Chicken Noodle Soup

I have really been slacking off on this recipe-posting thing! I'm hoping to do better in the coming months. It is officially the holiday season, after all. And that means one thing...GOOD FOOD!

This recipe is my go-to recipe for fast homemade chicken noodle soup. It's really, really simple (and that's how we do things around here!) but really good. I'm sure there's fancier versions out there, but I'm all for throwing a few ingredients in the Crock Pot to get the job done.

This recipe comes from my 101 Things To Do With a Slow Cooker book, but I've adjusted it - mostly because the full recipe doesn't actually fit in my slow cooker. This feeds the four of us perfectly, though, with leftovers.


Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup

3 cups hot water
1 Tbsp. instant chicken bouillon granules
1 large can (46 oz.) or 3 (14 oz.) cans chicken broth
1 1/2 cups cooked chicken
1 tsp. salt
15 baby carrots, cut in thirds
2 stalks celery, diced
3 cups egg noodles, uncooked

Combine all ingredients except egg noodles in greased slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat 4-6 hours. 15-20 minutes before serving, stir in egg noodles. Cover and cook on low heat until soft. Do not overcook or noodles will be mushy!

Potato-Chip Chicken

Yes, you read that right. Potato chips. And chicken. It may sound a little weird, but it's goooo-oood. I love a good crunch to my chicken sometimes and potato chips are the perfect solution. And if you're thinking this sounds like a really fatty, unhealthy meal...well, you may be right. :) It could be worse, though. At least we didn't fry the chicken!

The other unique thing about this recipe is the dipping sauce. Maybe it's just me, but I thought it sounded like a random assortment of ingredients. But once again...turns out really good. (Promise.) It's basically just a creamy honey-mustard sauce. 

So break out the potato chips, people!



Potato-Chip Chicken

1 cup mayo

1/4 cup honey

2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into strips (I just used chicken tenders, since I had them on hand)

1 1/2 cups finely crushed potato chips

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Mix mayo, honey, mustard, and peanut butter. Remove 1/2 cup of mixture; set remaining aside.

Dip chicken in mayo mixture first, coating thoroughly, then coat with crushed chips. Place on greased cookie sheet. (I suggest laying down a piece of tin foil, then spraying it. Cleaning up burned-on chicken is never fun.)

Bake for 7-9 minutes. Turn chicken and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve with remaining dipping sauce.

Creamy Chicken and Noodles

I was flipping through my Better Homes and Garden cookbook a couple of weeks ago and discovered that there's a previously-unknown "crockery cooking" section right smack in the middle of the book. WHY I didn't know about it beforehand, I'm not quite sure - I've flipped through that cookbook dozens of times. I actually think the "crockery" bit threw me off. I mean, who calls their slow cooker a crockery cooker anymore? It's a Crock Pot, people. Quit trying to be all technical. :)

Anyways, I found this recipe for Creamy Chicken and Noodles and it sounded just right to make for the dreary, rainy Sunday we had last week. (Sigh. Summer, where are you??) It turned out pretty good, so of course, I had to share. I made a few adjustments to the original recipe, which I've included below.


Creamy Chicken and Noodles

1 1/2 cups sliced carrots
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup sliced celery
1 Tbsp. snipped fresh parsley
1 bay leaf (I used about 1 tsp. of the dried bay leaf I had in my spice cupboard)
3 medium chicken legs, skinned (I acutally used 3 chicken thighs because they shred really easily - and they're conveniently boneless)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp. dried thyme, crushed
1/2 tsp. salt (The original recipe didn't call for any salt and I thought it was a little bland, so this is my addition)
1/4 tsp. pepper
10 oz. wide egg noodles (about 5 cups)
1/2 cup frozen peas

In a 3 1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker place carrots, onion, celery, parsley, and bay leaf. Place chicken on top of vegetables. In a bowl stir together soup, water, thyme, salt, and pepper. Pour over chicken and vegetables.

Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or high for 4-5 hours. Remove chicken; shred and place back in cooker. Discard bay leaf (if you used a whole one - I obviously just left the flakes intact). Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions; drain. Stir peas into soup mixture in cooker.

