Taco Chicken (with Rice and Queso)

Here is an easy recipe for some quick taco chicken with rice and queso for tacos or burritos. Enjoy!

Taco Chicken (with Rice and Queso)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. chicken, cubed
• 1 Tbl cooking oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp dried cilantro (optional)
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. Add chicken to a hot skillet with the oil and seasonings. 
2. Stir and cook until your chicken is no longer pink and golden brown. 

For Rice and Queso:

1. Get how ever many packages of Uncle Ben's Ready Rice in your desired flavor. Add to a large skillet  over medium heat with enough water to help heat and soften the rice 1-2 Tbl (up to maybe 1/4 cup) per package. (Alternatively, heat rice up according to package directions.)
2. Heat up prepackaged queso, or make your own with this recipe: https://1brother2sisters.blogspot.com/2024/09/homemade-queso.html

Use this chicken, rice and queso to make excellent burritos, tacos and more! Note: you will need to get tortillas, taco shells, and other desired taco toppings as well.

Faux Rotisserie Chicken Crock Pot

If you need some rotisserie chicken but you don't actually have a rotisserie chicken, you can do this instead! It's yummy and easy.

Put as much chicken in the crock pot that you want to make, or go for a nice even layer in the bottom of the pot. Season to your liking with either a seasoning blend OR salt, pepper, ranch seasoning mix, garlic and paprika (I just go for a nice even coating on the top of all pieces of chicken). Cover and cook until easy to shred with a hand-mixer or forks (original recipe said 4 hours on low, but it just depends on how much chicken you are using and if it is fresh or frozen). No need to add extra liquid.

I used this in my Chicken Cobbler recipe for an easy dinner: https://1brother2sisters.blogspot.com/2023/03/chicken-cobbler.html

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

I love chicken cordon bleu, so when I saw a recipe to make it into a casserole, I was pretty excited. The original recipe we tried is from Six Sisters Stuff, and it tasted almost exactly like my chicken cordon bleu soup recipe... so while good... it was nothing new or exciting. Plus, Chris is not a huge fan of cream soups right now, and so because it was so similar, he wasn't impressed. BUT! I thought, what if we did noodles instead of potatoes?!!! And everyone liked it a lot!

Find the original recipe here: https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/recipe/chicken-cordon-bleu-potatoes/#wprm-recipe-container-109529

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Ingredients:

• 12 small golden potatoes or 1/2 pkg pasta
• ¼ cup butter
• ¼ cup flour
• 2 cups milk
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• salt and pepper to taste
• 8 ounces cooked ham diced
• 1 1/2 cups cooked chicken diced or shredded
• 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese divided (could also use mozzarella or Provolone cheese)
• Crushed croutons (opt.)

Directions:

1. Wash and slice yellow potatoes and boil them for about 7 to 10 minutes or until fork tender. OR boil your pasta just a few minutes less than package directions (pasta will continue to cook in the oven).
2. In a medium sauce pan melt the butter over medium heat. Add onion powder, garlic salt, and salt and pepper to your flour and mix. Then add in the flour mixture to the pan with the melted butter and stir with a whisk until well blended. Then slowly add in milk and continue stirring with a whisk until smooth and creamy.
3. Lightly grease a 9 x 9 inch square baking dish. 
4. If doing potatoes: Cover bottom of pan lightly with about 1/4 cup of the sauce. Spread half of the sliced potatoes in the bottom of the pan. Top with half of the ham and half of the chicken. Pour half of the sauce and then top with about 1/2 cup of cheese. Then repeat layers starting with potatoes, ham, chicken, sauce and the rest of your cheese.
5. If doing pasta: Add your ham, chicken, 1 1/2 cups Swiss, and your cooked pasta to the pan with your sauce (if it will fit, otherwise use a big bowl), and mix all of your casserole ingredients together. Dump into a 9x9 pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray, smooth out and then top with remaining Swiss cheese.
6. Bake in 375 oven for 25 to 30 minutes until heated through. A few minutes before the casserole is done baking, top with crushed croutons, if desired and finish off the bake.

