Chicken Tikka Masala

We love this dish but only eat when we are at an Indian resturant. So happy that I found this recipe so I can make it at home now.

Marinade:
1 1/2 lbs chicken breast, cut into one inch cubes
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 cup plain greek 2% yogurt
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 T canola oil
juice of one lime
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 inch piece fresh ginger

Masala Sauce:
1 T canola oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T fresh ginger, minced
1 T garam masala
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
28 oz diced tomatoes
3/4 cup cream
juice of one lime
clianto, chopped


Toast coriander and cumin seeds over medium heat for 3-4 minutes.

Place all marinade ingredients except for chicken in a blender and process on high for thirty seconds or until everything is smooth.

Place chicken breast cubes in a bowl and pour marinade over. Cover and refrigerate for three hours or overnight.

Cook Chicken (shaking off some of the excess marinade) pieces in a skillet until Cook until it's charred, about 2 minutes on each side. (Don't worry that the chicken will still be a little uncooked, it finishes cooking in the sauce). Set aside>

Heat the tablespoon of canola oi up in the skillet. Saute the diced onion for about 5minutes and then add the ginger and garlic. Add the garam masala, salt, pepper and cayenne and saute another 30 seconds. Add the diced tomatoes and the cream and simmer for 10 minutes---the sauce will thicken slightly. Add the chicken and take the heat down to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes.

Before serving squeeze a lime over top and garnish with minced fresh cilantro. Serve with rice and warmed pita bread or flatbread.

Grilled Chicken Salad with Feta, Fresh Corn, and Blueberries

4 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
Salt And Pepper, to taste
Olive Oil, For Drizzling
3 stalks Celery, Finely Diced
2 ears Fresh Corn
1/4 whole Medium Red Onion, Finely Diced
1- 1/2cup Blueberries
3 Tablespoons Fresh Dill, Minced
4 Tablespoons Light Mayonnaise
4 Tablespoons Light Sour Cream
3/4 cup Reduced Fat Crumbled Feta
1/4 cup Fat Free Half-and-half
1 whole Lemon
1 teaspoon Sugar (To Taste)
Salt And Pepper (additional) To Taste
Extra Feta & Blueberries for each plate

Place chicken breasts into large plastic storage bag. Pound with a mallet or rolling pin to flatten to 1/4 inch thickness. Season chicken with salt and pepper.

Heat grill and drizzle chicken with olive oil. Grill chicken on both sides until done, about 7 minutes per side. Remove from pan. Allow to cool. Can grill chicken a day before serving.

Shave kernels off each corn cob. Combine with the onion and celery. Set aside.

Mix together mayonnaise, sour cream, feta, and half-and-half. Stir in sugar, squeeze in lemon juice, and add salt and pepper. Stir, then taste. Add more salt if necessary; do not undersalt! Can made a day ahead.

Slice chicken on the bias in strips, then cut strips in half. Throw into a bowl with celery, onion, and corn. Stir to combine. Pour half the dressing over the ingredients and toss gently. Add more as desired, but don’t overcoat the salad; should be light!

At the end, toss in the blueberries to lightly coat them in the dressing. Serve, then sprinkle individual helpings with feta.

Chicken, Spinach and Artichoke Crescents

2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded
Pkg of frozen spinach, thawed & all water squeezed out
1 can artichoke hearts, drained
8 oz light sour cream
1/2 - 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated (reserve some to put on top of crescents)
Garlic salt (to taste)
1 can of reduced fat crescent rolls

Heat olive oil in a skillet on medium add chicken, spinach and artichokes and cook together until warm. Add in sour cream, Parmesan cheese and garlic salt.
Cut each crescent in half (16 pieces). Put a small amount of mixture on each roll and fold up. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and cook 10-12 minutes.

Chicken Saltimobooca

My friend Nicole made this for us for dinner a couple of times - it is so delicious! Believe it or not it is a Weight Watcher's recipe (bonus!) and it is six points.

