Creamy Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

1 (8 ounce) package wide egg noodles

• 2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast

• 8 ounces cooked ham, cubed

• 8 ounces Swiss cheese, cubed

• 1 (10.75 ounce) can reduced-fat, reduced-sodium cream of chicken soup (such as Campbell's® Healthy Request)

• ½ cup 2% milk 

• ½ cup light sour cream

• 2 tablespoons butter

• ⅓ cup seasoned bread crumbs

• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish.

2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook egg noodles in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, about 5 minutes. Drain and transfer noodles to the prepared casserole dish; top with chicken, ham, and Swiss cheese.

3. Mix cream of chicken soup, milk, and sour cream together in a bowl; spoon soup mixture over noodle mixture.

4. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese in the melted butter until crumbs are coated with butter and cheese, 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle bread crumb mixture over casserole.

5. Bake in the preheated oven until casserole is bubbling and lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Allow casserole to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

   
   

   Notes:

   A little salty so perhaps I’d try a low sodium can of soup next time. (I wonder if that’s even a thing?)

   I added a diced red pepper for color.

   Tasty and nice looking. Definitely worth making again.

   Source: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/231154/creamy-chicken-cordon-bleu-casserole/?print

Copycat Costco Chicken Packets

Ingredients

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1 cup shredded provolone

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

2 cups skinless chopped rotisserie chicken meat

4 slices cooked and crumbled bacon

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

1/3 cup good-quality prepared creamy Caesar dressing

Freshly ground black pepper

1 pound pizza dough, at room temperature

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment. Combine the mozzarella, provolone and Parmesan in a large bowl and toss to combine. Transfer 1/2 cup of the cheese mixture to a small bowl and reserve.
• Add the chicken, bacon and chives to the large bowl with the cheese. Drizzle with the Caesar dressing and season with several grinds of black pepper. Toss until everything is combined and well coated.  
• Divide the pizza dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll one piece into a 7-by-9-inch rectangle. With one of the long sides closest to you, arrange a quarter of the filling in a log across the center of the rectangle, leaving an inch of space at each side edge. Fold in the sides, then fold the bottom piece of dough over the filling and roll up to enclose it, trimming away any excess dough. Pinch the seams together to seal well. Place the roll seam-side down on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling, leaving about 2 inches between each on the baking sheet.  
• Brush the rolls all over with the melted butter and sprinkle with the reserved cheese mixture. Bake until the rolls are golden and the cheese topping is crusty and browned, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving. 

Notes

• I didn't have provolone so I just doubled the mozzarrella
• I used precooked, crumbled bacon  (pantry staple around here)
• I used this pizza dough recipe, but if there were a TJ's around here, I'd probably buy it.
• It says "good quality Caesar, but I used a cheap-o bottled dressing and it was good.  I saw other versions of this recipe that used ranch.
• These get a LOT of filling, but it melts down as it bakes, so go for it.  Also, they looked like lumpy messes but I soon figured out that once I placed them on the baking sheet it was easy to mold them into nice rectangles.
• They are a pretty big serving, but it might be good kid food if it were divided into 6 portions instead of 8.  Or just cut the big ones in half.  
• Nick declared the filling to be "just like the Costco" version.  The crust is a little different, but it was still good.

BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

 1 lb. chicken breast sliced or pounded to 3/8”

BBQ sauce

1/2 lb. bacon, cooked

4 slices of havarti

1 medium onion, caramelized(optional)

4 onion rolls

Butter

Coat chicken with BBQ sauce and grill for approximately 3 minutes per side, until just cooked through, slice each piece in half.  Toast and butter the onion rolls, top with 2 pieces of chicken, bacon, onions, and havarti; broil until the cheese melts and is bubbly, top with second half of bun.

Notes:

We buy frozen chicken that’s pre-sliced to a good sandwich thickness; 1lb. is usually 4 pieces.

The onion rolls I use have onion pieces in the dough not just on top, so I usually skip adding caramelized onions.

