Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Pasta Bake!

  

 

If you are like me and love hot wings or anything with buffalo sauce on it, you are going to love this pasta.  It's easy to put together and you could even use some leftover chicken breasts.  It bakes up in no time and it makes enough to feed a good sized family.  Here is what you will need:

3 cups diced chicken breast
1/2 -3/4 cups hot wing sauce, depending on your tastes
1 lb. box of penne pasta (can use rotini or any other type you might have on hand)
1 8 oz. block of cream cheese, softened
1 can evaporated milk  (12 oz,)
2 cups milk
2 Tbs. butter
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup bleu cheese crumbles (optional)
2 Tbs. Ranch dressing mix
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. celery salt


Cook the pasta in salted water as directed on the package.  Under cook by about 1 minute or 2 to get al dente pasta.  Drain well, but do not rinse.  

Chop the chicken in to bite size pieces and then toss with 1/2 cup buffalo sauce.  Use more buffalo sauce if you like more spice. I used some chicken breasts I had baked the day before. You could also use a rotisserie chicken for convenience.

Place the cream cheese, cubed in the warm pan you cooked the pasta in.  Add the canned milk, the 2 cups milk, the butter and the seasonings, including the ranch dressing mix.  Whisk together over low heat. Stir often because this will stick.  Bring it up to almost a boil, but don't let it boil.  Turn the heat down and whisk in 2 cups of the cheddar cheese. Blend until it melts.  Also stir in 2 Tbs. of additional buffalo sauce.  At the very end add in the bleu cheese if you using it.  The bleu cheese is optional, because so many people do not care for it. Once this all bakes, you don't really taste it that much though. Fold in your pasta and the buffalo chicken and toss until it is all well coated. 

                                                

Pour the mixture into a large baking dish or casserole that has been sprayed with nonstick spray.  A 9"x13" works well for this.  Sprinkle the top with the 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese you have left.   Place in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes until hot and bubbly and starting to brown.   Garnish the top with sliced green onions or chives.

 



Loaded Baked Potato, Chicken and Bacon Casserole!

 

This "Loaded Baked Potato & Chicken Casserole" is new to the site and it got a two thumbs up from the family!  It's one of those one dish meals we all love!  This is a meal in itself, but you could add a vegetable or salad to make it complete!  If you are cooking for meat and potatoes people, they are going to love this one!  

Here is what you will need:  

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed in bite size pieces

6 medium size to large potatoes, peeled and cubed

1/3 cup olive oil

1 pkg. dry ranch dressing mix

1/2 tsp. seasoned salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1 Tbs. soy sauce

1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce

dash of hot sauce

3 cups shredded Monterrey Jack/Cheddar blend or shredded Cheddar cheese

10 slices of bacon cooked crisp and crumbled

4-5 green onions sliced 

sour cream for topping (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  

In a large bowl, whisk the olive oil, ranch dressing mix, seasoned salt, black pepper, garlic powder, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and dash of hot sauce together.   Add the diced potatoes and with a large, slotted spoon toss them to coat with the oil mixture. 

 Remove with the slotted spoon, so that the excess oil mixture stays in the bowl to a 9"x13" baking dish or 3 quart casserole.

Put the cubed chicken in a the remain oil mixture and toss to coat.  Pour the chicken and remaining oil over the potatoes.  Evenly placing the chicken over the top in a single layer so it browns.  I like to keep the potatoes and chicken separated in two layers at the beginning to be sure the chicken cook evenly.   Place in a preheated 400 degree oven for 1 hour.  About halfway through toss everything to be sure it is all evenly browning the the potatoes aren't sticking.

Remove when it's all browned and the chicken is done and top with 3 cups of shredded cheese of whatever you chose to use and sprinkle with the crumbled bacon.  Place back in the oven for about 7-10 minutes or until the cheese is nice and melted!

When it comes out of the oven, sprinkle with the green onions!

Serve as is or...

With a little sour cream on top!  Either way this was fantastic!  We will definitely be having it again and it makes a pretty large casserole!  

