Tomatillo Ranch Burritos from the Food Nanny!

Chicken Burritos With Salsa Verde and Lime
(from thefoodnannyblog.com)

BURRITOS:
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
Salt and ground black pepper
1 (15-oz) can black beans, drained
Santa Fe Lime Rice (recipe to follow)
6 burrito sizes flour tortillas
1 cup shredded pepper Jack cheese or Monterey Jack

SAUCE:
1 cup bottled salsa verde
1 (0.4 oz) packet buttermilk dressing mix (ranch)
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp minced garlic
½ tsp coarse salt
1 TBLS fresh limejuice
¼ tsp ground cumin
¼ cup sugar
Dash Tabasco (optional)

1. Prepare the rice and keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, grill (or broil) the chicken breasts over medium heat, until tender and no longer pink. Shred the chicken with two forks and season with salt and pepper.
3. To make the sauce, put all the sauce ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. Heat the sauce in a saucepan or the microwave.
4. Heat the black beans in a saucepan or the microwave
5. To assemble burritos: Divide the chicken among the tortillas. Add a scoop of rice and a scoop of beans to each one. Fold up the bottom third of one tortilla over the filling, fold in the sides, and then fold down the top. Repeat for the remaining tortilla’s
6. Preheat the broiler to low and adjust the oven rack to about 6 inches from the heat. Place the filled burritos seam side down in a broiler pan, or oblong metal pan, and pour the sauce over all. Sprinkle with cheese.
7. Place the pan under the broiler, watch closely and broil until the sauce is bubbly, just a few minutes.

Variations: As an alternative to broiling, bake the burritos, topped with sauce and cheese, in the oven at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes, until the sauce is bubbly. Or simply serve the filled burritos on a platter and pass the heated sauce and the cheese in separate bowls.

Santa Fe Lime Rice

1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
2 cups chicken broth
¼ tsp salt
Juice of ½ lime
2 TBLS butter
2 TBLS chopped fresh cilantro
¼ tsp ground cumin

Combine the rice, broth, and slat in a large saucepan over med-high heat. Bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to simmer and add the lime juice, butter, cilantro, and cumin. Stir, cover, and simmer 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender.

These are delectable!  I love how easy the dressing is to make, how it tastes just like the famous Cafe Rio Cilantro Creamy Dressing,  but uses bottled green sauce.  I like how it's on top of the burritos too, instead of just plain enchilada sauce.  

Ranch Chicken Enchiladas

Ranch Chicken Enchiladas

(from recipecritic.com)

3-4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 package chicken taco seasoning
1 package ranch dry salad dressing
1/2 cup bottled ranch
1/2 cup salsa
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 can chicken broth
1 package tortillas

1.   Cook and shred the chicken.  I cooked mine in the slow cooker with the ranch packet and taco seasoning packages in the chicken broth.  The chicken just peeled apart.  I cooked it on low for about 3-4 hours.
2. Mix the 1/2 cup of ranch and 1/2 salsa in a bowl.  Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and spread a very thin layer of the mixture on the bottom.
3. Start assembling the enchiladas by putting 2 Tbs of the ranch and salsa mixture on the bottom of tortilla.  Then put the shredded chicken on top of that.  Sprinkle with cheese and roll it up.
4. Line up the enchiladas in the 9x13 pan and sprinkle heavily with the cheddar cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and enchiladas are heated through.
5. Drizzle the top with ranch and enjoy!

These are great!  Especially good for picky eaters.  Ranch tends to tone down spicy flavors.  I enjoyed these a lot.

Chicken and Artichoke Soup

Chicken and Artichoke Soup
(cucinafamiglia.blogspot.com)

• 4 chicken breasts, shredded
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup
• 2 cans cream of celery soup (I used all cream of chicken, what I had)
• 1 8 oz jar of artichoke hearts, chop finely
• 1/2 box sliced mushrooms (I didn't have these and still good)
• 1 can diced green chilies (I skipped to make kid-friendly)
• 1 quart half and half
• 1 pound pepper jack cheese, grated
• salt and pepper to taste

Poach chicken, then shred (or if you freeze your shredded chicken, this works great for it). In your stock pot, saute onion in a little olive oil. Add chicken. Then add cream of celery, cream of chicken, half and half, mushrooms and artichokes. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Add cheese and stir until cheese is melted.  

We enjoyed this thick and creamy soup.  We'll make it again!

Chicken Parma Rosa- sauce mix, easy, good!

