Cottage Cheese Chicken Enchiladas

Please take my word for it - these are the best enchiladas EVER. Yes, I think they are even better than all the other enchiladas I've posted on here. You need to make these, definitely. Don't let the cottage cheese part throw you off - I promise, these are AMAZING! Recipe from allrecipes.com. I served these with chips and salsa.

INGREDIENTS

* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (omitted)
* 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - boiled and shredded (I baked)
* 1/2 cup chopped onion (omitted)
* 1 (7 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
* 1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix (I used hot and spicy)
* 1/2 cup sour cream
* 2 cups cottage cheese
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 pinch ground black pepper
* 12 (6 inch) corn tortillas
* 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I used a four cheese mexican blend)
* 1 (10 ounce) can red enchilada sauce (I used a garlic flavored enchilada sauce)

DIRECTIONS

1. To Make Meat Mixture: Heat oil in medium skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken, onion and green chile peppers and saute until browned, then add taco seasoning and prepare meat mixture according to package directions.
2. To Make Cheese Mixture: In a medium bowl mix sour cream with cottage cheese and season with salt and pepper; stir until well blended.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4. To Assemble Enchiladas: Heat tortillas until soft. In each tortilla place a spoonful of meat mixture, a spoonful of cheese mixture and a bit of shredded cheese. Roll tortillas and place in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Top with any remaining meat and cheese mixture, enchilada sauce and remaining shredded cheese.
5. Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

NOTE: I made these a little differently to make life easier - I baked the chicken on its own and then just combined the shredded chicken with the cottage cheese, sour cream, taco seasoning, and green chile peppers all into one bowl. Place chicken/cheese mixture on enchilada and top with the shredded cheese, roll-up, and cover with enchilada sauce and some more shredded cheese.

Feta Arugula Chicken Pizza

I love eating different kinds of pizza (i.e. buffalo chicken, bbq chicken) and this pizza was no different. This may be one of my favorite pizzas I've ever made. Recipe from allrecipes.com.

INGREDIENTS

* 1 unbaked pizza crust
* 6 tablespoons prepared pesto sauce
* 3 roma tomatoes, thinly sliced (omitted - ew tomatoes)
* 1 (8 ounce) package seasoned goat cheese (I used feta)
* 2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
* 1 cup fresh arugula
* 1 teaspoon olive oil

* Added: chicken breast, cooked and shredded

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven according to pizza package instructions.
2. Dab pesto onto the center of the pizza base, and spread toward the outer edges. Cut the goat cheese into thin coins, and spread or crumble across the pizza. Arrange tomato slices over goat cheese. Sprinkle with garlic. (Add chicken). Brush the crust edges lightly with olive oil.
3. Place pizza directly on preheated oven rack. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the crust edges are golden.
4. After taking pizza out of the oven, allow to cool for a few minutes so that the cheese has time to set.

5. After a couple of minutes, cover the pizza with a few handfuls of arugula. Cut, serve, and enjoy!

Ricotta Stuffed Chicken Breast

This was a great simple weeknight dinner that was super tasty. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

* 2 chicken breasts, cut in half horizontally 3/4 of the way through (so you can stuff the inside)

* Appx 1 cup low fat ricotta cheese

* Seasoning to taste - I used some dried basil and dried parsley

* Minced garlic to taste

* 1/4 cup dried italian bread crumbs

* Spaghetti sauce to top - flavor of your choice - I used garlic herb flavor

DIRECTIONS

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a bowl, combine ricotta cheese, seasoning, and garlic.

3. Open each chicken breast up and spread the ricotta mixture inside. Fold chicken back over to original shape. Use toothpicks to hold if needed.

4. Dip chicken in bread crumbs to coat. Place on baking sheet.

5. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

6. Add warm spaghetti sauce on top.

Chicken Enchilada Roll-ups

Sadly I forgot to take a picture of these... but I made them for our annual holiday get together last month. These are SOOOOOO good! I will definitely be making them again the first chance I get. Thanks Macaroni & Cheesecake (originally from Cook Like a Champion).

