Dot Chicken - marinade

This marinated chicken was named Dot Chicken by my niece when she was about 4 years old.  =)
You can see why!
"Aunt Marty made Dot Chicken!"  =D

"Dot Chicken"

It's not my recipe, but a recipe on the package of McCormick's Gill Mates Marinades.
This one is the Zesty Herb Marinade.
There's also Montreal Steak, (which we have used on chicken!); Mesquite, which is spicy, so we like to eat it in a biscuit after we slice it; Tomato, Garlic, & Basil, and several other kinds. 
I use the envelopes and mix whatever it calls for.  Typically water, cooking oil, and white vinegar.

I usually put in a little more water and oil than it calls for, since I'm doing 3 lbs. instead of the 2 it calls for.  I want enough liquid in the bottom of the dish so that it won't get dry, though it usually has plenty enough to spoon back over the chicken when serving.

If making more chicken, I put it into two 9x13 dishes with the thicker pieces all in one pan so I can leave them in the oven a little longer.
Leftovers are nice!  =)



I just use frozen chicken breasts, and spoon the marinade right on it.  I don't bother with letting it marinate, but it's still great!
If you want it to coat and soak into the chicken more, you can cut it into strips.  Sometimes I'll do this after it has been in the oven a bit, and has thawed a little.



I bake it on 400° for about an hour, then turn off the oven for about 30 more minutes.  As the chicken cools, the juices will soak back into it a little.  This also prevents over cooking, resulting in dry chicken with no marinade left in the dish.
I have made this quite a few times over the years, so I can usually prep it and get it into the oven in around 5 minutes or so.  Gives me plenty of time to make other dishes.  =)

Chicken Broccoli Ring

This is a Pampered Chef recipe, and it is sooo good!  It's probably my second-favorite recipe I've posted. The Chicken Crescent Pockets is my first. Oh, wait... maybe it's Debbie's Chili Beans. =D
Hard decision!

• 2 c. chicken, cooked and chopped
• 1 c. broccoli, chopped (I used 2 c. cooked broccoli)
• ½ c. red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, pressed (I used 1/2 t. garlic powder)
• 4 oz. (1 c.) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (I also added 4 oz. pepper jack cheese, shredded)
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ c. mayonnaise
• 2 tsp. dill mix (I left this out, but a friend said she used Pampered Chef mix)
• 2 8-oz packages refrigerated crescent rolls

►After cooking chicken and broccoli, preheat oven to 375º.
Dice red pepper, shred pepper jack cheese.  (I use the block cheese as it is more moist).
Mix all ingredients together.  The mayonnaise helps hold the mixture together, but you can't taste it in the recipe.
►Unroll the crescent dough; separate into triangles.  Arrange triangles in a circle on a pizza pan with the wide ends toward the center of the pan, overlapping each other.  It will look like a large sun with the points hanging half off the pan.  ☼
There should be a 5 or 6 inch opening in the center.  Spoon the chicken-broccoli mixture evenly onto widest end of each triangle.  Bring points of triangles up over filling and tuck under wide ends of dough.  (Filling will not be completely covered).  If you like, brush a beaten egg on top to make it shiny.
Bake 18-22 minutes or until golden brown.

Rebekah has a new camera -- better than mine, so I'll just have to make this again, won't I???
The pic of the Taco Ring was soooo much better!  I do believe it's my best food picture ever!

►I made the filling exactly as I wrote above, but since my family really likes broccoli, I doubled the whole filling part of the recipe (1st 6 ingredients), and we had a one-dish meal.  I wanted to put some filling in the middle of the ring (w/out the mayo), as well as save out some without red peppers for my son.
We had enough leftovers for about 3 people, and then my mother- and father-in-law came by.  He doesn't like broccoli, but my MIL does, so we gave her some, and she loved it!

Yolanda's Chicken Enchiladas

This recipe is sooo good!
My best friend Yolanda (since we were 14) gave me this recipe.