Four Cheese Barbecued Chicken Pasta!

I really love barbecue and the taste of barbecue sauce.  I have rarely met a barbecued 'anything' I didn't like.  Of course, some barbecue is far superior to others and I do prefer my homemade barbecue sauce to the store bought, but I use the store bought sometimes also.

 I had some chicken breasts and I had some barbecue sauce and a taste for pasta of some kind, so I decided to try a barbecue chicken pasta dish.

 The results turned out better than I expected and even the pickiest of eaters loved it.  My husband, who doesn't care for a lot of barbecue sauce flavor even loved it and I ate some leftover for lunch today and it was even tastier.

 Here is what you will need:


3-4 boneless chicken breasts

1 bottle barbecue sauce of your choice

1/2 can or about 1 1/2 cups Coke

10 oz. pasta (bowtie, penne, rotinni)

1/2 stick butter

1/4 cup flour

3 cups milk

1 cup Parmesan Cheese

2 cups cheddar cheese  ( 1 for cheese sauce and 1 for topping)

8 oz cream cheese

6 slices Swiss cheese

8-9 slices bacon

salt

pepper

blackened seasoning

garlic powder

Sprinkle some chicken breasts with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and just a little blackened seasoning (optional).  You only need about three chicken breasts.  I cooked a whole package and will use the rest for another meal.  I am thinking about a barbecue chicken salad...yum! 

Pour 1/2 can of Coke over the chicken.  You can use Diet Coke.  Cover with any kind of barbecue sauce you like.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour.  These were large so I cooked them for an hour.  Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Once cool chop about three of them into bite size pieces.

Cook about 8 or 9 strips of bacon until crisp. 

Make a cheese sauce.  I do this in the microwave.  Melt 1/2 stick butter, add 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, microwave for 30 seconds.  Whisk in 3 cups milk and microwave 3 minutes.  Whisk again removing any lumps.  Add cream cheese (softened and cubed), Parmesan cheese, and cheddar cheese.  Microwave 3-4 more minutes and whisk again to remove any lumps.  It should be thickened somewhat at this point and the cheeses melted.

Add 2 Tbs. of barbecue sauce to the cheese sauce and whisk well.  If you like the taste of barbecue a lot, like I do, you could add 3 Tbs. to the sauce at this point.

Boil 10 ounces of pasta just until it is al dente. I use bowtie, but penne or rotinni would work well also.  This will be a little more than 1/2  of a 1 lb. box.  Add the drained pasta to the cheese sauce and mix together.  Pour half of it into a 9"x13" baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.  Layer about 1/2 of the chicken over this.

Layer the rest of pasta/cheese sauce next with the rest of chicken over this. Drizzle this layer with more barbecue sauce. I just used about a 1/4 of a cup.

Layer Swiss cheese slices over the last chicken layer.

Finish with the chopped bacon and the rest of the cheddar cheese.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven until bubbly and the cheese is starting to brown...about 30-40 minutes.

So delicious!!!

Hawaiian Chicken!!!

This "Hawaiian Chicken" got two thumbs up from my family!!!  It is so tasty and turns out tender and juicy!!!  It's super easy, but still seems special enough for company.  With the pineapple and ham, it could even be served as a one of your main courses for the holidays!!!

 It's also great with almost any sides you want!  I served it with scalloped potatoes here, but it would also be great with rice!!!

 Here is what you will need for this:

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

6 slices of bacon

6 slices of thin deli ham

6 slices provolone or Swiss cheese

6 pineapple rings

Teriyaki sauce (I used Kikkoman)

seasoned salt

black pepper

Spray a 9" x 13" baking dish with nonstick spray.  Place the chicken breasts in the dish.  Put about a teaspoon of teriyaki sauce on each chicken breast.  Sprinkle each with seasoned salt and black pepper.

Place a slice of deli ham on each chicken breast.  Cut each slice of bacon in half and crisscross a piece on each chicken breast.  Place in a preheated 350 degree oven for 40 minutes.  