INGREDIENTS

* 2 8-oz. packages cream cheese, softened
* 1 1/3 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
* 1 teaspoon garlic, finely minced
* 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
* 1 teaspoon cumin
* cayenne pepper to taste
* salt to taste
* 1 large can chunk white chicken breast, shredded (I baked a few chicken breasts and used those instead... I can't stand canned chicken!)
* 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
* 4 green onions, chopped (omitted)
* 10-oz. can Rotel tomatoes (omitted)
* 1 package jalapeno cheddar tortillas (I used jalapeno cilantro flavor)

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix cheeses together until well blended.
2. Add all remaining ingredients and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.
3. Place one heaping spoonful onto tortilla.-Spread to edges using a metal spatula.
4. Roll and cut into slices.

White Chicken Lasagna

MMM lasagna... one of my favorite meals ever... this dish with the white sauce was a nice change from your typical lasagna. (Full recipe found here and posted below, although I cut in half and used an 8x8 dish).

INGREDIENTS

* 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
* 1 shallot, minced (I omitted)
* 3 tbsp butter
* 4 chicken breasts, cooked & shredded
* 2 cans cream of chicken soup
* 1- 8oz. package cream cheese (I used reduced fat)
* 2 cups sour cream (I used fat free)
* 2/3 cup milk (I used skim)
* 1 lb. lasagna noodles, cooked & rinse in cold water
* 1 lb. mozzarella cheese, grated

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large sauce pan, over medium heat, brown shallots & garlic in butter. Add cream cheese, cream soup, sour cream & milk. Stir until cream cheese is melted. Add chicken.
2. In a 9x13 glass baking dish layer noodles, white sauce with chicken, then cheese. Repeat steps, ending with mozzarella cheese on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes.

Annie's Benchiladas

I've been a bad, bad blogger lately. No posts since July and it's already October? Eek! No worries though, I'm back!

These enchiladas were sooooo yummy! Thanks Annie!! We cut the recipe in half, but the full recipe is below. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

* 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

* 8 oz. reduced fat sour cream (we used fat free)

* 8 oz. ranch dressing (we used light)

* Flour tortillas (10-15)

* Jar of salsa (we used red enchilada sauce instead)

* Shredded mexican cheese - as much as you want!

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook chicken breasts by preferred cooking method until cooked through. Set aside to cool a bit.
2. While chicken is cooling, mix up the sauce. In a large mixing bowl, combine half of the sour cream and half of the ranch dressing. In a small bowl, combine the rest of the sour cream and Ranch dressing. Stir both until well combined. Shred or chop the cooked chicken and add to the large mixing bowl. Mix well with sauce.
3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13″ pan (and possibly another, smaller pan if needed). Take one tortilla and top with a little less than 1 tbsp. of the sauce from the small bowl. Spread over the tortilla in an even layer. Add some of the chicken mixture to the center of the tortilla. Top with salsa to taste. Sprinkle with shredded cheese, to taste. Roll up tortilla and place, seam side down, in the prepared baking dish. Repeat with remaining ingredients (usually makes 10-15 enchiladas).
4. Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes (30 for a crispier tortilla). Allow to cool a few minutes before serving.

Lemon Chicken with Oregano and Feta

I had an idea in my head of what I wanted to make, and luckily Le Petit Pierogi had this recipe in her blog that matched exactly what I was thinking! This was super good and healthy for you! (Recipe originally adapted from here).

Ingredients

* 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

* Juice of 1/2 lemon

* 1 garlic clove, minced (I omitted)

* Oregano to taste (I used a BUNCH... mmm oregano)

* Salt

* Pepper

* Feta cheese, crumbled (I used sundried tomato and basil flavor)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and spray a small baking dish with nonstick spray.
2. Place chicken breasts in dish and sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic and oregano. Squeeze lemon liberally over chicken.

3. Bake for 20-25 minutes depending on size of chicken breasts (mine only took about 22 minutes). Add feta cheese on top of the chicken for the last few minutes of baking.

Jalapeno Chicken

A huge thanks to Molly for introducing me to this recipe!! This is soo soo soo good, I've already made it twice in the past week and a half!! Yummmmmm.

(I opted to bake these instead of grilling and I also substituted a few things to make it simple. My changes are noted below.)

