Ritz Breaded Chicken

Sometimes I remember things and I am sure, in fact positive, that I am remembering them correctly. Then I realize a little too late that I remembered wrong. When it's my husband telling me he thinks I am not remembering  correctly I am not happy with him. Then I assure him I am right. When it turns out that I am not right he doesn't usually say anything because he knows I already feel bad about it. This time when I thought I knew exactly what I was doing when I made this chicken. I was totally happy after eating it that I remembered wrong. I love Ritz crackers and I don't know why I didn't think of this before. The buttery flavor is so delicious that no seasonings are needed but they are fun to try. So the first time you make it leave the seasonings out and the 2nd time add something like savory or thyme to the Ritz crumbs. Anyway have fun eating my mistake.

Ritz Breaded Chicken

4-6 chicken breasts
1 sleeve Ritz crackers
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley (opt.)
1/2 teaspoon savory, or thyme (opt.)

If using large, thick chicken breasts, cut in half width wise so that they are a little thinner.  Place chicken in a bowl and drizzle butter over and stir to coat evenly.

Grind up the Ritz crackers to a nice crumb in a food processor. If using spices add them to the crumbs now.

Dip each piece of chicken into the crumbs and coat completely.

Layer the chicken in a single layer in a 9 x 13 pan sprayed with cooking spray.  Cover pan with foil and bake @ 400ºF for 30 minutes. Remove foil and cook an additional 15 minutes or until the chicken is golden and crispy.

I serve mine with Smashers and Chicken Gravy.

Chicken Gravy (Easy version)

2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons sour cream
1 14 ounce can cream of chicken soup
1/4 - 1/2 cup milk

Milk butter in a sauce pan on the stove top. Let butter brown slightly and add sour cream. Mix well. Add soup and enough milk to make a nice sauce. Not too thick and not too thin.

Emily's Southwest Pulled Chicken

My daughter-in-law is always showing me new things. She brought this chicken to our 'Ladies Night' gathering. It was an instant hit with all of us. I took it to work today and many requested the recipe. It is so easy I can just  tell them right on the spot, but at my age I might forget it by tomorrow. So for me and everyone else who requested it, here it is: (Unfortunately we ate it all so I will have pictures next time.)

Emily's Southwest Pulled Chicken

4 chicken breasts (I use the frozen ones from Costco so that would be 8 pieces of chicken)
1 large container Mango Peach Salsa (from Costco)
1 can corn (drained)
1 can black beans

Place chicken in a crock pot layered with the salsa. Cook for 5 or 6 hours on high or until done. Remove from pot, slice lengthwise against the grain and let cool slightly. Add corn and beans to salsa. When cool enough to work with, jerk the meat and return to the pot. Ready to serve.

Home-style Chicken Noodle Soup

When someone in my house is ill I know it's time to make this soup, the traditional way. Boil them bones good. But if it's me not feeling so good, I just have my husband by a rotisserie chicken and make it the fast way. Both are delicious and so good for you mentally and physically. But you don't have to be sick to enjoy it. Soup is always a good choice. This makes a big batch so I often take a quart of it to one of my neighbors. It's especially good when you have warms rolls to go with it. Always look for ways to have better relations with your neighbors you can never have too many friends.

Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup (traditional slow version)

1 whole chicken
2 cubes bouillon
2 qts. water
1 small onion, diced
1 pkg. Grandmas' Frozen Wide Noodles, slightly thawed
4 small potatoes, peeled and cubed
7 carrots, peeled and chunked
1 can green beans
Parsley

Boil chicken in water with bouillon and onion until chicken is cooked. Remove chicken from broth. Add noodles. Boil 1 hour. Remove meat from bones and cube meat. Add meat and veggies. Boil for 20-30 minutes.

Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup (Fast version):

1 Costco Rotisserie  chicken (or the store of your choice)
2 cubes bouillon
2 qts. water
2 tablespoons chopped dried onions
6 oz. dry homestyle noodles (I use the Country Pasta brand at Costco called Homemade Style Egg Pasta)
4 small potatoes, scrubbed and cubed
1 cup baby carrots
1 can green beans
Parsley

Bring water with bouillon and onion to a boil, add noodles cook for 30 minutes. Add veggies and cook 20 minutes more. While noodles and veggies are cooking remove bones from chicken and cube meat. Add meat and drippings to noodle/veggie mixture and boil for until noodles and veggies are soft. Add green beans and parsley when there a only a few minutes left to cook.

Cupcake Chicken Pot Pies

One of the church groups in our town used to make individual chicken pot pies every Fall as a fund raiser. I remember waiting, with mouth watering, by the front window until I could see my Dad driving up our driveway. They were so amazing and the gravy to smother them in made them fantastic. I keep trying to duplicate them but to no avail. I never seem to have enough mini pie tins so I just tried it in my large cupcake tins. So close the what I am looking for but until then . . .Cute and fun. 

 Make a recipe of pastry for a double crust pie. If you have not made Pastry crust before go here for a link on how to do it. It is very easy the only equipment you really need is a pastry cutter. Divide dough into to pieces, one almost twice as big as the other. Divide each half into 6 balls starting with the larger half. Pat or roll out each of the 6 larger balls into a 7 inch circle.

 Tip: I use 2 pieces of waxed paper. Put one piece on your counter, place a ball of dough in the center. Pat out into a 3 inch circle. 

Cover circle with the other piece of waxed paper and roll into a 7 inch circle using a rolling pin.

