Shredded Buffalo Chicken Sliders

I love anything made with Buffalo Sauce and I love cooking with my slow cooker. So obviously, this is one of the tastiest super-easy recipes I have ever made. How easy? Three ingredients placed in the Crock Pot and then shredded and put on some rolls. Done. I made these for a Super Bowl party we hosted and they were all gobbled up so fast! Now it's an easy weeknight dinner or go-to party food. Enjoy!

Shredded Buffalo Chicken Sliders

What You'll Need:

• 1 1/2 - 2 lbs boneless, skinless
  chicken breasts or thighs
• 12 oz Bottle of Buffalo Sauce
  (I used Frank's)
• 1 Packet Dry Ranch Seasoning
• 1 - 2 dozen dinner rolls
   (I used King's Hawaiian)
  
  
  

Homemade Taco Seasoning (Salt-Free)

I don't use a lot of salt when I cook so when I do use products that have high sodium content, I can tell. I'm usually chugging water like no other for the rest of the night. I stopped using taco seasoning packets and started making my own without any salt at all. I make a batch of this now when making tacos, salsa chicken, taco dip, etc. Plus, it's always nice when you know exactly what you're putting into your dinners! Enjoy!

Homemade Taco Seasoning 

What You'll Need:

• 1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Ground Cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon Paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon Onion Powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Dried Oregano
• 1/8 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

Directions: 

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. You may add more Cayenne to make it a little hotter or less if you prefer it very mild.

Yield: Approximately 1 ounce

Use Seasoning anywhere you would use a packet of Taco Seasoning. 

The Best Homemade Dry Rub

I just made a batch of this today and remembered that I have had several friends request the recipe, so here it is! This is a super easy rub to make and can be used to season just about anything like chicken, burgers, steaks, a pork butt to make pulled pork or baby back ribs, which is what we're having tonight! Try it and let me know what you think! Enjoy!

The Best Homemade Dry Rub

What You'll Need:

• 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons Salt
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons Black Pepper
• 1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
• 2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
• 1 teaspoon Mustard Powder
• 1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (optional)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.

Generously rub mixture all over whatever meat you're going to cook. You could even let it sit overnight in an airtight container in the refrigerator to really allow the flavors to soak into the meat. 

If you want, you may store any unused rub in an airtight container.

Creamy Bacon Ranch Chicken and Pasta

Over the last year or so, I discovered the joy of cooking with my slow cooker. I went on a kick where I was trying out new recipes on my family several nights a week. I had found this recipe on the Crockin' Girls website, and figured just by the recipe name (Bacon Ranch Chicken) that it would have to be delicious. Of course, I have made some modifications to the recipe and it has made it's way into our regular dinner rotation. I use more bacon, more garlic and have substituted Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream. The great thing about this recipe is you can make this dish as sinful or as skinny as you like. I've listed both the skinny and sinful options in the recipe. Enjoy!

Creamy Bacon Ranch Chicken and Pasta

What You'll Need:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  (I use frozen.)
• 1 cup of Plain Nonfat Greek Yogurt (skinny) or Sour Cream (sinful)
• 1 can (98% Fat Free - skinny) Cream of Chicken Soup
• 1 packet dry Ranch Dressing mix
• 2 large cloves of Garlic, minced (approx 1 1/2 Tbsp)
• 6-8 Slices of Bacon (sinful) or Turkey Bacon (skinny), cooked and crumbled
• 1 package whole grain ribbon noodles or egg noodles

Chicken Rigatoni in a Creamy Tomato Sauce

The other day I was trapped under a sleeping baby while my older son was watching Curious George. After Curious George ended, a cooking show came on. I'm always looking for inspiration so I decided to watch it. The woman went on to make a delicious rigatoni dish with chicken, herbs, tomatoes, cheeses and heavy cream. I thought it sounded amazing but I wanted to try to make it just a little bit healthier. So I decided to substitute Greek yogurt for the heavy cream and I was thrilled with the "skinny" results. Enjoy!

