Chicken Pasta

1 pound Penne

4 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

Salt And Pepper, to taste

2 Tablespoons Butter

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

4 cloves Garlic, Minced

1 1/2 C broth

1 bag Baby Spinach

2 cups Grape Tomatoes, Halved Lengthwise

4 ounces shaved Parmesan Cheese 

Cook pasta according to package directions in lightly salted water. Drain and set aside.

Cut chicken breasts into chunks and sprinkle on salt and pepper.

Heat butter and olive oil over high heat in a large skillet. Add chicken chunks in a single layer and do not stir for a minute or two in order to allow the chicken to brown on the first side. Turn the chicken and brown on the other side. Cook until done, then remove chicken from the skillet.

Turn heat to medium. Add garlic and quickly stir to avoid burning. After about 30 seconds, pour in broth, stirring to deglaze the pan. Allow the liquid to bubble up, then continue cooking until it's reduced by at least half (most of the surface of the liquid should be bubbling at this point.)

Turn off the heat. Add spinach, tomatoes, chicken, and cooked pasta to the skillet. Toss to combine; the spinach will wilt as you toss everything. Add plenty of Parmesan shavings and toss to combine.

Serve with extra Parmesan shavings.

Fajitas

Cook chicken strips in oil until done (10 min or less). 

Add sliced onions and sliced bell peppers, cook til crisp-tender. 

Add taco seasoning, 2 T water (or so), and pepper. 

Add sliced tomatoes before serving on tortillas.  Serve with toppings:  cheese, guacamole, olives, sour cream, salsa, etc.

Vegan version:  omit chicken, cheese and sour cream.  Use cooked black beans and corn in place of meat.

ASIAN: Thai Peanut Noodles, Lumpia, etc.

Version #1:  Thai peanut noodles 

12 oz. linguine or spaghetti, cooked         
 2 garlic cloves
2/3 c. chunky peanut butter                    
1 c. chicken bouillon
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 c. shredded zucchini                    
up to 1/3 c. soy sauce

1-2 tsp sugar

optional: add shredded carrot

Add garlic, peanut butter, bouillon, chicken, zucchini, soy sauce, and sugar to a 3 quart crockpot. Cook on low for 4-5 hours or high for 2-3 hours. Stir until smooth. Serve over pasta. Garnish with chopped peanuts, if desired. 

To make it on the stove:  Use cooked chicken cubes.

Vegan version:  omit chicken.  Use veggie bouillon instead of chicken bouillon.

 Version #2:  My new favorite Thai noodles:

Thai Peanut Noodles - Nora Cooks

Version #3: Thai peanut noodles

2 garlic cloves

⅔ C peanut butter

1 C chicken broth

1 C shredded zucchini

⅓ C soy sauce

1 t sugar

Red pepper

T lime juice

Cilantro peanuts

Green onions

Lumpia  /  Sweet and sour chicken

GRANDMA ILENE'S CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

1 frying chicken (approximately 3 lbs.)  OR use chicken bouillon in water and add cut-up chunks of

                                                                         cooked chicken after the vegetables are soft      

4 carrots, sliced              

 4 celery stalks, sliced                        

 2 onions, diced

4 peppercorns or 1/4 t pepper      
1 T salt (or to taste)                   
Optional: bay leaf, parsley, thyme            

Noodles

In LARGE pot, combine chicken and enough water to cover 3/4 of the chicken (about 12 C of water). Bring to a boil; simmer 15 min. Add vegetables and seasonings. Simmer, covered, 45 min. or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken from broth; cool. Remove chicken from bones and cut into bite size pieces (half of the chicken pieces can be frozen and used in later meals).  Skim fat from the top of the broth. Bring to boil; add noodles and chicken pieces and simmer 20 minutes until noodles are ready.

HOMEMADE NOODLES

2 eggs, beaten               

4 T milk                  

1 t salt                     

 2 C flour

Combine egg, milk, and salt. Add flour to make a stiff dough.  Roll very thin. Let stand 20 minutes. Slice into noodle-sized rectangles.

Let dry for up to 2 hours, if possible. Drop into boiling soup. Cook 10 minutes or until done.

 

We ate this at Great-Grandma Ilene's house out on the ranch.  She loved to serve the soup over mashed potatoes.

CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP/ GRAVY/ MACARONI AND CHEESE SAUCE/ TUNA TATOR/POT PIE

Good job for a minion: stirring and stirring....

1/4 c butter (I use much less for lower fat, then stir in corn starch and cold water if necessary to thicken)
1/4 c flour                  
1 c milk           
1 chicken bouillon cube                   
1 c water (hot)

Melt butter in saucepan over low heat. Add 1/4 c flour (more if you want it thicker). Make a paste. Add milk--let it thicken. Stir often.  Dissolve bouillon cube in water, add to mix.      

 To make gravy, use water instead of milk.

To make Macaroni and cheese sauce, use 1 c grated cheese instead of  bouillon cube and water

To make Tuna Tator (family favorite), stir tuna into this soup, pour it in a glass baking dish, put mashed potatoes over it, and sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake.

To make pot pie, stir cooked veggies into this (potatoes, peas, carrots), add chunks of cooked chicken, pour in a pie dish, top with a big flat circle of biscuit dough. Bake at 400 until biscuit is cooked.

 

Healthy Cream of Chicken Soup Substitute

from:  http://www.happybeinghealthy.com/

(1 recipe=1 can of cream of chicken soup)

• 3 T. flour (I used whole wheat)
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• dash pepper
• 1 T. butter
• 1/2 C. chicken broth (lower sodium is best)
• 3/4 C. skim milk (or whatever kind of milk you want to use)

1.  Mix flour, salt and pepper in small bowl.

2.  Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat.

3.  Add dry ingredients and mix until blended.

4.  Slowly add chicken broth (if you add it too fast, it will be lumpy) and mix until blended.

5.  Slowly add the milk and mix until blended.  Bring to a low boil, stirring constantly until thickened.

_________________________

Another recipe for Cream of Chicken Soup (with no butter).  We made this (to put in white enchiladas) and it tasted great and was very easy to make:

Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup

Author: Pinch of Yum

Makes the equivalent of about 2 cans of condensed cream of chicken soup.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth (I used 2 cans)
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon seasoning mix (or on your own, 1/2 tsp. onion powder, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, 1/2 tsp. black pepper, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. parsley, etc)

Instructions

1. Combine the chicken broth and 1/2 cup of the milk in a large saucepan. Bring to a low boil.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the flour and seasonings into the remaining 1 cup milk until a smooth, thick mixture forms.
3. Pour the flour and milk mixture into the saucepan with the broth mixture over low heat and stir continuously, whisking as the mixture simmers. Continue to simmer and stir/whisk until the mixture is smooth and thick, 5-10 minutes. The mixture will thicken a bit as it cools.

Notes

The seasoning possibilities are really open-ended. I change the spices I use every time I make this depending on what I'm going to use the soup for. The texture can get lumpy really quickly so I suggest keeping the heat as low as possible and whisking continuously for a more smooth consistency.

Chicken + turkey