Remove from the oven and dash with a little more teriyaki sauce on each chicken breast.   Place a slice of the cheese and a pineapple ring on each chicken breast.  Place back in the oven for 10 minutes.   Remove from oven and spoon some of the pan drippings over each chicken breast just before serving.

It is important to follow these steps exactly, because from my experience, if you put the cheese on at the beginning and not at the end, it will melt away in the oven and dissipate.   If you place it on for only the last 10 minutes, it melts but stays on the chicken.  

Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti!

I love one dish kinda meals that make a whole lot and are budget friendly.  This one qualifies on all accounts.  It makes a ton of food and is good to take to potlucks or serve at big family gatherings.  Once I doubled this recipe and took it to a work potluck. It made two of those big aluminum roasting pans full and probably fed 40-50 people with other side dishes.

 One recipe makes two 9"x13" dishes and with a salad and bread will feed  15-18 people easily.  If you don't feed an army for dinner, you can freeze one for a another night or take one to a friend or family member.  I made the second pan for my son and his friends to have.

I have seen so many different recipes for chicken spaghetti.  They all have little differences, but this one is my own take on it.

Here is what you will need:

2 lbs. boneless chicken breasts

1 lb. Velveeta cheese

1 lb. spaghetti

2 cups mozzarella cheese

2 cups cheddar cheese

2 cups sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup

2 cups pasta water with chicken bouillon

2 chicken bouillon cubes

1 tsp. Nature's Seasoning or salt and black pepper

1 tsp. Lawry's chicken and poultry rub (can substitute seasoned salt or Montreal seasoning for chicken)

1 tsp. garlic salt

1 tsp. Tony Chachere's Spices and Herbs

1/2 cup green or red pepper

1 cup onion

3/4 stick butter

2lb boneless chicken breasts or 4 or 5, sour cream, Velveeta cheese, cheddar cheese, Mozzarella cheese, 1 can cream of chicken soup, 1 can cream of mushroom soup,  1 lb. spaghetti, butter, chicken bullion cubes, onion, green or red pepper, garlic salt, Nature's Seasoning, Tony Chachere's Spices and Herbs, and Lawry's chicken and poultry rub.

Most all of the recipes for chicken casseroles call for boiling the chicken, but unless you need a lot of rich broth, I prefer to roast my chicken.  I just think it has a better flavor and you can season it better.  So I sprinkle these breasts with the Nature's Seasoning (you can use salt and pepper) and the Lawry's chicken and poultry rub and the dot with butter. 

 These were very thick chicken breasts so I only had to use three, but a normal size chicken breast would require 5-6.  I cooked these at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes, then turned them and cooked them for 20 more minutes.  A thinner breast would take less time.

When they are done, set them aside to cool so you can chop them into small pieces.

Melt 1/2 stick butter in a skillet and saute 1/2 cup red or green pepper diced in small pieces ( I used both) and 1 cup onion diced.  Sprinkle with Nature's Seasoning or salt and pepper.  You can add a cup of sliced mushrooms to this if your family like them.  Mine doesn't, but I do so I saute some separately and add them to my own small casserole.

I really like mushrooms so these are for me!

I get my pasta pot out for this, because it's big and it makes the mixing easier.  I put two bullion cubes and a couple teaspoons of salt into the water and bring it to a boil, then add a pound of spaghetti.  Boil it until it is al dente (still a little chewy)...about 9 minutes.  Pull the pasta strainer out and drain well. Reserve 2 cups of the pasta water and discard the rest.

In the pasta pan over low heat mix the two cans of soup, sour cream, 2 cups pasta water and 1 lb. cubed Velveeta cheese.  Mix until it is all incorporated and stir in the sauteed onions and peppers.  Add 1/2 tsp. Nature's Seasoning or 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. black pepper and 1/4  garlic salt.

Chop the chicken into bite size pieces and add it back into the pot with the spaghetti, mix it all together well.