Chicken Parma Rosa

this is what it looks like at the store-
I never knew about it until a while ago

• 1 pkg Knorr Parma Rosa Sauce Mix
• 8 oz. penne (or other pasta desired)
• cooked chicken
• parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta.  Make sauce from Parma Rosa package (I think only a little butter and milk are used).
2.  Add chicken to sauce, pour over pasta, and sprinkle with parmesan cheese, and eat.


Such a fast meal!  I think the sauce is great, especially since it is from a package.  I was impressed.  Kids loved it (besides one), easy to make, tasty. It is a parmesan sauce with a hint of tomato, very subtle.  

Comforting food- Chicken Pot Pie Crumble

Chicken Pot Pie Crumble
(from favfamilyrecipes.com)

• 1 1/2 Lbs chicken (to save time I used my pre-cooked shredded chicken)
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 onion , chopped fine (about 1 cup)
• 3-4 carrots, peeled and sliced (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 c. celery, chopped fine
• salt and pepper (to taste)
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2 c. flour
• 1 c. milk
• 3/4 c. frozen peas

Crumble Topping:
2 c. flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
6 Tbsp unsalted butter , cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled
3/4 c. Parmesan cheese
1 c. heavy cream (I used half & half)
FOR THE CHICKEN: Bring chicken and broth to simmer in covered Dutch oven over medium heat (If you don't have a dutch oven, just use a stock pot). Cook until chicken is just done (8 to 12 minutes). Transfer cooked chicken to large bowl. Pour broth through fine-mesh strainer into liquid measuring cup and reserve. Do not wash Dutch oven.

FOR THE TOPPING: Combine flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne in large bowl. Sprinkle butter pieces over top of flour. Using fingers, rub butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Stir in Parmesan. Add cream and stir until just combined. Crumble mixture into irregularly shaped pieces onto a baking sheet (I just spooned it onto the baking sheet, cooked it, and crumbled it onto the chicken in the baking dish- easier!). Bake at 450-degrees until fragrant and starting to brown (10-13 minutes). Set aside.

FOR THE FILLING: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery, salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender (about 5 minutes). While vegetables are cooking, shred chicken into small bite-size pieces. Transfer cooked vegetables to bowl with chicken; set aside.

Heat butter in empty Dutch oven over medium heat. When foaming subsides, stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Slowly whisk in reserved chicken broth and milk. Bring to simmer and stir until sauce thickens, about 1 minute. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and stir chicken-vegetable mixture and peas into sauce.

Pour mixture into 9x13 pan (or if you have small individual-sized oven-safe dishes, you can use those-- see picture above). Scatter crumble topping evenly over filling. Bake on rimmed baking at 400-degrees sheet until filling is bubbling and topping is well browned (about 12-15 minutes). Serve hot and enjoy!


This was a little complicated to make- it took a couple readings of the recipe to get what I'd be doing when, but next time will be even faster.  The recipe is so good, and it tastes clean, you know?  No canned stuff.  No cream of chicken stuff...FRESH.  And simple flavors.  But good.  The biscuit topping adds a lot too, and there is plenty of that on top!  

My new Chicken Corn Chowder recipe

Chicken Corn Chowder

(adapted from pickypalate.com)

• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
• 1 medium bell pepper, color of choice, finely chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 jalapeno, finely chopped, seeds and membrane removed (optional)
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced or chopped ham or Canadian bacon
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 14 oz cans chicken broth or 3 1/2 cups water and 3 bullion cubes
• 3 T. flour
• 2 cups frozen corn
• 2 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
• 4 oz softened cream cheese
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I skipped and didn't need it!)

1.  Place olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute celery, bell pepper, onion and jalapeno until softened. 
2. Stir in garlic and ham; cook for another 3 minutes. 
3. Whisk the broth with the flour in a large bowl then stir into soup. Stir in corn and chicken. 
4. Bring to a low boil and reduce heat. 
5. Add cream cheese and let it melt in, then add milk along with the salt, pepper and cheddar cheese. Simmer until ready to serve.

I liked this recipe better than the other corn chowder recipe I had on my blog so I replaced it with this one.  It is a great soup, and we enjoyed it a lot.  

Ranch Chicken Salad

Ranch Chicken Salad

(from cucinafamiglia.com)

• 3 chicken breasts
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup celery, diced
• 1/2 cup Hormel Real Bacon Pieces (I skipped but I'm sure it's great with them!)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• 5 teaspoons Ranch dressing mix

croissants or rolls

Cook chicken, then chop. Chop celery and green onions as well. In blender blend mayo, milk and ranch. Then add seasonings. Let chill for at least two hours. Serve on croissant. 