Chicken Cobbler

One of the new viral recipes floating around the inter-webs is this chicken cobbler. We tried it out last night and got positive reviews from our family (with the exception of William not liking peas and carrots, but he just picked them out). It's an easy casserole-type meal where everything you need is in one bowl: meat, veggies, bread. Enjoy! (In this picture, I used up some bacon bits, which you can see on my spoon, and it was yummy too.)

Chicken Cobbler

Ingredients:

• 1 stick melted butter
• 3-4 cups shredded chicken (or one shredded rotisserie)
• 16 oz. frozen veggies
• seasoning of choice (salt, pepper, garlic powder, etc.)
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 can chicken broth
• 1 pkg. Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit mix w/seasoning packet
• 2 cups milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 
2. Melt one stick of butter in a 9x13 pan. 
3. Top with chicken, then veggies, then season to taste. 
4. Mix together cream of chicken soup and chicken broth, and pour over veggies. Do not stir. 
5. Next, mix Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit mix and included seasoning packet with 2 cups of milk. Pour over veggies. Do not stir. 
6. Bake for 30 minutes, or until top is golden brown and filling is bubbly.

Marsha's Notes:

• I cooked a bag of frozen chicken breasts in the Instant Pot and then shredded it and layered enough chicken in my 9x13 to nicely cover the bottom of the pan, and then froze the rest of the shredded chicken. You can also just use one precooked rotisserie chicken to get your shredded chicken. 
• I did not precook my frozen veggies. I used about a half a bag of frozen peas and carrots with a half a bag of frozen corn (because we don't like the frozen mix that includes green beans), but you can use whatever veggies you want. Just do a nice layer over the chicken. For William, I might just make one end of the pan corn and then do peas and carrots over the other 2/3-3/4's of the pan. 
• Lastly, some recipes suggest adding about a 1/2 cup shredded cheese to the biscuit batter before pouring it over the casserole. I can't see why that would be anything but a good idea, but have not done it yet.

Chicken Dorito Casserole

I saw this video on Tiktok and it seemed like just the sort of thing my kiddos would love, and it WAS! It even has some veggies in it. Shhhh! Don't tell!

Chicken Dorito Casserole

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes, drained
• 1 can corn, drained
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 pkt. taco seasoning
• 8 oz. shredded cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 bag Doritos, crushed (you can crush them in the bag with your hands)

Directions: 

1. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except Doritos and 4 oz. of shredded cheese (half of the cheese). 
2. In a 9x13, layer 1/3 of your crushed Doritos, then half your chicken mixture, then another 1/3 Doritos, then the rest of your chicken mixture, and then top with the remaining Doritos and 4 oz. shredded cheese on top. 
3. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until a thermometer reaches 160 degrees in the center.

Marsha's Notes:

You can also add beans, olives, or any other tex-mex-style ingredients that you want. Enjoy! 

Chicken Taco Casserole

Another hit from Six Sister's Stuff. This is their chicken taco casserole recipe. If soggy taco chips are not your thing, you can easily omit them and add them fresh to your dish/plate at the end (although, some of the chips managed to keep their crunch even after baking in the oven, FYI). You can also switch things up by adding or omitting anything you like. For example, I would add olives and possibly corn while topping with sour cream and lettuce. Chris would leave out the beans. You could also use hamburger taco meat instead of chicken. So make it the way you like it. See the original recipe here:

https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/recipe/chicken-taco-casserole/#wprm-recipe-container-96675

Chicken Taco Casserole Recipe

Ingredients:

• 21.5 ounces cream of chicken soup 2 (10.75 oz cans)
• 1½ cups sour cream
• 14 ounces diced tomatoes with green chilis 1 can, (we used Ro-tel)
• 15 ounces black beans 1 can (rinsed and drained)
• 1 ounce taco seasoning 1 packet
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cooked and shredded
• 13 ounces tortilla chips 1 bag
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch pan.
3. In a large bowl, combine the chicken soup, sour cream, diced tomatoes, black beans, taco seasoning and chicken. Set aside.
4. Crush chips (I just crush them with my hands) and spread half of them on the bottom of the pan
5. Spread half of the chicken mixture over the tortillas.  
6. Top with 1 cup of cheese. Repeat layers.
7. Bake for 30 minutes, until bubbly and cheese is starting to brown.

