Tamale Chicken Casserole

I know this looks a little messy, but let me tell you, it is sooooo good. I love a good tamale. I loved them so much I found a good recipe so that I could make tamales myself at home... and they are always a hit. Enter the tamale casserole. All the flavor of a good tamale, but with a whole lot less prep time and work. I found this Chili Verde Chicken Tamale Casserole recipe on Pinterest, and while the originial was ok, and actually less time consuming, I think the changes I made raised it to another level. The original used canned poblanos and rotisserie chicken. In addition to cooking a spicy chicken to use, I also added jalapeños and onion to counter balance the sweetness of the corn in the original recipe... And there is so much flavor packed into this casserole... so very much flavor. It is delicious. And if you have a small family, buy some roughly 9x9 inches, almost 3 inches deep, poultry aluminum pans, and split the recipe into two servings and freeze one of them. Two birds, one stone! That's my kind of cooking!

FOR THE CHICKEN FILLING:
2.5-3 lbs chicken
Seasonings - adobo, garlic powder, cayenne, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup chile verde enchilada sauce
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp garlic powder

FOR THE TAMALE DOUGH:
3 c. masa harina
Couple of tablespoons of olive oil
2-3 poblanos (roasted) - depending on how spicy you want it
1-2 jalapeños (roasted) - depending on how spicy they are are and how spicy you want it
1 medium onion (roasted)
2 tsp coarse kosher sea salt
3 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
12 tbsp unsalted butter - cold and cut into 12 pieces
3 cups frozen corn - thawed, divided
2 1/4 cups chicken broth - more if needed

OTHER:
3-4 cups grated monterey jack cheese - divided (I used more than this, especially when I divided it into two separate servings)
1 cup chile verde enchilada sauce
2 Tbsp cilantro for garnish



Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Coat the peppers and onions in olive oil.



Roast them in a 350 degree oven until the peppers are blistered. Carefully peel off the peppers' skins. I used a fork and my fingers; just be careful not to burn yourself.



Season both sides of the chicken; cook on med-high until seared on both sides. 

Set the chicken aside on a plate to cool; set the skillet aside - you'll use this again. Once the chicken is cooled, shred it.

Now to make the masa for the tamale part of the casserole, I had to divide mine into two batches. All of the ingredients overloaded my food processor the first time I made this. In your food process (or blender) add half of the following ingredients: masa; the roasted poblanos, jalapeños and onion; salt; sugar; baking powder; black pepper; and butter, and 1 cup of corn.



Pulse until mixture is coarse and blended.



Slowly drizzle just over 1 cup of chicken broth until the mixture resembles the consistency of peanut butter.

Scrape out that portion into a bowl, and then mix up the remaining half. Blend the two portions together, and then add the remaining cup of corn and mix in. Set aside while you finish preparing the chicken.

In the skillet you cooked the chicken in, put the shredded chicken back in it. Add the chicken broth, enchilada sauce, garlic powder, and cilantro. Mix together, and then simmer until warmed through and thickened slightly.



Lightly spray your pan(s) - one 9x13 or two 8x8 or 9x9, just ensure they are between 2.5-3 inches deep - with cooking spray.

If using one pan, press half the tamale mixture into the bottom of your pan. Top with about 3/4-1 cup of cheese. Next layer the chicken filling evenly. Top with another 3/4-1 cup of cheese. Layer the remaining tamale mixture. Pour 1 cup (or a little more to get an even layer of coverage) of enchilada sauce over the tamale mixture. Top it all with 1.5-2 cups of cheese.

If using two pans, press quarter of the tamale mixture into the bottom of your pan. Top with about 1/2 cup of cheese. Next layer half the chicken filling evenly. Top with another 1/2 cup of cheese. Layer another quarter of the tamale mixture. Pour 1/2 cup (or a little more to get an even layer of coverage) of enchilada sauce over the tamale mixture. Top it all with 3/4-1 cup of cheese. Repeat for second dish.

If you used two pans and you're going to freeze one, cut a piece of plastic and lightly spray it with cooking spray. Cover the dish and freeze until solid. Then vacuum seal it. If you can't vacuum seal, then tightly wrap the dish in plastic and then cover that with aluminum foil. Before baking, thaw the dish (overnight in the fridge would work well).

To bake, cover the dish with aluminum foil (spray with cooking spray to keep the cheese from sticking). Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking another 10 minutes or so until the top is bubbly and browned to your liking. Allow to rest for 15 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining cilantro. Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Spicy Chicken Wrap

I love spicy food. I think peppers make most meals better. Not only do the spices and peppers make this meal delicious, but it's pretty healthy too. As it's prepared below this is how a wrap stacks up: 267 calories; 9.7 grams fat; 88.7 mg cholesterol; 19.9 carbs; 35 grams protein. I like to cook up 3 or 4 chicken breasts, slice them and then eat on it all week.

