No-Fry Parmesan Chicken

Are you ready for a healthier version of Parmesan Chicken?  Using a baking stone, you can still get crispy chicken, without frying in oil!

No-Fry Parmesan Chicken

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
3/4 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 eggs
1 1/2 c seasoned bread crumbs
1 c grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350°.  Place a chicken breast between pieces of wax paper, and pound or roll out with a rolling pin, until chicken is about 1/4" thick.  Set aside.

Combine flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish.  In a second shallow dish, beat eggs.  In a third, combine breadcrumbs with half of the Parmesan- cheese.  Dredge the chicken breasts in the flour mixture, then dip in the egg, then dredge in the bread crumb mixture.  Place on a baking stone.  Repeat with remaining breasts.

Bake chicken 25-35 minutes, until juices run clear.

Serve with spaghetti, sauce, steamed or roasted broccoli, and extra Parmesan.

Maple Pecan Chicken

So very good!

2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, flattened with a rolling pin
1/2 c maple syurp
1 c chopped pecans
1 c crushed buttery crackers
Salt & Pepper

Cut chicken breasts in half, and place into a gallon-sized resealable bag.  Pour syrup into the bag with the chicken, and close.  Refrigerate at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 400°.  Combine pecans, crackers, salt and pepper in a dish.  Remove chicken from bag, and coat with pecan mixture.  Place onto a baking sheet, and spray with cooking spray.  Bake 10 minutes, turn, then bake 10 minutes more, or until cooked through.

This is good with sweet potatoes, green beans, applesauce, "fried" apples and/or yeast rolls!

Slow Cooker Chicken and Stuffing

I love my slow cooker!  I have a very yummy slow cooker chicken and stuffing recipe that I used pretty often before we moved that my friend Cheryl gave me, but it's buried in a box somewhere in my sister's basement, unfortunately.  So....  I decided to try a new one!  I did change things up a little, and it was yummy!

Chicken and Stuffing
adapted from Crock-Pot Recipe Card Collection

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
Salt & pepper
2 cans condensed chicken & mushroom soup
1 c chicken broth
12 oz. bag of herbed stuffing
1 c frozen peas

Season chicken with salt and pepper, and place into slow cooker.  Pour soup over top.  Prepare stuffing with broth.  (No mistake there - I know that the broth to stuffing ratio is off.  The moisture in the slow cooker will continue cooking and softening the stuffing.)  Cover slow cooker with lid, and cook on HIGH 3-4 hours.  Pour peas over top, and cover again.  Turn slow cooker on WARM until peas are heated through.

We enjoyed ours with Parslied Potatoes and applesauce.

"Leftovers" Soup

I tend to make some other concoction out of our leftovers.  (See German Vegetable Soup, Chicken and Rice Casserole, Country Dinner, and Harvest Chicken Soup)  One of the top ways to save money on your grocery budget is to use what you have, not throwing food away.  This week I did it again, and made a soup out of our leftover roasted chicken, the "other" half of an onion,  a section of  random cream cheese, and what was remaining from a can of corn.

1 large roasted chicken breast, shredded
Chicken broth
1/2 can of corn
1/2 small onion, diced
3 small potatoes
3 oz. cream cheese, cut into small chunks
Salt
Pepper
Hot sauce to taste

Peel and dice potatoes.  Place in a pan with the onions, and cover with chicken broth.  Boil until tender.  With a hand masher, mash some of the potatoes in the broth.  Over medium head, add in chicken, corn, and salt and pepper to taste.  Heat through.  Stir in cream cheese, and simmer until dissolved.  Top with shredded cheddar cheese before serving.  Serve with hot sauce nearby.

Grandma's Baked Chicken

My Grandma has made this for me for as long as I can remember.  It's one of my comfort foods.  Inexpensive, easy, and comforting.  Here are the ingredients, followed by the recipe, as written by my Grandma.

4 lbs. chicken wings
Salt
Pepper
Greek seasoning
Flour
3 tbsp butter

Wash and pat dry chicken.  Sprinkle with plenty of salt and pepper.  I also use Greek seasoning or Fried Chicken seasoning.  Sprinkle a little flour over chicken.  Cut up pieces of oleo and  put on each piece of chicken.  Cover dish and bake at 325 ° for 1-1/2 hours.  Take top off to brown, and then serve.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Photo courtesy of CampbellsKitchen.com

I'm glad we didn't pin down a menu plan for this busy week, otherwise I wouldn't have found this recipe today!  Creamy and delicious, and very easy!

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas
adapted from CampbellsKitchen.com

1 can cream of chicken soup
1/4 c water
1/4 c sour cream
1  4.5 oz can chopped green chiles, drained
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp chili powder
2 tsp hot sauce
2 c shredded cooked chicken
1 c shredded Mexican blend or Cheddar cheese
6  6-inch corn tortillas (I used flour since that's what I had on hand.)