Marsha's Notes:

It was super easy to crush the chips in the bag once you open it just a touch to let the air out. I also think I prefer, if using chicken, to have it shredded. We tried small chunks because that was what I had leftover from another recipe and it was fine, but not as good I think as if it had been shredded. Also, I looked it up, and I believe 1 oz. taco seasoning is about 2 Tbl if you are using loose stuff. If you leave the chips out, I think this would make a pretty good dip or spread that you could either put on a bed of freshly crushed chips on your place and eat with a fork, or you could put the casserole directly on the plate and dip into it with intact chips.

One-Pan Ranch Chicken

One the hunt for healthy, tasty recipes, I stumbled upon a website called "Hungry Girl." I modified her recipe for one-pan ranch chicken. To see the original recipe, go here: https://www.hungry-girl.com/weekly-recipes/easy-ranch-chicken-skillet

One-Pan Ranch Chicken

Ingredients-

• boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and either shredded or cubed (Instant Pot chicken recipe)
• salt
• black pepper
• 2 pkg. frozen riced cauliflower
• 1 bag frozen mixed vegetables of your choice
• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 1/2 brick light/reduced-fat cream cheese
• 1 envelope ranch dressing/dip seasoning mix

Directions-

1. Heat frozen cauliflower and mixed veggies in a large non-stick pan with some water in the bottom of the pan to steam (maybe 1/2 cup). Mix well. 
2. Cover and cook until veggies are tender. 
3. When veggies are just about done, add in as much of your cooked chicken as desired (maybe 1/3 of an entire bag of frozen chicken cooked in the Instant Pot), sour cream, cream cheese and ranch seasoning. 
4. Salt and pepper to taste.
5. Top with additional cheese of your choice, if desired.

Marsha's Notes:

You could easily sub canned chicken, rotisserie chicken, or any other kind of meat you like. The Instant Pot is not required, but I currently like to cook big batches of chicken that way, and this is a good recipe to use it in.

Marsha's Easy Biscuit Chicken Pot Pie

The original recipe for this came from Six Sisters Stuff, but I modified it just slightly. Everyone in my family really liked it and it appears to be another way to get the boys to eat some veggies. Yay!

See the original recipe here: https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/recipe/easy-biscuit-chicken-pot-pie/#wprm-recipe-container-98158

Easy Biscuit Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 bag frozen veggies of your choice
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 Tablespoons butter
• ½ cup flour
• 1½ cups milk
• 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 10.5 ounces cream of chicken soup 1 can
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cooked and shredded
• 16.3 ounces Pillsbury Grand Biscuits 1 can, 8 count (I used the flaky layer biscuits and everyone liked it)
• Sprinkling of garlic salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Prepare frozen veggies according to package directions
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Transfer cooked vegetables to a bowl with the shredded chicken; set aside.
5. Add butter to saucepan over medium heat. When melted, stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute.
6. Slowly whisk in the milk, chicken broth, cream of chicken soup and thyme. Allow the sauce to come to a simmer and let it simmer for 1 minute to thicken. Season with salt and pepper and garlic salt to taste.
7. Turn off the heat and transfer the vegetables and chicken to the pot, stirring until the filling is well-combined. If the filling is too thick, stir in some extra chicken broth milk.
8. Pour the filling into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and bake for 18 minutes.
9. Remove the dish from the oven (keeping the oven on and door closed) and top the filling with 8 biscuits (yes, raw biscuits).
10. Return the baking dish to the oven and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes, until the biscuits are golden brown and the filling is bubbly.
11. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Marsha's Notes: 

To have potatoes in our filling, I tried using part of a bag of peas and carrots with part of a bag of "stew veggies." It worked okay, but the stew veggies were really cut too big for a pot pie, and it had these whole pearl onions in it that had to be chopped anyway. So instead, for ease, I might try adding canned potatoes next time and use part of a bag of frozen peas and carrots and part of a bag of frozen corn. But really, you can use any veggies you like.

This was another recipe that is great for using shredded Instant Pot chicken.

Chicken Tuscan Pasta

 I found this recipe originally from the Six Sister's Stuff website, but I made it just a touch different than they describe. To see the original recipe, go here: https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/recipe/20-minute-tuscan-pasta-freezer-meal/

It was quick, easy, and everyone LOVED it! Yay! I actually think the boys thought the sundried tomatoes in the recipe were pieces of bacon. Ha, ha! I won't tell if you won't.