Ingredients (for 2)

* 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded to 1/4 inch thickness
* Appx 5 oz Italian dressing (I used balsamic vinaigrette)
* 1 fresh jalapeno pepper, halved lengthwise and seeded (I used sliced from the jar)
* Appx 3 oz cream cheese, softened (I used reduced fat)
* 2 slices bacon (I used bacon crumbles)
* Toothpicks

Directions

1. Place chicken breasts in a dish with the dressing. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours.
2. Preheat the grill for high heat.
3. Stuff each jalapeno half with cream cheese. Roll chicken breasts around jalapeno peppers. Wrap each chicken breast with a slice of bacon. Secure with toothpicks.

(If using sliced jalapenos and bacon crumbles like I did, just spread the cream cheese inside each chicken breast and add in jalapenos and bacon bits.)
4. Lightly oil the grill grate. Arrange wrapped chicken breasts on the prepared grill. Cook for 20 minutes, turning frequently, or until bacon is browned and the chicken juices run clear.

(I baked in the oven at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.)

Delicious Chicken Enchiladas

Happy Cinco de Mayo!! This was my first time making enchiladas and they were sooo sooo good! (Recipe from Food Network... my altered recipe for 2 people is below.)

Ingredients

* 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

* 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (we used mexican blend)

* 3/4 cup sour cream

* 4 (8-inch) flour tortillas

* Chicken seasoning to taste (we use Kroger Grilltime)

* 1 cup salsa, whatever kind you like (taco sauce may be substituted)

* Green onions for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8x8 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Place the shredded chicken in a large bowl. Add half of the grated cheese, sour cream, and onion; sprinkle in chicken seasoning. Mix well to combine.
3. Place the tortillas on your work surface. Spoon 1/4 of the chicken mixture across the center of each tortilla. Roll them up to close and place, seam side down, in the prepared baking dish.

4. Pour the salsa over the tortillas. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until heated through, about 30 minutes.
5. Remove the foil and sprinkle the enchiladas with the remaining grated cheese. Return the baking dish to the oven until the cheese is melted and edges of the tortillas are just beginning to get crisp, 5 to 8 minutes.

6. Top with green onions or anything else you like. Serve hot.

Oven Fried Honey Chicken Nuggets

Keith LOVES honey so I knew he would enjoy these chicken nuggets. These were super easy to make and SOOOOO good!! You should go make these now :) I found this recipe up Macaroni and Cheesecake, who got it from Sweet Tea in Texas. Thanks girls!

Ingredients

* 1/2 cup honey
* 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (I only had white vinegar and it turned out fine)
* 1 1/2 cups dried bread crumbs (I used Panko)
* Appx 1 lb fresh boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Spray foil-lined baking pan large enough to hold all chicken pieces in one layer.

2. In shallow bowl, whisk together honey and vinegar. Set aside.

3. Place bread crumbs in a small saute pan and toast lightly over low heat for about 3-4 minutes until lightly golden brown. (I skipped the step and just baked in oven a little longer.)

4. Pour bread crumbs a little at a time into separated bowl. Roll chicken pieces in honey mixture, then in bread crumbs; place in pan.

5. Bake for 30 minutes, or until cooked thoroughly.

We tried dipping the nuggets in both ranch and sweet chili sauce. Both were good!

Garlic Pesto Pasta

We had some jarred pesto to use up - I think I am done buying the jarred kind for a while. It just isn't very flavorful and made this dish a little bland. BUT, if you used fresh pesto, I'm sure it would be delish!

Ingredients

* Pasta of your choice

* Chicken breast, cooked, cut into pieces (I marinated in garlic herb marinade first)

* Pesto sauce

* Minced garlic

* EVOO

* Shredded parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Boil pasta until al dente. A few minutes before pasta is done, add minced garlic and EVOO in a pan and saute.

2. Drain pasta. Add pesto sauce, garlic, chicken to pasta and combine all together. Add a little EVOO if needed. Serve immediately with parmesan cheese on top.

Texas Chicken Quesadillas

I have seen variations of these recipe floating around online, so I decided to just wing it and use what we like. These are SO good! The honey/bbq/carmelized onion taste is just heaven.

mmm.

Ingredients (for two quesadilla halves)

* 2 10-inch flour tortillas

* 3/4 lb boneless skinless chicken tenders (or chicken breast cut into little strips)

* 1/2 cup shredded cheese (we used a monterey jack blend)

* BBQ marinade (we used BWW's Honey BBQ sauce)

* White onion, sliced into rings

* EVOO

Directions

1. Marinate chicken in BBQ sauce for a couple hours.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3. Bake chicken tenders in oven until cooked through, about 20 min.
4. While the chicken is cooking, heat 1 tbsp oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Slowly cook and stir until onion is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside.