Preheat oven to 400°.  Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray.  In a medium bowl, combine soup, water, sour cream, chiles, oregano, chili powder, and hot sauce.  In a separate bowl, combine 1 cup of the soup mixture with the shredded chicken.  Stir in 1/4 cup of the cheese.

Divide the chicken mixture evenly between the tortillas, spreading mixture down the center of each one.  Roll up tortillas, and place seam-side down in the baking dish.  Spread the remaining soup mixture over the filled tortillas, then sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Cover the dish, and bake for 30 minutes.

*Top with sliced black olives and/or scallions before serving, with salsa on the side.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Several of my friends make this, and they all have different recipes.  I made it for the first time yesterday for a surprise birthday party.  It was gobbled up!  This is the recipe I used:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c hot sauce (I used Frank's Red Hot on her recommendation)
1/2 c ranch or blue cheese salad dressing
1 stalk celery, minced
2 lg. cans chicken, drained
1/2 c shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, hot sauce, and salad dressing.  Stir until smooth.  Stir in celery and chicken.  Pour mixture into a pie plate or other 2-quart dish.  Sprinkle with mozzarella.  Bake 20 minutes.

Serve with celery sticks and tortilla chips.

Chicken and Brown Rice Casserole

Another great recipe from The Happy Housewife! I didn't have any zucchini on hand. I substituted onion with a little celery and red pepper (one cup total.) I also added extra cheese, just because!

Chicken & Brown Rice Casserole

2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, uncooked, diced
2 c milk
2 c brown rice
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 c shredded zucchini
1 c chopped carrots
1 c chopped broccoli
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 shredded cheese (I used 2/3 c freshly shredded cheddar)

Mix all ingredients but cheese in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees, covered, for 2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes. With five minutes of cooking time remaining, remove cover, sprinkle with cheese, and return to oven uncovered.

Chicken Pot Pie

Yummy!!!

2 refrigerated pie crusts
2 small baking potatoes, peeled and diced
2 c cooked, chopped chicken
1-2 c frozen mixed vegetables
2 cans cream of chicken soup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Boil potatoes until tender but not crumbly. Meanwhile, place frozen vegetables in a colander in the sink. Place one pie crust in a 2-quart dish. When potatoes are done, strain in colander (pouring them over the frozen vegetables will thaw them for the most part). Place potatoes, chicken, veggies and soup in pan that the potatoes were in. Mix well, then pour into pie crust. Top with second crust, taking care to tuck the edges into the bottom crust. Dish will be very full. Bake for 25 minutes, covering with foil if crust begins to turn too brown.

Chicken Cheddar Broccoli Soup

I grabbed a package of Bear Creek Cheddar Broccoli Soup one day, just because it sounded good at the moment. Here it is beefed up:

1 package Bear Creek Cheddar Broccoli Soup mix
8 c water
1/2 lb. chicken breast, cooked and diced
1 tbsp butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 white onion, minced
1 c shredded cheddar

Prepare soup according to package directions. Meanwhile, saute garlic and onion in butter. When both are finished, combine all ingredients, and simmer until cooked through. Enjoy!

Can-Can Chicken

Another kid fave (including me when I was growing up!) that is very easy, very fast, and inexpensive.

2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 large can cooked chicken (do not drain)
1 1/3 c Minute Rice
Chow Mein noodles

Combine soup, chicken, rice, and 1 soup can full of water in a large saucepan. Heat to boiling. Cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook 7 minutes. Serve over Chow Mein noodles.

Yummy. :)

Slow Cooker Whole Chicken, Chicken & Rice Casserole

Visit here for a tutorial with pictures, and for broth making instructions.

Whole chickens are inexpensive and delicious, and you can make a good amount of broth from them, saving you even more money!

1 whole chicken
salt
pepper

Empty chicken cavity. Rinse chicken. Place into slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 8 hours. Remove and slice or shred. Enjoy!

After dinner, I went ahead and made tomorrow's dinner:

Chicken & Rice Casserole

Shredded chicken
Frozen chopped broccoli
1 bag Ready Rice, Long Grain & Wild, cooked
1 can cream of chicken soup
Shredded cheddar

Mix rice, chicken, broccoli and soup in a sprayed baking dish. Bake, covered with foil, for 15 minutes. Remove foil, and sprinkle casserole with cheese. Bake uncovered until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.

*It will only be my daughter and I again tomorrow night, so I just used about 1 c chicken, 1 c broccoli, 1/2 bag rice (leftover from tonight), and half of the can of soup. I put it into a loaf pan, then into the fridge. Remove from fridge 20 minutes before baking.

Creamy chicken & noodles

Adapted from Once a Month Mom.

