Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

I have been making these for years.  They are so easy and so very tasty.  There are a couple ways you can make these...I'll share the different variations with you.  And, as always, I double this recipe for my gigantic family.

Ingredients:

*1- 12 oz can evaporated milk (NOT sweetened condensed milk)
*2 small cans cream of chicken soup OR 1 large can
*1 can green chilies
*1 onion, chopped
*3 cups shredded chicken OR 2 cans of chicken OR 1 lb ground beef
*1 1/2 cup grated cheese (I use cheddar)
*Corn OR flour tortillas (I use corn...the flour tortillas tend to get soggy)

Procedure:

1.  Preheat oven to 350*

2.  Brown and drain the beef, if that is the meat of your choice.

3.  Boil and shred chicken, if using shredded chicken.

4.  Spray  a 9x13 or 10x15 baking dish

5.  Mix the evaporated milk, soup, onions, meat, and chilies in a saucepan.  Heat through.

6.  Cover the bottom of the baking dish with a very thin layer of the sauce.

7.  Cover the sauce with one layer of tortillas.

8.  Cover the tortillas with a layer of sauce.

9.  Continue layering until you end with the last of your sauce. Top with cheese.

10.  Bake until heated through, about 30-40 minutes.

*NOTE:  I usually serve these enchiladas with Mexican Rice.

Wild Rice and Chicken (or Turkey) Soup

The first time I made this soup for my family, my kids told me that it looked like vomit, but that it tasted good.  I was offended and pleased at the same time.  I hope your family likes this soup.  FYI...I double this recipe to feed my village of 8.

What you'll need:

*1 6.2-ounce package quick-cooking long grain and wild rice mix
*2 TBSP butter or margarine
*4 oz. mushrooms, stems removed and sliced (about 1.5 cups)
*2 stalks celery, sliced (1 cup)
*2 14-ounce cans chicken broth
*1/4 tsp. black pepper
*2 cups chopped, cooked chicken or turkey
*1 cup whipping cream

What you'll do:

1.  Prepare the rice (using the seasoning packet) according to package directions.  Omit the butter it calls for.

2.  In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Add the mushrooms and celery.  Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the veggies are almost tender and most of the mushroom liquid has evaporated; stir occasionally.  Add broth and pepper.  Bring to a boil; then reduce heat.  Simmer, covered, for 5 minutes.  Stir in the rice, chicken (or turkey), and cream.  Heat through.

Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli Rice

I made this rice dish for dinner tonight. Everyone LOVED it! When making this dish please keep in mind that I cook for a family of 9 people. So, if you're cooking for a family of 5 you're probably going to want to cut this recipe in half...unless you want LOTS of leftovers!

What you'll need:

*2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
*3 c. white rice, cooked
*1 lb. (16 oz.) Velveeta cheese, cubed
*1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed

What you do:

1. Add 3 cups white rice to 6 cups of boiling water. Cover and simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes, or until rice is tender.

2. Cut chicken breasts into cubes and cook in a large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat until the chicken is no longer pink.

3. Add the chicken, Velveeta and broccoli to the rice; cover. Remove from heat. Let stand for 10 min. Stir until Velveeta is completely melted and mixture is well blended.

4. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Chinese Lemon Chicken

I got so excited when I saw this recipe on Stephanie's blog. I have always had a "thing" for Chinese food. And since this is made in the slow-cooker aka Crock Pot, that makes it oh-so-easy!

Here's what you will need to make this delicious chicken:

*4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
*1/2 cup all-purpose flour
*2 tsp. salt
*1/2 can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
*3 Tbsp. brown sugar
*1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
*3 Tbsp. ketchup
*Olive oil for browning the chicken

Here's what you do:

*Cut chicken into strips or large chunks.
*Coat chicken in flour and salt, shaking off excess.
*Brown chicken in a skillet with a bit of olive oil (do not cook the chicken, just give it some color).
*Place the chicken in the slow-cooker.
*Mix remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour over the chicken.
*Cover and cook on high for 4 hours, low for 6-8 hours.

This is what your chicken will look like after cooking for a couple hours.

Now it's time for me to make a few changes to this recipe. First, the next time I make it I will be doubling this recipe. I have a large family (a total of 8). Needless to say, this didn't feed everyone. Second, I won't cook it as long the next time around. One would think (okay, maybe it's just me) that meat doesn't dry out in a slow-cooker. It does! I cooked this on low for about 7 hours, which was too long. The chicken was a tad dry and my daughter told me that it made her lose her appetite. DRAMA. Third, I will follow the recipe and add only 1/2 can of the lemonade. I added the whole can because it didn't look like I was going to have enough liquid in the cooker. This ended up making the chicken and sauce very bitter.

I served the chicken with rice I made in the rice cooker and steamed Normandy blend.

All in all, it was pretty tasty. My youngest three children didn't care for it all that much. I think that was because of how bitter it tasted. Everyone else liked it, except for one child who wasn't home to get any.