4 chicken breasts
1 tablespoon fresh Basil (cut in ribbons);chopped or 1 teaspoon dried Basil (I use fresh)
1/4 teaspoon Salt
4 thin slices of prosciutto*
4 slices smoked provolone cheese*
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon light butter
1/3 cup Marsala**

Lightly pound the chicken breasts between two sheets of wax paper with a mallet until thin but not torn. Sprinkle with the basil and salt. Top with the prosciutto and cheese slices. Roll up the chicken from short sides and secure with toothpicks. Refrigerate, covered, for 1 hour.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Swirl in the oil and butter, then add the chicken rolls. Cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes on each side. Add the Marsala to the browned chicken rolls, bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until just cooked through, about 10 minutes. Scoop up the juice left in the pan and pour over the chicken and serve.

Nutritional info: 1 chicken roll with 2 tablespoons sauce - WWpoints: 6

*You can ask the deli person to slice only as much prosciutto and provolone as you need - it helps saves a little money.

**Nicole uses the Marsala cooking wine, she says you can get it with the vinegars. I always use Marsala Wine.

Mexi-Chicken Crostada

Another great & easy recipe from Jenny! My family loves this and I do not make any changes from her original recipe.

1 roll Pillsbury Pie crust, thawed
1 can chunk chicken
1 drained can Mild Rotel diced tomatoes with chilies
½ Cup fresh chopped cilantro leaves
1 Teaspoon Ranch dressing seasoning, from packet that makes the dip
1 teaspoon cumin
Pinch of salt and pepper
½ Cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon garlic salt with parsley


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Unroll pie crust and place onto a cookie sheet (use Silpat) that has been sprayed with non stick cooking spray.

Place chicken, tomatoes, cilantro, ranch seasoning, cumin, salt and pepper into a large bowl. With a fork, stir and cut up chicken pieces until well combined. Pour chicken mixture into the center of pie crust and top with cheddar cheese, leaving about 1 ½ inch border around edges. Fold crust up over chicken forming little pleats every 2 inches or so pressing gently. Brush edges with olive oil and sprinkle crust with garlic salt.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until crust is golden brown on edges. Let cool for 5 minutes then cut into wedges to serve.

Marna's Chicken Dish

This was made by sweet Marna Brown for my FBCN (now Chase Oaks Church) moms group several years ago. She was an amazing mentor mom and had wonderful wisdom to share with us. I miss her (& our other church friends) as we are no loner at the church. I made some changes below to make it lower in fat.

4 large skinless boneless chicken breasts
6 oz. Swiss cheese slices (red. fat)
1 can Cream of Chicken soup (healthy request)
1/4 cup white wine
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup herb-flavored crushed up Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix
1/2 light stick butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place uncooked chicken in shallow greased casserole dish. Layer cheese on top. Mix soup, wine, salt, pepper; pour over cheese. Sprinkle stuffing mix on top and drizzle with melted butter. Bake for 1 hour.

Chicken Burritos

Another one of Meridith recipes that I will be making later in the week. I will make some slight changes - here is the original recipe.

1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup shallot, finely chopped
1/4 cup (15 oz can) petite diced tomatoes, pureed (freeze the rest)
1 4oz can chopped green chilies
1 clove garlic, minced
2 1/2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
1 can refried black beans
flour tortillas

Toppings:
salsa
grated reduced fat cheddar cheese
shredded lettuce
lit sour cream
guacamole


Heat oil in skillet and saute shallots, chilies, and garlic until tender. Add chicken and tomatoes - heat through. In separate saucepan, heat beans. Keep warm. Top tortillas with beans, chicken mixture, and desired toppings.

White Chicken Chili

Today is a cold day in North Texas. I have been wanting to make this recipe for awhile and today is the day. I found this recipe at Meredith's recipe blog - believe it or not I will not be making any changes to the recipe.I will be making camp corn bread to go with it.

