Layered Mexican Chicken Bake

My sister found this recipe on Picky Palate. I take no credit for it, other than trying it and loving it. There are more pictures on Picky Palate website. This picture is from there!

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium white onion, finely chopped

1 anaheim chili pepper (it’s mild), finely diced

1 1/2 Cups chopped sweet peppers

1 1/2 Tablespoons minced fresh garlic

4 Cups cooked/steamed rice (Not minute rice. I use brown rice.)

1 Tablespoon ground cumin

2 Cups cooked shredded chicken breast (Can use canned chicken)

1/4 teaspoon Garlic Salt

1/2 teaspoon dry Ranch Dressing Seasoning (I buy a big container of this from Costco instead of the packets)

1/2 Cup prepared Salsa

1 can corn, drained

1 can black beans, drained

1/2 Cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place oil into a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and peppers for about 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in garlic and cook for an additional minute. Stir in cooked rice and cumin, reduce heat to low. Transfer mixed rice to a 9×13 inch baking dish.

2. Place chicken breast into a medium skillet over medium heat. Season with garlic salt, ranch seasoning and salsa; mix and reduce heat to low.

3.Pour corn over rice. Next layer the beans, cilantro, chicken and top with cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Chicken Enchiladas and Rice

Chicken Enchiladas:

4 chicken breasts
1 small can mild green chilies
12 oz. jar of mild picante sauce
2 cups heavy whipping cream
10 flour tortillas
2 cups shredded cheese

Broil 4 chicken breasts (season with Season All), shred into pieces. Combine the picante sauce and chilies, and then stir in chicken. If you like enchiladas hot, use medium or hot chilies and picant sauce. pour 1/4 cup heavy cream into bottom of greased 9x13 in. pan. Roll 10 flour tortillas with chicken mixture and place in pan seam side down. Pour 1 3/4 cup heavy cream over tortillas. Sprinkle with 2 cups shredded cheese (I like cheddar and mozzarell). Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Do not over bake.

Serve with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, olives, sour cream, and guacamole on the side.

Rice: (I got this off of another blog and it is delicious. I recommend doubling it.)

1 cup rice
2 cups water
3 cubes chicken bouillon
1/2 tsp dried onion
1/4 bunch cilantro
1 tsp oil
1 fresh lime

Cook rice with all ingredients on stove or cooker. Squeeze lime juice over rice and mix.

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

This recipe is super easy and my all of my kids love it. I either half the recipe for our family (there are 6 of us) and bake it in an 8X8 in. pan, or I make the full recipe in two 8X8 in. pans and freeze the other half for another time. Enjoy!

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole
4 chicken breasts
2 pkgs. frozen broccoli (I use fresh, a lot of it. I steam it before adding to casserole)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 cup grated cheese
1/2 cup bread crumbs or cornflake crumbs

Broil chicken until cooked through (I put season all on each side of the chicken). Cut into bite size pieces. Steam broccoli if fresh. If not pour frozen broccoli into bottom of 13X9 in. pan. Mix soup, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and curry powder.

Layer broccoli in bottom of pan. Place chicken over the broccoli. Pour soup mixture on top. Sprinkle the bread crumbs (I use cornflake crumbs) over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. I put cheese over the top for the last few minutes until it melts. Serve over rice.

Spinach and Chicken Risotto

I just got a rice cooker and this recipe was in the instruction manual.

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
2 chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
4 cups fresh spinach, washed and dried well
3 cups of water or chicken broth
1/4 grated parmesan cheese
1 cup superino Arborio medium grain rice, uncooked. (I used brown rice because I already had some!)

These are the directions specific to my rice cooker. I bet you could do the same thing over the stove.

1. Add spinach, rice and liquid to rice cooker bowl and turn to cook mode.
2. Heat saute pan with olive oil and garlic.
3. Saute chicken on all sides, until no longer pink in center. Remove pan from heat and set aside.
4. When water is all boiled out of the rice (45min or so in my rice cooker), stir in chicken and cheese. (I used Kraft dried grated parmesean, but I bet the real stuff would taste even better!)
5. Replace lid for 5 minutes to let the cheese melt.
6. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

I served it with a salad and cooked carrots. Kurt and I loved it, Andrew thought it was okay. Meg hated it.