4 cups shredded cooked chicken
12 oz egg noddles
26 oz can cream of chicken soup
1 ladle-full water
Garlic salt
Onion powder
Black pepper

Boil egg noodles; drain. In a stock pan, heat chicken, soup, water and seasonings over medium heat, until hot. Stir in noodles. Enjoy!

Brown Sugar Chicken

Yum! That's all I can say! We had this over rice, with broccoli on the side. Can't wait for the leftovers tomorrow!

Recipe adapted from Make It Fast, Cook It Slow

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 c firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp black pepper
3 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp soy sauce
2/3 c white vinegar
1/4 c lemon-lime soda

Place chicken in slow cooker. Cover with brown sugar, pepper, garlic, soy sauce, vinegar and soda. Cover; cook on low 6 hours, or until chicken is cooked through.

Honey chicken legs & Homemade applesauce

My friend Molly was on Facebook this morning asking about applesauce. Immediately I wanted to make some. SO easy and delicious! Tonight's chicken is inspired by $5 dinners.

2 lbs chicken legs (I got them on sale for $0.91/lb!)
1/2 c honey
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp minced ginger
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp minced garlic

Place chicken in a gallon bag. Whisk together honey, olive oil, ginger, cinnamon and garlic. Pour over chicken. Seal bag, and shake. Let sit in fridge for 30+ minutes (ours sat for two hours.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place chicken in a baking dish, and pour whatever marinade remains in the bag over the chicken. Bake for one hour.

5 red apples
2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 c water
cinnamon (optional)

Peel apples, remove core, and dice. Place into a slow cooker. Pour lemon juice and water over apples, and stir to coat. Add cinnamon as desired. Stir. Cover; cook on low 4-6 hours, until apples are very soft. Mash with a potato masher. Chill in refrigerator.

*I added too much water, so I used a slotted spoon to remove the apples, then mashed them in a separate dish. I've scaled down the amount of water here to what appears to be the correct amount. :)

Slow Cooker Poppyseed Chicken

This was very cheap, very easy, filling and good.

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts ($1.29 on sale)
1 bottle Creamy Poppyseed salad dressing ($0.98 on sale)
1 lb. fresh broccoli florets ($0.98 on sale)
1 lb. pasta ($0.99)

Place chicken in slow cooker, then pour dressing over top. Cover; cook on low 4-6 hours (my chicken was frozen, and was still done in just under four hours, so watch the chicken more than the time.) Set a pot of salted water on to boil for the pasta. Add broccoli to slow cooker, and return cover. Serve chicken, broccoli and "sauce" over cooked pasta.

Total: $4.24
We had enough to make at least two meals out of this, so it comes in at $2.12 (or LESS)PER MEAL. :)

Chicken Pie

I got this from Trisha Yearwood's cookbook, which I absolutely love! This is definitely a favorite in my house. We serve it with buttery buttermilk mashed potatoes and rolls.

3 c shredded cooked chicken
2 c chicken broth (I use one can + 1/4 c water)
1 can (10 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup
1 c self-rising flour
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 c buttermilk, well shaken
1/2 c butter, melted

Place chicken in a 2-quart casserole dish. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine broth and soup in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Pour over chicken. In a separate bowl, combine flour and pepper. Stir in buttermilk and butter. Pour over chicken, but do not stir. Bake 45 minutes, until crust is browned and soup is bubbly.

Unfried Chicken Legs

Tonight we tried something based off of The Happy Housewife's Unfried chicken legs. They are very versatile, and we all really liked them! Here's our version:

2 lbs chicken legs
1/4 c butter, melted
1/2 c cornflake crumbs
3/4 tsp paprika
3/4 tsp garlic powder
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat chicken legs in butter. Pour cornflake crumbs, paprika and garlic powder into a gallon bag, seal, and shake to combine. Place buttered chicken legs into mixture in gallon bag. Seal and shake well, until all pieces are well coated. Place chicken legs into a baking dish, then bake for one hour.

You can add/change the spices SO MANY different ways. Use your imagination!

Harvest Chicken Soup

Remember my Harvest Chicken? I made the leftovers into a soup. I diced the chicken, then poured the rest of the casserole into a large saucepan (including the broth). I then added a handful of diced onion, 1 small diced zucchini, 1 tsp chicken bouillon granules, 1 can of chicken broth, and one broth can full of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer at least 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Harvest Chicken

Adapted from Swanson's

This meal cost us under $8, and will feed us for two meals, so it's less than $4/meal. Good deal!

1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces
2 c frozen green beans
1 c chicken broth
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/4 tsp thyme
1 bag Uncle Ben's Ready Rice (we used Long grain & Wild)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Brown chicken in oil for five minutes on each side. Meanwhile, spray a large baking dish with cooking spray. In dish, mix together sweet potatoes, green beans, broth, garlic, rosemary and thyme. Top with chicken. Cover, then bake for one hour, until chicken is cooked through and sweet potatoes are tender. Microwave rice for 90 seconds. Enjoy!