Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Soup

I got this recipe off of e-mealz.com. It was not spicy, which is good in our home with small kids. I’m sure you can alter the recipe in a number of ways to make it spicier. I served it with cheese quesadillas to dip in the soup.

In oil, saute until tender 1 cup of each:

chopped carrots

chopped onion

chopped celery.

Add a couple cloves minced garlic, a tiny bit of salt, and a bit of pepper.

Pour in 4 cans chicken broth (I used one box of chicken broth, which is really only 4 cups) and bring to a boil.

Add a can of diced tomatoes, a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies, a packet of taco seasoning, and 1.5 lbs cooked and diced chicken breast.

Cut 8-10 corn tortillas into pieces and stir into soup. Let boil for 20 minutes until tortillas are incorporated into soup. Stir occasionally.

Lower heat and add 8 oz shredded cheese (I used two big handfuls of shredded cheddar) and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add 1 cup milk and simmer for another 10 minutes.

Fiesta Chowder

This recipe is from http://E-mealz.com, and despite the many canned foods involved I really liked it. We cooked up a side of cornbread to go with the soup.

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 t minced garlic

2 T oil

2 cans chicken, drained

1 pkg fajita seasoning

15 oz can whole kernel corn

15 oz can black beans

14.5 oz can Mexican stewed tomatoes

4.5oz can chopped green chilies

3 cups water

1 bag “ready rice,” Spanish-style (I couldn’t find that, so I used “ready rice” in long grain)

10.75 oz can cheddar cheese soup

Saute onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add chicken and fajita seasoning; mix well.  Add corn, beans, tomatoes, chilies, water, and rice. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in cheese soup and heat through.

Rosemary Chicken

This recipe is from Veronica Snyder of Waterbury, Connecticut.

1/4 cup white wine or 1/4 cup chicken broth plus 1 T lemon juice

2 T canola oil, divided

1 T soy sauce

1 T minced fresh rosemary or 1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp pepper

6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 oz each)

1/4 tsp salt

Hot cooked rice and fresh rosemary, optional

In a large resealable bag, combine the first 6 ingredients; add chicken. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Drain and discard marinade. Sprinkle chicken with salt. In a large nonstick skillet, cook chicken in remaining oil over medium-high heat for 15 minutes or until juices run clear. Serve over rice and garnish with rosemary if desired.

Sweet ‘N’ Tangy Chicken

This recipe is another condensed soup confession. But again, tomato soup doesn’t count. Right?

In a skillet, brown 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

Add:

can condensed tomato soup

1/4 cup water

1 T brown sugar

1 T white vinegar

Cover and simmer until done.

Double Chicken Dumpling Stoup

Rachael Ray says, “The mini chicken meatballs cook like dumplings in the stoup. I add potato gnocchi to double the dumpling factor.”

2 T olive oil

4 ribs celery from the heart, chopped

2 onions, chopped

4 carrots, shredded (1 1/2 cups)

1 fresh bay leaf

s & p

6 cups chicken broth

1 lb ground chicken

1 egg

1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

dash of freshly grated nutmeg

1 lb package gnocchi

1 cup frozen peas

flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (a couple generous handfuls)

crusty bread, for dunking

1. In a soup pot heat the oil over med-high heat. Add celery, onions, carrots and bay leaf, season with s & p and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the broth, cover the pot and bring to a boil.

2. Meanwhile, in a bowl, season the chicken with s & p. Stir in the egg, bread crumbs, cheese, garlic and nutmeg. Roll the mixture into walnut-sized meatballs (you’ll have about 40) and add to the stoup. Simmer for about 10 minutes while you wash up. Add the gnocchi to the stoup and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the peas and parsley and cook for 2 minutes. Remove the stoup from the heat, discard the bay leaf and let cool 5 minutes. Serve with the bread.

Speedy Layered Chicken Enchilada Pie

All my kids have liked this recipe as toddlers–especially picking out and eating the black beans! 

Tip: I don’t bother with cutting the tortillas to this measurement and that. I just tear them as I go.  (This isn’t rocket science.)

8 tortillas (smallish)

2 cups cubed cooked chicken

1/2 cup uncooked instant white rice

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

15 oz can black beans, drained & rinsed

19 oz can red enchilada sauce

1 cup frozen shoepeg white corn, thawed

1 cup salsa

2 T thinly sliced green onions

sour cream, if desired

1. Heat oven to 350. Spray a 9″ round glass baking dish with Pam. Cut 5 of the tortillas in half. Cut remaining tortillas into 2 1/2″ wide strips. In a large bowl, combine chicken, rice, 1 cup of cheese, beans and 1 cup of enchilada sauce; mix well.

2.  Layer 4 tortillas halves in bottom of baking dish. Top with 1/4 cup enchilada sauce and half of the chicken mixture. Top with 2 tortilla halves and 3 strips. Top with remaining half of chicken mixture. Continue layering with remaining 2 tortilla halves and strips, enchilada sauce, cheese and 2 T green onions.

3. Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes or until mixture is thoroughly heated and cheese is melted. Cool 5 minutes. Top with sour cream if desired.

Chicken David

(You may have noticed the unusual picture.  Since I couldn’t find a good photo of this recipe and this weird one showed up on my google search instead, I couldn’t pass it up.  You can see why.  Scroll over the image with your mouse if you’d like the source, or google image “chicken david” like I did!)

I love this recipe!!  I prefer to either cook half the amount of chicken, or double the amount of the other ingredients so there’s extra sauce to serve with noodles.  Yum!

3 T butter

1 onion, chopped

8 fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 clove of garlic, minced

1/4 lb thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into strips

1/4 lb thinly sliced hard salami, cut into strips

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1 cup all-purpose flour

s & p

1/2 cup dry sherry (I just use a dry white like Pinot Grigio)

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup marinara sauce (such as this one)

1 T butter

2 T chopped fresh parsley

Melt 3 T butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute onion until soft and translucent. Stir in mushrooms, garlic, prosciutto and salami. Dredge chicken in flour and place in pan. Season with s & p. Cook chicken 5 minutes on each side. Pour in sherry and cook until liquid is reduced by half. Stir in chicken broth, cream and marinara. Simmer until sauce is reduced to your preferred consistency. Stir in 1 T butter, and sprinkle with parsley.