Spray 2  9"x13" pans with cooking spray, divide mixture between two and sprinkle each with 1 cup mozzarella and 1 cup cheddar.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until slightly brown on top and bubbly around the edges.

Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti! 

 
Ingredients:

2 lbs. boneless chicken breasts

1 lb. Velveeta cheese

1 lb. spaghetti

2 cups mozzarella cheese

2 cups cheddar cheese

2 cups sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup

2 cups pasta water with chicken bouillon

2 chicken bouillon cubes

1 tsp. Nature's Seasoning or salt and black pepper

1 tsp. Lawry's chicken and poultry rub

1 tsp. garlic salt

1 tsp. Tony Chachere's Spices and Herbs

1/2 cup green or red pepper

1 cup onion

3/4 stick butter

Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad!

 

If you love buffalo hot wings and you also like pasta salads, you will really love the combination of the two in this pasta salad.   This is a very flexible recipe and can be adjusted to your individual tastes.  Some folks like bleu cheese dressing with their wings, some prefer ranch, so this salad has a ranch dressing with bleu cheese crumbles.  If you don't care for the taste of bleu cheese, substitute some crumbled feta cheese for a milder taste.   No one taste overwhelms in this salad which makes it more appealing to a variety of taste buds.   It also goes together so quickly because you can use diced rotisserie chicken or roast your own.  Even left over chicken breasts work great!  Here is what you will need:

2 cups diced chicken breast

8 oz. uncooked pasta or half of a box ( I used bow tie, but penne or even elbow would work)

1/2 cup hot wing sauce, like Frank's or Texas Peete, divided

1 Tbs. butter

1 cup ranch dressing (whatever you prefer, I like to make mine but a good bottled works)

1/2 cup bleu cheese crumbles (substitute feta if you don't care for bleu cheese)

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup shredded carrot

1/2 cup chopped green onions including some of the green blade

seasoned salt to taste

black pepper to taste

garlic powder

IF you are cooking your chicken breasts for this, place them in a pan and sprinkle with seasoned salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Divide the butter and put pats on each chicken breast.  Drizzle with half of the hot sauce.  Bake until done but still moist. Dice into bite size pieces. If you are using rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken, chop into bite size pieces and toss it with the butter, seasoned salt, pepper, garlic powder and half of the hot sauce in a skillet until well coated and seasoned.  Set aside off heat until ready to mix salad.  

Cook the pasta in salted water until al dente, about 1 minute less than the package directions.  Drain and rinse under cold water for a just a few minutes to stop cooking.  Dice celery, green onion, and grate carrots.  Mix pasta, vegetables, crumbled bleu cheese, chicken and ranch dressing in a mixing bowl or I just add it back to the pan I cooked the pasta in (make sure it's dry and cool).

Add the remainder of the hot sauce, a dash of seasoned salt, dash of black pepper (fresh ground is really good), and a dash of garlic powder.  Gently fold it all together.  At this point, taste and if you like more spice, add a little more hot sauce or if you like more dressing add a little more ranch dressing.  Place in a pretty salad bowl and you can serve it as is, at room temperature or refrigerate to chill.  The flavors do intensify as it melds together so remember that when adding hot sauce.

!





My Silky Chicken Noodle Soup!

When someone in my family is sick or under the weather, I make soup.  I am sure I have an old Jewish grandmother in me trying to get out or something.  I usually make chicken soup or potato soup and sometimes clam chowder.  This soup has gotten my son through everything from a bad cold, numerous strep throats, broken fingers to broken hearts.  Yesterday, I had a call for the soup so I got my big soup pot out and got to cookin'. 

You know how they tell you that you have to boil a big ole whole chicken for good chicken soup?  It's not really true.  You can use chicken breasts and other seasonings and still get a good chicken soup. 