1 tablespoon of oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 Tablespoon cumin
3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
2 cans navy beans, drained
1 cup frozen white corn, or 1 can white corn
1/2 can of cream corn (freeze the other half for next time)
4oz can of chopped green chiles
2 cups of chicken broth
1/2-1 Tablespoon chili powder
1 can petite diced tomatoes
3 or 4 tablespoons salsa verde

Garnishes:
Sour cream
chopped cilantro (A MUST)
shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
tortilla chips or corn bread

Saute onion, and garlic in hot oil in a large stock pot until tender. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Simmer over low heat for 30-60 minutes.

PW White Chicken Enchiladas

I am making this for our Life Group on Sunday. I can not wait to try this - it looks so good! Here is the original recipe.

2-½ cups Cooked, Shredded Chicken
2 cups Reserved Broth From Chicken
3 Tablespoons Canola Oil
12 whole Corn Tortillas
1 whole Large Onion, Diced
3 whole 4 Oz Cans Whole Green Chilies, Diced
1 whole Jalapeno, Seeded And Finely Diced
1 teaspoon Paprika
½ cups half and half
2 Tablespoons Light Butter
2 Tablespoons Flour
1 cup Light Sour Cream
2-½ cups Monterey Jack Cheese, Grated
Salt And Pepper (to Taste)
Cilantro, Chopped
Picante Sauce (optional)


Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Fry tortillas for no longer than 20 seconds, just to soften (do not allow to become crisp.) Place tortillas on a large towel or stack of paper towels to drain.

Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in separate skillet over medium heat. Add onions and jalapenos and saute for 1 minute, just to start the cooking process. Add chicken, half of the green chilies, and 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Stir together. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth and stir. Add cream and stir, allowing mixture to bubble and get hot. Turn off heat and set aside.

In a separate large skillet, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together and cook over medium heat for one minute. Pour in 1 1/2 cups chicken broth. Whisk together and cook for another minute or two. Stir in the other half of the chilies. Reduce heat, then stir in sour cream. Add 1 1/2 cups grated cheese and stir to melt. Add 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.

To assemble, spoon chicken mixture on top of tortillas, one by one. Top with plenty of cheese and roll up. Place seam side down in a 9 x 13 casserole dish.

Pour cheese mixture all over the top of the tortillas. Top with extra cheese if you’d like (Pioneer Woman does not add more cheese), then bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Sprinkle generously with chopped cilantro.

Serve with picante sauce, if desired.

Chicken or Ham Aspargus or Spinach Polenta Casserole

I used the leftover alfredo sauce and polenta I had in the freezer to make this dish. Great brunch dish or for a girl luncheon (but I served it for dinner but only Jeremy and I ate it). Jeremy prefers it with chicken & spinach.

16 oz. pkg. prepared polenta (or 2 cups leftover)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. light butter
10 oz. container refrigerated four cheese alfredo sauce (or left over homemade)
2 cups frozen asparagus pieces, thawed and drained
or
2 cups thawed & drained frozen spinach (squeeze out excess water)
1 cup cooked cubed ham
or
1 cup cooked cubed chicken
1/2 - 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Slice polenta into 1/2" slices. In large skillet, combine olive oil and butter and heat over medium heat. When butter melts, add half of the polenta slices; cook until well browned on one side, then turn and cook on second side. This should take 5-7 minutes total. Drain on paper towels.

Then arrange the browned polenta in a greased 8" square glass baking dish. Top with asparagus pieces (or spinach) and ham (or chicken). Spoon sauce over casserole and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until casserole is bubbling and cheese begins to brown.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole With Polenta

I made this for dinner last night so delicious!

1 cup cooked polenta (or 1/2 tube)
3 cup shredded cooked chicken
1 can corn, drained/rinsed
1 shallot, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes (pureed)
1- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped, from can
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 tsp cumin,
1 tsp garlic powder,
1 tsp chili powder,
dash salt
1 small can sliced black olives
2 cup red. fat mexi-blend shredded cheese
light sour cream
extra cilantro

Preheat oven to 350. Slice polenta into 1/2" slices. In large skillet, combine olive oil and butter and heat over medium heat. When butter melts, add half of the polenta slices; cook until well browned on one side, then turn and cook on second side. This should take 5-7 minutes total. Drain on paper towels. Line 13x9 baking dish with sliced/cooked polenta. Mix pureed tomatoes, chipotle peppers, cilantro, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder and salt - set aside. Layer in the following order: chicken, corn, black beans, shallot, & tomatoes mixture. Cover & bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with black olives and cheese. Bake an additional 10 minutes uncovered or till cheese is melted & bubbly. Serve with extra cilantro and sour cream as toppings.