To serve, pour chicken mixture over hot noodles; toss gently to combine. Season with additional salt and pepper.

Saucy Chicken Italiano

I've been a pepper and onion despiser my entire life. Until my second pregnancy last summer, when I craved this dish all the time! I remember finding the recipe on Kraft Foods and thinking it sounded soooo good. I tried it and became addicted. I still love it, in fact. I guess I have pregnancy to thank for resolving my aversion to peppers and onions. :)


Saucy Chicken Italiano

4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.)

1 onion, thinly sliced, separated into rings

1 red pepper, cut into thin strips

1 cup fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup Caesar dressing

1 cup Italian Five Cheese Blend

Pasta of your choice, cooked according to package directions (fettucini is usually best, but in the pictures we substituted "bow tie" pasta)

 

Heat large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 5 min. on each side or until cooked through.

Add vegetables, broth and dressing; cover. Cook on medium heat 6 to 8 min. or until vegetables are crisp-tender.

Spoon cooked pasta onto platter. Add vegetables, then top with chicken, sauce, and cheese.

BBQ Chicken & Bacon Stuffed Pizza Rolls

I've heard of pizza rolls, but have never tried them. Then, when I was browsing Our Best Bites, I saw these ones and decided to give them a whirl.

The first try, about a month and a half ago, did NOT turn out well. For some reason, I started late so I was a little stressed about getting them done and turns out the little buggers are kind of time consuming. But even though they were a little dry and I had mixed up the seasonings to sprinkle on the top so they tasted very strongly of Parmesan cheese, I recognized potential. A week or so ago I finally worked up the courage to try them again. Much better this time, but still not very pretty (as you can tell). I think they take practice.

My problem was fitting all those yummy fillings onto the teeny-tiny squares. Just about every one was overflowing. I guess I need to make the square bigger?

Also, the first time we made them, we thought they were a little dry. The second time, I added a little BBQ sauce and it really made a difference (thus the name change from the original recipe). They're really good, which is why they deserved a second chance!


BBQ Chicken & Bacon Stuffed Pizza Rolls

1 roll refrigerated pizza dough*
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp. olive oil or melted butter
Sharp cheddar cheese
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
About 1 cup shredded, cooked chicken
About 1/4-1/3 cup BBQ sauce
3/4 cup mayo
3/4 cup milk

First take 1 teaspoon of your ranch dressing mix and combine it with 1 1/2 T parmesan cheese. Set aside. Combine the remaining ranch mix with 3/4 C mayo and 3/4 C milk and place in the fridge to chill.

Preheat oven to heat specified on pizza dough package.

Unroll your pizza dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat or roll the dough so it's about 12" by 8". You're going to want to cut it into 24 squares, so just eyeball it if you need to. Use a pizza cutter to slice the dough into 24 squares.

Place a small (about 1/2 tsp.) dollop of BBQ sauce each square. Then place cheese, chicken, and bacon on top of sauce on each square.

When all of your dough squares have cheese and toppings on them, carefully lift up each square and wrap the dough around the toppings. I grab the four corners first and then squeeze the seams shut. (This is the frustrating part, but don't worry about it looking pretty. I just kind of mushed the dough until everything was covered.)
Place the dough balls seam side down in a lightly sprayed pie pan (or similar sized dish). Brush with melted butter or olive oil and sprinkle with the parmesan-ranch mixture.

Place your rolls in the oven. Set your timer for 10 minutes and check on them after that. They may take up to 15 or 20 to be done. Take them out when they're lightly golden on top.

Serve them warm with a side of freshly made ranch dressing for dipping.

Paprika Chicken

This simple little recipe comes from my good friend Melissa, who also happened to be my roommate my freshman year of college. I'm pretty sure I stole this recipe from her sometime in the duration of that year. :) Melissa probably doesn't know this, but her little Paprika Chicken recipe has become a family favorite in the 5-plus years my husband and I have been married. There was a time when we found excuses to make this almost every week. It probably wouldn't come as a surprise that we also got a little sick of it after making it so many times and needed a break.