Greek Chicken Kebobs

• 
  
• 
  
• 1 3/4 lbs bonless skinless chicken breasts , diced into 1 1/4-inch cubes
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp olive oil , divided, plus more for grill
• 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 3 cloves garlic , minced
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 large red bell peppers , diced into 1 1/4-inch pieces
• 3 small zucchini (nearly 1 lb), sliced into rounds slightly under 1/2-inch thick
• 1 large red onion , diced into 1 1/4-inch wedges

1. In a bowl whisk together 1/4 cup olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, oregano, basil, thyme, coriander and season with salt and pepper to taste (I used 3/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper). 
2. Place chicken in a gallon size resealable bag, pour olive oil mixture over chicken and press chicken into marinade. Seal bag and refrigerate 45 minutes to 2 hours (no longer than 2 hours or the chicken will start to get mealy because of the acidic ingredients). If using wooden skewers soak them in water for 30 minutes.
3. Drizzle and toss veggies with 2 Tbsp of the olive oil (I just left them on the cutting board and tossed them) and season lightly with salt.
4. Preheat a grill over medium-high heat. Thread a red bell pepper, red onion, zucchini, 2 chicken pieces on to skewer and repeat twice. Brush grill lightly with olive oil, place skewers on grill and grill until chicken registers 165°F (73°C) in center, about 7 - 9 minutes, rotating once halfway through cooking. Garnish with parsley, serve warm with Tzatziki sauce.

   
   

   NOTES - I didn’t have coriander 

   
   

   https://www.cookingclassy.com/greek-chicken-kebabs-with-tzatziki-sauce/#jump-to-recipe

   
   

   
   

Creamy Ranch Chicken Pasta

2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 8 ounces)
One 1-ounce package ranch-dressing seasoning mix
1 pound penne pasta
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tablespoons sour cream, at room temperature
1/4 cup sharp yellow Cheddar, shredded

THE OFFICIAL DIRECTIONS

• Pat the chicken thighs dry with a paper towel and sprinkle all over with 1 tablespoon of the seasoning mix.
• Add the penne to the 6-quart Instant Pot® and add 4 cups water to the pot. Place the chicken thighs on top of the penne. Follow the manufacturer's guide for locking the lid and preparing to cook. Set to pressure cook on high for 8 minutes. After the pressure-cook cycle is complete, follow the manufacturer's guide for quick- release and wait until the quick-release cycle is complete. Being careful of any remaining steam, unlock and remove the lid. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board until cool enough to handle.  
• Meanwhile, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, Cheddar and remaining seasoning mix (about 2 tablespoons) in a large bowl. Set aside.  
• Roughly chop the chicken into small pieces while it is still warm. Add the chicken to the cream-cheese mixture and stir to combine. Add the chicken and cheese mixture to the pasta and stir until the cheese mixture melts and the pasta is well coated.

WHAT I REALLY DID

• Dump the chicken into the instant pot and pour the whole packet of ranch dressing mix on top and a little water on the bottom - maybe a half cup.
• Cook in the instant pot for 8 minutes on high.
• Mix the dairy products together along with the cooked and cut up chicken.
• Pour in another packet of dressing mix into all that because you are doubling the recipe to give half to Jen and Jonah and didn't read the instructions well enough to notice that the seasoning mix needs to be divided.

At this point I just divided it into two tupperwares and called it make-ahead meals for our two families.  When I reheated mine, I added some milk to the skillet because it was pretty thick.

I served it over rice and it was delish.

The key here (Klejeski children) is that it tastes like Chicken Packets only without the crescent roll outside.  It would definitely work for that recipe though.  Good memories!

Chicken Shawarma

8 lbs boned, skinned chicken thighs

4-5 red onions

1.5 cups lemon juice

2 cups olive oil

4 tsp kosher salt

2 Tbs, 2 tsp pepper

2 Tbs, 2 tsp cumin

1 Tbsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp cinnamon

2 Tbsp minced garlic

Instructions

Mix marinade ingredients together, then add sliced or quartered onions and chicken. Put in ziplock bag and let marinate several hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 425.