Buffalo Chicken Wraps in the Slow Cooker- easy and YUMMY

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Wraps
(from bettycrocker.com)

• 2 lbs chicken thighs (I used breasts)
• 1/2 t. salt
• 3/4 c. buffalo wing sauce (I made my own using 1/3 c. hot pepper sauce, 1/3 c. ketchup, and 2 T honey and blended it together, throwing it in the crockpot with the chicken)
• 3/4 c. ranch dressing
• 8 tortillas
• shredded lettuce or spinach

1. Place chicken in the crockpot, cover with salt and wing sauce, cook on low for 6-7 hours.
2. Drain as much of the liquid from the crockpot after finishing cooking, and shred chicken.  Add ranch dressing, mix and serve in tortillas.  

These were so good!  Luckily they weren't too spicy for the kids.  You can make them more spicy by adding more hot sauce.  Ranch, of course, tames the spicy flavor.  The kids like dipping these in ranch and the flavor is awesome.  Of course you can make these even quicker using rotisserie chicken, canned chicken and heating it up on the stove or microwave.  

Wraps and Chicken Salad- the Summer way to go!

Chicken Salad Wraps with Strawberries

from realmomkitchen.com)

• 4 cups chopped cooked chicken 
• 4 medium green onions, chopped 
• 1/4 -1/2 cup chopped walnuts 
• 1 cup creamy poppy seed dressing (Brianna's or Kraft or make your own)
• 1 (8-ounce) cup cream cheese spread (I use the reduced fat)
• 8 flour tortillas 
• lettuce or spinach leaves
• 1 1/2 -2 cups finely chopped strawberries 

1. Mix chicken, onions and walnuts in food processor bowl. Cover and process by using quick on-and-off motions until finely chopped. Add 1/3 cup of the poppy seed dressing; process only until mixed.
2. Mix remaining dressing and the cream cheese spread in small bowl with spoon until smooth.  Add chicken mixture and combine until well mixed,
3. Spread chicken mixture evenly over the surface of tortillas leaving top 1 inches of tortillas uncovered.
4. Press lettuce on top of chicken mixture .  Sprinkle strawberries over chicken.
5. Firmly roll up tortillas, beginning at bottom rolling toward the 1 inch tortilla that is uncovered.  As you roll some of the chicken mixture will squish toward the uncovered part of the tortilla, eventually covering it with the salad mixture to help seal the tortilla roll.
6. Wrap each roll in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Cut each roll in half on a diagonal.

These are so good!  The salad is better if it has some time in the refrigerator to blend all the flavors.  Of course, slice the strawberries in last minute so they don't go brown.  I love having easy, cold, quick dinners in the summer.  The strawberry and poppy seed dressing do add a lot to this chicken salad.  A keeper!

A fun, fast chicken pot pie

Easy Chicken Pot Pie
(adapted from craftomaniac.blogspot.com)

• 5-6 thawed boneless skinless chicken tenderloins, or 2-3 large breasts, cooked and cubed or shredded
• 1 bag of thawed California Blend Veggies or any preferred vegetables
• 1 can of Cream of Chicken soup
• 1 cup of milk
• 1 cube butter
• 1 pkg Cheese Garlic Bisquick

Directions: 
Pour your thawed bag of veggies into a bowl and mix with the can of cream of chicken. Add your diced cooked chicken and mix everything together.
Bread Topping:
Mix contents of Bisquick, butter and milk together.Spray your round baking dish with pam, pour your veggies, cream of chicken, and diced chicken mixture into bowl. Pour your Bisquick mixture over the top spread evenly.
Bake 370 for 45-55 min. or until the top is golden brown.


This was delicious and so fast to make.  I really liked the cheese-garlic Bisquick; it added a nice flavor to the dish.  Next time I'll throw in some diced cooked potatoes with the Cali veggie blend.

Taquitos! Merry Christmas too!

Baked Chicken Taquitos
(from mmcafe.blogspot.com)
4 ounces cream cheese, softened (I used chive and onion)
1/3 cup green salsa (I just used regular)
2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
3/4 teaspoon cumin
1 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro (I skipped)
1 green onion, sliced finely 
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 1/4 cup grated monterey jack cheese

14 small yellow or white corn tortillas (I don't like corn so I used my pre-cooked uncooked flour torts!)
kosher salt
cooking spray

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

In a medium-sized bowl, mix softened cream cheese, green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic powder. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and 1 cup cheese and combine well.

