Chicken Salsa Verde Bake

I made this dish last Thursday and ate it last night for dinner as left overs. It is really tasty and even better after a few days. Don't you just love food that makes good leftovers? You can determine this spicy-ness of this one by the type of Salsa you use. It's very easy to make, besides all the chicken shredding! I gave up after a while and just started chopping. Enjoy!

2 Tbs Vegetable Oil
2 1/4 lbs. skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Two 16 oz. jars salsa verde
One 15 oz. can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cup sour cream
2 cups crushed tortilla chips
One 8 oz. bag shredded Mexican-style cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375 in a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning once, until cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Let stand until cool, then shred the meat into a large bowl. Stir in the salsa, kidney beans, onion and sour cream.

2. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, scatter 1 cup tortilla chips on the bottom and top with half of the chicken mixutre and half of the cheese. Repeat the layers and cover with the remaining 1 cup tortilla chips. Bake until the cheese is bubbly, about 30 minutes.

This recipe is from the Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine, November 2008

Chicken and Tomato Risotto

October is officially comfort food month. I've made this dish twice now, and while it's not something you can should make if you will be distracted in the kitchen, it is definitely worth the effort! Of course, I didn't have arborio rice (why can I never actually have all the ingredients?? ) but used Orzo pasta instead. It worked out just fine! This is from August/September 2008 issue of Taste of Home Magazine (love that magazine!).

1 Cup chicken broth
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 Tbs Olive Oil
1 1/2 Cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 Tbs butter
1 Cup uncooked arborio rice
1 Cup Meatless spaghetti sauce
1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese

In a small saucepan, heat broth and keep warm. In a large skillet, saute chicken in oil until no longer pink. Remove and keep warm.

In the same skillet, saute the mushrooms onion and garlic in butter until crisp-tender. Add rice, cook and stir for about 3 minutes. Carefully stir in 1 cup warm broth. Cook and stir until all of the liquid is absorbed.

Add remaining broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly. Allow the liquid to absorb between additions. Cook until risotto is creamy and rice is almost tender. (Cooking time is about 20 minutes).

Stir in the spaghetti sauce, cheese and reserved chicken; cook and stir until thickened. Serve immediately. (Yields 4 servings)

Ro-Tel Tomato Casserole

I fixed this recipe for dinner tonight--definitely NOT healthy, but perfect for a cool night and comfort food.  I made this before, and Brock loved it so much he requested it specially this week. This recipe is out of Grade A+ Recipes from Mount Pisgah Christian School.

4 Chicken breasts or 1 whole chicken, boiled and cut into pieces

12 oz spaghetti, cooked in chicken broth

1 onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 C. celery, chopped

1.5 lb. Velveeta

1 can Ro-Tel (original)

1 can ripe black olives, sliced

1 stick butter (for sauteing)

Boil chicken until done.  Cook spaghetti in broth until done.  Drain.  Saute onion, bell pepper and celery until crisp in large saucepan.  Add Velveeta and stir until melted.  Add Ro-Tel tomatoes, chicken, spaghetti and olives.  Stir and serve.