Side note: my polenta (leftovers that were frozen then thawed) did not get crispy in the pan and the slices just turned to mush. So I just put it in the casserole dish and hoped for the best. Jeremy and I both really liked it - reminded us of a cornbread bottom layer. We just ate it with baked doritos (for a crunch).

Chipotle Chicken Pasta in Fire Roasted Tomato Cream Sauce

Have you ever been to the Pick Palate blog? I found it through Meredith when she posted about making this dish. After I made this delicious pasta (that Jenny created) I had to explore her site. She is an amazing cook who comes up with wonderful family recipes and many scrumptious desserts. Since making this dish, I have made several of her recipes (can not wait to make this!) and will be putting them on here. I make so many that I will add a Picky Palate category to my blog. Thanks Meredith for introducing me to Jenny's blog. As always I made changes to the recipe to fit my family, go here to see the original recipe.

1 box Farfalle pasta
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ Cup finely chopped shallot
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped, from can
1 fresh corn on the cob, kernels removed
1 Cup drained black beans
2 Cups diced cooked chicken (often I use rotisserie)
1/2 Cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped (we love cilantro!)
2 14 oz cans Muir Glen Fire Roasted diced Tomatoes
½ Cup half & half
Pinch salt
Pinch pepper
Pinch garlic salt

Place both cans of tomatoes into food processor and pulse until smooth. Prepare pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside. Heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil into large skillet over medium heat. Add shallot, chipotle, corn, and beans. Cook for 5 minutes, until softened. Stir in cooked chicken and cilantro leaves until heated through, reduce heat to low. Pour tomato puree into chicken mixture. Stir in cooked pasta; stir to combine. Stir in heavy cream, salt, pepper and garlic salt to taste. Cook until heated through and serve. Top with additional lots of cilantro.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This recipe is from the blog Our Best Bites - check this blog out - you will really like it. There was a Chicken tortilla soup that Jeremy and I use to love when we first got married - the is now restaurant closed and we have not found a soup as good as that one until I made this recipe. The broth is delicious and the secret to this soup and the one at Michael's (the restaurant in San Angelo) is the way you put the soup together in the individual bowls. I have made a few changes to the original recipe, as always. You will also find Our Best Bites Taco Chicken recipe below the soup recipe. **See my note for the shortcut I use for the Taco Chicken**

1 recipe Taco Chicken (see below soup recipe)
1 large shallot, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 large boxes of Stock
1 15-oz. can diced fire roasted tomatoes
2 jalapeno peppers diced finely
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 avocado, sliced
1/4 c. cilantro, roughly chopped
shredded Mexican blend cheese
1/4 c. fresh lime juice (3-4 limes)
Homemade Baked Tortilla Chips

TOPPINGS:Baked Chips, avocado, shredded chicken, grated cheese and cilantro

Early in the day, begin marinating the chicken (see taco chicken recipe below) - unless you are using the shortcut recipe for the chicken. Right before you start preparing the soup, start grilling or cooking it in a skillet (what I do most the time).

In a large stockpot, heat some olive oil over medium heat, add shallot and saute 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and jalapeno and cook a few minutes more until garlic and pepper is softened. Add chicken broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer 15-20 minutes. Once soup has simmered add it to a blender or use an immersion blender and blend until smooth. Once chicken is cooked, let it rest for a few minutes before shredding. Once chicken is shredded set aside. **See shortcut to Taco Chicken below**

Place toppings (chicken, cheese, cilantro, avocado and chips) in individual bowls and right before ladling broth on toppings add lime juice to the broth.

