Green Chicken Chili

I have made this chicken chili for our ward chili cook off several years in a row. It's never won an official award, but has had many compliments. You can make it as spicy as you like, depending on heat of green salsa you buy. If you wanted to add more heat per bowl you could sprinkle pepper jack cheese on top. I think it is quiet good. It's different than your average pot of chili. Enjoy.



Green Chicken Chili
Printable Version

1 quart chicken broth
1-1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
4 large handfuls tortilla chips, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 bunch scallions, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
One 15-ounce can small red beans, drained
1 cup jarred green salsa


In a deep skillet, bring the chicken broth and chicken breasts to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat slightly and poach the chicken, turning occasionally, until just cooked through, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a plate and let cool. (If you like shredded chicken, follow this step as listed. I like small chunks of chicken personally. I either use leftover chicken from something else cut into cubes or cut raw chicken into bite size pieces and cook up in a bit of EVOO.)

Crumble the 4 handfuls of tortilla chips into a food processor and add 3 cups of the hot broth; let sit to soften. Reserve the remaining 1 cup broth.

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat and add the scallions, oregano and cumin; cook until the scallions are softened, about 2 minutes. Pour the remaining cup of broth into the scallion mixture, then stir in the beans and salsa and bring to a simmer.

Puree the chips and broth in the food processor until smooth, then whisk the chip mixture into the bean mixture. Shred the chicken, add to the chili and cook over medium-low heat, stirring, until heated through. Serve with extra tortilla chips.

Recipe by Rachael Ray

Lemon Cream Pasta

I used some leftover Lemon Garlic Chicken. It made this meal a snap. It's creamy and delicious. Yum...

Lemon Cream Pasta
Printable Version

3 cups shredded or cubed Lemon Garlic Chicken
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
7 1/2 c or 4 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 (16 ounce) package tube pasta (I used penne)
2 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

DIRECTIONS
In a large saucepan, season the chicken broth with the garlic powder and pepper. Bring to a boil and add lemon juice and pasta. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until all liquid is absorbed, about 25 minutes. (I know this step sounds weird but it works. Just follow as instructed)

Stir chicken into cooked pasta, along with the cream, parmesan cheese and lemon zest. Cook, stirring, over low heat for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Stir thoroughly before serving.

Recipe by MyKitchenCafe

Bread Bowls

I have made these bread bowls twice and both times they turned out wonderful! If ever you want to make a fancy dinner for your spouse, family or company... these are very impressive and not too hard. This picture is an actual photo of one of my bowls that I made...

I make 2 adult sized bowls and 3 kiddo sized bowls (my kids never eat their bowl so I chalk it up to wasted bread... thus I make their bowls smaller and allow them to have seconds on soup if they are still hungry) I always have left over dough and make rolls (see bottom of post). My kids will eat the rolls.

I must give proper credit... MyKitcheCafe strikes again! These are her Italian Bread Bowls! I have made her Broccoli and Cheese soup and also her Chicken and Wild Rice soup to go in these bowls. (Wont re-post those recipes but would highly recommend) All delish!


Bread Bowls
Printable Version

1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
2 1/2 cups warm water
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
7 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water

In a large bowl (or bowl of an electric mixer), dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

Add salt, oil and 4 cups flour to the yeast mixture; beat well. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well with an electric mixer at medium speed after each addition until a soft but not sticky dough is formed (you may not need to use all 7 cups).

When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes (or let knead in an electric mixer). Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Punch dough down, and divide into 6-8 equal portions. Shape each portion into a round ball. Place loaves on lightly greased baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal (or use silpat liners or parchment paper). Do not let them touch each other or sides of baking pan. (If they touch you wont be able to get the egg wash on the sides and it wont have the crusty outside which will allow your soup to escape out the side... yikes) Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, until doubled in bulk, about 35 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, beat together egg white and 1 tablespoon water; lightly brush the loaves with half of this egg wash. Be sure to get all sides not touching the pan. This is what makes the surface of the bread crusty to hold the soup in. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Brush with remaining egg mixture, and bake 10 to 15 more minutes or until golden. Cool on wire racks.

Cut circle in top and pull out bread. I put bread in a little basket for dipping into soup. I put each circle top with it's corresponding bowl. If you see that you may have a "leakage" problem, don't hallow out all the bread in that area. This will give it a little buffer from leaking out. Also, creamy soups and thick chilies work best in bread bowls.



Also, if you have more dough and you'd rather have a few rolls to dip in your soup they make great crusty rolls. I follow same directions, just make them smaller. I still brush them with egg wash to give them the same crustiness of the bowls. YUM!

Martha Stewart's Banana Bread

Yah, that's right, Martha's done it again. I've been struggling with my banana bread recipe for some time and was relieved to finally taste this bread. So moist! Yum

Banana Bread
Printable Version

1 c butter, at room temperature

2 c sugar

4 large eggs

3 c flour

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp salt

2 c very ripe bananas, mashed (~3 bananas)

- I like to do this ahead of time with my mixer

1 c sour cream

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 c chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 9x5x3 inch loaf pans; set aside. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, allowing each one to incorporate, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Combine flour, baking soda and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix until just combined. Add mashed bananas, sour cream and vanilla; mix by hand, just until combined. Stir in nuts (if desired) and pour into pans. Bake until toothpick or butter knife inserted into center of loaf comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let rest in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool.

Cooking time will vary depending on your loaf pan (ie glass, wide, narrow, metal, dark, coated, etc) and an overbaked loaf of bread is a dry loaf of bread, so be cautious. My loafs took about an hour and ten minutes to cook.

Recipe by Martha Stewart

Sweet and Sour Chicken

This recipe is just divine. Other than hour wait while it bakes, it is quick and simple and I almost ALWAYS have all the ingredients. Julie found this recipe on My Kitchen Cafe. She said it was a hit at her house, and it certainly was at mine. If you like Buffalo Sauce, be sure to check out an equally tasty recipe, Buffalo Chicken Bites.

Sweet and Sour Chicken
Printable Version

Chicken:
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil

Cut boneless chicken breasts into chunks. Season with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in cornstarch and then in egg. Fry in a little oil until brown but not cooked through. Place in a single layer in a baking dish. Mix sauce ingredients (below) together and pour over chicken.

Sauce:
¾ cup sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
½ cup vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Bake for one hour at 325 degrees. Turn chicken every 15 minutes.

If you like extra sauce, make another batch of sauce and bring it to a boil on the stovetop. Stir constantly and let cook over medium heat until thickened and reduced - about 6-8 minutes.