Grease a shallow pan. Take the chicken and onions out of the marinade and spread it in a single layer on the pan. Cook for 45 minutes or more. 

Chop up the chicken a bit, if you like, and finish cooking it so it crisps up a bit more.

Serve chicken and onions with pita bread triangles, cucumbers, tomatoes, assorted olives, feta cheese, fresh parsley, pomegranates or grapes, fried eggplant, and yogurt sauce.

Easy and excellent!

I made about 5 lbs worth.

From Simcha Fisher

Chicken Teriyaki Dump Dinner

Nonstick cooking spray, for the baking dish
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth 
3/4 cup teriyaki sauce 
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce 
2 tablespoons sesame oil 
2 teaspoons grated ginger 
3 cloves garlic, grated 
Kosher salt 
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced 
1 1/2 cups raw jasmine rice  
1 red onion, sliced 
1 medium bunch broccoli, cut into florets (about 2 1/2 cups) 
1 red bell pepper, sliced 

 

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish with nonstick spray.
• Whisk together the chicken broth, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, garlic and 2 teaspoons salt in a medium bowl until combined. Add the chicken and stir to coat. 
• Spread the rice evenly in the bottom of the prepared dish. Pour in the teriyaki mixture, scattering the chicken evenly. Scatter the onion, broccoli and bell pepper evenly over the top.  
• Cover with foil and bake until the vegetables have softened but are still vibrant, about 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the juices have thickened and the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes more. Let sit for 5 minutes to allow the rice to absorb more of the moisture. 

NOTES: 

• The method is good and simple.  I'll definitely make this again with (surprise) a few edits.
• Less teriyaki sauce.  Try 1/2 cup.
• I don't think the foil held in the moisture quite enough - my rice was still slightly crunchy after 25 minutes on the convection setting.  Try a little more broth and perhaps a casserole dish or dutch oven with a lid.
• Fewer onions and more broccoli
• Source - Food Network

Sheetpan Italian Chicken

Fast, easy, and everyone liked.  The chicken made great leftovers.  Veggies are somewhat flexible; I added some cherry tomatoes that were getting wrinkly.  Based on this recipe.

Marinade:

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil 
• 1/4 teaspoon thyme 
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper 
• 3 cloves crushed garlic 
• 3 tablespoons olive oil 
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 

• 8 (4 oz each) boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt 
• 12 ounces zucchini, diced into 1-inch pieces 
• 3 carrots, peeled and diced into 1-inch pieces 
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces 
• 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces 
• 1 sweet onion, cut into 1-inch pieces 

DIRECTIONS:  Spray 2 large nonstick sheetpans or use parchment or foil.  Combine themarinade ingredients in a large bowl. Add the chicken and all veggies to the bowl and toss well to coat. Marinate 30 minutes or as long as overnight.

Preheat oven to 450F degrees.  Arrange everything in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheets. The vegetables and chicken should not touch (to avoid steaming the veggies). Bake about 20 minutes, turn chicken and vegetables and bake an additional 10 minutes, until roasted and tender. Top with fresh parsley and serve with rice (homemade rice-a-roni was a good choice).

Thai Curry Soup

• 2 ounces, weight rice noodles
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons minced lemongrass (if you can't find it just add an extra tablespoon of lime juice)
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons red curry paste
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 can reduced fat coconut milk, 14 ounce can
• 1 cup peeled and deveined shrimp (or shredded cooked chicken)
• 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• ¼ cups chopped cilantro
• ½ cups fresh sliced mushrooms
• 1 bag baby spinach, 6 ounce bag

Heat oil in saucepan, add onions and cook over medium heat until softened. Stir in garlic, lemon grass and ginger until aromatic — about 1 minute. Add the curry paste and stir. Pour in 1/2 of the chicken broth and stir until curry paste is dissolved, add the rest of the broth along with soy sauce and sugar. Let it simmer for 20 minutes, covered.

Stir in the noodles, coconut milk, shrimp(or chicken), and lime juice. Cook until shrimp is pink and done. Stir in cilantro, mushrooms and spinach until softened. 