Taco Chicken:
1 lb. chicken breasts
A couple of juicy limes
A splash of red wine vinegar
2-3 cloves garlic, pressed or coarsely chopped
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Marinade:
Juice the limes and combine with a couple splashes of red wine vinegar. Add garlic. Pour over chicken. This will not completely cover the chicken; just turn it occasionally as needed. Marinate for at least 4 hours, no longer than 8.

Heat an outdoor grill (you can also use a grill pan inside. Or your broiler in your oven.) I always make this in a skillet with a couple of tablespoons of Olive Oil.

Rub:
Combine salt, chili powder, cumin, and black pepper in a small bowl. Remove chicken from marinade and rub the spices all over the chicken.

Grill about 7 minutes per side.Remove from heat and allow to stand a few minutes so it doesn't lose its juiciness. When cooking in a skillet make take an additional minute or two in the pan per side.

~SHORTCUT to Taco Chicken~
Rotisserie Chicken
2 limes - juiced
A splash of red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. Garlic powder
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup water

Remove the bones and skin from the chicken, I take use the dark and white meat. Put the meat in a bowl or zip lock bag. You will have more Chicken than you need - save leftovers for another recipe. Mix the next 8 ingredients together in bowl, then pour over the chicken. Mix well so all pieces of meat are coated with the rub. Marinate Chicken in refrigerator for at least 4 hours before ready to make the soup. While the broth is simmering put the chicken in a skillet on medium low heat. Cook until chicken is warm. Super easy and you can not tell in the soup that you used a shortcut!

Chicken and Gravy over Rice

I borrowed this picture from Kelly at Kelly's recipes. I was shocked when I saw a similar recipe on her site, as no one I have ever talked has ever tried this dish before. Go check out her blog she has some great Southern Recipes. You can also tell we are both preachers kids and have been to a many church pot lucks in our lives, because we several of the same recipes.

Okay a little about this recipe. My friend Leya made this for dinner one evening, she said a friend had brought it to her when she had her first child and since then Leya always makes it for guests and gets requests for the recipe. As Angela and I began to eat it, we could not get enough of it - we had never had it before and could not figure out what gave this dish such amazing flavor. Angela and I followed in all the others who had had this dish an asked for the recipe. Leya emailed it to us it contained an item I had never heard of before - DRIED BEEF in a jar- what?? I went to the store and kept reminding myself that it tasted incredible and this stuff sitting on the shelf (tuna isle) was part of its yumminess. Overcome your fear and give Leya's recipe a try.

6 slices of bacon (or more if you prefer)

1 pkg. Hormel jarred dried beef
4 chicken breasts
16 oz. sour cream
2 cans of cream of mushroom soup

Pre-heat oven to 350. Cook bacon until crispy enough to crumble. Save a tablespoon of the bacon fat. While cooling, mix sour cream and soup well. Add bacon fat and bacon crumbles and mix well. Chop dried beef pretty fine. Layer the bottom of a casserole dish with beef. Lay chicken breast directly on top of dried beef. Cover with soup mixture. Bake @ 350 for about 1 1/2 hours.
Serve chicken over rice make sure to add extra "gravy"to the top of the chicken. Enjoy!

NOTES: You can make a low-fat version by skipping the bacon fat, using turkey bacon and low-fat or fat-free sour cream and soup. I always use brown rice. This dish can also be made ahead of time and it freezes great!

Chicken and Buttermilk/Chive Dumplings

One of my favorite chefs is Tyler Florence. This recipe is from his show Tyler's Ultimate . After looking back over this recipe it looks like a lot of work. Honestly, I do not remember it being that time consuming. Once I tried this dish it has become my favorite version of chicken and dumplings.