Chicken enchiladas: 

• 2 lb. chicken
• 2 T. Knorr powdered chicken flavor bouillon (green and yellow plastic jar -- pictured below)
• 3-4 c. mozzarella cheese
• 16 corn or flour tortillas
• 1 sliced onion

►Add bouillon to a pot of water and boil chicken until tender.  It usually takes me over an hour to get it like I want it.
►Start on enchilada sauce and have rice ready to start as soon as the chicken is done.
►Remove chicken from pot, saving the liquid for the rice.   
►A good time to start the rice now.  Shred or cut chicken into strips.
Yolanda told me to get El Milagro corn tortillas, but I was unable to find them. 
If you use corn tortillas, you can place them in heated olive oil, a few seconds both sides, and shake off a little before placing in baking dish.  We tried some that I'd bought, but only Rebekah liked them.  So except for her, we used flour tortillas.
►Fill tortillas with chicken, sliced onions, and mozzarella cheese.  I poured a tsp. of liquid over the cheese in each tortilla.
Cover with saran wrap if not ready to bake yet.  Bake at 350° 12 - 15 minutes until cheese is melted.

Enchilada sauce:

• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 2 T. olive oil
• 6 medium tomatoes
• 1 jalapeño pepper, sliced in half and seeded (wear gloves!)
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 2 T. Knorr chicken flavor bouillon
• ¼ tsp. powdered cumin
• 1 tsp. garlic powder (not garlic salt -- the bouillon is salty)

►In large pan, fry onions in 2 T. olive oil. 
►In a pot of water, boil whole tomatoes, sliced and seeded jalapeño, and whole garlic clove for about 5 - 7 minutes until skin starts to peel from tomato. You don't want the tomato to split or all the juice will go out into the water.
►Remove from water and run all three thru food processor (with skin and all) until it is liquid.  Pour slowly into pan with onions, checking for unchopped pieces of garlic.
►Add bouillon, cumin, garlic powder; cook on low for 10 - 15 minutes until thickened.

Rice:

• 2 T. olive oil
• 1 c. Mahatma Jasmine rice
• 1½ - 2 c. broth from the chicken (taste first; if too salty, add a little water)
• 1 T. parsley flakes
• 1 tsp. garlic powder (not salt)
• ¼ tsp. powdered cumin
• 1 envelope of Goya brand Sazón (seasoning) that says "con culantro y achiote" (coriander and annatto)

►Heat olive oil on medium heat, and fry dry rice for 2 - 3 minutes.  Add in broth and spices.  Cook as directed on package.
Serve with enchilada sauce poured over enchiladas.
Other suggestions: sour cream, sliced avocado, additional tomatoes.
This took awhile for me to make, since I'd never made it before.  But I think I can multi-task a little better next time.  And there will be a next time!  YUMMY!!!

Chicken Fajitas

• 4 large chicken breast halves
• 1 large red pepper, seeded, sliced
• 1 large green pepper, seeded, sliced
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tsp. crushed basil
• ½ tsp. oregano
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3 T. olive oil
• 12 flour tortillas

Rebekah has been wanting Chicken Fajitas, so she and I made this today.  Heat oil in large skillet.  Add in garlic, sliced green and red peppers, and onions.  Add spices. Thinly slice chicken and add to pan.  I sliced mine about ¼ inch thick.  Cook on medium high, uncovered for about 10 minutes until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender.

If you have very much liquid left from the vegetables, tilt pan and spoon out liquid into a small bowl.  Some people like to use this for dipping.
We served ours with shredded cheese, sour cream, and tomatoes.  Some recipes I found online served them with salsa.
These were soooo good!  I just wish I had made extra for leftovers tomorrow!  =)
Other ingredients on various recipes I saw:
1 tsp. chili powder, 1 tsp. black pepper, cilantro, 2 tsp. lime juice to sprinkle over top, 1 tsp. ground cumin.

Chicken, Broccoli, & Rice

 Large recipe!

• 4 chicken breast halves, cubed
• 3 cloves garlic, mashed/chopped
• 2 red bell peppers, seeded, cut into chunks
• 2 large onions, cut into chunks
• 32 oz. bag frozen broccoli florets
• 3 T. olive oil
• ¼ t. oregano
• 1 t. basil
• 1 t. parsley
• ½ -1 c. chicken broth or water

