Chicken Broccoli & Rice Casserole

If you're in the mood for a good southern casserole or ever wanted a good recipe for Chicken Broccoli and Rice Casserole then look no further!  This is my go to recipe for casseroles and especially if I'm in the mood for a good chicken casserole.

It's creamy with lots of flavor and texture, it's warm, tasty and filling!


Ingredients

1 Package of Instant Rice
2-3 Chicken breasts
1 Cup of broccoli florets
2 Cups of chicken broth
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 cup of flour
1/2 cup of grated white cheese
crackers
Shredded cheddar cheese

 Prepare the instant rice according to package directions and set aside.

My chicken breasts were extremely thick so I halved them lengthwise….. With one of the chicken breasts I opted to slice it into three separate pieces

I Seasoned with salt and pepper


And then diced them up into thin strips which would cook quick..

Saute the chicken until it's done.

In a skillet or sauce pan add 2 cups of chicken broth and 1/2 cup of milk and allow it to slowly simmer. In a separate container, add the remaining 1/2 cup of milk along with the 1/2 cup of flour and stir together well.  Once the mixture is thoroughly mixed add it to the simmering broth.

Once the chicken broth mixture begins to thicken add the shredded white cheese of your choice and allow it to melt completely… once the cheese has melted add the rice.

 

Then add the coarsely chopped cooked chicken.

Gently boil the broccoli until it is tender and then add it to the chicken and rice.

Once all of the ingredients have been mixed together place them in a casserole dish and top with shredded cheddar cheese and crushed crackers….. then bake at 350 degrees for approx. 30 min.

Knorr Smokey Mac & Cheese Pasta

I found this recipe on the back of one of my "emergency pasta" dinners.  It sounded so delicious I was forced to give it a try!  …. So, I followed the directions and the results were (of course) absolutely delicious!!  I posted my pictures and the Knorr recipe below.  If you decide to give it a try you WON'T be disappointed!!

1)  Start with the Knorr 'pasta sides' in the chicken flavor.  The recipe is on the back of this bag!  Prepare it according to package instructions with 2 cups of water and a Tbsp. of butter, which you bring to a boil and then add the contents of the bag.

In the mean while, cook at least two slices of bacon ( I used several more) until they are crispy enough to serve as bacon bits in the pasta.  I cooked mine in the microwave for 3 minutes (covered with a paper towel to keep my microwave clean) .  I learned a long time ago that I HATE frying bacon and one of those 'microwave bacon plates' has totally served it's usefulness in this house!!

I chopped one small green and red bell pepper from my garden.  The recipe called for a chopped onion but personally, I'm not too crazy about onions so I didn't add one.

The recipe also called for shredded pepper jack cheese and the only thing I had was several slices of pepper jack cheese…. so….

I chopped 4 pepper jack slices of cheese and this is what I ended up with including my tiny garden bell peppers.

Chop two cups of cooked chicken.

Bring your pasta to a boil according to the package instructions.

Once the bacon was finished cooking I chopped it to use as bacon bits.

Add your chopped chicken, chopped bacon, bell peppers and pepper jack cheese during the last 2-3 minutes of cooking (the recipe calls for a chopped onion which I didn't add because I typically don't like onions).  Stir in until everything is well incorporated.

Smokey Bacon, Chicken, Mac & Cheese pasta…. quick, easy and great for a busy afternoon dinner.  This recipe also works great when utilizing left-overs for 'next day' lunch!!

Chicken Asian Stir-Fry

Well I'm at it again... cooking things I may or may not like!!  But hey, if you're a foodie such as myself you'll give anything a try at least once!

I came across this recipe at www.kraftrecipes.com.  If you haven't checked out this site you NEED to.  It is awesome when it comes to simple, easy, flavor-filled recipes.

This was one of their NUMEROUS stir-fry chicken recipes... and I have to say, the thing I like the most is that it was QUICK AND EASY.... and for an amateur cook such as myself, the phrase "quick and easy" means a lot!  I also thought the flavor was delicious and knew right away this would be a dish I could easily take as a left-over to lunch the following day and still enjoy!

You start with the following Ingredients:

1/2lb. angel hair pasta
2-3 cups of broccoli (or any other veggie you prefer)
2 chicken breasts -(sliced thin or chopped into chunks).. mine were already chopped and cooked

Seasoning Ingredients:
1/2 cup of Sesame Asian Toasted salad resign
2Tbsp of Soy Sauce
1/2 tsp of ginger
1/2 tsp of garlic

Mix all of the seasoning ingredients together.  Cook pasta according to package directions and during the last 3 minutes of cooking add broccoli ... I opted to use some frozen broccoli that I had on hand so I added my broccoli for that last 7-8 minutes of cooking.

If your chicken has not been previously cooked and chopped, place your chicken ( in small pieces) into a skillet coated with non-stick spray.  Cook until 1/2 way done and then add your seasoning ingredients and continue cooking until the chicken is completely done.  Then add your pasta & broccoli (or substitute veggie) mixture and stir together until all seasonings are incorporated and the chicken is cooked all the way through.

Add the pasta & broccoli mixture to the chicken and then stir together until fully incorporated.  Remove from heat and top with 1/3 cup of dry roasted peanuts and a drizzle of the Sesame Toasted Asian salad dressing.

Marsala Chicken with Seared Potatoes & Broccoli

After going to a Metropolitan Cooking show in Houston Texas I decided to purchase one of those "smokeless indoor grills" that you place on your stove to grill fruits and vegetables.  The Houston cooking expo demonstrated the product and from that point forward I was hooked!!