Chicken and Stock:
1 (3 to 31/2 pound) whole chicken
2 bay leaves
6 sprigs thyme
4 to 5 black peppercorns
1 head garlic, split through the equator
2 tablespoons salt

Buttermilk-Chive Dumplings:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup chopped chives
3/4 to 1 cup buttermilk

Sauce
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons oil
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups chicken stock
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen pearl onions
1/4 cup heavy cream
Freshly ground black pepper, for garnish
Chopped chives, for garnish

Stock:
Place the chicken and all stock ingredients in a large Dutch oven and cover with water. Set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour until the chicken is tender. Skim the surface of fat and scum as it cooks.
When done remove the chicken to a cutting board. Strain the stock and shred the meat into big pieces - the stock will be used for the sauce and the chicken will be folded into it.

Dumplings:
Sift the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a small bowl, using a whisk, lightly beat the eggs, chives and buttermilk together; pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently fold. Mix just until the dough comes together; the batter should be thick and cake-like.
To prepare sauce: In a Dutch oven, over medium heat, add the butter and oil. Add the carrot, celery, garlic, and bay leaves and saute until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour to make a roux. Continue to stir and cook for 2 minutes to coat the flour and remove the starchy taste. Slowly pour in the chicken stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. Add frozen peas and pearl onions.
Let sauce simmer until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes. Stir in heavy cream.

Fold the reserved shredded chicken into the sauce and bring up to a simmer. Using 2 spoons, carefully drop heaping tablespoonfuls of the dumpling batter into the hot mixture. The dumplings should cover the top of the sauce, but should not be touching or crowded. Let the dumplings poach for 10 to 15 minutes until they are firm and puffy. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Season with freshly cracked black pepper and garnish with chopped chives before serving.

Hot Chicken Salad

Karen remember this one? Darlene made this for us at our luncheon concluding our very first Beth Moore study (Jesus the One and Only).

2 C cooked, diced chicken (or 2 cans of chicken)
1 C sliced celery
1/2 C sliced almonds
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
2 T lemon juice
2 t grated onion
3/4 C mayonnaise
1/2 C grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 C crushed potato chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Combine all ingredients (except last two) in bowl. Put mixture into casserole dish. Next add cheese and then top with chips. Bake 15-20 minutes at 375 degrees. Serve immediately.

Mexican Chicken Casserole

3-4 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
1 can cream of mushroom soup(I use Campbell's Healthy Request)
1 can cream of chicken soup (again Healthy Request)
1 can Rotel (I used mild)
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (I use reduced fat)
1/2 cup Mexican cheese blend, shredded (again red. fat)
1 Bag Nacho Doritos (going to try the baked version next time)

Directions:
Break up bag of Doritos - set aside. Mix together the soups, rotel, cheddar cheese and chicken. Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with vegetable spray, cover bottom of dish with a thin layer of chips and half of the chicken mixture. Layer again with chips (reserve half a cup of chips), chicken mixture- them top with the Mexican cheese blend. Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. When there are about 3 or 4 minutes of baking time left add the reserved half cup of to the top. Just watch it because the chips on the top will burn quickly. Once done let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

When serving have sour cream, tomatoes, lettuce, and green onions - let everyone add what they want to their individual serving. For a topping add a dollup of light sour cream and few avocado slices. Side dish recommendations salad and black beans.

Side note- could use ground turkey or lean ground beef instead of chicken. Make "taco meat" out of it by sauteing an onion (or use onion powder), brown meat then add cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste.

Bourbon Chicken

I found this recipe at the What's for Dinner blog but I changed mine up just a bit (go here for the original recipe). The name is a little misleading - there is not any Bourbon in the recipe - it tastes like Teriyaki chicken. I like to serve with the cheap long grain rice because it gets sticky like the rice I get with take out Teriyaki bowls. I also put raw carrots in the bowl - if your family will eat raw broccoli (mine won't) add that too. Really good and very easy to make. Enjoy.

3 or 4 boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 to 2 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup apple juice
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup soy sauce

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add chicken pieces and cook until browned. Remove Chicken from skillet and set aside. Add remaining ingredients, heating over medium heat until well mixed and sugar has dissolved. Add chicken back to the skillet and bring to a hard boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 - 25 minutes. Serve over rice.