots of flavor to it. And it's really nice and light.


2 boneless, skinless chicken breast
12 oz penne pasta (you really could use any kind you like)
1/2 lb broccoli
kosher salt
garlic salt
garlic powder
olive oil
1/2 pint grape tomatoes
1 can black olives
3 T Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 425. In tin foil place chicken breast seasoned with kosher salt and garlic powder. Lightly drizzle with olive oil. Wrap chicken in tin foil then bake in oven for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, cook pasta and steam broccoli. Drain pasta and mix with broccoli. When chicken is done cut into cubes and combine with pasta. Add olives and tomatoes. Drizzle about 1-2 T olive oil over pasta mixture. Season with garlic salt, to taste and add Parmesan cheese. Serve. Serves about 4.

Broccoli Chicken Divan

I discovered this recipe when we were both going to school and had little time to cook a real meal. It very quick to make and I often have all the ingredients on hand. The best part, it's delicious!

4 cups cooked broccoli flowerets
1 1/2 cup cubed cooked chicken
1 can Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Broccoli Cheese Soup
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
1 tablespoon butter, melted

Place the broccoli and chicken into a 9-inch casserole dish. Stir the soup and milk in a small bowl. Pour the soup mixture over the broccoli and chicken. Sprinkle with the cheese. Stir the bread crumbs and butter in a small bowl. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the cheese. Bake at 450°F. for 20 minutes or until the chicken mixture is hot and bubbling.