In large pan, (I use a large 4 qt pan - the one I used for the deer stew) slightly boil frozen chicken just enough so you can cut it into cubes.  Discard all but 1 c. broth.  Heat oil in pan, add chicken, garlic, and other spices.  Lightly salt chicken.
While chicken is browning, cut up red peppers and onions.  Add to pan.  When chicken is brown enough, add at least 1/2 c. broth or water, and pour 32 oz bag of broccoli into pan.  Stir, pushing broccoli to the bottom of the pan.  Bring to a boil, cover and turn down to medium to cook broccoli for about 8 - 10 minutes, or until broccoli is tender.
Serve over white or brown rice, with rolls brushed with garlic butter.
Of course I had to make oven potatoes for those who didn't want rice.  =)

Upside-Down Chicken/Broccoli Pizza

• 3 T. olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped, about 1 cup
• 2 c. cubed chicken, not cooked
  
• 2 t. Italian seasoning
• ½ t. salt
• ¼ t. pepper
• 4 oz. mushrooms, optional
• 3 cups (16 oz. frozen bag) cooked broccoli, chopped
• ½ c. ranch dressing (leaving this out next time)
  
• ½ c. white Alfredo sauce (using 1 cup next time)
  
• 2 c. (8 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 11-oz. tube refrigerated pizza dough
• 1 egg, beaten
  

~Preheat oven to 400º.
 ~If you have one, use a skillet with oven-safe handles.  Heat oil in skillet, add onions, mushrooms, seasonings, and chicken.  Cook until chicken is cooked through.
~Cook broccoli, drain.
~After chicken is cooked, stir in broccoli, ranch dressing, and Alfredo sauce.
~In oven-safe skillet, sprinkle cheese over mixture and remove from heat.  Or pour mixture into a casserole dish and sprinkle cheese on top.
~Unroll dough and lay over top of skillet or casserole dish.  Fit dough over the edge of pan and cut off corners of dough.  Create a crust by rolling any excess dough down, and then stuffing along inside the edge of pan.  (My edges that were higher browned first.)
~Brush with beaten egg and bake for 18-20 minutes.  Let rest a few minutes before serving.
Source:  adapted from Hidden Valley Ranch recipe in Woman's Day magazine.

I knew JohnDavid probably would not like this, so I made him one without sauce. (I cooked more of everything in the recipe)  He liked it. (ETA: not as much as I thought.  Prob just make him a pizza next time =) I topped it with the dough I cut from the edges.  His was done in 16 minutes.
The dough was much bigger than I realized, and it would easily cover a rectangular dish, with leftovers for JohnDavid's.  I still have a little in a zip-loc baggie in the fridge.  2/12/10 ETA:  I looked again at the pizza dough at the store, and saw another tube, and realized I'd gotten the thin crust -- slimmer, longer tube.

I didn't care for the slight ranch taste, and will probably use all the Alfredo mix next time.  I bought McCormick's, and it makes one cup.

Baked White Chicken Spaghetti

Mmmm, mmmm, mmmm!

• 2 c. cooked chicken, cubed
• 3 c. chicken broth
  
• 1 8-oz box spaghetti
• 1/3 c. butter
• 1/3 c. sifted flour
• 1 c. cream or half & half (I used 2% milk and thickened later)  ETA: You could also add 2 - 4 T. butter.  I guess to make it richer?  I'll try that next time.
  
• 2 T. parsley (I had none, and used 1 T. basil. I think 2 tsp. wd have been enough)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
  
• 1 c. chopped mushrooms (optional - I didn't have any)
• 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese

~Cook chicken, cut into cubes, saving 3 cups of the broth.  Cook spaghetti and drain.
~In pot, melt butter and add flour, stirring with whisk.  Cook for 3 to 5 minutes on low.  Take off heat and stir in the warm broth.  Blend well and return to heat.
~Stir in cream or milk, parsley, salt, and pepper.  Cook until you have a creamy sauce.
~I used milk, so with a whisk I mixed about 2 T. flour into 1/4 c. COLD water.  I got the sauce nearly to boiling and slowly poured in the flour/water, mixing altogether with a whisk.  The sauce should thicken immediately.  If it doesn't, repeat with the flour/water.  Remove from heat.  It looks like alfredo sauce.
~Add spaghetti, chicken, and mushrooms.  Pour into a 9 x 13 baking dish.  I used my glass oval dish that has a lid to put into the refrigerator later.  Sprinkle Parmesan cheese and extra parsley on top.  Cover with foil and bake at 350º for about 30 minutes.
~Top with mozzarella or Provolone cheese.
Source:  The Homemaking Helper

I knew JohnDavid wouldn't care for this recipe, and maybe not Travis either (but he did =).  So I cooked 16 oz of spaghetti and made regular spaghetti with half of the noodles.  Boy I had to juggle my pots back and forth, and wash them to reuse while cooking.
Here's my kitchen before and after.  =)

See the clean/dirty sign above the dishwasher?  =D
I love the sound of a dishwasher, hahaha!