Chicken Tuscan Pasta

Ingredients:

• 16 ounces bow tie pasta 1 box
• 4 Tablespoons butter
• 4 garlic cloves finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
• ½ Tablespoon dried basil
• 8 ounces cream cheese softened and cut into small cubes
• 8 ounces sun dried tomatoes 1 jar, rinsed, drained and chopped
• 2 cups milk
• 8 ounces parmesan cheese grated
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt more to taste if needed
• 1 cup chicken cooked and cubed

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. While it's cooking, prepare the sauce.
2. In a medium pot or skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring the whole time. Stir in the dried basil. Add the cream cheese, stirring with a whisk until the mixture is smooth. It will look curdled at first, but with constant whisking for 2-3 minutes, it will become a smooth creamy paste. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes.
3. Keep cooking over medium heat and add the milk and whisk quickly and constantly until it is blended into the sauce. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, pepper and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the cheese is melted and the sauce is the desired consistency, 5-10 minutes.
4. Serve over hot, cooked noodles. I put my chicken on top, or you can mix it in. You can also make this as a one-pan dish by adding the noodles and chicken directly to the sauce in the pan, toss, and plate in a large family-style bowl for serving.

Marsha's Notes:

Raw Chicken: I prepped the chicken earlier in the day and then added it to the pan at dinner time. I used two large chicken breasts, cut them into bite-sized pieces, put in my largest frying pan, and then tossed with some oil and my favorite seasoning/rub blend. Cook and then store in the fridge until you are ready to make the pasta and sauce. Otherwise, cook, remove from pan, then make your sauce in the same pan you cooked the chicken in and add the chicken back in later.

Canned Chicken: I used canned chicken in this recipe. To not end up with either leftover sauce and no noodles, or leftover noodles and no sauce, we just mixed the entire dish together, noodles, sauce and all, in the pan that I cooked it all in and then placed everything in TWO 9x9 pans. I topped each pan with extra parmesan cheese. One pan I popped under the broiler in the oven to brown the cheese. The other pan I covered in foil and placed in the freezer. I wrote on the foil, "Thaw and bake for 30 min at 350." 

Using the tiny bowtie pasta, the frozen pan did end up being a bit dry, so I would try another noodle or use more sauce next time.

I have also used regular bowtie pasta and served to our family plus guests and it turned out just fine in the ratio of sauce and noodles without too many leftovers.

Chicken Enchiladas

A submission from Krystal!

Chicken Enchiladas

Ingreidents:

• 2 cups chopped cooked chicken or turkey
• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, cubed
• 1 jar (8 oz) salsa (or enchilada sauce), divided
• 8 (6 in) flour tortillas
• 3/4 lb (12 oz) Velveeta, cut up
• 1/4 cup milk

Directions:

1. Stir chicken, bell pepper, cream cheese and ½ cup salsa in saucepan on low heat until cream cheese is melted.  
2. Spoon 1/3 cup chicken mixture down center of each tortilla; roll up.  
3. Place, seam-side down, in lightly greased 12x8 baking dish.  
4. Stir Velveeta and milk in saucepan on low heat until smooth.  
5. Pour sauce over tortillas; cover with foil.  
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated.  
7. Pour remaining salsa over tortillas.

Million Dollar Chicken Bake

This recipe has a lot of the same ingredients as the cheesy bacon toasts that my family LOVES, so I knew we had to try it. It turned out super yummy, but I did notice that the chicken released a lot of "water" into the bottom of the baking dish, so I might try next time to grill the chicken first, then put them in a baking dish, cover with the cheese spread, and just broil in the oven to melt everything. But you can make it as directed if you want. To see the original recipe, click here:

https://easyfamilyrecipes.com/million-dollar-chicken-bake/

Million Dollar Chicken Bake

Ingreidents:

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts thinly cut or pounded
• 6 oz cream cheese softened
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup crispy bacon crumbled (about 8 slices)
• 1/2 cup green onions chopped (about 4 onions)
• 1.5 cups colby jack cheese shredded
• Preheat the oven to 350˚F

Directions:

1. In a medium sized bowl, mix cream cheese, mayo, bacon crumbles, green onion and half of the cheddar cheese together until combined.
2. Place the chicken breast in a baking dish and spread the cheese mixture over the chicken. Top with remaining cheddar cheese.
3. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through (165˚F internal temperature), or pre-cook the chicken on a grill, then place in a baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray, spread your cheese spread on the chicken and broil to melt.

