Chicken

Tomato, Pesto Chicken Quesadillas with Alfredo Dipping Sauce

March 16, 2016 by Tiffany King Leave a Comment

Chicken Quesadillas are one of our favorite easy meals. I decided to give them a different spin by swapping out the Mexican flavors for Italian instead. Since it’s March Madness time, I’m even more motivated to keep the food simple and fun.

We spent part of last weekend watching UK win the SEC tournament. And tomorrow, the NCAA tournament starts. We’re hoping to see UK go far in this one!

These are very fast to make. In fact, if it weren’t for whipping up the easy, homemade Alfredo sauce, these would be a 15 minute recipe. Even with the sauce, they are really fast to fix.

Here’s what you’ll need:

You can’t see the chicken in the back of this photo, but there is a bag of cooked chicken there. I really like to keep rotisserie chicken in the freezer for quick recipes like this. You can use leftover chicken instead though. I also think this would be good with Italian sausage instead of chicken.

I used Red Gold diced tomatoes. They are Non GMO and have a Non-BPA liner in the can. I was fortunate to visit the Red Gold facilities last September during the tomato harvest. From the family who owns Red Gold to the people who work there to the process they use for canning the tomatoes – everything was so impressive. You can see my post about the quality of Red Gold tomatoes here.

Back to the quesadillas. This recipe is easy to tweak and make it your own. I used chicken, pesto, Red Gold tomatoes and mozzarella cheese to stuff the tortillas. Feel free to alter the amounts of these to your own taste.

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5 from 2 votes

Tomato, Pesto Chicken Quesadillas with Alfredo Dipping Sauce

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Servings: servings

Ingredients

For the Alfredo Dipping Sauce

2 Tbs. butter
1 Tbs. flour
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

For the Quesadillas

2-3 cups cooked chopped chicken
1 can Red Gold diced tomatoes drained
3-4 Tbs. pesto sauce
1-2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
6-8 flour tortillas
cooking spray or oil

Instructions

For the Alfredo Dipping Sauce

Melt butter in skillet over medium heat.
Whisk in flour and cook 1 minute.
Whisk in milk till smooth.
Stir in Parmesan and melt over medium heat, stirring often. Be careful not to let sauce boil.
Season with salt and pepper.

For Quesadillas

In a large bowl, combine chicken, tomatoes, pesto and mozzarella.
Spread chicken mixture on half of tortilla and place in a skillet or griddle that has been oiled or sprayed with cooking spray.
Fold tortilla over the filling. Cook over medium heat till brown.
Flip tortilla to brown the other side.
Remove from skillet and cut in wedges.
Serve with Alfredo sauce.

You’re going to want to give these Tomato, Pesto Chicken Quesadillas a try no matter which team you’re cheering for during March Madness. Or even if basketball isn’t your thing, find a time to give these a try.

Disclosure: This recipe was created for Red Gold. I have been compensated for my time, however all opinions are my own.

Chicken Curry in the Slow Cooker

March 1, 2016 by RachaelW 38 Comments

Slow Cooker Chicken Curry has become one of my favorite weeknight dinner recipes. Rachael first shared the recipe on Eat at Home a few years ago. I’ve made it so many times since then.

One reason this recipe is perfect is that it is so simple. I have it memorized, which makes it even faster – no need to go searching for the recipe. Four ingredients go into the slow cooker, with one ingredient added just before serving. So easy!

We love this served over rice with baked sweet potatoes along side. You can also make it paleo/low-carb by serving it over cauliflower instead of rice.

Here’s what you’ll need:

You can use any cut of boneless chicken – breasts, thighs or tenders. Control the heat by using mild salsa, or hot salsa if you like it spicy. I use mild and the dish isn’t spicy at all. Mild curry powder also keeps it from tasting too hot.

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5 from 6 votes

Chicken Curry in the Slow Cooker

Servings: -8 servings

Ingredients

3 lbs. boneless chicken
1 onion chopped
1 cup salsa
3 Tbs. curry powder
1 can coconut milk
2 cups rice cooked

Instructions

Place chicken, onion, salsa and curry powder in slow cooker.
Cook on high 5-6 hours or low 7-8 hours.
minutes before serving remove chicken from slow cooker.
Add coconut milk to slow cooker. Stir into sauce.
Return chicken to pot.
Serve over cooked rice.

