Smothered Chicken Queso Casserole

I'm always looking for something different to make for my boys. We have a lot of recipes that are similar, and I tend to be afraid to jump out of my box (very far, at least) for dinner. However, this combines things that Nate & the boys all like-- chicken, taco seasoning, salsa, rice... Salsa in a main dish, however, is why this is out of my box. I am not a big salsa fan, but the boys loved this!

(However, this does make a lot-- too much for my boys, they tired of it quickly. I will definitely only make a 1/2 batch next time!)

The picture is questionable, but it is much tastier than it looks! I'm just not much of a photographer. ;)

Remember, comments are loved! What's your favorite out-of-the-box dish?

Printable Recipe

Smothered Chicken Queso Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon oil 
• 1-2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise 
• 1 tablespoon taco seasoning, divided
• 15 ounces salsa 
• ½ cup heavy whipping cream
• ¼ cup milk
• 1 medium red/orange/green bell pepper, seeded, chopped 
• 2 ½ cups cooked white rice
• 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend 
• Chopped tomatoes and chopped fresh cilantro, if desired

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spray 13”x9” baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Sprinkle ½ tablespoon taco seasoning over chicken, then cook for 6-8 minutes. Turn once, cooking til golden brown on both sides.
3. In large bowl, stir together salsa, whipping cream, milk, and pepper. Reserve approximately ¾ cup of the sauce mixture; set aside. Stir rice into remaining sauce mixture.
4. Place rice mixture in casserole; top with chicken. Top with reserved sauce mixture, then shredded cheese. 
5. Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes; uncover and bake 10 to 15 minutes longer or until sauce bubbles and juice of chicken is clear when cut.
6. Cool for 10 minutes, then garnish as desired.

Yield/Time

6 servings

1 hour

Nutrition Facts *I calculate nutrition facts for reference only, this is not done scientifically

323-371, depending on amount of chicken

Source (for original): Betty Crocker

Spanish Rice

I know it's two days before Christmas, and you are probably expecting more Christmas recipes, but I couldn't wait to share this! This is a great, easy recipe to make with very little effort: perfect for one of the days before Christmas, when you don't have much time!

I've talked before about my not-love of processed foods, but I will admit I love the box mix of Spanish rice. Just to eat, and in my empandas. (Which I just realized I never shared the recipe for... that will come soon!) I kept promising myself that I would try to make it myself, and I finally did!

Overall, if you like the box mix, I think you'll like this! It would be easy to adjust seasonings based on your household's tastes. I started with 1 tablespoon of taco seasoning, because my little boys don't like too much spice. However, next time, I will definitely add more! 1 tablespoon is fairly light.

I added some cooked, shredded turkey and some cheese to make this a meal!

Enjoy, and have a very merry & blessed Christmas!

Printable Recipe

Spanish Rice

Ingredients

• 1 cup white rice
• ½ cup vermicelli, broken into small pieces
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 2-3 cups chicken broth, divided
• 15 ounces canned tomatoes (undrained)
• 1-2 tablespoon taco or fiesta seasoning

Directions

1. In a large saucepan or deep skillet, saute rice and vermicelli in butter until golden brown. Stir frequently.
2. Add 2 cups chicken broth, tomatoes, and seasoning. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until rice is done. Add more chicken broth as needed.
3. Serve immediately. 

Yield/Time

8 servings

30 minutes

Nutrition Facts

130

Source (for original): n/a

Creamy Artichoke & Spinach Chicken

There are two things that are important to me when I am cooking: I want the recipe to be fairly easy (no 30-stop process here!), and I want it to taste great. I love to cook from scratch, but again: no 30-step process. I've been known to make my own spinach tortillas (hint: they are amazing!), cheez-its, oatmeal cream pies, etc. However... I like the easy route, too. Especially if I can do a little something that adds a lot of flavor to my meals. Which is one of the many, many reasons I love Tastefully Simple. We have a lot of great products that make my mealtimes easier--and tastier! 

When I decided to start blogging again, I wasn't sure how much of my TS stuff I wanted to post. I certainly don't want to be pushing anything onto anyone, but I would be remiss if I didn't share awesome recipes with you lovely readers--regardless of the ingredients. I wouldn't keep from posting a Nutella recipe just to make sure no one thought I was pressuring them into buying Nutella. If you are interested, there is a link at the bottom to purchase things through me, or you can just message me. (Disclaimer: clearly, if you make a purchase through me as a consultant, I am paid a small amount, based on the sale. That's the deal with being a consultant.) If not, no worries! I will be sharing plenty of recipes, and they certainly aren't all TS based!

On to the recipe itself....