1-2 lbs Chicken (I prefer breast, but use your preference)
Olive oil
salt
pepper
garlic powder
paprika
cumin
Adobo seasoning
pepper spices (cayenne, chipotle, or any kind you prefer)
Xtreme Wellness Spinach and Herb Tortillas
Quesadilla cheese (or your preferred cheese)
Salsa Verde
Romaine lettuce (thinly sliced)

Clean and prep the chicken. Salt, pepper and apply the spices the each side of each piece of chicken. Apply the amount of spice that matches your tastebuds. Start with a light coating on each side.

Heat up a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet. Cook chicken on each side several minutes until browned. If your chicken pieces are thinner, ensure that the chicken is cooked through and stop here.

If the chicken pieces are thick, foil line a pan, and after browning the chicken on each side, bake in the oven 10-15 minutes until it is cooked through. Let chicken cool 10 minutes or so and then slice thinly. Prepare the wrap by adding 3-4 ounces of chicken, an ounce of cheese, a tablespoon or two of salsa verde, and an ounce of your favorite lettuce. Roll up and enjoy!

Pesto Chicken with Tomatoes and Asparagus

I was looking for healthier, high protein recipes and came across this gem on Pinterest: One Pan Pesto Chicken and Veggies. I added the garlic to the original recipe, and I also recommend using the sundries tomato oil to cook the chicken for added flavor. In checking the recipe ingredients, 6 oz of chicken and veggies has 329 calories, 31.6 g protein, 17.1 g fat, and 15 g carbs. If you are sparing with the pesto, you should be able to lower the fat and carbs. No matter what, everyone who has tried this dish has loved it. It also reheats pretty well when I take it to work for lunch, which I count as a win! There is so much flavor in the dinner, and it is pretty easy to make, two more wins in my book. You're going to want to try this recipe.

2 Tbsp olive oil
1-1.25 pound chicken thigh or breast meat, boneless and skinless, sliced into strips
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes drained of oil, chopped
1 pound asparagus ends trimmed, cut in half, if large
1/4 cup basil pesto
1 cup cherry tomatoes yellow and red, halved

4-6 cloves of garlic, minced (or use jarred minced garlic)

Salt and pepper to taste

Slice tomatoes in half; cut ends off of asparagus; and chop sun dried tomatoes.

Slice chicken into large pieces.

Salt and pepper generously to taste.

Heat large skillet on medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil (you can use some of the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes for additional flavor). Add chicken and add half of chopped sun-dried tomatoes.

Cook everything 5-10 minutes, flipping chicken a couple of times, until the chicken is completely cooked through.

Remove the chicken and sun-dried from the skillet, leaving oil in.

Add asparagus, seasoned generously with salt and remaining half of sun-dried tomatoes.  

Reduce heat to medium and cook about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook several more minutes until the asparagus is cooked through. I cook just until the asparagus is fork tender.

Remove asparagus to serving plate. Add chicken back to the skillet, add pesto, stir to coat on low-medium heat until chicken is reheated, 1 or 2 minutes, and pesto is dispersed. 

Add tomatoes and cook for a couple of minutes; remove skillet from heat.

Serve chicken, tomatoes, and asparagus, and watch your family gobble it up!

Honey Sriracha Chicken, Spinach, Alfredo Pizza

I'm all about making decisions that make my life easier, and this is one of those decisions. I prep Honey Sriracha Chicken on the weekend for freezing, and then the night before I'm going to make it for dinner, I pull it out of the freezer and put it in the fridge. After cooking this I save 7-9 pieces to make this super delicious pizza later on in the week. Did I mention that it's delicious? The creamy alfredo sauce, fresh spinach, the chicken, and lately I've added a few thin onion slices to it and I love it. You really should try this pizza. You're going to love it!

Pizza Dough Crust
Shredded Honey Sriracha Chicken
Mozzarella Cheese
Spinach
Alfredo Sauce
Onion slices (optional)
Olive Oil
Garlic Salt

Turn the oven on 475 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the dough ball in half and spread out the dough on your pizza pan or peel or parchment paper. Lightly grease the ouster edge and sprinkle with garlic salt. Swirl a thin even layer of alfredo sauce to the edge of the oil. Sprinkle several ounces of mozzarella evenly on the pizza. Layer out the spinach and then sprinkle with chicken. Add onion slices if using, and then add another couple of ounces of mozzarella.

Bake the pizza until the cheese begins to bubble and brown slightly and the crust should be golden brown. Remove pizza and carefully slice it. Enjoy!

Use the other half of the dough to make another delicious pizza.

Honey Sriracha Chicken

I have spent too many years of my life scared of food. While I'm not exactly at the point of being willing to try anything, I am working at stepping out of self imposed box. Many of you may not think of this type of chicken as "out of the box," but I assure you for me that it is. I tried a pizza at a local restaurant that had honey sriracha chicken on it, and I was floored at how much I like it. So, I went on a search to find a recipe that sounded good and I found this one for Honey Sriracha Grilled Chicken Skewers on Pinterest, and my daughter and I have loved it! I have found another use for this chicken in a pizza variety I'm making of Honey Sriracha Chicken, Spinach Alfredo pizza. Again, this is delicious (blog coming soon) and everyone who has tried it has loved it!

