Chicken Verde

4 chicken breasts, boneless & skinless
1 can cream of chicken
1 can cream of celery
8 oz. sour cream
8 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 can Herdez green salsa

Lightly brown chicken with garlic salt and pepper. Pour all ingredients over chicken. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Add cheese and bake an additional 15 minutes. Serve over white rice.

From the kitchen of ... Granny

White Bean Chili

2 cans Great Northern beans, drained
1 can Cannelli white beans, drained
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
2 medium onions, chopped
1 T. olive oil
2 large cans green chilies, chopped & drained
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 t. ground cumin
2 t. dried oregano
7 c. chicken broth
1 whole chicken, boiled & de-boned
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/2 bunch cilantro (chopped in food processor with jalapenos)
5 dashes chili powder
5 dashes cayenne
1 large jalapeno, chopped
1 c. Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
1 bag Fritos chips

Saute onion in hot oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until tender. Add green chilies and next five ingredients, beans, corn, and chicken that has been torn or shredded in small bite-sized pieces. Add 1 large cup of Monterrey Jack cheese and stir until well-blended. You can simmer this for a couple of hours over low heat in Dutch oven or Crock Pot. Serve over Fritos topped with Monterrey Jack cheese.

From the kitchen of ... Cindy

Hash Browns & Chicken Casserole

1 chicken, cooked & shredded
1 (32 oz) bag frozen hash browns, thawed
1 can cream of chicken
1 lb. cheddar cheese, shredded
1 pint sour cream
1 small onion, chopped
Salt & pepper to taste
1/2 c. butter, melted
2 c. cornflakes

Mix together chicken, hash browns, cream of chicken, cheese, sour cream, onion, salt and pepper. Place in 9 X 13" baking dish. Combine melted butter and cornflakes. Sprinkle over top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. This may be halved for smaller amounts.

From the kitchen of ... Cindy

Kahlua Jerk Chicken

1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
Salt & pepper
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
3/4 c. Caribbean Jerk marinade (Lawry's)
3/4 c. Kahlua
2 T. chunky peanut butter

Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a large freezer bag, combine chicken and flour. Seal bag; shake to coat chicken. Remove chicken from bag; shake off excess flour. In large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken to hot oil; cook for 4 minutes. Turn chicken; cook for another 4 minutes. Transfer to plate. For the sauce, in the same skillet, combine Jerk marinade, Kahlua, and peanut butter. Bring to boil; reduce heat to low. Add chicken to skillet, making sure all pieces are coated with sauce. Simmer for 5-6 minutes or until cooked through.

4 Servings

From the kitchen of ... Mark & Shannon

Asian Lemon Chicken

1 qt. buttermilk
1 T. lemon zest
4 chicken breasts, boneless & skinless
2 c. flour
1 c. cornstarch
Canola oil, for frying

Cut the chicken into strips. In a medium bowl, combine buttermilk and lemon zest. Add chicken and set aside. Sift together flour and cornstarch. In large skillet, heat 1/4 to 1/2-inch of oil to 365 degrees. Shake excess buttermilk from chicken strips and dredge in flour mixture. Fry chicken strips in hot oil until golden brown on one side (about 4-5 minutes). Turn and finish cooking, another 3-4 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Set aside and keep warm.

Lemon Sauce

1 (11 oz) jar lemon curd (Robertson's)
1/4 c. chicken broth
1/2 t. soy sauce
1/4 t. ground ginger
Sliced green onions for garnish

In a small saucepan over low heat, melt lemon curd; stirring constantly. Add broth, soy sauce, and ginger; heat through. Spoon sauce over fried chicken strips. Sprinkle with green onions.

Serves 4

From the kitchen of ... Mark & Shannon

Braised Chicken in Sun-Dried Tomato Cream

4 boneless chicken breasts
3 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 c. dry white wine
2/3 c. heavy whipping cream
1/2 c. sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
2 T. oil from sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
6 T. fresh basil, thinly sliced

Saute chicken for 4 minutes on each side. Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Stir in wine, cream, and tomatoes; bring to a boil; cover; reduce heat and simmer until chicken is cooked through. Transfer chicken to serving plates. Add basil to sauce; increase heat and boil for 2 minutes. Season to taste. Spoon over chicken and serve immediately. Serve over pasta.

From the kitchen of ... Mark & Shannon

Cornmeal Crusted Chicken with Smokey Tomatoes

1/2 c. cornmeal
1 t. All-Purpose seasoning
1 t. paprika
1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts halves
Salt & pepper
3 T. canola oil
1/2 c. Chardonnay or other white wine
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic & oregano
(Del Monte)
1/4 t. hickory liquid smoke

In large freezer bag, combine cornmeal, all-purpose seasoning, and paprika; set aside. If desired, between two pieces of plastic wrap, pound chicken with a mallet to desired thickness. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to freezer bag; seal bag; shake to coat chicken. Remove chicken from bag; shake off excess cornmeal mixture; set. aside.

In a large skillet, heat canola oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken to hot oil for 3-4 minutes per side or until cooked through. Transfer chicken to a plate; set aside. Drain oil from skillet and return skillet to heat. Add wine to skillet, scraping up any brown bits from pan. Add tomatoes and liquid smoke. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half.

To serve, spoon tomato mixture over chicken. This is great with a side dish of mac and cheese and green beans.

Serves 4

From the kitchen of ... Mark & Shannon

Cranberry Chicken

4 lbs chicken pieces* (3 breast, 3 thighs, 3
drumsticks)
1 (1 oz) envelope dry onion soup mix
1 (16 oz) can whole-berry cranberry sauce
1 c. spicy-sweet French dressing (Kraft's Catalina)

Rinse chicken with cold water; pat dry. Place chicken in a single layer in a lightly greased 13 X 9" baking dish. Sprinkle soup mix evenly over chicken. Stir cranberry sauce, and spoon over chicken; top evenly with dressing. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes; remove foil, reduce temperature to 350 degrees, and bake for an additional 20 minutes.

* Instead of chicken pieces you can substitute chicken breasts instead.

From the kitchen of ... Mark & Shannon

King Ranch Chicken #1

This is a must have recipe for all Texans!

1/4 c. butter
12 flour tortillas, torn into pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can cream of chicken
2 c. chicken, cooked & shredded
2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 can cream of mushroom
1 can Rotel tomatoes

In large saucepan, cook bell pepper and onion in melted butter until tender. Add soups, Rotel, and chicken; stirring until well-blended. In a 9 X 13" baking dish, alternately layer tortilla, soup mixture and cheese. Heat in oven until cheese melts.

From the kitchen of ... Dianne

Chicken Cordon Bleu

6 whole chicken breasts
1/2 lb. ham, thinly sliced
1/2 lb. Swiss cheese, thinly sliced
1 stick butter
1 c. bread crumbs
Salt, pepper, & paprika

Open chicken breasts and flatten with a mallet. Place one slice of ham and one slice of Swiss cheese on top of chicken. Roll up and secure with toothpick. Melt butter in pie plate. Mix bread crumbs and other spices. Roll each breast in butter and then in the bread crumb mixture. Place in buttered baking dish and chill in refrigerator for several hours. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 40 minutes.

From the kitchen of ... Granny