Chili's Monterey Chicken

3 Tbsp honey
3 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
5 dashes garlic
5 dashes salt
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
8 slices apple-smoked bacon
8 Tbsp BBQ sauce, of your choice

1. Mix the honey, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and salt together an place chicken breasts in it. Add enough water to bring the marinade up to the middle of the chicken breast.

OR

2. Mix together the marinade (as mentioned above) and place into a ZipLoc bag large enough for all the chicken breasts to fit inside. Add water until the marinade reaches the top of the chicken breasts. (This is my preferred method!)
3. Marinate for as close to 8 hours as possible.
4. To cook:
Bake, broil, grill or skillet fry. Anyway works well! Chili's grills. Choose your preferred method and cook until the breasts are done. (I usually grill them.)
5. While the breasts are cooking, fry up the bacon until CRISP!
6. When the chicken is done, top each breast with 2 TBSP of BBQ sauce, two strips of bacon and 1/4 cup of shredded cheese.
7. Microwave the breasts (or broil) until the cheese is melted (I broil them!)
8. Serve!

*WOW! This was incredible! Even my pickiest eater ate her entire helping! The flavor is awesome! This si a new favorite in our house for sure! Pick a GOOD BBQ sauce for this. It makes a difference in how great the flavor is!

Recipe & Photo from Food.com & Lori Mama

Chicken & Red Potatoes

2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp crushed rosemary leaves
1 tsp minced garlic (You can buy this in a jar so it's much easier!)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
6 chicken thighs, (about 2lbs) (I just cut chicken breasts into strips.)
1 1/2 lbs small red potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes

Mix oil, all of the spices and salt in large bowl. Add chicken and potatoes; toss to coat well. Arrange chicken and potatoes in single layer on foil lined 15x10x1 inch baking pan sprayed with no stick cooking spray.

Roast, uncovered, in preheated 425* oven for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender, turning potatoes occasionally.

*This is always a hit with everyone in the house. Mild flavors and very filling! You can buy this near all the spices and seasonings with the majority of the spices all in a package for this recipe. It's a McCormick Recipe Inspiration.

*From McCormick

Hev's Chicken

 * These are just estimates. I eyeball it.

3/4 c sugar
add soy sauce (this more than the vinegar)
add apple cider vinegar
squirt of honey

Add soy sauce till easy to stir but a little thick and goopy.

Fry chicken coated in egg & flour & cook with this sauce over the top. Bake @350 for 20 minutes on each side or until done.

* We combine this we Shauna's Coconut Chicken and it's pretty much to die for! When combining the two, I don't fry the chicken first. I follow the coconut chicken recipe and pour this over the top before the butter of the other recipe then cook it per the directions of this recipe or the sauce will burn.

Shauna's Coconut Chicken

 * These are estimates. I eyeball it.

Mix together:
1/2 cup flour
salt & pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1-1 1/2 cup coconut flakes (this should be more than anything in the mixture)

Mix up an egg.
Dip chicken in egg & then in flour mixture.
Coat very well. (I press extra on top of the chicken once in pan.)
Place in greased glass pan.
Melt a stick of butter and dump over the top of the chicken.
Bake @ 400* for 20 minutes on each side or until cooked through.

*Optional:  Mix 4 parts apricot jelly to 1 part dijon mustard as a sauce.

* We like to combine this with the sauce for Hev's Chicken!

Chinese Chicken Salad

1 cup sunflower seeds 
1 (16 oz) bag coleslaw mix 
2 packages Beef Top Ramon dry, save the packets 
1 bunch green onions chopped 
2 cups cooked and diced/shredded chicken (I refrigerated this after I cooked & shredded it until it was cold.)

