Chicken Pockets

Alright, I promised months ago I would put this on the blog but I had a minor freak out. This was posted on one of my old, no longer existing blogs and I didn't think I had the recipe anywhere. Luckily younger me was smart and wrote it down and placed it in a safe place in my recipe book. I found it and a HUGE wave of relief came over me. It is one of my favorite recipes and was one of my first original recipes. I think I can say this recipe gave me the confidence in my baking/cooking knowledge/abilities. I never used to create or cook without a recipe.I tried a variation of this at a friend’s dinner party. It was really good but I had this recipe for a yummy hot lemony chicken salad that I thought of frequently. So I decided to take the two and combine them into the wonderful deliciousness I have today. I eat this with rice or quinoa or potatoes or some other veggie as a side. Of course you don’t need to have those you can just eat them by themselves. Now this is sort of a base recipe. You can add more of somethings if you want or less of others. Honestly it depends on my mood on how much celery I add, or if I want more of a kick.

2 Pillsbury SEAMLESS crescent roll containers (can be done with regular crescent roll dough but that includes another step. You will need to put the seams together for this. or you can try to make it work with the crescent shapes.)
2 cups shredded chicken
4-6 oz cream cheese (you choose how creamy you want it)
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 stalk celery, chopped
2 TB onion, chopped
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 TB parsley
1/8 tsp chili powder
2 TB milk
4 TB butter, melted
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 TB almonds, slivered (optional)

Preheat oven to 350.
Unroll dough and cut each sheet into 8 squares.
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and scoop about 2 tablespoons into center of squares. Then bring together corners and make them into a cushion. Place cushion on pan, seem side down to help them stay in place. Bake for 20 mins.

Microwave Score: 4 dough can get a little doughier. I prefer to eat them freshly baked or heated in a toaster oven.
Freezer Score: haven't frozen it. but if I did I might actually freeze them raw.
Jake Score: 4.5 thinks they are great. He even asks for them, which is a big deal for something other than Mexican food.
Overall Score: 4 I really like them and they are easy to make but they really are best when fresh.

Chicken Gyros

I don't know when exactly this happened but I discovered a love for Chicken gyros, and I found a delicious crock pot recipe for them. I prefer to cook these types of chicken recipes in the crock pot because the chicken just falls apart and shreds so easily.
When it comes to tzatziki sauce it’s pretty simple to make and I haven’t tried the recipe included. I use this one, but only because I like the lemony taste. http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/tzatziki-recipe/

Ingredients:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 onion, diced
¼ cup water
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon oregano
¼ teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon lemon pepper

Instructions
Spray slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.
Place chicken breasts inside slow cooker.
Mix remaining ingredients together in a bowl and pour over chicken breasts.
Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or LOW 6-8 hours.
Shred chicken and serve with pocketless pita bread, sliced tomatoes, sliced onions, sliced cucumbers, lettuce, feta cheese and Tzatziki sauce.

Microwave Score: 4.5 no issues here but I think it tastes just as good cold.
Freezer Score: haven’t tried to freeze it yet
Jake Score: 4 He isn’t a fan of pita bread usually so through his inspiration we tried it as a salad with the tzatziki sauce as the dressing. YUM!
Overall Score: 4.5 it’s pretty yummy and it’s really easy to make. And it makes a lot! I can have lunch for a week!

http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2013/03/slow-cooker-chicken-gyros.html

Herb Crusted Chicken in Basil Cream Sauce

This meal is one of those easy fancy meals that reheats really well. I pull this out when I want to impress someone. It was the first meal I ever made for Jake. Yeah it's not a 15 min meal but you will not regret this at all. amazing flavor and the sauce goes with pretty much everything. actually this recipe turned me onto the main spice mix they use and I ALWAYS have a bottle of it in my pantry now and put it on everything I can.

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts; pounded thin
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup Progresso Garlic & Herb Bread Crumbs (Italian or plain are fine too)
2 teaspoons 'Perfect Pinch' Roasted Garlic and Bell Pepper Seasoning
1 teaspoon freeze dried chives
3 Tablespoons butter
3 cloves of garlic; minced
1/2 cup Chicken Broth
1/4 can of Italian diced tomatoes; drained and finely chopped
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese blend
2 Tablespoons freeze dried (or fresh) basil
dash of fresh ground black pepper

1.) Place bread crumbs, Roasted Garlic and Bell Pepper Seasoning and freeze dried chives in a shallow bowl; mix thoroughly.
2.) Place milk in a separate shallow bowl.In a skillet, heat butter on medium heat. Meanwhile, pound chicken flat and thin for even cooking (if you haven't done so already).
3.) Dip the chicken in the milk, then coat with crumb mixture.
Cook chicken in butter until browned and cooked through (about ten minutes). Remove and keep warm
4.) In the same skillet, add garlic and saute for approximately 1 minute.
5.) Add chicken broth and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir occasionally to loosen browned parts from the pan.
6.) Stir in cream and tomatoes; bring to a boil and stir for one minute.
7.) Reduce heat to low; add Parmesan cheese, basil and a dash of pepper, stir sauce and cook until heated through and thickened. (about 5 minutes)
8.) Serve by pouring the sauce over the chicken. For added flair, serve the chicken and sauce over cooked pasta.