For my first recipe I opted for a grilled chicken flavored with some Marsala cooking wine and seasoned with my Tastefully Simple season salt and "garlic garlic" seasonings.  I basically have only one comment to make regarding the meal...DELICIOUS!!  I've had several really bad ideas when it comes to cooking in the kitchen... but thankfully, this wasn't one of them!

I started with my chicken breasts and placed them in a ziploc bag and used a meat mallet to pound them out to approximately 1/4 inch thick.

This is a picture I took of the chicken AFTER I used a meat mallet to pound it out to about 1/4 inch thick.

Once I finished pounding the chicken I seasoned it with some Tastefully Simple seasoned salt and "garlic, garlic" seasonings.  The picture on the right shows my newest kitchen purchase of an "indoor smokeless grill."  This gadget allows me to grill meats and vegetables indoors and without the smoke.  The bottom pan has a hollow "ring" around the bottom which I put approximately 1/2 cup of Marsala Cooking Wine into in order to add some flavor to the chicken.

I placed the chicken on my smokeless grill (which I set to medium/high heat) and allowed it to cook for approximately 7-8 minutes on each side.

As the chicken cooked, you can see how it begins to turn more "white" colored as opposed to its natural "flesh" colored tone.

The picture to the left shows the chicken during the middle of the cooking process.  It's obvious I added one of the chicken breasts (the one on the bottom) LATER on after the first one was almost done.

This is the fully cooked piece of chicken... which turned out to be tender enough to cut with a fork and deliciously flavorful!

I added some frozen broccoli to my skillet and flavored it with some Marsala cooking wine along with some season salt and pepper.  I covered with a lid and cooked until the broccoli was cooked through completely.

I chopped some red potatoes and seasoned them with season salt and "garlic, garlic" seasonings.  I used olive oil to prevent the potatoes from sticking and add some moisture, flavor and fast to the potatoes.

And here is the complete meal.  Altogether, it took maybe 20-30 minutes to cook everything.  It's definitely one of my better ideas when it comes to cooking!

Grilled Orange Butt Chicken

This chicken recipe is without a doubt one of my husband’s favorites!  It’s moist, tender and juicy, all of which makes for a delicious piece of grilled chicken!

1)  You start with a chicken and a can of orange soda.  The easiest way to prepare it is to push the unopened can of orange soda into the chicken cavity through the “butt end” of the chicken.  (Make sure the top of the can is upright!!  Do not place it upside down in the chicken!) 

2)  Once the can has been inserted make sure to sit the chicken upright to determine whether or not you need to make any final adjustments so that it “sits” comfortably on the can without leaning, falling over, etc… before putting it on the grill.

3) Season however you like, I used Tastefully Simple's "Everyday Grilling Seasoning", and then carefully reach inside the chicken cavity and open the can of orange soda.

4)  Place your chicken on the grill.  For this recipe, I used indirect heat and cooked at a temperature of about 350 degrees.   It usually takes about 45 minutes to cook but depending on the size of the chicken it could take longer so make sure to prepare the dish when you have plenty of time to use your grill.

The burner directly under the chicken is off.
I am cooking with the burner on the
right side of the picture.

And here we have the finished product!!  I cooked this chicken for a little over an hour since it was a bit bigger than the smaller ones I've cooked in the past.

Tip:  If you notice your chicken looks like it's drying out during the cooking process, baste it with some orange juice.  It gives the chicken a beautiful color, adds to the taste of the "orange butt chicken" and really moistens it up.

BBQ Bacon Chicken Pizza - YUM!

If you're a fan of BBQ pizzas here is a simple and EASY recipe that's quick to put together and "tastefully simple."  In a nutshell you need a pizza crust, chicken, bacon, BBQ Sauce, cheese and which ever toppings you prefer but I decided to include a more detailed list below.

Ingredients:
1) Pizza Crust
2) Non-stick cooking spray (or olive oil)
3) 1 Cup of BBQ Sauce of your choice (I prefer a good bit of sauce with mine but you could easily use     more or less BBQ Sauce.
4) 1-2lbs. of chopped chicken - depending on how much you prefer
5) 2 Cups of Shredded Cheddar Cheese &/or Mozzarella Cheese
6) Pizza toppings - I used Chopped Onion & Bell Pepper (which were frozen but it didn't matter - they don't have to be cooked for this recipe)
7) Bacon, Bacon seasoning from "Tastefully Simple" - or bacon bits if that's what you have.


I used a store bought pizza crust but I'm sure any crust would work.  I find this specific crust to be a bit "sticky" or "doughy" because I prefer a thicker crusted pizza so the dough tends to be more dense.  You will definitely want some non-stick type of spray or just use some regular olive oil on your pizza pan or cookie sheet... whichever you choose to bake it on.

1) Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.

2) Spray your baking pan GENEROUSLY with the non-stick spray and spread your pizza dough out.  What I like about this specific dough is that it doesn't have to be perfect (as you can tell from my picture below.. lol).  Pre-bake according to package directions.  For this, it was 8 minutes at 400 degrees.

3) Once your crust has pre-baked, spread your BBQ sauce all over the crust.  You do not need any pizza sauce with this recipe! I made this mistake once and (to me) it wasn't good at all!

4) Begin your toppings by spreading the chopped chicken all over the crust.  I seasoned mine with some "Tastefully Simple" seasoned salt and garlic during the cooking process but I'm sure whatever you have on hand would be delicious as well!

5)  Layer the shredded cheese and the other pizza toppings over the chicken and BBQ Sauce.

6) Add the bacon bits last or if you happen to have the Bacon, Bacon Seasoning sprinkle a generous amount over the pizza.

6) Bake according to package instructions or until the dough is done and the cheese has fully melted.

Enjoy!