Artichoke Chicken

This dish was brought to me by Kay Hughes after I had Hannah. I do not make this nearly as often as I should. I like to serve this dish with a side of rice.

6 chicken breasts
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion
1 c chicken broth'
1 14 oz. can Italian peeled tomatoes
1 10 oz. can artichoke hearts
8-12 oz heavy cream
1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil (1/2 tsp dried basil)

Rinse chicken and pat dry. Season with 3/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.

In a large pan heat olive oil over medium heat. Add chicken and cook 3-4 minutes on each side, until slightly browned. Drain excess oil. Add onion and chicken broth and simmer for 25 minutes or until chicken is tender.

Remove chicken from the pan. Boil pan juices until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 3-5 minutes. Add tomatoes, artichoke hearts to pan and cook for 1 minute. Add cream and basil and simmer until liquid is reduces to 2 cups, about 6-8 minutes. Season with remaining salt and pepper.

Return chicken to pan and heat together 5 minutes.

Schoolhouse Chicken Soup

Here's a recipe from a blog that I visit from time-to-time (http://pleasantviewschoolhouse.blogspot.com/). I haven't tried it yet, but I will!

*Schoolhouse Chicken Soup*

In a large skillet, heat:
3 T. olive oil

Add:

8-10 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
1 onion, diced
lots of celery, thinly sliced (up to an entire head)
as much garlic as you can stand to mince, at least 4 cloves

Saute til sweaty and onion is transparent.

Transfer to a big stockpot.

Add:

2 boxes chicken stock (the large size)
6-8 frozen boneless chicken breasts
1 T. salt

Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and cover. When chicken is cooked through, turn off the flame and let cool slightly. Fish the chicken pieces out and shred or slice them. Taste the broth and maybe dress it up with the juice of half a lemon and a slug of tamari sauce.

Bring the broth back to a boil, and dump in a large bag of egg noodles. When cooked, add the chicken back, and serve with lots of pepper. I made this yesterday and fed fifteen people! This recipe works for *you*.

Chicken Soup: Making It Spicy

Use 4-5 cloves of garlic in your vegetables. After you've sauteed to the point of transparency in your onions, add 2 t. cumin and 1 t. chili powder. When you add the broth, add a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies.

Instead of choosing noodles or dumplings for the starch, stir in 1-2 cans of rinsed black or white beans and add some frozen corn, heating til it's cooked through.

Serve with any of these delights: shredded cheese, sour cream, lime wedges, crushed tortilla chips, or salsa.

Mexican Casserole

Back my work days, we'd have an office pot luck from time to time. This casserole was brought in by one of the executives and I asked for the recipe. I've been making it myself ever since.

1 1/2 c crushed tortilla chips
1 lb shredded chicken
1 16 oz can pinto beans, drained
1 16 oz can red kidney beans, drained
1 16 oz can corn, drained
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 cup salsa
1 c chopped red onion
1 green pepper, diced
1/4 c chopped cilantro
1 Tbsp minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
6 oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
6 oz Cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13x9 in pan. Scatter crushed chips on the bottom of the pan. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients, except cheeses and mix well. Scoop half the mixture evenly over the chips. Sprinkle half the amount of each cheese on top. Add the rest of the chicken mixture evenly and top with the rest of the cheeses. Bake for 30 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Top with sour cream, chopped tomatoes and cilantro.

I use different kinds of salsa and press my garlic. Often I make the chicken mixture the night before.

Taco Chicken Nacho Love (Raeanne's recipe)

Taco Chicken Nacho Love
(I don’t know what it’s really called!)
A friend in Seattle made this for me once, and it has become one of my favorites! I made it for a crowd last weekend at my Son’s birthday party and it was a hit. (you can double the amounts to fit your crowd).

2-3 chicken breasts – boneless, skinless
1 can Mexican stewed tomatoes with juice
1 packet taco seasoning mix
Put that in the crock pot on low for 4 hours (or until the chicken falls apart)
Shred the chicken in the pot, add 1 can black beans – rinsed and drained, and about 2 cups frozen corn. Stir and let it go in the crock pot for at least one more half hour to make sure every thing is warm.
Pile chips in your bowl, top with the chicken love, cheese, sour cream… you name it! It’s awesome and so easy!
Left-overs makes great quesadillas

Marcy Rice's Chicken Tortilla Soup

Makes about 8 servings. Great for a crowd.

Ingredients:
3 cans chicken broth (14 ½ oz. cans)
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 T uncooked rice
1 lg. tomato, chopped
½ c. chopped onion
¼ c. finely chopped cilantro
tortilla chips
½ c. shredded cheese

Directions:
Heat chicken broth to boiling.
Add chicken and cook until opaque.
Remove chicken and cut into bite-size pieces. (Marcy chops chicken before cooking) Add rice and cook 15 min. or until tender.
Return chicken to the broth.
Just before serving, stir in tomato, onion and cilantro.
2 ½ tsp. tobasco green pepper sauce (or 1 T chili powder)
Crush chips into bowl.
Pour soup over chips.
Top with cheese, avocado or guacamole, and sour cream.