Keto Chicken Broccoli Casserole

My mother and aunt both recommended this for watching carbs, and both Scott and I thought it was pretty tasty! See the original recipe here: https://thatlowcarblife.com/keto-chicken-broccoli-casserole/

Keto Chicken Broccoli Casserole

Ingredients:

• 20 ounces fresh broccoli florets (I used a bag of frozen broccoli)
• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup freshly grated cheddar cheese
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups cooked, chopped chicken (I used two large cans of chicken)
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Add the broccoli to a large microwave safe bowl along with 2 tablespoons of water. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and microwave for 2 minutes. Let sit, covered, for 2 minutes. (If using frozen, then you want to basically prepare it according to the package directions... maybe for a minute or two less than it says because broccoli will continue to cook in the oven so it just depends on your desired level of doneness.)
3. Carefully remove the plastic wrap and drain the liquid.
4. Add the cream cheese, mayonnaise, cheddar, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to a small bowl and mix well to combine.
5. Stir the cream cheese mixture and chicken into the steamed broccoli until well combined.
6. Transfer broccoli to a 9x13 baking dish and sprinkle the Parmesan over the top.
7. Bake for 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.

Cheesy Tater-Topped Chicken Casserole

I found this recipe years ago and am now copying it here from our family cookbook binder. Enjoy!

Cheesy Tater-Topped Chicken Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 bag (24 oz) frozen broccoli, carrots, cauliflower and cheese-flavored sauce
• 2 cups diced cooked chicken 
• 4 medium green onions, chopped (1/4 cup)
• 4 cups frozen potato nuggets (from 2-lb bag)
• 1/2 cup finely shredded Cheddar cheese (2 oz)

Directions:

1. If you can’t find the Green Giant veggies with the cheese sauce already included, you can used frozen veggies and then add to them any prepared packaged cheese sauce mix that you can find, or make your own cheese sauce from scratch.
2. Heat oven to 375 degrees. 
3. In ungreased 11x7 glass baking dish, place broccoli, carrots, cauliflower and cheese sauce.  Microwave uncovered on high 3 to 5 minutes, stirring once, until thawed.  Stir well until cheese sauce is melted.  
4. Stir chicken and 3 Tbl. of onions into mixture.  
5. Top with frozen tater tots (use just enough to cover dish).  
6. Bake uncovered 40-45 minutes or until bubbly around edges and potato nuggets are golden brown.  
7. Sprinkle with cheese and remaining 1 Tbl. onion. 
8. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Shredded Mexican Chicken

I found this recipe years ago and am now copying it here from our family cookbook binder. Enjoy! This is how a Latin coworker of mine told me how to make some good chicken for tacos.

Shredded Mexican Chicken

Ingredients:

All amounts depend on how much chicken you want in the end for soft tacos:

• Chicken  
• Oil 
• Season-All
• Various other seasonings

Directions:

1. Cook chicken in a frying pan over medium heat.  
2. Generously sprinkle with Season-All while cooking.  Let cool and shred chicken.  
3. Place back in pan with a small amount of oil.  
4. Sprinkle with more Season-All and various seasonings to taste (Mrs. Dash garlic and herb, little crushed red pepper, black pepper, etc.).  
5. Add just a touch of lemon juice and fry until golden brown.  
6. Serve on small warmed tortillas with assorted toppings or salsa.

Quick Chicken and Dumplings

I found this recipe years ago and am now copying it here from our family cookbook binder. Enjoy!