SAUCE
1 cup peanut oil 
1/2 cup sugar 
1/3 cup white vinegar 
2 packets beef seasoning from Top Ramon packages listed above

1. In a large mixing bowl, toss sunflower seeds, coleslaw, chopped green onions and chicken.
2. Smash Top Ramon packets with fists until they are crushed into small pieces. Reserve beef packets for sauce. Add Top Ramon pieces to salad and toss to evenly distribute.
3. In blender, combine peanut oil, sugar, vinegar and beef packets. Blend until evenly mixed.
4. Toss the dressing and salad together until coated with dressing and you reach desired flavor.

* This was amazing! My husband and I both could not get enough of this salad! The flavor was perfect and this was a super easy recipe. The most time consuming part was boiling and shredding the chicken. There was a small portion leftover that I refrigerated and ate for lunch the following afternoon and it was still just as good. I can't wait to make and eat this one again!

Recipe from Chef In Training
Photo from Amber's Delectable Delights

Baked Fried Chicken

 Place thawed chicken breast tenderloin strips in a bowl of milk. Let soak for 20-30 minutes. (I cut up chicken breasts into strips and let it soak for 5-10 minutes due to time.)

Mix in a gallon size ziploc or large bowl:
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp season all (I just used seasoned salt that I had)
3/4 tsp pepper
1 cup flour
2 tsp paprika

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut 1/2 stick of butter into a few pieces and place in a 9x13 pan. Melt butter in pre-heated oven.

Spread melted butter around the bottom of the pan. Lightly spray the pan, if needed, to make sure that there are no dry spots.

Shake excess milk off of chicken and completely coat each piece with the seasoning mix. You can either shake the chicken in the bag, until coated, or dip each piece in the bowl until coated.

Place each piece of chicken in the pan.

Cook for 20 min. Turn each piece of chicken and continue cooking for 20 more minutes, or until cooked through. 

 

* This was a huge hit in our house! I was in desperate need of going grocery shopping but had not found the time so I was low on ingredients and a friend suggested this great recipe. It was super easy and I already had all the ingredients at home. The best part by far was how much my family enjoyed it. My husband was sold instantly and even my 4 year old ate hers all gone which says a lot on it's own! We love adding different side dishes to it like vegetables and rolls or mashed/baked potatoes. It really goes with anything! This will become a staple meal in our house.
Recipe & photo from Our Life Uncommon

Chicken Tamale Bake

1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

1 cup Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese, grated

1/3 cup milk

1 egg

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

1 (14.75 oz.) can cream-style corn

1 (8.5 oz.) box corn muffin mix

1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chiles

1 (10 oz.) can red enchilada sauce

1 pound cooked, shredded chicken

Salt and pepper, to taste

1/3 cup fresh chopped cilantro, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Combine the cheeses in a small bowl. In a large bowl, stir together 1/4 cup of the combined cheese, the milk, egg, cumin, red pepper, corn, muffin mix, and green chiles.  Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes or until just set.  Remove the cornbread from the oven and pierce all over with a fork. Pour the enchilada sauce over the corn bread. Top with the chicken and remaining cheese. Return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and golden.  Sprinkle with chopped cilantro before serving.

* I absolutely love tamales. If you have never tried them, be brave and try them! I remember not wanting to try them out the first time they were offered to me 7 years ago and I was so delighted and surprised at how amazing they are after my first bite! You could call me obsessed now. Seriously! It's was no surprise to my husband that I found this recipe and HAD to try it. This tasted just like a tamale! WOW! My husband and I could not get enough of this delicious and simple recipe. Add a squeeze of lime over the top of your serving... AMAZING!

Recipe & photo from Let's Dish.

Crock-pot BBQ Chicken

Frozen chicken breasts
18oz BBQ sauce
water (if desired)

Put frozen chicken breasts in crock-pot and cover with BBQ sauce. If you desire to have the flavor a bit more tame (my daughter doesn't like straight BBQ sauce, you can fill the bottle up to half full of water and pour that in to water it down slightly. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. Shred the chicken and use on rice, sandwiches, or just as is!

* I left the house right before dinner for a meeting for several hours and when I got home my husband asked, "What in the heck did you make because it was so good I had for plates!". When I told him the time and ingredients I put into it, he was stunned and told me we would be making that again next week. This was a favorite for me because everyone loved it and it was probably the easiest homemade dinner I have ever made whcih = WINNER!