Chicken Rigatoni in a Creamy Tomato Sauce 


What You'll Need:

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs,
  cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon of Rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon of Savory
• 2 Bay Leaves
• Salt & Pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 - 15 oz can diced tomatoes (I used the Fire-Roasted Garlic because I love the flavor.)
• 1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek Yogurt 
• 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
• Rigatoni pasta, cooked to package directions

Salsa Chicken Chili

The last time we had Salsa Chicken, my husband ate some of the leftovers with some corn chips. He said the only thing it was missing was some beans. So we decided to use the slow cooker Salsa Chicken recipe as a base to make a white chili. Honestly, all I did different was add a couple cans of beans. The result was just as good as we imagined. Enjoy!

Salsa Chicken Chili

What You'll Need:

• 1 package boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 can Cream of Chicken soup
• 1 packet of Taco Seasoning
• 12 oz of your favorite Salsa
• 2 - 15.5 oz cans Cannellini Beans, drained
  (White Kidney Beans)
  

Slow Cooker Chicken Teriyaki

I had bought some chicken thighs at the store and didn't have a plan for them. I was trying to come up with an idea of what to make when I realized that I had everything I needed to make some chicken teriyaki. Why not make it even easier on myself and throw it in the Crock Pot? We were very pleased with how well it turned out! The whole family loved it. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Chicken Teriyaki

What You'll Need:

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 2 - 6 oz cans pineapple juice
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 Tablespoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  (not pictured...oops!)
• 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup diced green onions
  (for optional garnish)

Oven Baked Chicken Chimichangas

My husband's friend asked if I had a recipe for chimichangas, which I didn't. I'm always open to creating or trying new recipes, so I took it as a challenge to create a homemade chimichanga. His friend requested to make it with chicken, which I would've chosen myself if he hadn't specified. Then he asked if I could bake it instead of frying it. At first I told him that would make it a burrito, because technically, a chimi is a deep-fried burrito. After thinking about it, I realized that if I simply brushed the tortillas with butter or olive oil before putting them in the oven, they would crisp up beautifully. I also chose to cook the chicken in my Crock Pot because the results of slow-cooking are by far the best when you need tender, moist, shredded meat. So here you have my version of oven baked chicken chimis! Enjoy!

Oven Baked Chicken Chimichangas

Chicken and Andouille Sausage Jambalaya

In the spirit of Mardi Gras, I made some homemade jambalaya to celebrate. Usually, I just make the boxed dinner but I decided to try a homemade version. We were very pleased with how well it turned out and we're looking forward to eating the leftovers! Enjoy!

Chicken and Andouille Sausage Jambalaya

What You'll Need:

• 14 oz Andouille Sausage, cut into 1/4 inch slices
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces 
• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1 large yellow onion
• 1/2 large red bell pepper
• 1/2 large green bell pepper
• 3 cloves garlic
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• 1 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon paprika 
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon celery seeds
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 14 1/2 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups brown rice

Creamy Italian Chicken

This is an easy, hearty meal that is perfect on a chilly fall or winter night. I'm sure I'm not the first person to come up with this recipe but it's an easy combination that I thought up the other night and decided to give it a try. I chose to serve it with whole grain wide noodles, but you could use any pasta that you have on hand or even rice would be good. Again, this is another recipe with only a few ingredients that's quick, easy and delicious! Enjoy!

Creamy Italian Chicken

What You'll Need:

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 cans Cream of Chicken soup
• 1 packet dry Italian dressing mix
• 12 oz package wide noodles

Chicken Cordon Bleu

This has been one of my favorite dinners for as long as I can remember. It only requires a handful of ingredients and minimal effort, which is always nice! There are literally thousands of recipes for this out there but none quite this easy. If you wanted to "dress it up", you could make a white wine sauce to serve over it. Enjoy!

Chicken Cordon Bleu

What You'll Need:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 8 thin slices of ham
• 4 slices of Aged Swiss cheese
• 1 egg
• 2 Tablespoons of milk
• 1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
  (regular or Panko, your choice)

Homemade Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza

This is another one of our favorite homemade pizzas...the Chicken Bacon Ranch! We love making pizzas at home because not only do they taste better, but we also know exactly what's going in them! Like most of my recipes, this is easy to make and tastes wonderful! Enjoy!