Quick Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups milk
• 1 cup frozen peas and carrots
• 1 cup cut-up cooked chicken
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup Bisquick Mix
• 1/3 cup milk
• Paprika, if desired

Directions:

1. Heat 1 ½ cups milk, peas and carrots, chicken and soup to boiling in a 3 qt. saucepan, stirring frequently.  
2. Stir Bisquick and 1/3 cup milk until soft dough forms.  
3. Drop by 8 spoonfuls onto chicken mixture (do not drop directly into liquid).  
4. Sprinkle with paprika.  
5. Cook uncovered over low heat 10 minutes.  Cover and cook 10 minutes longer.  For tender dumplings, don’t over-mix the dough.

Creamed Chicken and Biscuits

I found this recipe years ago and am now copying it here from our family cookbook binder. Enjoy!

Creamed Chicken and Biscuits

Ingredients:

• ½ large onion
• 1 ½ tsp. butter
• 4 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 1 (10.5 oz) can cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup chopped pimiento
• 1 cup shredded mild cheddar (divided)
• 6 frozen biscuits, thawed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  
2. Grease the bottom and sides of an 11x7 inch baking dish.  
3. Chop the onion.  Heat butter in a small non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until melted.  Stir in onion.  Sauté until tender.  
4. Combine onion, chicken, soup, sour cream, milk and pimiento in a medium bowl and mix well.  
5. Spoon mixture into prepared baking dish.  
6. Bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven.  
7. Sprinkle baked layer with ¾ cup of the cheddar.  Arrange biscuits in single layer over top.  Sprinkle with remaining cheddar.  
8. Bake until biscuits are golden brown and the sauce is bubbly, about 20 minutes longer.  Serve immediately.

Marsha's Chicken Enchilada Soup

The original recipe I based mine on was from Our Best Bites. Here is Marsha's version... Enjoy!

Marsha's Chicken Enchilada Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 5–6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 red, yellow or orange bell pepper, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 heaping teaspoon cumin
• 1 heaping teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, divided
• 1 cup water
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Shredded breast meat from 1 medium rotisserie chicken or use 2 cups cooked chicken, cubed or shredded or canned
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• sour cream
• shredded cheddar or pepper jack cheese
• crunchy tortilla strips (salad topping)

Directions:

1. In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat. 
2. When hot, add the onion, carrots, celery, bell pepper, and saute with a pinch of salt until fragrant and the vegetables are tender. 
3. While the vegetables are cooking, combine the chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano, and smoked paprika. 
4. When the vegetables are almost tender, add the garlic and cook for a minute or two and then add the spices and stir to combine. 
5. Add the chicken broth, diced tomatoes, and water and then blend until smooth using an immersion blender (you can also it in batches in a regular blender). 
6. Bring to a boil. Cover and turn the heat down to low and simmer 30-45 minutes. 
7. Remove from heat. Add the chicken breast meat and the cream and stir until combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately with shredded cheese, and tortilla strips.

Marsha's Notes:

You can also tear up some flour or corn tortillas to add to the soup (like noodles) but if you cook them in the soup they can fall apart, so I would add them to each bowl individually when serving so they don't turn into mush.

Marsha's Skillet Chicken Pot Pie

The original idea for this recipe came from Six Sister's Stuff, but in true Marsha fashion, I changed things up a bit. Scott just laughs when I tell him how I made something. I never do what the recipe says. Ha, ha! Enjoy!

Marsha's Skillet Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbl butter
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 2-3 carrots, diced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 small red or yellow potatoes, diced
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 2 cups shredded chicken
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
• 1 egg

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
3. Add celery, carrots, onion and potatoes. Saute for 8-10 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften or they won't fully cook during the bake.
4. Add garlic and season with salt and pepper.
5. Mix in flour, chicken broth and cream cheese. Let cook for 5 more minutes, stirring constantly. If there is not enough sauce for the amount of veggies you cooked, add some cream of chicken soup at this stage.
6. Fold in chicken and peas.
7. Pour mixture into a 12-inch oven safe skillet or appropriate sized baking dish.
8. Roll out a sheet of puff pastry and place on top of skillet. Use a sharp knife to cut off any excess dough hanging over the sides.
9. Whisk egg in a small bowl and LIGHTLY brush over the top of the pot pie.
10. Cook for 18-20 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.

Marsha's Notes:

Sizes of veggies vary, so adjust the sauce amount to accommodate the veggies by adding milk, water, or more broth to sauce, or leaving out or adding more cream of chicken soup. Veggies should be cut to bite sized pieces, small, to cook completely. 

