Buffalo Chicken Orzo

When I worked in Zelie, there was a restaurant where we occasionally went that had a really wonderful buffalo chicken pasta.  I have tried to re-create it a few times, and this was by far my best attempt.  I know, I know... it's another buffalo chicken recipe.  But it's so yummy, and it's fun to experiment.  I'm working on a buffalo chicken grilled cheese experiment too - stay tuned!

Buffalo Chicken Orzo

8 oz whole wheat orzo
1 1/2 cup shredded chicken
3/4 cup reduced fat shredded Mexican blend cheese
1/2 cup whipped cream cheese
1/8 cup Frank's Red Hot sauce
splash of milk

Cook orzo fully, almost to the point of overcooking.  This pasta tends to absorb a lot of liquid, and you don't want to end up with a dry end result!  While the pasta is cooking, combine the chicken and hot sauce, let it sit to meld the flavors until the pasta is done.  When the pasta is finished cooking, combine all ingredients and serve!  Makes 4 servings, but if you like it a lot or if you're feeding teenage boys, it might only be 2 servings. ;)

Enjoy!

Mediterranean Chicken

In case you haven't noticed, I've been tailoring some of my recipes based on ingredients I get from my couponing excursions.  Knorr recipe mixes are one of the things I've been getting pretty cheap, so although I don't normally cook with them, it's been worth my while to experiment with them.  Here's a chicken recipe that I threw together for dinner. It was moist and flavorful, and a cinch to throw in the oven!

Mediterranean Baked Chicken

4 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts**
1 pkg, Knorr Vegetable recipe mix
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 cups water

In 2-quart baking dish, arrange chicken breasts in one layer.  Mix together wine, recipe mix, and water.  Pour over the chicken breasts and bake covered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, and uncovered for another 30 minutes.

**Of course you could use fresh chicken and I encourage it!  But you'll have to adjust the cooking time, so please take that into account when baking!

French Onion Chicken

Yep, it's another slow cooker recipe.  Don't judge!  It's easy, it's quick, it's yummy, and it means minimal dishes.  What's not to love?   I'll confess - this was definitely one of those throw-it-in-the-slow-cooker-and-hope-it-tastes-good days.  And guess what?  It did! Family-approved and everything.

French Onion Chicken

4 frozen chicken breasts
1/4 cup reduced fat sour cream
1/4 cup reduced fat mayo
1 package french onion recipe mix (like Knorr - on sale at GE this week!)

I promise you can do this.  Place chicken in the bottom of slow cooker, still frozen.  Mix together sour cream and mayo.  Dollop evenly on top of the chicken breasts.  Sprinkle french onion mix on top.  Cook on low 6-7 hours.

Enjoy!

2 Meals in One!

Tonight's dinner was approved by both my husband (who likes food) and my cranky, teething toddler (who does not).  It was unseasonably warm again today in western PA, and I really did not want to add heat to the house by cooking.  I did cook a tiny bit, but I did it this morning before it got hot, and just reheated everything this evening. 

However, to tell you about tonight's dinner, I have to start with yesterday's.  A simple yet delicious slow cooker taco chicken.  It goes like this:

Slow Cooker Taco Chicken

4 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 pkg. taco seasoning (I used low sodium)

1/2 cup salsa (I used corn & black bean salsa)

1 can healthy request cream of chicken soup

Place the frozen chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker.  Sprinkle taco seasoning over the top.  Mix together salsa & cream of chicken, and pour that on top.  Cook on high for 4 hours.  Shred the chicken, mix it back in with the cooking juices, and serve in tortillas with your fave taco toppings/sides! 

That was Dinner #1.

This morning, before it got too hot outside I boiled some ditalini pasta.  Here's Dinner #2:

Taco Chicken Ditalini

1 cup of leftover taco chicken w/ sauce

1 cup of ditalini

1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 Tbsp milk

Seriously - that's all you need.  Boil the ditalini according to package directions to al dente.  After draining the pasta, mix the rest of the ingredients in, and warm the whole thing through.  Honestly, I think next time I would add some black beans or corn, or maybe both.  But either way, in my husband's words, "I could eat that... a LOT."

Enjoy!