Here is what you will need:

4-5 chicken breasts

10 cups water

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

3 Knorr chicken bouillon cubes

2 packets Swanson Flavor Boost Chicken Flavor

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 tsps. Lawry's poultry and chicken rub

3 stalks celery with leaves

1 whole onion

8 oz. wide egg noodles

2 cups half and half cream

Take 4 -5 chicken breasts, 10 cups water, 3 stalks of celery with leaves still on and an onion cut in half in a stock pot or dutch oven.  Add 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. black pepper.  You can use boneless chicken breasts or bone-in, you will just have to remove bones after it cooks. 

Add 3 Knorr chicken bouillon cubes and 2 Swanson Flavor Boost chicken packets.  If you don't have Knorr and use the small bouillon cubes you will need to use about 6 of those.  Knorr is really best.  If you don't have the Swanson Flavor Boost use 2 extra Knorr bouillon cubes.  If you have homemade frozen chicken broth you can add 3 cups instead of this bouillon.  Sometimes I make broth and freeze it ahead.

Bring this to a boil and then reduce to simmer.  Simmer for at least an hour.  Remove chicken to a plate to cool.  Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer.  Pour the clear broth back into the stock pot and add 1 can of cream of chicken soup.  Whisk with a wire whisk to break it down and bring this to a boil. 

Add 2 tsp. Lawry's Chicken and Poultry Rub, if you don't have this (you must get some because it makes all the difference in the world), but you can substitute 1 tsp. poultry seasoning and 1 tsp. curry powder.

Once it boils add 8 - 10 oz. wide egg noodles.  I usually add about 1/2 of a 16 oz. bag. Shred or chop the chicken into bit size pieces and add it back to the pot.  Bring it back up to a boil then turn it down to low and cover so the noodles and chicken just simmer for about 20 minutes. 

At the end add 2 cups of half and half cream.  That is the silky in this soup and it makes it so delicious and smooth.   Do not let the soup come back to boiling once the cream has been added.  It should be kept on low heat.  If you are feeling really decadent, you can use 2 cups of cream instead of half and half, but the half and half works just as well.

Slow Cooker Nacho Cheese Chicken!

This recipe is so easy that I almost didn't even post it.  Then I got to thinking that everybody needs some easy recipes for those days when you don't have time to stand in the kitchen for several hours.  I have had a couple of days like that this week.  This time of year, there is too much to do outside also, rather than being in the kitchen, so I like to do some easy meals. 

I use my slow cooker for this and I hear people say they use their slow cooker more in the winter,  but I actually think I use mine more in the summer, just because it keeps me from having to turn on the oven during the hottest part of the day. 
 Here is all you will need for this:

6-8 boneless chicken breasts ( I used a 3 lb. bag of frozen breasts, you can use less chicken and it will just have a lot of extra sauce)
1 can condensed nacho cheese soup
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 pkg. taco mix
1 8 oz. block of cream cheese, cubed
1 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
dash of Tabasco sauce

I just put the chicken breast in the slow cooker frozen.  You can use thawed chicken also, makes no difference.  Spray your slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray first for easier cleanup. Sprinkle them with the pepper and the garlic powder.  I don't add any salt to this because the soup and the taco mix  have enough salt to season.  Frozen chicken does not photograph well, sorry about the visual, but it is good when it's cooked...lol.

Pour the canned soups over the chicken.  There is no need to mix them before you put them in. It all mixes up as it cooks. Sprinkle the soups with the taco mix and cube the cream cheese and place it on top. If you like really spicy, puts some dashes of Tabasco on top to your taste.  Cook on low for 8 - 10 hours or overnight.  At the end of the cooking time stir in 1 cup of sour cream and break the chicken up into pieces.  I just like to break mine up in big chunks, not really a lot.  If you started with chicken that was already defrosted, you won't have to break it up much.

I served this over some yellow rice, but my husband doesn't care for rice so I served his over egg noodles and it worked great also.  I think even mashed potatoes would work.  I garnished each serving with green onions and cilantro, but you could also garnish with salsa, sliced ripe olives, or a little shredded cheddar cheese.  It's very versatile in what you add to it.  This makes quite a bit and with a salad and bread you can serve 5 - 6 people easily.