Marsha's Loaded Chicken Alfredo Gnocchi Bake

We love gnocchi's at our house, so when I saw this recipe, I just HAD to try it. And I wasn't disappointed. I made some adjustments to the Inside Bru Crew Life recipe (found here) so now it's a "Marsha's Version." Enjoy!

Marsha's Loaded Chicken Alfredo Gnocchi Bake

Ingredients:

• 3 cups gnocchi (2 sleeves if using prepackaged)
• 1/2 bag frozen broccoli
• 2 cups cooked chicken (2 large cans if using store bought canned)
• 1/2 cup crumbled bacon
• 2 15 oz jars Alfredo sauce
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Cook gnocchi according to package directions (typically, add to boiling water and when they float, they are done) and drain. 
2. Stir together gnocchi, broccoli, chicken, bacon and Alfredo sauce. 
3. Spoon into casserole dish. 
4. Top with mozzarella cheese and bake at 400 degrees for 20-22 minutes. 
5. Turn oven to broiler for 2-3 minutes or until the cheese starts to brown. Serve.

Marsha's Notes:
I have a couple of notes written on my recipe. 

First, I have written down that this recipe would be even yummier if you used a fresh, homemade Alfredo sauce (like this one) but leftovers wouldn't reheat as nicely because homemade Alfredo tends to split when reheated. The first time I made this, it must have been dry because I have written down to use the TWO jars of sauce suggested above, instead of the single jar from the original recipe. But I like my pastas to have plenty of sauce. You may want to just use one or one and a half jars. 

Depending on the texture of the chicken you are going for and how much time you have, it would also be yummy to use fresh chicken that you dice, season, and then cook off in a pan before you make this recipe. 

Lastly, frozen broccoli can release a lot of water when it thaws and cooks, so the more you add the wetter it all becomes. But all the proportions in this recipe can be adjusted to your taste. Want more broccoli, go for it! Want more bacon, why not?!

Marsha's Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Because I can't leave well enough alone, I took a chicken and wild rice soup recipe from a friend, changed some things up, and here is my tasty version! Enjoy! (We sure did!)

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 quarts chicken broth (64 oz.)
• 1/2 pound chopped mushrooms (opt.)
• 1 cup finely chopped celery
• 1 cup shredded or chopped carrots
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 tsp. chicken bouillon granules
• 1 tsp. dried parsley flakes
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 can (10.75 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 cup additional broth (for roux, or use broth directly from the soup)
• 3 cups cooked wild rice
• 2 cups cubed cooked chicken
• garlic salt or other seasonings to taste

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, combine the first nine ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and shimmer for 30 minutes.
2. In another pan, make roux by melting butter, then stir in flour until smooth. 
3. Gradually whisk in extra 1/2 cup broth (or take some out of the other soup pot with the veggies in it) and can of cream soup. Cook mixture over heat (bubbling) for about 2 minutes, adding enough broth until it is runny enough that you can add it to the main pot of soup without clumps. 
4. Once you feel it is safe to add the roux (I feel like it should be pour-able and could take more than 1/2 cup extra broth to achieve this), pour it into the main soup pot with the veggies. Add your rice and chicken and heat through until combined. 
5. Taste-test and if desired, add a small sprinkling of your desired seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic salt, etc.) over the top of the pot, stir and taste again.

Marsha's Notes:

I probably used a cup or more of broth from the cooking veggies until I got my roux the right consistency to add to my main pot.

For whatever reason, when I am making soups and things, if I taste test the soup and something doesn't seem quite "tasty enough", a small sprinkling of garlic salt usually does the trick. Just don't add much, stir, and keep tasting until you notice a difference or are happy. If things already seem too salty or garlicy, you can try pepper or other complimentary seasonings, but garlic salt is kind of my go-to.

However, I found that if I used a pre-seasoned wild rice blend, like this Uncle Ben's, then no additional seasoning is usually needed.

This one box was the perfect amount for this soup recipe, no additional seasoning required.

But if you use a plain wild rice, you may need to add those extra seasonings mentioned above (like the salt, pepper, and/or garlic salt).

Plain wild rice that might make your soup require additional seasoning to taste.