Homemade Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza

What You'll Need:

• 1 can Pillsbury refrigerated pizza dough
  (We prefer the whole grain artisan dough.)
• Non-stick cooking spray
• 1/2 cup Ranch Dressing 
• Garlic Powder (to taste)
• 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 6-8 oz package grilled chicken breast strips
  (You can find this by the lunch meat.)
• 1 - 1 1/2 cup shredded Colby-Jack cheese
• 2 Roma tomatoes, diced

Homemade Chick-Fil-A Chicken Tenders

When we moved to Alaska, we knew we wouldn't have all the same stores and restaurants that we were accustomed to having in the Lower 48. Chick-Fil-A is one of the places that we'd have to learn to live without and happens to be one of both mine and my husband's favorite restaurants. After several attempts at coming up with a copycat recipe, we finally struck gold!
Disclaimer: It is a copycat but it's pretty close if you ask me! Enjoy!

Homemade Chick-Fil-A Chicken Tenders

What You'll Need:

• 1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts, cut into tenders
• 1/2-1 cup dill pickle juice 
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/2 teaspoon basil
• 1 cup peanut oil

Salsa Chicken

As you may have noticed, I'm a huge fan of easy slow cooker recipes. This recipe for Salsa Chicken is probably one of my favorites. It's super easy and only four ingredients! We serve it over a bed of brown rice with a little cheese and sour cream but you could easily put it on a salad or wrap it up in a tortilla. Enjoy!

Salsa Chicken

What You'll Need:

•  1 package boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  *Note: You can substitute frozen chicken and just add an hour to the cook time.
• 1 can Cream of Chicken soup
• 1 packet Taco Seasoning
• 1 24 oz jar of salsa

Prosciutto-Wrapped Chicken

This is a fairly simple recipe that requires only a handful of ingredients. It could easily be ready in 30 minutes or less. You have to love an easy weeknight recipe that looks like it took forever to prepare and tastes this delicious! Enjoy!

Prosciutto-Wrapped Chicken

What You'll Need:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 4 thin slices prosciutto 
• 4 oz fresh mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
  (packed in olive oil, drained)
• 2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

Chicken Bacon Ranch Bundles

I decided to try a new spin on the classic chicken bundle recipe. I combined it with one of our favorite pizza combinations, chicken bacon ranch, and voila! Chicken bacon ranch bundles! Enjoy!

Chicken Bacon Ranch Bundles

What You'll Need:

• 1 package (approx 1 lb) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 8-count cans refrigerated crescent rolls
• 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 package dry Ranch dressing mix
• 6-8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 2 Tablespoons butter, melted
• Italian style bread crumbs
  (regular or Panko, your choice)

Homemade BBQ Chicken Bacon Pizza

This isn't a complicated recipe, nor is it anywhere near "fancy". There is a great local pizza place here that we love but with two little ones, we just don't make it there as often as we'd like. Last year, I decided I could make my own versions of their pizzas at home. While they don't taste the exact same, our homemade versions are better than delivery or frozen and super easy to make! Enjoy!

Homemade BBQ Chicken Bacon Pizza

What You'll Need: 

• 1 can Pillsbury refrigerated pizza dough
  (We prefer the whole grain artisan dough.)
• Non-stick cooking spray
• 1/2 cup BBQ Sauce 
• Garlic Powder (to taste)
• 1 small onion, sliced into slivers
  (I use sweet Vidalia onion.)
• 2-4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 6 oz package grilled chicken breast strips
  (You can find this by the lunch meat.)
• 1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Chicken Bundles

There was no doubt, when I decided to create this blog, that chicken bundles would be the first recipe I would share. Anything wrapped in a crescent roll is a winner in my book...add chicken, cream cheese and garlic, and you really can't lose! After your friends and family taste this, I guarantee they will want the recipe and I'm happy to share! Enjoy!

Chicken Bundles (Yield: 8 bundles)

What You'll Need: 

• 1 package (approx 1 lb) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 cans 8-count refrigerated crescent rolls 
• 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup green onions, diced
• 2 oz jar pimientos, drained
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• 2 Tablespoons butter, melted
• Italian seasoned bread crumbs
  (regular or Panko, your choice)