Makes 4-6 servings

Beer Chicken Marinade

• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 tablespoons chopped onion(reconstituted from dried works)
• ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1½ cups beer(we used Dos Equis, anything light would work well)
• 4 pounds of raw chicken

Combine everything except for the beer and chicken in a large measuring cup, slowly add the beer.  Put the chicken into a zip top bag and slowly pour in the marinade.  Seal the bag and let rest in the fridge for at least 4 hours, but overnight is better.

Note:  This marinade also freezes well with chicken, if you don't need 4 pounds at a time, just omit the parsley until you thaw the chicken.

Tikka Masala

Excellent sauce at a great Aldi price!  Just combine with cooked chunks of chicken and sweet peppers and serve over rice.  (They sell jasmine rice at Aldi now too!)

Cashew Chicken & Broccoli Stir Fry

Sauce
1/2 cup fat-free chicken broth
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
 Dash ground red pepper

Vegetables and Chicken
4 cups broccoli florets
3   stalks celery, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch slices
3   green onions with tops, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 teaspoons finely chopped, peeled fresh gingerroot, divided
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
2   garlic cloves, pressed, divided
2 packages (3 ounces each) ramen noodles, any flavor
1/3 cup cashews or peanuts

DIRECTIONS
For sauce, combine chicken broth, peanut butter, soy sauce, honey and ground red pepper in Small Batter Bowl; mix with Stainless Whisk (mixture will not be smooth). Set aside.

For vegetables and chicken, cut broccoli, celery and green onions using Chef's Knife. Finely chop peeled fresh gingerroot using Food Chopper. Set vegetables aside. Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces.

Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in Stir-Fry Skillet over medium-high heat 1-3 minutes or until shimmering. Add chicken, 1 teaspoon of the gingerroot and 1 garlic clove pressed with Garlic Press. Cook and stir 6-7 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from skillet; keep warm.

Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil to skillet. Add broccoli, celery and remaining gingerroot and garlic. Cook and stir 2 minutes. Add green onions and continue cooking 2 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Return chicken to skillet. Stir in sauce; bring to a boil. Remove skillet from heat.

Meanwhile, bring 4 cups water to a boil in (2-qt.) Saucepan. Break noodles and add to boiling water (discard seasoning packets or reserve for another use). Cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally; drain. Stir noodles into chicken mixture. Sprinkle with cashews. Serve immediately.

Yield:
4  servings

NOTES:

• It's easy to overcook pretty much everything here, but better if you take care not to.
• This is another in my series of "getting rid of cookbooks that feature all the recipes online" project.  This one is from Pampered Chef.
• I prepared the vegetables and chicken the night before and it came together very quickly when we all got home from work/school.

Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

Yield: About 8 fajitas, 4 servings

Seasoning
2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground paprika
1/2 tsp ground coriander
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fajita filling
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced into 1/2-inch thick strips (slice extra wide strips in half)
1 of each red, green and yellow bell peppers, cored and sliced into strips (3 whole total)
1 medium yellow onion, halved and sliced from top to root
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
3 Tbsp chopped cilantro

For serving
8 taco size flour tortillas
Sour cream, avocado slices or guacamole, diced tomatoes, Mexican cheese blend (toppings are optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray an 17 by 12-inch rimmed baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

For the seasoning:
In a small mixing bowl whisk together chili powders, cumin, paprika, coriander, 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper, set aside.

For the fajitas filling:

• Spread bell peppers and yellow onion onto baking sheet. 
• Top with chicken strips then sprinkle garlic and seasoning evenly over chicken strips. 
• Drizzle olive oil over top then toss everything to evenly coat. 
• Spread into an even layer working to keep chicken from overlapping. 
• Roast in preheated oven, tossing once halfway through cooking, until veggies are tender and chicken has cooked through, about 20 - 25 minutes (test a few of the larger pieces to make sure they are 165 in the center, careful not to over-bake it or the chicken may be dry). 
• Wrap tortillas tightly in foil and warm in oven during last 5 minutes of fajita filling cooking.

