Jalapeno Chicken Poppers

These little yummy morsels are easy to make & oh so good! You can't eat just one - EVER!

 

Ingredients:

8 chicken tenders, flattened & cut in two

3 oz package softened cream cheese

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded & finely chopped

8 slices bacon, cut in half

 

Instructions:

Dab ½ teaspoon (more or less) of cream cheese on top of each chicken tender. Sprinkle a scant ¼ teaspoon of peppers over cream cheese. Fold or roll chicken to enclose cream cheese mixture. Wrap each roll with one piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick.

Grill until bacon is brown and crispy on both sides.

TIPS:
Be sure to wear plastic gloves when handling fresh jalapenos. The oil will attach itself to your hands and is not easily washed away. An inadvertent swipe of the hand close to your eyes could be an unforgettable experience. For reference, if you are substituting for the chicken tenders (i.e. dark meat, large pieces of chicken breast, game meat), the size of the tenders I used were 5-6 inches long and 2-3 inches wide before flattening and cutting in half. Try flattening meat inside a zip-lock bag as pictured above. No flying pieces, no contamination on your cutting board from the chicken, and cleanup is super easy.   

Chicken Enchiladas

A co-worker of mine gave me this recipe for her Chicken Enchiladas & not only are they super easy to put together, but they are dee-lish! I have already made this recipe 4 times & pair it with my Mexican Rice recipe - YUM!

Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:
2-3 chicken breasts, cooked & shredded
8 oz sour cream
1/2 jar of Pace picante sauce
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
1 19 oz can Old El Paso enchilada sauce
1 10oz can Old El Paso green chili sauce

Directions:
Mix together the chicken, sour cream, picanta sauce & cheese & spoon into corn tortillas. Roll up & place seam down into a 9x13 greased baking dish. Pour enchilada sauce over tortillas as well as the green chili sauce. Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese over the top & bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes - or until hot & bubbly. 

Makes 10-12 enchiladas.

Loaded Baked Potato & Chicken Casserole

I came across this "keeper" on Pinterest the other day & gave it a try. I had some chicken breasts in the freezer that needed to be cooked up & the rest of the ingredients on hand so I made this super easy casserole the night before & popped it into the oven a couple of hours before dinner the next day. It was SO good & one that I will definitely be making again. If you love a loaded baked potato then you will love this! It definitely isn't heart healthy - but what casserole is?!

(photo credit)

Ingredients:
3 - 4 medium potatoes, scrubbed & diced (about 1.5 lbs. or 4 1/2 cups) 
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced 
4 slices bacon, cooked crisp, cooled & crumbled 
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese 
4 green onions, sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 
1/2 cup heavy cream 
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces 

Instructions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" baking pan or casserole dish. Spread half of the diced potatoes in bottom of pan. Place the diced chicken breasts evenly on top. Season chicken with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Sprinkle with half the bacon crumbles, 1/2 cup of the cheese, & half the green onions. Spread the remaining diced potatoes on top, followed by the remaining bacon, another 1/2 cup cheese, remaining green onions & another 1/4 teaspoon each salt & pepper. Pour heavy cream over top of casserole & then dot with the butter. Cover with aluminum foil & bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Uncover & bake another 30 minutes. In the last few minutes of baking, sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup cheddar cheese & bake until melted. Serve.

Maple-Mustard Glazed Chicken

This is a new recipe that was given to me by a co-worker last week who said "it is truly the most amazing chicken I have ever eaten"! With a comment like that it is definitely worth trying! So I made this for dinner tonight served with roasted asparagus & it was truly the best chicken dish I have ever eaten! The hubby even gave it two thumbs up so I would have to say this recipe is definitely a "keeper"!!

(photo credit)

Maple-Mustard Glazed Chicken

Ingredients:

2 tsp of olive oil (I used canola because I ran out of olive oil)
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp of chicken broth
1/4 cup of real maple syrup
1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp stone-ground mustard

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Heat the oil in a large OVEN PROOF skillet over medium high heat. Season both sides of the chicken with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Add the chicken to the pan, and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside on a plate. Add the broth, syrup, thyme, and garlic slices to the pan; stir until well combined then add the mustard and vinegar, making sure to scrape the pan to loosen any browned bits.

Once the sauce is well combined, add the chicken back to the pan along with any juices from the plate. Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the skillet from the oven and let the meat rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving along with the extra sauce/glaze on the side. Enjoy!