The dough will slightly stick to the waxed paper so just carefully peel off the top layer. Pick up dough by the bottom waxed paper, place over one of the cups on a large muffin tin and gently peel off waxed paper. Gently help dough down into the cup making sure not to poke a hole in the crust. Allow the crust to fall over onto the cupcake tin.

Repeat process for each of the remaining cupcake sections. Fill each crust with filling (see below for a chicken filling). Repeat rolling out process with each of the smaller dough balls, rolling out to only 4 inches. Moisten surface of bottom crust before laying top crust over it. This will help to seal the edges.

Edges can be sealed together by pressing the tips of a fork around the edge of the crusts of by folding the outer crust up and cover the top crust and crimping in place. Make several slits in the top crust. Bake @ 400 ºF for 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Filling:

1 3/4 cups chicken broth

• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1/2 cup potatoes, cubed or veggie of your choice, cubbed
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1 1/2 cups chicken, cooked and cubed
• 1 cup frozen green peas
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

In a small pan add chicken broth and 3 veggies. Simmer until tender. While simmering combine butter and flour to make a roux, no need to cook but you can if you want. Do not remove veggies from heat but add peas, chicken, seasonings and milk.  Keep heat on and slowly stir in roux and stir constantly until mixture is thickened.

Aunt Becky's Italian Chicken

Another one of those simple to prepare meals. Sometimes I make extra mashed potatoes on Sunday just so I can have an easy day in the kitchen on Monday by making this chicken. Sorry no finished picture on a plate. We got excited to eat it I forgot to take a picture.

Recipe

4-6 chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 pkg. dry Italian dressing mix
3 Tablespoons butter

Place chicken breasts in a baking dish or crock pot. Combine soup, sour cream and dressing mix in a bowl. Pour over chicken. Dot with butter. Cover. Bake at 300° for 2 hours or in the crock pot on low for 4 hours.   Serve with rice or mashed potatoes.

Easy Chicken Salad

When your daughter gets married you want everything just perfect. I being the crazy person I am wanted to accomplish that by making everything myself, partly to make sure it was what we wanted and partly to save money. We wanted to serve chicken sandwiches but they needed to make up fast, have only a few ingredients and be delish. This recipe is what I came up with. I bought bags of shredded lettuce and made the gallons of dressing days ahead. Make sure to use the dry Hidden Valley Ranch mix unless, of course, your favorite Ranch is different than mine. Some people in my family tell me they have favorites that are not like mine but it's hard to imagine. :)

Recipe

1/2 head lettuce, shredded
2 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1 cup Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
Mix above ingredients together. Serve on croissants. For best results use
Hidden Valley and not a substitute ranch dressing. Use the dry mix
combined with mayo and milk.

Chicken Rice Salad

It's not often you find a great salad that is not macaroni, greens or potatoes. The orange juice marinade gives this salad a fun flavor and what isn't yummy after you add cashews. Sometimes I make little dollar sandwich buns to serve this salad on. Just use my bread recipe and make little rolls out of it.

2 chicken breasts
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tbsp. rice vinegar
1/4 teaspoon onion salt
3 cups rice, cooked in chicken broth
1 can Mandarin oranges, drained
1/2 cup almonds, slivered, or 1/2 cup cashews
1/4 cup celery finely chopped
Grapes
Mayonnaise
Marinate chicken in orange juice, vinegar and salt. Bake in marinade or
grill. Cut into small pieces. Add to remaining ingredients using enough
mayonnaise to slightly coat. Serve as a salad or a filling for croissants.

Teresa's Chicken Pasta Salad

Everyone loves to go to my sister's home. She is the perfect hostess. Her home and garden are always the perfect place of peace and beauty. Her home is always the place we gather for baby showers and bridal showers. Her chicken pasta salad is always on the menu. It's so delicious that everyone is excited to see it on the buffet.

Recipe:

1 large pkg. of bow tie pasta, boiled according to package directions
3 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
1 large can of pineapple tidbits
1 lb of grapes
1 can of cashews, unsalted
1 bunch green onions, diced
1 celery stick, diced
1 recipe Cole Slaw Dressing
Mix all ingredients together pour dressing over, mix well. Can be refrigerated 4-
6 hours before serving. If needed add more dressing to moisten before
serving.

Dressing recipe:

1/2 cup sugar
1 cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
1/4 teaspoon celery seed

Mix all ingredients well. Let sit 5 minutes to dissolve sugar. Stir and pour over salad.

MarChele's Prime Rib Coating

1 cup salt

1/2 cup coarse ground pepper

2 Tablespoons paprika

2 Tablespoons marjoram

2 Tablespoons thyme

1/2 teaspoon garlic

Combine all ingredients. Cover container with lid. Use as needed. Works great on baked chicken and ribs as well.

Chicken B-B-Q Salad

I should devote an entire section to cilantro. I love it! I used to hate it. I must have been crazy then because it use it in so many recipes now.

So now it is summer and I have cilantro out in the garden reminding me everyday how yummy it is. But who wants to cook in this heat. Salads are always on the menu and this is one of my easy favorites.
Start by purchasing a rotisserie chicken from your favorite grocery store like Walmart or Costco. Wash a head of romaine lettuce and while it is draining debone and shred the chicken. Open a can of corn and black beans. Cut the lettuce in bite size pieces and add whatever else you like to the salad. Now all you have to do is go out to the garden and pick some cilantro (or buy a bunch from the grocer).
For the dressing I make homemade ranch by using Hidden Valley Ranch mix and Best Foods Mayonnaise. Then you squeeze on a little b-b-q sauce and the only sauce at our house is Sweet Baby Ray's.
Yum. Enjoy.