One easy way to remember the ingredients is this:

3 ingredients go in – chicken, salsa, onion. Then 3 Tbs. curry powder. Three (ingredients) before three (tablespoons). Finish with the coconut milk.

Crockpot Chicken Spaghetti

February 23, 2016 by Tiffany King 4 Comments

This is one of those classic recipes that gets passed around because it is so good. There are a million different variations.

I like this crockpot version. The chicken and veggies cook in the crockpot and the spaghetti and cheese get added later. It splits the meal prep into two easy parts and makes dinner fit into your day.

The next time I make this, I’m planning to add a can of diced green chilies and a can of drained, diced tomatoes. Or maybe just a can of tomatoes and green chilies. I kept it simple this time, and it’s good either way. Change it up to suit your family and what you have on hand in the pantry.

Here’s what you’ll need: [Read more…] about Crockpot Chicken Spaghetti

Brie, Bacon and Chicken Stuffed Baked Potatoes

February 16, 2016 by Tiffany King 1 Comment

This is a case where an inspiration ingredient turned into an amazing meal.

I bought the block of brie at Trader Joe’s the other night. It caught my eye, and even though I didn’t know what I’d do with it, the brie had to go home with me.

On Sunday I decided that the brie needed to be tucked into hot, baked potatoes. Oh my! Brie was made for potatoes. My son-in-law said brie is like cheese trying to be butter. Perfect!

My oven has a delayed bake setting on it, so the potatoes went into the oven while we were at church. Once we were home, I pulled together a quick topping of chicken (I used rotisserie chicken), onions, French herbs in chicken broth.

We nestled slices of brie into the split potatoes, spooned the chicken and onions over the top and crumbled bacon over it all.

It was easy, quick and amazing!

Here’s what you’ll need: [Read more…] about Brie, Bacon and Chicken Stuffed Baked Potatoes

Maple Balsamic Roast Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner

January 27, 2016 by Tiffany King 11 Comments

I’ve been loving sheet pan dinners. They’re easy to make, healthy and there’s an endless variety of flavors you can bring. It’s also a great way to eat lots of veggies.

For this Maple Balsamic Chicken dinner, I used bone-in chicken thighs that I got on sale. I’d love to try this again with boneless, skinless chicken. Chicken thighs aren’t my favorite cut, but it was such a great sale, I couldn’t pass them up. This recipe will work equally well with any cut of chicken or even pork.

I added brussels sprouts and butternut squash to the pan. I seasoned the squash similar to my favorite Butternut Squash Skillet recipe. The squash is added to the pan along with the chicken. The brussels sprouts, don’t need to cook as long, so they get added later. I seasoned them with a generous shake of salt and pepper.

Maple syrup is one of my favorite Costco purchases. I use it for a lot more than pancakes and waffles. If you don’t have real maple syrup, you can use honey in this recipe.

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5 from 1 vote

Maple Balsamic Roast Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner

Servings: -8 servings

Ingredients

1 Tbs. olive oil plus extra
1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs. maple syrup
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 lbs. chicken any cut is fine
1 butternut squash peeled and cubed
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. thyme leaves
1 bag brussels sprouts cut in half

Instructions

Mix 1 Tbs. olive oil with vinegar, maple syrup, mustard, salt and pepper.
Pour over chicken and toss to coat.
Place chicken on large sheet pan that's been brushed with olive oil.
Toss butternut squash cubes with drizzle of olive oil, cinnamon, ginger, thyme, salt and pepper.
Pour onto sheet pan next to chicken. (You may need to use more than one sheet pan if you don't have one big enough.)
Place in oven at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, toss brussels sprouts with olive oil, salt and pepper.
Pull pan from the oven and add brussels sprouts. Continue roasting for 10-15 minutes more or until chicken is done.

We include lots of easy meals like Maple Balsamic Roast Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner in our Weekly Meal Plans. Find out more about how we do the planning so you’re cooking is simple.