5. Put cheese, chicken, and onions into each of the tortillas, only using one half of the tortilla.

6. Fold over and place tortillas in quesadilla maker. Cook until golden brown.

7. Cut into triangles and serve with sour cream or ranch.

Cheez-It Encrusted/Asiago Stuffed Chicken

Umm chicken and cheez-its??? Yum!! I knew Keith would LOVE this recipe b/c those are 2 of his favorite things. I thought it was really good as well. I found this on the What We're Eating website and then added the cheese stuffed inside. You should really make this! (Recipe serves 2.)

Ingredients

* Appx 2 cups cracker crumbs made from Cheez-Its

* 1 tbsp minced fresh dill (I used dry)

* 1 tbsp minced fresh parsley (I used dry)

* 1/2 tbsp minced fresh oregano (I used dry)

* 1/2 tbsp minced fresh rosemary (I used dry)

* 1 tbsp minced fresh thyme (I used dry)

* 1 clove minced garlic (I used 2 cloves.. mmm.. garlic)

* 2 tbsp hot sauce (I used a little more)

* 1 egg

* 1/2 cup shredded asiago cheese

* 1/2 cup flour, for dusting

* Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

* 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, rinsed and patted dry, cut in half horizontally 3/4 of the way through (so you can stuff the inside)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On large plate add the first 7 ingredients. Stir to combine thoroughly.

2. Place the flour in a second plate. Season w/ kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, stir to combine.

3. To a wide bowl add the egg and 2 tbsp hot sauce. Whisk until the egg is frothy.

4. Open each chicken breast up and sprinkle asiago cheese inside the middle. Fold chicken back over to original shape.

5. Season all sides of the chicken breast with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

6. Dredge the breasts in the flour, shaking off all excess. Dip the lightly floured breasts, on at a time, into the hot sauce and egg mixture, coating both sides.

7. Next, press each of the breasts into the Cheez-It herb mixture, making sure all sides are thoroughly coated.

8. Place the Cheez-It encrusted breasts onto a sheet pan. If there the crust isn’t sticking, press a little bit of the Cheez-It mixture onto the top of the breast once it has been placed on the sheet pan. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20-25 minutes or until just cooked through.

Shish Kabobs

The weather here was beautiful yesterday (75 and sunny!) so we decided to grill out. These were REALLY good! Even Keith loved the chicken even though he claims he doesn't like BBQ sauce. I couldn't get him to try the veggies though ;)

Ingredients

* Uncooked chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces

* Red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces

* Green bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces

* Sweet onion, cut into 1 inch pieces

* BBQ sauce marinade (I used Buffalo Wild Wings' Honey BBQ)

* Chicken seasoning to taste

Directions

1. Put chicken breast pieces into ziploc baggy, pour some bbq sauce in, zip and mix around. Let sit in fridge for a couple hours. Put all veggies into a different baggy and do the same thing. Sprinkle some seasoning into the baggy as well if you'd like.

2. Thread chicken on one skewer and veggies onto another.

3. Place skewers on the grill and cook for 10-15 min depending on how hot your grill is and until chicken is cooked through. The chicken will probably take a little longer than the veggies, so we put those on first.

4. Enjoy!

Asiago Stuffed Chicken Breast

Another delicious chicken recipe :) I served it with the oven roasted potatoes in the above post.

Ingredients (for 2 people)

* 2 pieces boneless skinless chicken breast

* Marinade of your choice (I used garlic and herb)

* 1/4 cup shredded asiago cheese (I originally planned to use feta cheese, which I think would be equally as good)

Directions

1. Marinate chicken breasts for a couple hours in your favorite sauce.

2. Create a slit "sandwich-wise" in the chicken breast about 3/4 of the way through so that you can open the chicken breast without it completely separating into 2 pieces.

3. Add asiago cheese inside each chicken breast; close and secure with toothpicks if needed.

4. Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 min.

