Hey, all! I haven’t had two minutes to spare this week for my poor blog. Sad, because a few things have happened that could provide beaucoup material.
It has been crazy. We are selling our house and looking for a larger one. Having my house on the market and searching listings every day is the most nerve-racking thing I’ve ever done. And that includes subbing in a kindergarten class, finger painting with a toddler, and having a husband.
One good thing about being super-busy is that I tend to create new, easy meals. This particular one started out as one evening’s dinner, but I made too much and got two more really good meals out of it. So, I’m giving you all three recipes because I plan to make too much again, intentionally this time, during this chaotic thing called house-hunting.
Day 1 – Crockpot Cilantro Lime Chicken
- 6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
- 1 jar (24 oz) salsa (I used medium heat)
- 1 pkg taco seasoning
- juice of 1 lime, or equivalent bottled lime juice
- 1/4 c fresh cilantro, chopped
Place chicken breasts in crockpot. Mix together all remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Cook on low at least 6 hours.
I served this over rice for the first night.
We then had 3 chicken breasts and lots of sauce left, so I decided to shred the remaining chicken and make these enchiladas for the second night’s meal.
Day 2 – Cilantro Lime Chicken Enchiladas
- leftover shredded chicken ( I used about half of the remaining chicken)
- approximately 10 flour tortillas
- 1 can enchilada sauce
- 1 can green chiles (do not drain!)
- 1 cup + 1 cup pepper jack cheese, divided
- 1 cup Fritos, crushed
Place a large spoonful of chicken in the center of each tortilla. Sprinkle some cheese on top of chicken before rolling. Roll up each enchilada and place seam side down in a greased casserole dish. Mix green chiles into enchilada sauce and pour over the stuffed tortillas. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 25minutes. Sprinkle remaining cheese and crushed Fritos on top, bake uncovered for an additional 5 minutes.
I know Fritos are just weird on enchiladas, but these were crying out for something salty and crunchy. Fritos perfectly fit the bill.
So, I still had half of the leftover shredded chicken. So far, I had been really impressed with how different the flavors were for the first two nights. I didn’t want anything that tasted the same as either one of them. So, I thought I’d try to come up with a White Chicken Chili recipe. And here it is…
Day 3 – White Chicken Chili
- leftover shredded Cilantro Lime Chicken
- 2 cups chicken broth or stock
- 1 1/2 cup milk
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp minced garlic
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 can cannelini beans
- 1 can green chiles (do not drain!)
- 2 TB butter or margarine
- 2 TB flour
- 1/8 tsp each salt and pepper
- 1 TB tabasco sauce
- 1/2 cup rice, prepared according to directions
Melt butter in large stockpot. Add onion and garlic, cook until softened (about 5 minutes). Add flour, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper, mix thoroughly. Add chicken stock and milk. Bring almost to boiling over medium heat. Reduce heat and add chicken, green chiles, and tabasco. Simmer for at least 20 minutes. Add corn and beans. Cover and simmer 10 more minutes. Add cooked rice, and guess what, simmer a few more minutes.
I made the rice separately because I hadn’t planned for it and didn’t want to lose all my liquid into the rice. You could cook the rice in the chili as it simmers, just make sure to add more liquid from the beginning. My husband said this was even better re-heated the next day, too.
I hope you enjoy these recipes! I’m going to go do some laundry, since that has also suffered this week. Tonight’s the night, or we might all be buried in onesies by tomorrow morning!
hugsandcookies 