However, I broke out the recipe again the other day and rediscovered my love. This recipe will forever remind me of being a newlywed (with a teeny tiny budget - this baby is very inexpensive), cooking together with my new hubby in our miniscule little first apartment. Ah, good times. :)

Paprika Chicken

4 chicken breasts

2 Tbsp. butter

1/8 onion, chopped

1 cup chicken broth

1 tsp. paprika (I usually just sprinkle it generously over the top without measuring)

8 oz. sour cream

2 Tbsp. flour

Spaghetti noodles or rice

Melt butter. Add onion and saute until golden brown. Pour in broth, then add chicken and paprika. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes, turning chicken occasionally until cooked through.

In separate bowl, mix sour cream and flour together. Add to chicken mixture; stir and cook until thick.

Serve over cooked noodles or rice.

Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 onion, sliced
3/4-1 cup barbeque sauce
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 French bread baguette,  16 to 20-inches long (I usually just buy hard rolls)
4 slices of cheese

Cook chicken and onions in skillet on medium-high heat 8 min., stirring occasionally. Add barbeque sauce, water, and sugar; stir. Reduce heat to medium; cover. Cook an additional 7 min. or until chicken is cooked through.

Remove chicken from skillet. Shred chicken with fork or chop into small pieces. Return to skillet; stir until evenly coated with sauce. Cut baguette crosswise into four pieces. Cut each piece lengthwise in half. Fill with chicken mixture and cheese.

Chicken Salad

I get asked for this recipe all the time. I think it came from my dad's side of the family, but not totally sure about that one. It's a little different than your normal chicken salad in that it doesn't have grapes. What?! I know! Shocking, isn't it? But I tend to make whole batches of it just for myself (hubby doesn't like any kind of salad with mayo in it... he's weird) to eat on sandwiches and/or crackers.

I've given measurements here, but there's no exact science. I usually just throw stuff in and adjust it to taste.


Chicken Salad

4 cups chicken, shredded (I usually splurge and buy the canned chicken for this one - it's easier)
2 cups celery, chopped
1 1/2 cups carrots, grated
1/4 cup sweet pickles, chopped (I buy a jar of sweet relish. Same thing, less work. :))
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 3/4 cup mayonnaise (I'm a Miracle Whip girl, so I usually go half mayo, half MW.)
1/2 Tbsp. dried onion
1/2 Tbsp. dill weed
1 1/2 Tbsp. mustard

Mix ingredients together and serve... easy as that!

Chicken Puffs

See what I mean about getting stuck in chicken ruts? This would be one of them. We've had a lot of chicken lately. But these are good, so I couldn't not post them. Don't judge by the sickly looking picture up there, either. My kitchen is dark-ish and there's obviously no daylight at 6:00 at night anymore. Hence, the non-appetizing pictures. (Also, wondering what those funny looking veggies are over there? Brussel sprouts. They came in my "Bountiful Basket" and I forced the fam to try them. They weren't impressed, but I didn't think they were too bad.)

I got this recipe from one of my co-workers a few years ago. They were one of his family's favorites. Since then, I've seen different versions all over the place. The only thing I don't love about them is that it's a little time-consuming to shred the chicken and form each little individual "puff." And remember how I don't do time-consuming? Yeah. So there's that. But otherwise, they're great!


Chicken Puffs

4 or 5 chicken breasts
1 small bunch green onions
6 oz. cream cheese
1 tsp. garlic salt
2 cans crescent rolls
4 Tbsp. melted butter
1/4 - 1/2 cup bread crumbs

Boil chicken (easiest way, I think) and shred. Set aside. Chop onions and mix with cream cheese and garlic salt. Add shredded chicken to mixture; mix until well blended. Open crescent rolls and spread on baking sheet. Place a heaping tablespoon of chicken mixture in center of each roll. Roll until dough looks fairly even with no holes. Spread melted butter over rolls and sprinkle with a generous amount of bread crumbs. Bake in 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown on top. Serve plain or with hot gravy over them.