Chicken Salad

This is probably my all time favorite summer salad. It is just so yummy! And it's pretty easy to throw together. Try it, I know you will love it!

Chicken Salad

16 oz spiral pasta
1-2 chicken breasts cooked, cubed and completely cooled (I cheat here... I always use the canned chicken from costco. 1 can works great and it really tastes just fine)
bunch of red grapes
2-3 stalks green onion
1-2 green apples
2-3 stalks celery
1 can pineapple, drained
1 cup lighthouse coleslaw dressing (use only this brand... it's in the produce section)
1 cup mayo

Cook pasta and put in fridge to cool completely. Chop everything up and put in large bowl. Dump in cooled pasta. Add coleslaw dressing and mayo. Stir all together and chill in fridge for several hours before serving.

Garlic Chicken Pizza

I got this recipe off of dealstomeals.com... the same lady that does myfoodstoragedeals.com. Again, she is amazing and always has awesome recipes. I think the next time I make this, I will switch it up a bit. It was a little too "ranchy" for me. So I think instead of ranch, I will substitute alfrado sauce. Other than that... it was great!

Garlic Chicken Pizza

1 Pizza dough recipe (see below)
1 1/2 c. ranch dressing
1 T. garlic cloves, minced
2 t. basil
½ c. shredded Parmesan Cheese
2 lbs. cooked and cubed chicken (crumbled sausage is also good on these pizzas)
Green onions
Vegetables (Mushrooms (I dehydrated a bunch of mushrooms this week so that is what I used on my pizza... dehydrating is so addicting and a whole other story but that will have to wait), Zucchini, yellow squash (thanks to Andy's moms garden I had some), onions, etc.), diced or cut thin
Tomatoes diced



Pizza dough

1 c. and 2 T. Hot tap water
2 T. Olive oil or vegetable oil
3 c. flour (start with 2 ½ c. and add other ½ c. only if dough is too sticky)
1 t. sugar
3 t. salt
2 ½ t. yeast

Make sure you add the Hot tap water, yeast and sugar together. Allow to grow 5 minutes. Then slowly add the flour one cup at a time until each cup as been incorporated, and add the salt after the first cup of flour. Touch dough to make sure it is soft and bouncy to the touch. Mix and let rise until it doubles in size. For more Italian flavor add basil and garlic powder to the dough.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Bake

This recipe comes from one of my high school friends, Brooke. It sounds super yummy and I know my husband will love it!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Bake

2 Packages reduced sodium Stuffing mix

1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of chicken soup

1 cup milk

1/2 tsp pepper

3/4 lb sliced deli ham, cut into 1 inch stips
1 cup swiss cheese shredded

2 cups cheddar cheese shredded

2 cups cooked chicken ( I used shredded--but I think cubed would be better)

Prepare stuffing mixes according to directions on box. Meanwhile in a bowl, combine soup and milk. Put chicken in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle with pepper. Layer with ham, swiss cheese and 1 cups of cheddar cheese, soup mixture and stuffing. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese. At this point you can freeze. Thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes longer.

This is what Brooke had to say about some alterations she made.

*** I altered the recipe a bit and it still turned out alright. I didn’t have ham that thick so I layered a few pieces on top of eachother. I would suggest making sure they are cute up a bit. I also didn’t have any swiss cheese on hand. I just used a mexi blend cheese that I had in my fridge and it turned out good. When I make it again I would try to find the low sodium soup and maybe only use 1 and a half boxes of stuffing. It is a bit over powering.

Thanks Brooke, can't wait to try it out!

Mango Salsa Chicken

This recipe come from my friend Mindy. This sounds so easy and tasty. I love Costco mango salsa. So excited!

2 lbs chicken breasts (cubed)
1 onion (chopped)
1 Green Pepper (chopped)
1 – 2 T olive oil
½ bottle of Mango Salsa (Costco Size)
Shredded cheese

Chop onion and green pepper into large pieces. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan on medium heat. Sauté onions and peppers for 3-5 minutes (I like them still crunchy). Take out the onions and peppers, put in cubed chicken and cook until done. Add the peppers and onions back in, pour in salsa, stir and cook until heated through. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top, cover, and cook until cheese is melted. Serve over rice.

Variations: You can grill the chicken (we used Montreal Chicken Seasoning), cut it into cubes, then add it to your peppers and onions. You can also use whatever salsa you like, I just happen to love the sweetness of the mango salsa.

Chili Verde Chicken Tacos

My husband and I fell in LOVE with this recipe. He is already asking when I will make it again. Crockpot meals are just so perfect. You dump all the ingredients in and just let it cook. Every Sunday is crockpot day in my house. I dump it all in before I go to church and it is all ready when I walk in the door. I love that I can smell it cooking from my garage when I pull in. It's just perfect! I've posted 3 crockpot recipes in all today so make sure to check them out below.

Chilli Verde Chicken Tacos

4 T Oil
2-3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can diced green chilies
1/2 tsp. Cumin
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
1/2-1 cup salsa
14.5 oz Chicken Broth (make this from a Bouillon... it is so much cheaper!)

Dump it all in and cook for 4-6 hours or until chicken shreds.

Tortillas (definitely use raw ones that you have to cook)
Cheese
Sour Cream
Tomatoes
Lettuce
Green Onions
Cilantro

The other thing that is so good about this recipe... I freeze about half the left overs and the other half I use throughout the week to make chicken quesadillas. So handy and so yummy!

Apricot Chicken

My husband's parents have an apricot tree in their yard so we are forever making apricot jam. I absolutely love it but we have a ton and I'm always on the look out of ways to use it! I was so excited when I came across this recipe. It's so quick and easy!

Apricot Chicken

1 package Lipton onion soup
1 bottle Russian dressing
1/2 jar apricot jam
4 - 6 chicken breasts

Throw all the ingredients into a crock pot and cook for 4 - 6 hours. Shred chicken and serve over rice. See I told you... so easy! You can also add veggies like onions, peppers, carrots, pineapple, etc. to make it more of a stir fry dish.

Cream Cheese Chicken

Here is one from my friend Ashlie... it sounds super tasty. I can't wait to try it!

Cream Cheese Chicken
1 lb. of chicken (I prefer cut up but whole breasts or whatever are great too.)
1 pkg of italian seasoning dressing mix (found by the ranch packets)
1 8oz package of cream cheese
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 container of sourcream

Cook your chicken in the butter and seasoning and then once it is not pink anymore add everything else and cook for a couple hours on low.
Serve over rice or pasta. It is equally as good over either!!

Thanks Ashlie!