Curried Chicken Sammy

  

Everyone has a typical chicken salad sandwich recipe...but what if you want the chicken salad feel with a little different taste to it? The answer to the need for change...enter Yellow Curry Powder!

 

I was making Charming a chicken salad sammy mix when I all of a sudden really had a strong urge/craving for yellow curry. It's been years since I've made anything with yellow curry powder...mainly because I am the only one in our family that likes it.

Chicken Stroganoff with Bow Tie Pasta

This dinner is such a great comfort food and so easy to prepare. A chicken twist to the traditional beef stroganoff!

Start by slicing breasts in 1/4" thick slices and halve the longer pieces.

Over medium heat, preheat a large skillet with 1 tablespoon canola oil.  Once the oil begins to ripple, add chicken and onions/onion powder.

Allow the chicken to sizzle & simmer until fully cooked, stirring often.  You don't want to see any pink in that chicken!

While the chicken is cooking, in a large pot bring water to a boil.  Once the water is boiling, add some salt.  This is the time that you get to add flavor to the pasta/noodles.  Then the pasta needs to hop in!  Give it a stir so that nothing sticks together and occasionally come back for another stir while it cooks.  Cook according to the package directions...I prefer to have it FIRM for this dish.

While pasta is cooking, in a medium bowl combine cream of mushroom soup, sour cream and milk.

Once chicken is fully cooked and pieces are no longer pink, add mixture. Stir in garlic salt and allow to simmer 5-8 minutes.

Simmer, simmer, simmer...

Then spoon over drained pasta & ENJOY!  (Optional: Top with black pepper to taste)

Chicken Stroganoff with Bow Tie Pasta
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 20 Minutes
Servings: 6-8
Level: Easy

Ingredients:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1/2 cup chopped onion OR 1/2 tsp. onion powder

2 - 10 3/4 ounce can condensed cream of mushroom soup (or 1 family size can)

1/2 cup milk

1 package dried bow tie pasta (or wide egg noodles, traditional)

8 tablespoons dairy sour cream (or 8 oz. container)

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt (or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt)

Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

Instructions:

Slice chicken breasts into 1/4" wide strips. (along the width of chicken breast, not length).  Preheat a large skillet with 1 tablespoon canola oil over medium heat. Add chicken and onions/onion powder. Allow to simmer until fully cooked, stirring often.

In a large pot add 6 cups water and bring to a boil over high heat.  Once boiling, add salt (to flavor pasta) and pour in pasta. Cook according to package directions. Drain.

While pasta is cooking, in a medium bowl combine cream of mushroom soup, sour cream and milk. Once chicken is fully cooked and pieces are no longer pink, add mixture.  Stir in garlic salt and allow to simmer 5-8 minutes.

Spoon stroganoff mixture over pasta to serve. Add black pepper to taste.

Chile Verde Chicken Sammy

When I made a batch of Chile Verde Con Pollo, there was about half of it left...perfect for trying something new the next day at lunch time.
This is such a nice change from the typical chicken sammy. A little messy, but oh so worth it!
View complete posting: Chile Verde Chicken Sammy

Chile Verde Con Pollo

My Mother-in-law blessed me with her recipe for Chile Verde...traditionally made with succulent pork shoulder...and I decided to make a little twist to it by using chicken breast instead. I was thinking more less prep time and about my waistline...okay, it was more about all of the prep time.
Chile Verde Con Pollo Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 25-30 minutes Servings: 4-6 Ingredients: 3 Chicken Breasts, bonless & skinless 2 Tbsp. Canola Oil 1/4-1/2 Whole Yellow Onion, diced 3 Garlic Cloves 1 – 4 oz. can Green Chiles, whole or diced 1/4 tsp. Sea Salt 1/2 tsp. Black Pepper, ground 1 to 1 1/2 cup Water 2 Tbsp. Flour Directions: Cube chicken breasts into 1 inch cubes. Set aside. Over medium high heat, add canola oil to a non-stick skillet. When oil begins to ripple, add chicken and spread over the bottom of the skillet. Smash and peel garlic cloves. Mince or use a garlic press and add to the chicken. Allow the garlic to sit on top of the chicken. Chop onion. Add onions to skillet and allow to sit on top of chicken and garlic. Slice and chop green chiles (if whole) and add to skillet. Season with salt & pepper. Stir. Reduce heat to medium and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Add water, cover and simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove 2-3 tablespoons of the juices and place in a heat proof bowl or measuring cup. Add flour and mix until there are no lumps remaining. Return liquid to skillet and stir. Cover and allow to simmer 8-10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning (salt & pepper) if necessary. Serve alone or with tortilla chips & Enjoy.

Chicken Salad Club & Baby Spinach Sandwich

One of Charming's go-to lunches is a chicken salad sandwich...which is comforting and great on its own, but I just wanted to dress it up a little bit for him one day. So I decided that adding a little bit of bacon always dresses up a sammy pretty well...

View complete posting: Chicken Salad Club & Baby Spinach Sandwich

Quick Chicken & Cheese Casserole

When time gets away from me and there is a need for something hot and comforting in a short period of time, this is the casserole that I go for. It’s quick, simple and full of that comfort food feeling. It’s a great alternative to in-the-box cheese & macaroni when the kiddles want that cheesy comfort feel too. (and it makes the whole family happy)

You could always add a can of sweet peas or corn nibblets…my kids tend to push them off to the side, so when I make it for them, the veggies get spared a trip to the trash.