Chicken & Hashbrowns

This was a Sunday morning inspiration. Thanks to my friend Joelle sharing this link about homemade frozen hash browns, I found myself this weekend wondering how to marry the chicken I had and my previously-frozen hashbrowns. Here's what I came up with, and I ended up using even more leftovers along the way. This was my cleaning-out-the-fridge dish of the weekend, but it's good enough to make it on to my regular menu as well. Hope you'll try it sometime!

Chicken & Hashbrowns

3-4 (depending on size) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1 cup of peas, either frozen or canned**
1 can healthy request cream of mushroom soup
1 10-oz pkg Philly Cooking Creme
2 cups frozen hashbrowns (educated guess)
1 tsp. chicken bouillon
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
4 T. melted butter
1 1/2 cups corn flakes, crushed
fresh ground pepper, to taste

Combine soup, creme, bouillon, 2 T. butter, onion & garlic in a large mixing bowl. Stir in peas and chicken, then hashbrowns. Pour into baking dish. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Mix crushed corn flakes with the remaining butter, and sprinkle on top of the casserole. Bake for another 10 minutes until topping is golden brown and crispy.

I'll admit some of these measurements are educated guesses - at the time I was making it, I was just making it up as I went. :)

**I wanted to use broccoli but I didn't have any. I'll probably try this swap next time around, but it was good with peas.

Quick! Chicken & Rice

Okay, I'll admit it - I'm a sucker for convenience, and that goes for food prep too. Unfortunately, a lot of "fast" food, even when not purchased from a greasy burger joint, is still pretty high in calories, fat and other unfavorable substances. And although I reach for them occasionally, the low-calorie freezer entrees are usually too small and bland to satisfy me, not to mention my husband won't touch them! I can make this in about 10 minutes and it satisfies our family! :) Next time when you're tempted to run to the drive-thru, take this one out for a spin instead!

Quick! Chicken & Rice - Makes 2 servings

1 cup shredded cooked chicken **
1 cup mixed veggies (I use frozen)
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. dried minced onion
1 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
1 pkg. steam-in-bag brown rice OR 2 servings instant brown rice

Cook the rice according to package directions. While the rice is cooking, heat the poil in a pot and add the onion to steep in the oil while it heats. Once the rice is cooked and the oil is warm, add the rice, veggies and chicken to the pan. Cook until all components are warmed through and the onion oil is evenly distributed, about 3 minutes. Add soy sauce and mix thoroughly. Serve while hot and enjoy!

**You can use leftover chicken, or do what I do and reach for the canned cooked chicken breast. I usually keep a couple cans on hand in the pantry just in case!

Slimmed-Down Buffalo Chicken

Buffalo chicken and I have a pretty awesome relationship. But once you add in the ranch and cheese, you're piling on quite a bit of calories for a sandwich, or even a wrap! I was really feeling the need for buffalo chicken this week, so I figured I better hurry up and figure out an alternative before I totally broke the calorie bank. I've already blogged about my husband's awesome discovery of the low-cal lavash bread, and here's a new application for it. Enjoy, buffalo chicken lovers! :)

Buffalo Chicken Wraps - serves 4

4 wedges, Laughing Cow light swiss cheese
4 Tbsp light Ranch dressing
1/8 cup hot sauce (I use Frank's Red Hot)
1 can chunk chicken breast
2 sheets lavash bread
1 cup broccoli slaw **

Start by shredding the can of chicken chunks. Heat in a skillet with the hot sauce over medium heat, until warm and mixed. Soften the cheese wedges in the microwave with the Ranch dressing - careful, only a few seconds are needed to warm it up! Cut the lavash sheets in half horizontally to make 4 rectangles. Mix the cheese and Ranch together and divide equally among the 4 rectangles. Spread onto 1/3 of each rectangle on one end. Layer 1/4 of the chicken mixture on each wrap on top of the cheese mixture. Top each one with 1/4 cup of broccoli slaw and roll it up! Enjoy warm, or you could chill it if you prefer it to be cold - both are tasty!

** I really like broccoli slaw, but if that's not something you have on hand, you could use chopped celery, regular slaw, or your favorite lettuce. Just something green to add veggies, volume and get some crunch!