Categories
Black Beans Casseroles Chicken Ethnic - Regional Mexican Poultry Tortillas

Sharon’s Mexican Chicken Casserole

This is nothing short of awesome! And oh, so easy!

3 cups cooked chicken, cubed or shredded
1 12 oz. can chicken broth
1 10 3/4 ounce can cream of chicken soup
1 12 oz. can canned corn, (Mexicorn), drained
1 12 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 8 oz. bottle green taco sauce or Tomatillo Salsa
1/4 cup salsa
9 corn tortillas
3 cups cheddar cheese, shredded – may use the Mexican flavored cheese

In a large bowl, whisk together the soup and half of the broth. Stir in the green taco sauce, salsa, corn, black beans and one cup of the cheese.
Place one layer of corn tortillas over bottom of a 13×9″ baking dish. Top with half of the chicken mixture. Repeat layers ending with a layer of corn tortillas. Top with remaining cheese and pour remaining chicken broth over the casserole.
Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until bubbly.

8 Servings

Categories
Asian Chicken Breasts Pasta

Sesame Chicken Noodle Bake

Asian vegetables, fresh ginger, and soy sauce recall the taste of lo mein. Break the spaghetti before cooking to make it easier to prepare and serve.

8 ounces uncooked spaghetti or linguine, broken in half
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
1 cup red bell pepper strips
8 ounces shiitake mushroom caps, sliced
2 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons cream sherry
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 cups thinly sliced bok choy
3/4 cup sliced green onions
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, divided

Cooking spray

1 cup panko (coarse, dry) breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400°.

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well.
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add red bell pepper strips and mushrooms; sauté 2 minutes. Add chicken, ginger, and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in soy sauce; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
Combine broth and cornstarch, stirring well with a whisk. Add broth mixture to pan, and cook 2 minutes or until mixture is slightly thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in sherry, vinegar, and crushed red pepper. Add pasta, bok choy, green onions, and 2 teaspoons sesame seeds to pan, tossing well to combine. Spoon pasta mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray.
Combine breadcrumbs, butter, and remaining sesame seeds; sprinkle evenly over pasta mixture. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until breadcrumbs begin to brown.

Yield: 4 servings

Categories
Mushrooms Turkey Breast

Rosemary Turkey with Mushrooms

1 pound turkey breast tenderloin slices, all visible fat removed
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Vegetable oil spray
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon snipped fresh rosemary or 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
8 ounces chanterelle or button mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and sliced
1/4 cup chopped shallots or onion
Fresh rosemary (optional)

Rinse turkey and pat dry. Set aside.
In a small bowl, stir together broth, cornstarch, salt and pepper. Set aside.
Spray a large skillet with vegetable oil. Place over medium-high heat.
Add half the turkey to hot skillet. Cook about 2 minutes on each side, or until turkey is tender and no longer pink. Repeat with remaining turkey.
Remove skillet from heat; remove turkey from skillet and keep warm.
Add vinegar and rosemary to skillet, stirring to scrape up brown bits from bottom of pan. Return skillet to heat and add mushrooms and shallots or onion.
Over medium heat, cook and stir until mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir broth mixture and add to skillet. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly, about 3 minutes. Cook 2 minutes more, stirring constantly. Serve sauce with turkey. Serve on a bed of rosemary if desired.

4 Servings

Categories
Chicken

Roasted Chicken

4 pounds chicken , whole roasting
2 tablespoons oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Remove giblets from chicken, rinse inside and out. Pat dry with paper towel. Rub with oil and salt & pepper. Place on roasting pan breast side up. Bake uncovered for 23 minutes per pound of meat.

8 Servings

Categories
Chicken Hash Brown Potatoes Pork Stew

Pork, Chicken and Potato Stew in Peanut Sauce

1-1/2 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 1/3-inch cubes
5-1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
8 small purple Peruvian or red potatoes (about 1 pound), quartered
1 large onion, chopped
6 large garlic cloves, minced
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 boxes (10 ounces each) frozen corn, thawed
1-1/2 tablespoons adobo sauce from canned chipotle in adobo
1/2 cup reduced-fat peanut butter
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro or flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Rinse pork and pat dry; season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a heavy 5-quart pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Add pork, in 3 batches, and cook, turning, until golden brown, about 6 minutes per batch (adding oil, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed). Transfer, as cooked, with a slotted spoon to a bowl, leaving fat in pot.
Rinse chicken and pat dry; season with salt and pepper. Add 1-1/2 tablespoons oil to fat in pot and heat over moderately high heat. Add chicken and cook, turning, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to bowl with pork. Add potatoes, onion and garlic to pot; cook over moderately high heat until onion is softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in broth, corn, adobo sauce and peanut butter. Return pork and chicken to pot with any drippings and push into liquid. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, meat is cooked through and potatoes are fork-tender, 35 minutes; salt and pepper to taste.
To serve, ladle stew into bowls and garnish with cilantro, if desired.

6 Servings

Categories
Chicken Chicken Breasts Pineapple Poultry

Pineapple Glazed Chicken Breasts

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons frozen (thawed) pineapple juice concentrate
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (5 oz each)
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 slices (1/2 inch thick) fresh pineapple, rind removed

Heat gas or charcoal grill. In small bowl, mix mustard and juice concentrate; reserve 2 tablespoons. Into remaining mixture, stir garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper; set aside.
When grill is heated, rub chicken breast halves with oil. Place chicken on gas grill over medium heat or on charcoal grill over medium coals; cover grill. Cook 5 minutes.
Add pineapple to grill; brush with rosemary mixture. Turn chicken; brush with rosemary mixture. Cover grill; cook 6 to 8 minutes longer, brushing chicken occasionally with rosemary mixture and turning chicken and pineapple once, until chicken is fork-tender and juices run clear. Discard any remaining rosemary mixture.
Place chicken on serving plates. Spoon reserved 2 tablespoons mustard mixture over chicken. Halve or quarter pineapple slices; serve with chicken.