Recipe from Wendy Glass

Photo from Lex's Life As a New Wife

Delicious Meat Marinades

My mom introduced me to McCormick Grill Mates last summer and I use them weekly! They have the best flavor options and every single flavor we have tried has been delicious! Our favorite is Mojito Lime but we have not found one that we didn't like. They work great on chicken, beef, & pork. I usually marinate by meat in it all morning and afternoon and then throw it on the grill (or George Foreman) for dinner. The smell and taste is wonderful! My mom marinated for 15-30 minutes before and then cooks her in the oven and it comes out flavor and tender as well! Either way, these marinade mixes are winners! Did I mention, how fast they are and what an easy dinner these make? LOVE THEM for that alone!

Crock Pot Hawaiian Pineapple Chicken

4 frozen chicken breasts
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup Teriyaki sauce
1 can pineapple chunks, drain half the juice out
Crushed red pepper flakes

Spray the crock pot with nonstick cooking spray and add chicken breasts.
Stir soy sauce, Teriyaki sauce, and pineapple chunks (with half of the juice) together.
Pour over the chicken.
Sprinkle as many red pepper flakes on top as desired.
Cook on high for 4-6 hours.
Shred chicken with two forks in the crock pot and serve over rice.
You can also save some of the sauce if you like it a little bit more saucy and drizzle it over rice and chicken.

* This dish was good but not too flavorful. The chicken was incredibly moist and cooked super fast. It was also very filling! Two chicken breasts was more than enough for us with plenty of leftovers. I will make this again with a few changes. I think it needs something a little sweet in the sauce, possibly a little bit of brown sugar. Also, I would not add the pineapple chunks until right before serving it since they soaked up so much of the sauces and became slightly too salty. I love the idea of the recipe so I will try it again for sure.

Recipe & photo from Chef In Training

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded.
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 small can diced green chilies drained (You can use two cans if desired.)
1/2 to 1 cup half and half
2 1/2 cups cheddar cheese
flour tortillas
1/2 tsp ground cumin (optional)

In a medium sized bowl mix together shredded chicken, diced chilies, 2 cups of cheddar cheese and cumin; set aside. In another bowl mix 2 cans of soup, add half and half to get a somewhat runny consistency.(You don't want it to be completely runny because it will break down a little bit as it heats up.) Spoon your chicken/cheese mixture into the flour tortillas and roll. Put all rolled enchiladas into a 9x13 pan. (I like to put a bit of the sauce on the bottom first.) Pour sauce over enchiladas and the remaining cheddar cheese on top. Bake at 350* for 30-40 minutes or until heated through.

* This was a quick and simple dish to put together but was lacking some flavor. It was so creamy but kind of bland for our taste but still good and we enjoyed it. We used some hot sauce and salsa on top to spice it up. (We like things packed full of flavor and spice in our house!) I will definitely use 2 cans of chilies next time I make these. We couldn't even notice them with one can.

* Photo and Recipe from Dinner For Dollars

Spicy Chicken Wings

Chicken wings (We used drumsticks instead of wings because they have more meat on them.)
Frank's Hot Sauce

1. Preheat oven to 375*.
2. Rinse and dry chicken.
3. Roll in Frank's Hot Sauce. Pour the remaining over the top of chicken.
4. Place on foil lined and greased cookie sheet.
5. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until cooked through.
6. Top with some fresh sauce.
7. Serve with blue cheese or ranch dressing for dipping.

* These were so fast and easy that my husband actually made them! We love the taste of Frank's Hot Sauce and these drumsticks turned out great! They smelled amazing while they were baking and the flavor was delicious.

Photo from The Culinary Review

Honey Chicken Skewers

1/2 cup ketchup
2 Tablespoons honey
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1. Place twenty 8-inch wooden skewers in water to soak. Heat grill to medium-high. In a small bowl, combine ketchup, honey, and Worcestershire sauce; set aside.