Microwave Score: 5.0 microwaved well. And doesn’t separate like some sauces do.
Freezer Score: haven't frozen it yet, but the sauce lasts a while in the fridge and the crumb mixture I will keep in the pantry
Jake Score: 5.0 He really likes this one, we make it with potatoes sometimes.
Overall Score: 5.0 I love this and could eat it everyday! The sauce is so flavorful and creamy and now I want to make it...

http://www.bigoven.com/recipe/herb-crusted-chicken-in-basil-cream-sauce/530966

Creamy Crockpot Chicken

Ready for the easiest meal prep ever that still produces an amazing dinner? Here ya go.

Creamy Crockpot Chicken

3-4 Chicken breasts
Italian dressing
1 block cream cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup

Put chicken in bottom of crock pot.

Pour Italian dressing over the top to your satisfactory. I usually use between 1/4 to 1/2 cup.

Mix cream cheese and soup in bowl until smooth, then pour over the top of chicken.

That's it! If the chicken is frozen and you cook it on high plan on 4-5 hours. I usually cut my chicken into smaller pieces to help it cook faster. On low will take 6 or 7 hours. Defrosted chicken cooks much faster.

Serve over rice or mashed potatoes.

This is an awesome foundation recipe that you can mess with. Sometimes I add garlic for more of an Italian feel or I've also added sour cream to give it more of a zing. You can try all kinds of different things since it would take a lot to mess this recipe up.

Microwave score: 4.0 This microwaves pretty well. The sauce keeps the chicken from drying up but sometimes the cream cheese will separate over time a bit which can make the texture a little goofy.

Freezer score: 4.5 I have frozen this to use later and it does really well! I usually reheat it over the stove to make sure it all gets mixed well again
.
Rob score: 4.5 This is one of our staple meals that we do pretty often because of the convenience and he has yet to complain.

Overall score. 4.5 This is a great recipe. By itself it can get kind of old if you do it alot, but have fun with it and try new things to keep it new and exciting!

Maquel's Critique: Ok I just tried it this weekend (3/19/16). We were at my sister-in-laws house for dinner, and it is SO good. Jake really liked it as well and asked me to make it this week.

Creamy Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

Alright, So since I've been pregnant, I have become more of a Mexican food lover than ever before...and I really liked Mexican food before. But now I just cannot seem to get enough of it. I found this recipe, and not only is it pretty simple, holy deliciousness :)

Creamy Cheesey Chicken Enchiladas

1 block of cream cheese
1/4 cup butter
2-3 cups cooked shredded chicken
1 cup shredded cheese (or more if you're a cheese lover like us)
1 can enchilada sauce
8-10 tortillas

Preheat over to 400 degrees.
Stir together softened cream cheese and butter until smooth
Add chicken and half the cheese to the cream cheese mixture.
Dip each tortilla into enchilada sauce until completely covered. Spoon some of chicken mixture into tortilla. Roll up and place in a greased 9x13. Repeat until mixture is gone.
Top with remaining enchilada sauce, and then cheese.
Bake for 20 Minutes.

Microwave Score: 4.0 This actually microwaves REALLY well. The extra enchilada sauce keeps it saucy and doesn't allow it to dry out.
Freezer Score: TBD
Rob Score: 4.5 He really likes this meal.
Overall Score: 4.0 This is a delicious recipe, and I have no complaints...I just know there is a little something that can be added to give it that something extra that I haven't figured out yet....

Alfredo Lasagna Roll-Ups

I love love love LOVE alfredo. It's like one of my most favorite things ever. I actually have like 4 different recipes of alfredo that I use for different recipes and whatnot. Anywho, this is an amazing dinner that is super filling and absolutely delicious!

Alfredo Lasagna Roll-Ups

6 lasagna noodles
your favorite alfredo sauce
2-3 chicken breasts
Italian dressing
Parmesan & Mozzarella cheese and whatever else you want

Cook chicken in Italian dressing sauce until done. Break into small pieces.
Boil noodles for 8-10 minutes, drain and rinse with cold water. Lay noodles out and pat dry with paper towel.
Spread alfredo sauce over each noodle, add some chicken and cheese. Roll up.
Place roll ups in greased pan, seam-down. Pour the rest of alfredo sauce over the top and in between the roll ups. Top with cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until the cheese is completely melted on top.

Microwave Score: 4.0 The chicken can dry up on this recipe, but other than that it's just as yummy as always!
Freezer Score:TBA
Rob Score:5.0 He loves and craves this recipes
Overall recipe:4.5 AMAZING recipe...just not the best leftovers 4 days later

Pull Apart BBQ Chicken

Crock Pot cooking is my favorite kind of cooking ever! I love how easy it is, and the meals are always delicious. I found this recipe for pull apart chicken and had to try it. It honestly took all of 3 minutes to get in the crock pot, and I had the rest of my day to not worry about dinner. It was so easy and SO yummy!