6-8 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into large cubes (I use 2.25-2.5 lbs separated into two batches)
1/2 cup honey or agave
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup sriracha chile sauce
1/2 tsp salt

Cube chicken and place chicken cubes into two quart size freezer ziplock bags, set aside.

In a small bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, sriracha, and salt; whisk well.

Pour  mixture evenly into the two bags of chicken. Squeeze air out of bag and seal bag, coat chicken with sauce.

Here is where you choose which course you're going to take. If you are planning on cooking a bag of the chicken that day, then marinate it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. A few hours would be better. I generally prep a 5-lb or 10-lb bag of chicken at one time and divide it among multiple bags for freezing. The night before I plan to cook the chicken, I pull it out of the freezer and place it in the fridge. When I get home from work the next evening, I remove the bag from the fridge for an hour or so while I do chores around the house. There is already oil in the marinade, so you don't need extra in your skillet before cooking. Just heat up the skillet on medium-high heat; either drain the chicken in a colander or use  tongs to remove chicken and let the sauce drip off. Either way, once the skillet is heated, add the chicken to begin cooking.

I have found that marinade and other juices tend to build while the chicken is cooking and to get a nice char mark on the chicken this liquid will need to be drained during the cooking process. Keep stirring and draining chicken until you have the amount of browning that you desire. This is one of my 15 minute meals - cook a pot of Minute Rice and a veggie and dinner is served.

Lemon Herb Chicken

Chicken is one of the most versatile proteins to add to a meal. It can be prepared in so many delicious ways that it's hard sometimes to decide where to start. I was searching Pinterest a few weeks ago for some new chicken recipes when I stumbled onto: Grilled Chicken Breasts with Lemon and Herbs. I made it for the first time the very day that I found it... and it was goooooooood! Very juicy and tender and light. Pairs great with my Sautéed Spinach and Herb Roasted Potatoes. This will be a great addition to your recipe collection. It's simple and easy and so very tasty... so check it out!

2-4 Foster Farms Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds total)

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsps finely chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme
1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh oregano
1/4 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
3 Tbsps lemon juice
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Prepare the chicken by cutting off excess fat or gristle and rinsing. Pound each piece with the flat side of a mallet between a folded piece of plastic wrap to avoid splattering.

Prepare spices, salt, pepper and garlic.

Put chicken in a freezer bag of appropriate size for how many chicken breasts you have. Pour the spices mixture over the chicken. Squeeze in the lemon juice and then add the oil. Massage the marinade onto the chicken to ensure it is evenly coated. Put in the refrigerator to rest.

The marinade should stay on as long as possible. I've done as little as 2 hours and as much as 3-4 days (with slightly frozen chicken to start with). At least overnight would be ideal. The longer you can let it set, the better it will be. Pull the chicken out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before ready to cook. Heat the skillet. You can add a spoonful of marinade to know when the skillet is hot enough. Add chicken to the skillet and cook on both sides until browned and cooked through.

Pair this chicken with your favorite sides and enjoy!

Chicken Piccata

When it comes down to it, I just really like chicken... grilled barbecue chicken, chicken and dumplings, fried chicken, lemon pepper chicken, chicken tenders, chicken parmesan, chicken tamales, and now this new addition to my arsenal... chicken piccata. Oh my goodness, this stuff is so delicious! The lemon juice just adds a freshness to the dish, and the capers add an awesome briny-saltiness to it that you don't get just from salt. The chicken itself is so juicy, and the panko bread crumbs add a wonderful texture to the dish. I found the recipe on Pinterest, Panko Crusted Chicken Piccata, and I've made it several times already. Try this dish and I'm sure it will become one of your go-to meals.

1 cup flour
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves,
Salt, pepper, and garlic powder
½ cup olive oil
6 Tbsps butter

1 Tbsp capers
2 Tbsps lemon juice + A few slices of lemon
1 Tbsp chopped parsley

If the chicken breasts are too thick butterfly them so each piece is half as thick as it was to begin with. Fold a piece of plastic over the top and bottom of each piece of chicken, then use a meat mallet (preferably flat and not pointed) or rolling pin to pound it to a ¼ inch thickness. Season both sides with salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Place the flour, eggs, and panko in three separate shallow bowls.

Heat half of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Dredge the chicken breasts in flour, shake off the excess and then dip in the eggs.

Then coat both sides with breadcrumbs.

Add half the dredged chicken breasts to the skillet and fry for 3-5 minutes or a side or until golden brown and cooked through. Remove to a plate. Add the other half of the oil to the skillet and repeat with remaining chicken breast.

When the chicken has been removed, add the butter to the skillet and use a spatula to scrape up any brown bits. Let the butter cook until sizzling and just starting to brown. Stir in the capers, lemon juice, and lemon slices (if using).

To serve, plate the chicken then spoon the lemon butter sauce over top. Top with lemon slices and fresh parsley.