2. Slice the chicken lengthwise into twenty 1/2-inch-thick strips {or use chicken tenderloins and avoided this step}. Thread each strip onto a wooden skewer. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

3. Lightly oil the grill. Cook the chicken, turning occasionally, until cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes, basting with the ketchup mixture during the last 2 minutes of cooking.

* Only 3 ingredients to make a simple and tasty chicken dish?! Yes, please! The flavor of this chicken was very light and mild but good. We would have liked a bit of a stronger flavor but it was still yummy! I served the chicken with some extra basting sauce on the side to dip it in and that helped a lot. I used whole chicken breasts instead of doing pieces on skewers and it still worked out great..

Recipe & photo from Just Cook Already

Balsamic Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing
3 cloves of minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
Salt and pepper, to taste

Place chicken breasts in a zip-top plastic bag. Combine balsamic vinaigrette, garlic and crushed red pepper and pour over chicken. Seal bag and refrigerate for 1-4 hours (the longer, the better). Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove chicken from bag and place in a baking dish. Pour remaining marinade over chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until juices run clear. Alternately, grill chicken over medium heat for 5-7 minutes per side.

* Who doesn't love a super easy dinner dish? I prepared the marinade the night before so the chicken could soak up the flavors extra long. It was so fast to put together! The chicken had a wonderful flavor! I cooked it in the oven with the extra marinade and it came out so moist. Next time I am going to switch it up and grill it. I served it with mixed vegetables and buttermilk rolls.

Recipe & photo from Let's Dish

Sweet and Spicy Noodles With Chicken

2-3 chicken breasts cut into chunks and cooked (You can cook it with some peanut sauce tossed in to give the chicken some added flavor, if desired.)

1 lb noodles, fully cooked and drained (any kind you prefer)

In a small sauce pan, brown 4 tsp minced garlic in some olive oil then add:

1/4 c. vegetable oil

1/3 c. white vinegar

1/4 c. sugar

1/4 c. sesame seeds

3 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. red pepper flakes
2 c. steamed broccoli (optional)

Toss the chicken, noodles, and sauce together in a large fry pan or wok on medium heat. Let it all simmer together for about five minutes so the noodles absorb some of the sauce. Toss in steamed broccoli (optional). Serve hot.

* I finally found a spicy dish that didn't make me crave more heat! WOW was this spicy and we loved it! Surprisingly, I think I will add less red pepper flakes next time so I can taste more of the sauce and not just feel the heat. It was still really good and so easy! We loved the broccoli with it. I served it with some hot and fresh rolls and of course some cold milk to help with the delicious spice. This was yummy and different than our usual dishes. Loved it!

Recipe & photo from Favorite Family Recipes

Wingers Sticky Finger Salad

4 chicken breasts, cut into strips

1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup bread crumbs
2 heads romaine lettuce, chopped
2 tomatoes
croutons
cheddar cheese, grated
ranch dressing
craisins
2 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/3 cup Frank's Hot Sauce(Original)
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Dip chicken breasts into the sour cream and then into bread crumbs. Place on a sprayed/greased sheet pan. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked and crispy.

While the chicken is baking, prepare salad and make the dressing. To make the dressing, combine the 2 1/2 cups brown sugar, 1/3 cup Franks Hot Sauce, and 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar in a pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. Let boil for one minute, but no longer! If you boil too long it will turn hard.

When the chicken is done dip into sticky sauce and place on a plate. To serve, place sliced strips on top of salad with any additional toppings (cheese, croutons, tomatoes, craisins, etc.) and drench in ranch dressing. Save the additional sticky dressing as an extra topping for the salad...it adds a little more tang!

* WOW! This salad was incredible! We really could not get enough of it. It tasted exactly like we had gotten it from the restaurant. The sauce and chicken was to die for! We drizzled extra sauce on the salad before eating it for some extra amazing flavor. I could eat this everyday for a week. This recipe will definitely be repeated in our house!