Pull Apart BBQ Chicken

Ingredients:
3 lbs chicken breasts (I put mine in completely frozen and it worked fine)
1 (8 oz) bottle of favorite bbq sauce
1/2 Italian dressing
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

(I didn't want to have leftovers forever so I halved this recipe)

Put chicken in bottom of crock pot. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl, then pour over chicken. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours. That's it! Once you're ready to eat just pull chicken apart with forks and serve on buns or rolls!

Microwave Score:5.0 I know there are people out that have issues with reheated chicken, I don't care. I couldn't tell a difference at all 3 days after I made this and reheated it. Seriously.
Freezer Score: TBD I admit, I could have frozen some of this meal..but I ended up eating it all before I had the chance.
Rob Score: 5.0 He really liked this meal. He honestly had like 4 sandwiches the first night we made this.
Overall Score: 5.0 I'm giving this one a 5 because meals really can't get any easier than this one, and it tastes amazing!

Chicken Cordon Blue

I am always on the hunt for fast and easy, yet delicious meals. I found this recipe and knew I had to give it a try. This is now one of my favorite "go to" recipes when I don't have a lot of time for dinner, but still want something filling and delicious. Another thing I LOVE about this recipe, you can modify it super easily to accommodate how many people you're feeding. We're not a huge leftover family, so it was really nice that I didn't have to make a 9x13 of this.

Chicken Cordon Blue

Ingredients:
(for 9x13)
Boneless chicken breasts
Sliced deli ham
1 pkg. Swiss cheese
2 cans cream of chicken soup
½ cup milk

Preheat oven at 350.
Layer half of chicken in bottom of baking dish. Top with ham and Swiss cheese. Layer rest of chicken on top of cheese.
Mix soup and milk in bowl, pour over chicken.
Bake for 30-45 minutes.
Serve with rice or mashed potatoes.
To make a smaller serving of this just use half the chicken you would have used, one can of soup with 1/4 cup of milk. It's really that easy.

Microwave Score: 4.0 I really liked this reheated and couldn't even tell a difference, but I know some people have issues with microwaved chicken, so I docked for their sake.
Freezer Score: TBD Next time I make this I am going to do a 9x13 so I can freeze it and see how it turns out. I don't see why it wouldn't be just as yummy though
Rob Score: 4.5 He REALLY liked this meal. I think he gave it a half point deduction just because his tummy and chicken don't always get along, so he docked for what his stomach might be doing that night.
Overall Score: 4.5 This is such an easy delicious meal! Half point docked for the possible reheating chicken issues.

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

While Maquel and I were roommates in college, I was telling her one night about my favorite dinner in the entire world: Chicken and Broccoli Casserole. And when I say favorite, I mean absolute, all time, without a doubt favorite. My mom made me Chicken and Broccoli Casserole every year for my birthday, whenever I got to choose dinner we had Chicken and Broccoli Casserole, I used to dream about this Casserole...you get the drift. I kind of really loved it. So I called my mom up and asked her for the recipe, and I realized the recipe is pretty intense with a lot of different spices and whatnot, and as college students, it was a bit much. But instead of giving up, Maquel and I got online and found a variable to my mothers recipe. Same basic principal, just not quite as intense. I was a little leery because of how much I loved my moms recipe, but we gave it a try, and I still loved it. Ever since it has been the dinner that I make when I feel like spoiling myself, and it's really pretty simple and easy, which is always a bonus!

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

Ingredients:
1 Pkg. Stove top stuffing
1 1/2 lbs chicken breast
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup sour cream
1 bag frozen broccoli, thawed*

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Prepare stuffing mix according to box.
Cook chicken and cut into bite size pieces. Mix in soup, sour cream, and broccoli. Grease a 9x13 pan and spread mixture into it. Top with stuffing.
Bake for 30 minutes.
This really shouldn't take more than an hour to make total.

Microwave Score: 2.5 I can eat this reheated without a problem, but I'm not too picky about chicken being reheated...but for most people, it's not as good the next day because the chicken dries up and the stuffing can get a bit soggy. Definitely a better dish to make for a larger crowd one day so there's not lots of leftovers.
Freezer Score: 2.5 Again, I'm not too picky about reheated chicken...but cooked chicken that was refrozen, thawed and warmed... not as good as freshly cooked chicken. I can do it...but only if it's a week or two old, definitely not one I would stock the freezer with in hopes of using in 2 months though.
Rob Score: 3.5 My husband really does like this meal, but he's not a fan of cooked broccoli. So if we take the broccoli out (which he does) he would give it closer to a 4.8.
Overall Score: 3.5 I know I'm biased, because I love it so much, so I tried to stay neutral on this score. It really isn't the best for leftovers...but for me, I LOVE it, and will always love it.

Maquel's Critique: I would give this meal a 3. Unlike Larissa, I have to be in a certain mood in order to want to make this one, and I am one of those people that can't handle microwaved chicken. It is really simple to make and tastes really good, especially when it's cold outside. Definately a comfort food.
*I do a broccoli cauliflower mix cause I really like cauliflower.