Working with a few tortillas at a time, place 3-4 between two damp paper towels and microwave for 30-45 seconds, until tortillas are soft and pliable and don't crack while rolling. (I didn't have to do this as I used uncooked tortillas and just cook them, making sure to not cook until crispy) Place 2-3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture on the lower third of a soft tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges. Then roll it up as tight as you can. Use a toothpick to secure if need.

Place filled taquitos seam side down on the baking sheet, making sure they don't touch each other. When ready to bake, spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and lightly sprinkle some kosher (coarse) salt on top.

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown. Remove from oven, top with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese. Serve immediately with salsa, sour cream, and guacamole on the side. These extras really made the taquitos for us!

I loved these!  This is my kind of meal.  I just wish my kids liked mexican food.  I end up making quesadillas for them.  Booo!
****This is great with CANNED chicken!  Throw the chicken and the spices in a pot along with the cheeses and it makes a great mexi-dip too!  YUMMMMMY!

A no beans, no tomato mexican soup that's delicious!

Mexican Chicken Chowder
(from ourrecipeclub.blogspot.com)

• 3 pounds Chicken (I halved the recipe and used half a rotisserie chicken)
• 1 cup chopped Onion
• 2-3 Garlic cloves, minced
• 4 T. Butter
• 4 Chicken bullion cubes
• 2 cup liquid (reserved from chicken) (I used a can of chicken broth)
• 2 tsp. cumin (I used 1 teaspoon for the kid's sake and it was about right for them)
• 4 cups Half and Half
• 4 cups grated Jack Cheese (I used cheddar)
• 2- 14oz. can Cream of Corn
• 2- 4oz can Green Chiles
• a few shaked of Tabasco

Boil chicken with 1 onion quarted & 1 T. salt. Reseve 2 cups of the chicken stock for soup. Cool chicken & shred.

Saute onions & garlic in butter in pot until soft. Then add rest of ingredients except for half and half and jack. Bring to Boil. Then add half and half and jack. Make sure to turn your heat to low.  Stir constantly until combined.

This soup was awesome!  It was a nice change from taco soups, chili, etc, but with the hint of spice, while mostly creamy.  Try it!!

Another warm, creamy soup!

(sorry- the only bowl that had any soup left in it)

Cream Cheese Chicken and Vegetable Soup
(melskitchencafe.com)

*Serves 4

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 yellow onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1/2 cup diced carrots (about 2 regular carrots or a handful of baby carrots)
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2-3 potatoes, peeled and finely diced (I like to leave the peels on red potatoes, if using them)
• 1 cup milk (1% is my milk of choice)
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 1 (8 oz. package) regular or light cream cheese
• 2-3 (about 1 pound) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced

1. In a large pot, melt the butter and add the onion, garlic, celery and carrots. Saute, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes, until the veggies are slightly tender and the onions are translucent.
2.  Add the chicken broth and potatoes. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
3.  In a liquid measuring cup, vigorously whisk the flour and milk together until smooth. Whisk the mixture into the soup, stirring quickly, and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, until the soup begins to thicken slightly. Stir often to ensure the soup doesn’t burn. 
4. Soften the cream cheese in the microwave until it is very soft/melty. I usually place the unwrapped cream cheese on a plate and microwave it for one minute at 30% power. I like it really, really soft so it doesn’t leave lumps in the soup. Add the cream cheese to the soup in small tablespoon-size pieces. Let the pieces sit in the soup and warm through then whisk or stir the soup until the cream cheese melts and mixes in well. (I'm SO lazy and just threw in the cream cheese!  It all worked out.  I think it was semi-softish)  Add the cooked chicken and heat through. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

We loved this soup!  It's similar to the last few soups posted that also use cream cheese.  My neighbor Angie thought I was crazy for buying about 15 blocks of cream cheese at the store when they were on sale for 99 cents.  Now we know how fast I'm burning through them!  And I haven't even made my yummy cheesecakes yet- I'm pretty excited for that.  