Recipe from Sisters Stuff
Photo from Ptit Chef

Orange Honey Grilled Chicken Tenders

1 to 1-1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 Tablespoons butter softened

2 Tablespoons finely chopped scallions

2 Tablespoons fresh orange juice

2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves

1 Tablespoon honey

1-2 Tablespoons grated orange zest, from ~1/2 an orange

Cut each chicken breast into 3 length wise strips. (You can use chicken tenders.) Thread 3 strips accordion style, on each of 4-6 long metal or wooden skewers. If using wood skewers, soak them for at least 20 minutes in cold water before using to prevent scorching on the grill. To make the basting sauce: In a small bowl, stir together the butter, scallions, orange juice, cilantro, honey, and orange zest. Brush about half of the sauce on the chicken, covering each strip well. Set aside to marinate for about 15 minutes. If you have to let the chicken marinate longer refrigerate. Prepare grill to medium hot. Grill chicken about 15 minutes, turning several times, until the chicken is cooked through but still moist. Baste several times with the remaining basting sauce. Stop basting 5 minutes before the chicken is done. Remove the chicken from the grill and serve immediately. (Do not serve any of the basting sauce with the chicken.)

* I'm not going to lie, I was highly disappointed with this recipe. It sounded so delicious and I was so excited about the flavor combinations but it lacked some major flavor. I was hoping for a bit of a stronger orange flavor but you could only very lightly taste the cilantro and onions. I will not make this recipe the same way again but I would love to try and switch it up a bit and see if I can't make it more to our liking because I love the idea! I served it with our Green Puffy Salad" to compliment the flavors I was hoping would be in the chicken.

Recipe & photo from The Sisters Cafe

Scalloped Chicken & Potatoes

1 box scalloped potatoes (including seasoning packet)
6 chicken tenders
3 cups water

Put potatoes in greased slow cooker first, followed by seasoning packet and chicken. Pour water over all. Cover and cook on low heat 4-5 hours.

* I don't think a recipe could get any more simple than this one! I used southwestern flavored scalloped potatoes and we loved the flavor! The chicken was so moist and tender that it fell apart with one small poke of your fork. The potatoes were extremely soft and delicious. I sprinkled it with a little bit of salt and pepper and it was so yummy. My husband really enjoyed dipping his bites in a little bit of barbecue sauce. Either way, this recipe was a winner!

Recipe & photo from Sisters' Stuff

Easy Chicken Bake

,1 pkg (6oz) Stove Top Stuffing Mix for chicken
1-1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" pieces
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup sour cream
16oz frozen mixed vegetables, thawed, drained

1. Preheat oven to 400*. Prepare stuffing mix as directed on package; set aside.
2. Mix chicken, soup, sour cream and vegetables in 13x9" baking dish; top with prepared stuffing.
3. Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

* This is just a yummy comfort food recipe. It's super easy and quick and always a hit with my hubby.

Recipe from Stove Top Stuffing Mix
Photo from Kraft Recipes

Teriyaki Chicken Pasta Salad

Salad
4 cups cooked chicken
16 oz. bow tie pasta
20 oz. baby spinach
sliced green onions
12 oz. honey roasted peanuts
mandarin oranges
1/2 cup sesame seeds

Dressing
2 cups oil
1 1/3 cups Teriyaki sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/3 cup sugar

DIRECTIONS:
1. Blend ingredients for dressing.
2. Marinate chicken in some dressing for a few hours.
3. Cook pasta al dente.
4. Bake or Grill chicken.
5. Mix all salad ingredients together.
6. Toss salad with dressing and serve.

* This salad was yummy! It was a fast and easy meal with a light flavor. I cut all the ingredients in half and we still had leftovers. It is filling but still a light meal. We felt the dressing called for way too much oil so next time I am going to reduce the amount of oil I use in the dressing/marinade. I also think it would be good to add croutons and craisins. I found that this is even better the second day!

Recipe from Dayna Jamison
Photo from Karrissa's Kitchen