2 Servings

Categories
Chicken Pesto

Pesto “Fried” Chicken

2 to 2 1/2 pounds chicken pieces (breasts, thighs and drumsticks), skinned, all visible fat removed
3 tablespoons purchased pesto or homemade pesto
1/4 cup cornflake crumbs
Fresh lemon or lime wedges (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Rinse chicken and pat dry. Place breasts and thighs bone side down in a shallow baking pan. Add drumsticks and brush top of chicken with pesto and sprinkle with cornflake crumbs.
Bake, uncovered, 45 to 55 minutes or until chicken is tender and no longer pink. Serve with lemon or lime wedges if desired.
Cook’s Tip: Skinning chicken, especially drumsticks and wings, can be tricky since they are so slippery. An easy way around this problem is to grasp the skin with a dry paper towel as you pull it away from the meat.

Categories
Focaccia Turkey Breast

Panera’s Turkey Artichoke Panini

loaf pesto focaccia bread
8 ounces freshly sliced turkey
4 ounces spinach artichoke spread
2 ounces asiago cheese (asiago parmesan blend)
1 small red onion, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1-2 tomato, sliced (6-8 slices)
1 pinch salt and pepper

Preheat panini grill to medium temperature. In a medium sauce pan, sauté diced red onion in olive oil until transparent. Add balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.
Slice the loaf of pesto focaccia into two semi-circles, and halve each semi-circle. Layer the turkey onto the bottom halves of the focaccia bread, and spread spinach artichoke mix over turkey. Layer sautéed onions, asiago/parmesan blend and tomato slices. Close face of panini with the top halves of focaccia bread.
Add panini to preheated grill and press lightly. Grill 5 minutes on medium or until the cheese begins to melt and there are grill marks on the focaccia bread.
Serve hot with chips or your favorite soup!

Categories
Casseroles Chicken Main Dish Make Ahead Mexican Tortillas

Monterey Tortilla Casseroles

Nonstick spray coating
6 6-inch corn tortillas, each cut into 6 wedges
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 cup loose-pack frozen whole kernel corn
1 16-ounce jar salsa verde
3 tablespoons light dairy sour cream
3 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup crumbled Mexican chihuahua or farmer cheese (4 ounces)
Light dairy sour cream (optional)
Snipped fresh cilantro (optional)
Chopped tomato (optional)
Jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced (optional)

Spray four 10- to 12-ounce baking dishes with nonstick coating. Place 5 tortilla wedges in the bottom of each dish. Place remaining tortilla pieces on a baking sheet; bake in a 350 degree F oven about 10 minutes or until crisp and golden. Meanwhile, combine chicken, corn, salsa, the 3 tablespoons sour cream, cilantro, and flour. Divide mixture among dishes.
Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree F oven for 20 minutes. Arrange baked tortilla pieces atop casseroles. Top with cheese; bake for 5 to 10 minutes more or until heated through. If desired, garnish with additional sour cream, jalapeno slices, cilantro, and tomato. Makes 4 servings.
To bake frozen casseroles: Bake, covered, in a 350 degree F oven for 25 minutes. Uncover; bake about 20 minutes more or until heated through. Top with tortilla pieces and cheese; bake for 5 to 10 minutes more or until heated through. Garnish as above.
To micro-cook frozen casseroles: Cover microwave-safe casseroles with waxed paper; micro-cook on 30% power, allowing 4 minutes for 1 casserole and 5 minutes for 2 casseroles. Continue cooking, covered, on 100% power until heated through, allowing 2 to 4 minutes for 1 casserole or 3 to 6 minutes for 2 casseroles, rotating the dishes once. Top with baked tortilla pieces and cheese; micro-cook, uncovered, about 30 seconds more or until cheese is melted. Garnish as above.
Make-Ahead Tip: Assemble casseroles as directed above, except do not top with baked tortilla pieces; place baked pieces in a moisture- and vapor-proof plastic bag. Freeze casseroles and tortilla pieces up to 1 month.

Categories
Cheese Mexican Tortillas Turkey Breast

Mexican Lasagna

6 ounces turkey breast tenderloin
1 14½-ounce can dried tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano
3/4 cup skim-milk ricotta cheese
1/3 cup plus 2 tbsp. shredded nonfat (real mozzarella) cheese
2 tbsp. nonfat liquid egg substitute
2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup chopped white onion
1 tsp. minced roasted garlic
1/2 tbsp. chili powder
Tortillas

Preheat oven to 400 F.
In a food processor, chop up the turkey breast.
In a skillet, add onion and 2/3 cup chopped turkey.
Add tomatoes, garlic and chili powder, and cook about 2 minutes.
In a bowl mix together the ricotta cheese, 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese, egg substitute, cilantro, salt and pepper.
Line a nonstick 9-inch-round cake pan with one of the tortillas and spread the turkey mixture over the tortilla, leaving a 1-inch border. Place a second tortilla on top and spread with all of the ricotta mixture, again leaving a 1-inch border. Add a third tortilla and cover to within an inch of the outside with the remaining turkey mixture.
Top with the fourth tortilla and cover with aluminum foil.
Place in oven for 10 minutes, remove foil and sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of mozzarella cheese over top and put back in oven for 2 minutes.