Chicken Crescent Pockets

Mmmmmm!!!

• 1 t. garlic salt
• ¼ t. pepper
• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 2 T. butter, softened
• 2 T. milk
  
• ½ c. onion, chopped
• ¼ green pepper, chopped (optional)
  
• ¼ red pepper, chopped (optional)
  
• 2 c. chicken, cooked and cut into cubes
• 2 cans (8 count) refrigerated crescent rolls
  

~Mix together cream cheese, butter, garlic salt, pepper, and milk.  Add in onions and peppers, then add in chicken.
~Open and roll out crescent rolls.  Separate each can into 4 rectangles (8 for both cans).  Pinch together perforations to seal.  Spoon in about 1/3 c. mixture onto each rectangle, fold over and pinch to seal shut.
~Place on lightly greased cookie sheet.
Bake 350º for about 22-25 minutes until lightly browned.
~To reheat: 350º for about 10-12 minutes.  It will brown a little more.  If you don't want it any more brown, cover lightly with foil for the first 5 or 6 minutes.  Remove foil and finish heating to crisp the bread.
Great with seasoned rice and broccoli.  =)

LOL!  My son tasted it and told me I'd better write that boys probably wouldn't like it.  hahaha!  =D 

I'll have to make him a pizza pocket.  

For appetizers, these can be made by using each triangle.  Spoon some of the mixture near the end of the triangle.   Fold over the two short ends, then fold the long end all the way over the top and tuck under.  

   Garlic Cream Cheese Spread    

If you have a little leftover, you can use as a spread for Ritz or any vegetable cracker.  Good even without the chicken and peppers, as shown here.  →  The above recipe without the chicken will top about 30-35 crackers.

You may also like Pineapple Cream Cheese Spread.

Chicken Pan Pie, no vegetables

• 2 lbs chicken, cooked
  
• 1 10 oz. can cream of chicken soup
• 1½ can of broth from cooking the chicken (15 oz)
  
• 3 T. butter
• 1 c. flour, sifted
• 1 c. milk

Cut up chicken into small pieces, let butter melt on chicken.
With whisk, mix together soup and broth.  Put chicken in 9 x 13 inch pan, and pour soup/broth mixture over chicken, coating all sides.
With whisk, mix together flour and milk.  With large spoon, gently spoon over chicken and soup mixture.

Bake at 375º uncovered for 35-40 min. until lightly browned.  Sometimes I bake it for 30 minutes, then turn it on low broil for 5 minutes.

Larger recipe:

• 3 lbs chicken, cooked
• 16 oz. can cream of chicken soup
• 3 c. of broth from cooking the chicken
• 4 T. butter
• 1¼ c. flour, sifted
• 1¼ c. milk

This will fit in the same size pan and will fill it up.  Increase cook time to about 45-50 min.

Chicken in a Crockpot

• 2 carrots, sliced (I use more)
• 2 onions, sliced
• 2 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces (I use more)
• Several quartered potatoes if you have room
• 1 whole broiler/fryer chicken, 3-4 lbs. (I’ve also used chicken breasts or chicken legs, which is good for smaller crockpots, or if you want more veggies)
• 1 t. salt
• ½ t. black pepper
• *½-1 c. water or chicken broth
• ½ t. dried basil

-Put carrots, onions, celery, and potatoes in bottom of crockpot. 

-Add whole chicken/chicken breasts. (I usually place some of the veggies around the chicken) 

-Top with salt, pepper, and liquid. Sprinkle basil over top. 

►Cover and cook on LOW 10 hours 

*►or HIGH 6 hours using 1 c. water.

This is for a large crockpot.  Mine is a 5-quart.  Adjust recipe for smaller crockpots.

Rebekah made the rice, and Bethany made the biscuits.  😊

Creamy Chicken Soup

This recipe has been moved.

You can find it here.  =)