Chicken Alfredo Pizza (Take 2)

I made this recipe again tonight with a few additions - I didn't think this pizza could taste any better than last time, but it did! First, I used a lot more minced garlic than last time. I sauteed the garlic in EVOO and added some onions, fresh basil, and fresh parsley. I melted about 1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese into the sauce and then of course added mozz on top of the pizza. I also used pre-made round Boboli crust instead of the Pillsbury kind, which I've found to taste much better. Oh, and I took a better pic this time! :)

Three Cheese Chicken Penne Pasta Bake

I found this recipe on the What's Cooking board and altered it a little bit to my taste (my recipe below). I didn't realize until I tasted this that is very similar to my Simple Baked Mostaccioli. Either way, it was really good!

Ingredients

* 2 cups penne pasta, uncooked
* 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
* 1 tsp fresh basil leaves, chopped

* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 jar (14.5 oz) spaghetti sauce
* 2 oz neufchatel cheese, cubed
* 1 cup mozzarella cheese, divided
* 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cook pasta as directed on package.
2. Cook and stir chicken, basil, and garlic in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat 3 min. Add spaghetti sauce; bring to boil. Simmer 3 min. or until chicken is done. Stir in neufchatel cheese.
3. Drain pasta mixture; return to pan. Stir in chicken mixture and 1/2 cup mozzarella. Spoon into 8-inch square baking dish.
4. Bake 15-20 min. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Bake 3 min.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

My husband's two favorites foods: pizza and buffalo chicken anything. Umm needless to say, this meal is pretty much his favorite thing ever. And I agree, it's pretty damn good. Enjoy!

(Measurements are approximate... just eyeball it and use what you think is good. You really can't mess this one up!)

Ingredients

* 1 prepared pizza crust - I used Boboli

* 1 large boneless chicken breast, cooked and cubed (or 2 small breasts)

* Appx 1 cup ranch dressing

* Appx 1/2 cup buffalo sauce (of course I used Frank's)

* Appx 1.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I used sharp cheddar)

* Appx 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles

Directions

1. Preheat oven according to pizza crust directions.

2. Put cooked chicken in bowl and cover with buffalo sauce. (Save some buffalo sauce to go on the pizza.)

3. Spread ranch dressing over pizza crust and top with chicken mixture. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Add blue cheese crumbles on top. Add more buffalo sauce on top, to taste.

4. Bake in oven according to crust directions or until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbly (usually less than 10 min).

5. Let cool a few minutes... if you can wait that long. Enjoy!

Chicken Alfredo Pizza

I used to make this every now and then when we lived in MI, but this is the first time I've made it in a while. This is a super easy, yummy meal!

Ingredients

* 2 small or 1 large chicken breast, cooked and cut into bite size pieces

* 1 container Pillsbury pizza dough

* Appx 1 cup jarred alfredo sauce

* Minced garlic to taste (or just use garlic flavor alfredo sauce)

* Bacon bits

* Shredded parmesan and/or mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven according to pizza dough directions. Put plain pizza dough on pan and put in oven for appx 5 minutes, and take out.

2. Mix alfredo sauce w/ minced garlic (if desired) and then pour onto pizza dough and spread evenly.

3. Arrange chicken pieces over dough.

4. Sprinkle bacon bits over pizza.

5. Sprinkle cheese(s) on top.

6. Bake in oven according to pizza dough directions or until crust looks done.

7. Enjoy!

Crockpot Chicken Parmigiana

This was SUPER easy and really yummy! We served it over spaghetti. mmm. (We halved the recipe and just used one large breast cut in half for the two of us. Serves 6 normally.) Recipe from CDKitchen.

Ingredients

* 3 whole chicken breasts

* 1 egg

* 1 teaspoon salt

* 1/4 teaspoon pepper

* 1 cup dry bread crumbs (we used italian)

* 1 1/4 cup butter

* 10 1/2 ounces can pizza sauce (we used garlic parmesan spaghetti sauce)

* 6 slices mozzarella cheese

* Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Cut chicken breasts into halves.

2. In a bowl, beat egg, salt, and pepper; dip chicken into egg, then coat with breadcrumbs.

3. In large skillet, saute chicken in butter.

4. Arrange chicken in crockpot; pour pizza/spaghetti sauce over chicken.

5. Cover and cook in crockpot on low 6 to 8 hours.

6. Add mozzarella cheese, sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. Cover and cook an additional 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.