View complete posting: Quick Chicken & Cheese Casserole

Southwest Chicken & Chorizo Soup

There are no words to describe just how much I LOVE this particular soup. Oh the amazing comfort food that it is…so perfect for cold or rainy days. There is so much in it that is good for you (minus the chorizo) that there are even more added benefits than just making you feel warm and cozy inside.

Here we go! The base of this soup is really these little goodies. Basically you could use all of this without having the chicken and corn added in because it’s just that good. But having the chicken and corn in the pot just bring the whole soup up a notch.

Italian Chicken & Cheese Tortellini Soup

Here's a slight change to chicken noodle soup...all dressed-up Italian style.

Since the winters here in Reno bring a cold that I have not experienced since my brief stay in Tulsa, OK, I have found myself looking at ways to make soups that are a little bit different and intensely appealing. While the color is not bold in this soup, the flavors definitely are rich and comforting.
Since the winters here in Reno bring a cold that I have not experienced since my brief stay in Tulsa, OK, I have found myself looking at ways to make soups that are a little bit different and intensely appealing. While the color is not bold in this soup, the flavors definitely are rich and comforting.

Now, of course I wanted this to be a simple recipe...who wants to spend all day making a pot of soup? Not me! I like it quick and full of flavor in the end, so this homemade recipe takes only 15 minutes to prep and 45 minutes to simmer creating a soup that tastes like it simmered all day long. In approximately an hour you're ready to sit down and "comfort soup-it" all you want.

[caption id="attachment_2153" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="A small list of spices for the chicken...keeping it simple."][/caption]

I start by taking a couple of chicken breasts, defrosting them (I always have some in my freezer) and placing them into a glass baking dish. You could spray the dish with cooking spray, but honestly you don't have to if you defrost the chicken in that same dish first. (Just don't drain off the juices after defrosting)

Then to keep it simple, I just sprinkle some sea salt over each breast.

Then a little bit of garlic powder over each breast. If you don't have garlic powder on hand, then substitute some garlic salt for the sea salt & garlic powder.

And finally a bit of dried Italian Seasoning mix (oregano, basil, Italian parsley) is sprinkled over the top of each breast.

Place the chicken into an oven preheated to 375°F to bake for 30-45 minutes. (depending on your oven) At the 30 minute mark, I pull out the chicken and slice it through the thickest part to see if the meat is no longer pink. If it's not quite done, then back into the oven it goes for another 5 minutes. Check in 5 minute intervals until it is done baking. (this part comes about later on)

While the chicken bakes, I take either a couple cans of chicken broth/stock or 3 cans of Campbell's Condensed Chicken Noodle Soup and pour it into a large pot. In this case, I was out of chicken broth/stock so I used the condensed chicken noodle soup. Grab a colander/strainer and pour the soup through it so that the noodles and chicken pieces don't go into the pot. Do this with each can and reserve the noodles & chicken, then I throw it into the fridge to be heated for lunch the next day for my girls. (they love noodles, but aren't big fans of chicken noodle soup)

This step is ONLY for the condensed chicken noodle soup. Instead of adding a full 3 cans of water (as called for on the chicken noodle soup can), I add 2 cups of water to the pot. Turn the heat to low and allow it to begin the simmering process.

Toss in a bay leaf...they are just so good in soups. And then smash, peel and press a clove of garlic...add it right into the pot aswell.

Next a bit of Italian Seasoning gets to jump in. Give it a stir. Cover with a lid and let it simmer for 25 minutes.

While the broth is simmering, I take a couple celery stalks and cut each in half.

Then those halves get diced into 1/4" thick pieces.

Next I take a cup of broccoli slaw mixed veggies. I always have this on hand...we like making spring rolls on Friday nights. (you can typically find a bag of this in the salad mix area of the produce area) They get a quick rough-chop and are ready to go.

After 25 minutes, I add the celery and broccoli slaw into the broth. Give it a stir and place the lid back on the pot.

Tortellini is one of my favorite pastas...and I love to take advantage of the pre-made bags that you can get from Bertolli in the refrigerated section. However, I'm using a wonderful Italian seven cheese blend tortellini that I got at Costco! (big savings and I easily get four meals for 4 out of it)

And since the chicken is now ready to be pulled out of the oven and shredded, I turn up the heat to medium-high and pour about 2 cups of the tortellinis into the pot.

Give them an immediate stir. The last thing I want is any sticking to the pot. Then cover and allow to cook for 8-9 minutes. (I always set my timer, just so that the pasta doesn't get over cooked)

After checking to see that the thickest part of the chicken is cooked all the way through, and not pink in any way, I take the chicken and start attacking it with two table forks. Shredding each breast into nice bite-sized pieces.

Once everything is shredded, literally 3 minutes of shredding, I pour them into the pot. Another gentle stir, I don't want to break any of the tortellini, to get the chicken distributed throughout the pot and then just allow it to simmer with the tortellini until the timer goes off.

Once that buzzer sounds, turn off the heat, grab a bowl and fill it up. Oh the aroma is just amazingly inviting, it's hard to take a moment and follow-thru with the next step. (I confess, I had to take a small spoonful first) And last but not least, I top it off with some fresh grated Parmesan cheese. Oh yeah, that's what I'm talking about!

[caption id="attachment_2124" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Freshly grated Parmesan cheese just "makes" this completely perfect!"][/caption]

Then I just sit down and enjoy the soup of my non-labor.