Drizzle lime juice evenly over top of the chicken fajita filling, sprinkle with cilantro and more salt to taste and toss to coat. Serve filling warm in warm tortillas with desired toppings.

Whole Chicken - Instant Pot

1 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 (3-4 lb) whole chicken, rinsed well
2 tbsp olive oil
1-1/2 cup chicken stock or broth
2 tbsp dry white wine (optional)
juice of one lemon

1. With the cooker's lid off, heat oil on high until sizzling.
2. Sprinkle spices on the chicken breast size and place it breast side down in the cooker.  Sprinkle the spices on the top side.  Let it cook until browned, about 7 minutes.
3. Flip the chicken in the cooker and cover with remaining ingredients.
4. Lock on the lid and set for 25 minutes on high.
5. Let the cooker's pressure naturally for 10 minutes before performing a quick release of pressure.
6. Remove carefully from cooker and let rest for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

NOTES:

• Very good and simple.  I used some other spice blend that I had instead of the thyme and poultry seasoning.  I did use the paprika though - it gives a great color.
• Plan for a little more than an hour from start to finish.

Shredded Chicken Sandwiches

I'll probably never be able to repeat this creation, but I'll do my best to retrace my steps.  It would be worth the effort for an encore.

I started with this recipe, which tasted fine, but I probably won't make again until I figure out how to cook meat in a crockpot that isn't overcooked to the point of (1) being way too dry and/or (2) falling apart.  So we ate it for one meal, but it was really dry and there were lots of leftovers.  (To throw away, or not - that was the question.)  It was haunting me in the fridge a week later when the idea of shredded chicken sandwiches occurred to me, so I found a sauce.

That was this.  I didn't follow it carefully, but did use the ingredient list as guidelines.
Soy Sauce
Honey
Sesame oil
Lime juice (didn't have orange)
and definitely that teaspoon of fresh grated ginger :)

I also added the end of some barbecue sauce from Don Bickford and added a little more of Wee Willy's BBQ Sauce, (Steve Swanson's favorite and the secret to his delicious ribs).

Anyway, this sauce, whole wheat buns (onion buns would have been good too), and grilled pineapple slices.  Highly recommended and it saved my dry chicken from the trash.

Chicken Piccata

Yields: 2 servings

1 large boneless skinless chicken breast
Salt & pepper
Flour
3 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup chicken broth
Juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp. capers

Directions:

Butterfly the chicken breast. Salt and pepper to taste. Dredge each piece in flour, shaking off the excess. In a skillet on high heat, melt three Tbsp. butter, and brown the chicken, the browner and crispier the better, 3–5 minutes on each side. Remove chicken from the skillet, and, in the same pan, add chicken stock, lemon, and capers. Boil until the sauce reduces by 1/3, and return the chicken to the skillet. Spoon sauce over the chicken several times. Serve immediately, with the remaining sauce poured over the chicken.

NOTES: This was quick, easy, and really tasty.  The chicken was really moist.  I made 4 chicken breasts (which ended up as 8 servings).  I did not need to make as much sauce as I did, so if you use more chicken, you probably don't need to up the sauce ingredients proportionally.

Source

Slow Cooker Chicken Chili

2 (14 ounce) cans petite diced tomatoes, drained
2 (7 or 8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
2 large skinless boneless chicken breasts (about 1 and 1/2 pounds)
1 cup (240ml) chicken broth (I use reduced sodium)
1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
1 large green bell pepper, diced
1 (14 ounce) can corn (rinsed and drained) or 1 package of frozen corn
1 (14 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 small jalapeño, minced (remove seeds and ribs)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons chili powder (reduce to 1 teaspoon for less spicy chili)
1 Tablespoon ground cumin (for that key chili taste!)
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
4 ounces brick-style light cream cheese (or full fat)

Directions:

• Add all the ingredients except the cream cheese to a slow cooker. Give everything a stir as best you can to mix. 
• Cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3 hours.
• Remove the chicken and chop into pieces or shred into pieces, then return chicken to the slow cooker and give everything a few stirs. 
• Stir in the cream cheese until fully melted and combined. Taste and add more salt or add ground black pepper to taste. Cover the slow cooker and cook for about 10-15 more minutes.