Spinach and Chicken Alfredo Pizza

Alfredo Pizza

• 15 minute pizza dough
• alfredo sauce, or jarred (Classico is best)
• cooked, chopped chicken
• chopped tomato
• spinach, frozen and thawed and dried, or fresh, chopped
• mozzarella cheese

1. Bake the dough as directed for about 5-6 minutes, without any toppings.  
2. Remove from oven, poke some holes in the crust with a fork.  Add alfredo sauce, chicken, spinach, tomatoes, then cheese.
3. Return to oven and bake for about 5 more minutes or until brown and crispy on the bottom.  

This is a great recipe!  And because of the spinach and tomatoes on there it's really healthy...right! Cooking the pizza this way makes it so crispy, which I really prefer for pizza.  

I'm so happy I discovered you

Sweet and Salty Wraps
(from ourbestbites.com)

• fresh baby spinach, chopped
• cooked chicken (I put mine in the crockpot with some poppyseed dressing)
• feta cheese (I discovered this this year and love it!)
• crumbled cooked bacon (optional- I don't like bacon and skipped this, but imagine it could be good)
• craisins ( I skipped this too because I wasn't feelin' it but maybe next time)
• poppy seed dressing (you can use Brianna's or the recipe below which is easy and great!!)
• tortillas (I like the uncooked kind you cook at home but any you like will do!)

Combine all ingredients, place in tortilla, roll up and devour!  All the kids loved these, and this is my dream dinner!  Quick, easy, painless....yummy.  The saltiness of the feta goes excellently with the sweet dressing.  YUM.  We liked to dip them in additional dressing.  

Poppy Seed Dressing
Recipe from Our Best Bites


1/3 c. white vinegar
1 tsp. Kosher salt
A few turns of freshly ground black pepper
3/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. mustard
1 green onion, ends removed (I used about 1/4 cup yellow onion because that is what I had)
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. poppy seeds

In a blender, combine vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar, and mustard. While the blender is running, add the green onion. Continue running the blender and add the oil in a steady stream and is fully incorporated into the dressing.

Pour the dressing into a serving or storage container and whisk in poppy seeds. Serve over leafy greens.

Poppy Seed Chicken Pasta Feta Salad
(a salad version of the above recipe)

• 16 ounces pasta- try the mini-size bowties!
• grilled or cooked chicken, chopped
• feta cheese, as much as you like
• chopped fresh spinach
• poppy seed dressing, about 1 cup or as much as desired

1. Combine all ingredients and enjoy!  Delicious.

Bring on the summer salads!

Chicken and Craisin Salad

• 16 oz. bag bow tie pasta, or pasta of choice
• 2-3 chicken breasts~cooked, cooled & cubed (I used half a rotisserie chicken)
• 1/2 c. craisins
• 1 c. red grapes
• 3-4 green onions, chopped
• 1 c. chopped broccoli
• 3/4 c. sunflower seeds (optional)

creamy dressing:

• 1 c. mayonnaise
• 2/3 c. sugar
• 1/4 c. cider vinegar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 tsp. ginger powder (I skipped)

Mix all dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk them together & cover & place in fridge.

In the mean time, mix all of the salad together, except sunflower seeds, in a large bowl. Toss together. Just before serving mix in sunflower seeds & dressing.

Yum. Nice change of pace from the Italian dressing pasta salad. This was yummy and addictive. The dressing is a little on the sweet side, so if you don't like that you can take down the sugar a bit. We loved it though! A great summer meal!

fancy food that was so fun-will make again!

Chicken and Sun dried Tomato Bruschetta
(from oneshetwoshe.com)

Ingredients:

• 2 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
• 1 1/4 cups of Italian dressing, divided
• 1/3 cup feta cheese
• 8 sun dried tomatoes, without oil chopped (mine were in oil and it tasted great!)
• 1 loaf foccacia bread cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
• 1/4 cup olive oil (I skipped this step)

Directions

1. Place the chicken in a bowl with 1 cup of the dressing. Marinate for at least three hours. (I just threw one chicken breast in the crock pot with some of the dressing and cooked for a few hours).
2. Cook the chicken. After the chicken has cooled a little, either shred it or cut it.
3. Add chopped sun dried tomatoes, torn up spinach, feta and the rest of the dressing. Mix together.
4. Cut up the bread and drizzle with olive oil. Broil until lightly toasted. Add the chicken mixture to the bread and serve!

This is something I fell in love with! So did Russell, and 1 out of 4 kids liked it. Sure, not a hit there, but the oldest has the most mature taste buds, and she liked it. I loved the contrast of flavors, and the dressing was excellent. This could be served as a dip as well. You can pretty much use as much of each ingredient (spinach, cheese, tomatoes, etc) as you like.