I have been (kinda) trying to do more with rice. When I first got married and started cooking more, we ate a lot of pasta. Two reasons: 1, it's easy, and 2, I really love pasta. But the last few years I've been trying to do more with rice. Partially per my husband's request--he doesn't complain much about anything I make, but he gets tired of pasta much faster than I do. Partially to branch out--rice is great, pretty versatile, and is simply different than using pasta.

It's not that rice is hard to work with,  or cook. It's just that I don't think about it--I just toss pasta into a dish and call it good. This recipe is really pretty basic (read: easy), but sooo tasty. I can just toss rice into this and call it good. ;)

The original called for broccoli, but it's zucchini & summer squash season too. That means that, currently, I can have as many zucchini & summer squash as I want. Mom & Grandma are constantly asking me if I need/want more. They had a lot of broccoli too, but when I made this I had 3 zucchini and 2 summer squash in the fridge, so...  Sub whatever veggie is your favorite/you have an abundance of!

Printable Recipe

In this photo, I actually used a mix from a past season, but this is great with Artichoke & Spinach too!

Creamy Artichoke & Spinach Chicken

Ingredients

2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth (I use bouillon, or make my own broth when I cook a whole chicken in the crock pot)
1 packet Artichoke & Spinach Warm Dip Mix
1 tablespoon avocado or vegetable oil
1 small - medium zucchini, diced

1 small - medium summer squash, diced

1 cooked boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed
2 teaspoons Seasoned Salt

1 cup white rice
2 ounces cream cheese, cubed

Directions

In medium bowl, combine chicken broth and Artichoke & Spinach Warm Dip Mix; whisk until combined. Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; saute veggies until tender. (About  2-3 minutes.) Add chicken, Seasoned Salt, and rice; saute 1 minute. Add broth mixture. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 20-25 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in cream cheese; continue cooking until melted and smooth.

Yield/Time

8 servings

45 minutes

Nutrition Facts

174 (I calculate calories for my personal use, this is not done scientifically)

Source (for original): Tastefully Simple

Tastefully Simple info: If you are interested in making a purchase, you can purchase through my page, or just search and select "Serena Lee" as your consultant. Obviously, if you are not local and already have a consultant.... purchase through them online, or contact them! Shop local, as always! Disclaimer: again, I am paid a small amount with each purchase made through myself as a consultant. You are helping to support my baking addiction, thank you! ;)

A Favorite Entree: Cheesy Chicken & Tortillas!

I am one of those people who finds a recipe they really like, then makes it over & over in a short period of time. Much to the annoyance of my husband, who wants things changed up regularly. To compromise, when I have a current favorite dinner, I only put it on the menu about once a month. That's enough that I feel like I am not going through withdrawal, and Nathan will tolerate eating it.

This is one of those recipes! When I first found this, I made it every week or so. Nathan was so incredibly sick of it after a few weeks that he would eat every other leftover in the fridge before he would finish this off. (And by then, I had usually finished it!) Since then, it's been relegated to every month or so. I always get excited when I realize it's been awhile since I made it, as that means I can make it again!

 I love the combination of flavors in taco seasoning, so I get excited when I see a recipe calling for it that's completely different from others I've tried. With this recipe, you can really vary the amount of seasoning to make it as spicy as you want. (Another benefit of making homemade taco seasoning-easy to vary the seasoning without wasting part of a packet of the store-bought stuff.) With Gabriel, I cut down on the spiciness, but it's all personal preference. 

I think that my favorite thing about this recipe is the tortillas being mixed in with everything-- it adds a fun texture/flavor!

 

Cheesy Chicken & Tortillas

Ingredients

• ½ pound cooked chicken, shredded
• 1-2 tablespoons taco seasoning
• 1 ¼ cups chicken broth
• 26 ounces Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (1 large can-if you want to sub with 2 small cans, increase the chicken broth to 1 3/4 cup)
• 20 taco-size flour tortillas, torn or cut into 1” pieces
• 4 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
• Hot cooked regular long-grain white rice (I usually cook 3 cups raw)

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350°.
2. Mix ½ of taco seasoning with chicken. Add remaining taco seasoning, broth, and soup.
3. Layer half of the chicken mixture, tortillas, and cheese in a 3-quart shallow baking dish. Repeat the layer. (When layering tortillas, be careful not to layer them too thick.)
4. Bake for 30 minutes or until the mixture is hot and bubbling. Serve over rice.

Yield/Time

Approx 10 servings

Prep: 15 minutes Bake: 30 minutes

Nutrition Facts

½ cup + ¼ cup rice = 379 cals

Source (for original): Recipe.com