MY NOTES:

• Source - Sally's Baking Addiction
• Not surprisingly, I didn't add the jalapeño and I wenT for the "less spicy" option on the chili powder.  I was going to add a can of diced chilies, but didn't have any.  
• I also didn't add any salt.
• The cream cheese looked a little lumpy at first, but it all melted in before too long.
• It's very good! 

Chicken Stew

1 - 4-6 lb chicken
1 pinch Bell's Seasoning
1 onion, quartered
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 cups chicken broth(reserved from cooking the chicken)

Place chicken, seasoning, and onion in a stockpot, cover with water. Simmer until the chicken is tender, remove chicken and set aside to cool, reserve 2 cups of the broth. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove all bones and skin, tear chicken into bite sized pieces. In a large saucepan combine the cream soup with the reserved broth over medium heat, add the chicken and stir until well combined and heated through, season to taste. Serve over rice or biscuits.

Note: This recipe is from Grant's grandmother and the directions were a bit vague, but he says that it tastes right.

One-Pot Cajun Pasta

Ingredients:
- Olive Oil (2 Tbsp.)
- 2 Diced Chicken Breasts
- Andouille or Smoked Sausage (8 oz, sliced)
- Garlic (3 cloves, minced)
- Yellow Onion (1/2, sliced)
- Red Pepper (1, sliced)
- Green Pepper (1, sliced)
- Mushrooms (2 cups)
- 16 oz box of the pasta of your choice (we used linguine)
- Chicken broth (5 cups)
- Heavy Cream (1/2 cup)
- Shredded Parmesan (1 cup)
- Cajun Seasoning (1 Tbsp.)
(You can use a store-bought Cajun spice mix or make your own! We used equal parts cayenne pepper, onion powder, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.)

Directions:
Pour olive oil into the pot. Add diced chicken breast to the pot, cover with cajun seasoning, and stir until the chicken is evenly seasoned. Then, add sliced sausage and stir. Cook the meat on medium heat for 5-10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Once the meat is cooked, add in the garlic, onion, peppers, and mushrooms, and stir. Continue stirring for 3-5 minutes as the veggies cook down.

Add the dry pasta to the pot (if using long, thin noodles, break in half), then pour in the chicken broth. Stir until everything is well-mixed. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, keep covered bring the heat down to a simmer for 10 minutes (stirring every two minutes). If there still extra chicken broth, you can discard it, cook longer until the liquid evaporates, or add a little cornstarch to thicken the liquid.

Lastly, add heavy cream and parmesan and stir until your pasta is well blended. Garnish with green onions, more parmesan, a sprinkle of cajun seasoning (if you want some extra spice), and salt and pepper to taste.

Source.

NOTES:

• This recipe is a little spicier than some of you may like.  The Cajun seasoning I used was homemade, but not by me, so I don't actually know what was in it...  
• I used Canjun Seasoned Andouille Sausage.  I used 12 oz instead of 8.
• There was quite a bit of liquid left after simmering everything, so I added some corn starch to thicken it.
• I added a little more cream and parmesan than it called for.
• It reminds me of spicier version of something I've had before at home, but I can't remember what...Tasty though! 

Wild Rice Salad

1 cup wild rice, uncooked (3 cups cooked)
1/2 c almonds, sliced
1 cup dried cranberries
1 bunch green onions, sliced thinly
4 ribs of celery, chopped
1 c chicken
Marzetti's poppyseed dressing

Directions:

1. Prepare wild rice as directed on label.
2. In a large bowl, stir everything together.
3. Add enough dressing to coat ingredients.
4. Refrigerate for an hour or more.

Notes:

• I more than doubled the recipe and didn't need a whole bottle of dressing.
• Rotisserie chicken was a great choice!
• If refrigerating overnight, add the almonds just before serving.
• I had this for a lunch at Pacem In Terris and the rice was perfectly cooked.  I'm sure it all tastes the same, but it is prettier if the rice isn't overcooked.