Tender and Crisp Chicken Legs with Sweet Tomatoes

4 chicken legs, jointed
Sea salt & freshly ground pepper
a big bunch of fresh basil
2 big handfuls of red and yellow cherry tomatoes, halved, and ripe plum tomatoes, quartered
1 Whole bulb of garlic, broken up into cloves
Olive Oil

Optional 1: 1 can of canellini beans, drained
Optional 2: 2 handfuls of new potatoes

Preheat oven to 350.

Season your chicken with salt and pepper all over and put them into a pan in one layer. Throw in all the basil leaves, then chuck in your tomatoes. Scatter the garlic cloves into the pan and drizzle olive oil over everything. Mix it around a bit, pushing the tomatoes underneath. Place in the oven for 1 1/2 hours or until the chicken skin is crisp and the meat falls off the bone. You can add the canellini beans or some sliced new potatoes to the pan and cook them with the chicken. Squeeze the garlic our of the skins before serving.

This is so easy - you don't have to skin the garlic when you add it and it comes out so sweet. I just buy the cherry tomatoes and throw them in - I don't cut them up. I usually make some yellow rice to go with this

Mexican Lasagna

Cooking Spray
12 ounces cooked chicken, (cut into cubes about 3 cups or I use a can of shredded chicken from costco)
1 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheese, divided
1/2 cup salsa
1 (4oz) can chopped green chiles
2 Tbls chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
1 tsp ground chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
8 (6inch) corn tortillas, cut into wedges

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Coat 11x7 baking pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl combine chicken, sour cream, 3/4 cup of cheese, salsa, chiles, cilantro, chili powder, and cayenne pepper. Mix well and set aside.

Arrange 1/2 of the tortilla pieces in the bottom of the prepared pan, overlapping pieces slightly to cover the surface. Top with 1/2 of the chicken mixture and smooth over with back of a spoon to even the top. Layer remaining tortillas over top, spoon over remaining chicken mixture. Top with remaining cheese.

Cover and bake for 30 mins. Uncover and bake 30 minutes more until top is golden & bubbly.

I usually make some mexican/spanish rice and serve it with chopped lettuce and sour cream on top. Even my girls will eat this.

Russian Chicken

4-6 chicken breasts
1 c. apricot or peach preserves or 1 can cranberry sauce
1 pkg. onion soup mix
1 bottle Russian or Catalina dressing (8 oz.)

Place chicken in 9x13 pan. (I like to cut it in bite size pieces).
Mix preserves, soup mix, and dressing. Pour over chicken.

Bake @ 350 for 1 hour.
Serve over rice.

Dill Sour Cream Chicken

4-6 chicken breasts
2 Tbsp. oil 1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 c. sour cream 1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1 Tbsp. lemon juice 2-3 tsp. dill

Heat oil in pan. Add chicken and season with salt, pepper, and dill. Cook for 10 minutes.
In bowl, stir together soup, sour cream, soup mix, lemon juice, and 1 tsp. dill.Pour over chicken and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until chicken is done

Chicken Turnovers

2-3 c. cooked, diced chicken
1 (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
½ can cream of chicken soup
mix together

Flatten 2 pkgs. Biscuit dough into circles. Put chicken into center. Fold dough over and seal edges with fork.
Dip top in melted butter and then breadcrumbs.

Place in pan or on cookie sheet.
Bake @ 350 for 15-20 minutes.
Sauce:
Stir together 1 can cream of chicken soup & 1 can milk
Heat until warm.

Italian Crockpot Chicken

4 chicken breasts
½ stick margarine
1 pkg. Italian dressing mix
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese

Melt butter in crockpot. Stir in dressing mix.
Add chicken, turning to coat.
Cook on high for 3 hours. (add 1 hour if chicken is frozen)
Remove chicken and shred.
Put chicken back in crockpot.
Add soup and cream cheese.
Stir and cover until heated through.
Serve over rice.
This is my kids favorite meal--even Tim is a fan!

Creamy Chicken Soft Tacos

4 boneless chicken breasts
1 jar (16 oz.) salsa
1 c. sour cream
tortillas

Place chicken and salsa in crockpot.
Cook on high 6-8 hours/shred chicken
Add sour cream just before serving and heat through.
Place in tortillas with tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, etc.

Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo

1 lb. chicken
1 (8 oz.) cream cheese
¾ c. parmesan cheese
½ c. real butter
½ c. milk
fettuccini noodles
salt & pepper to taste
Vegetables: broccoli, carrots, peas, etc.

Cut up chicken into bite size pieces. Season with salt and pepper, thyme, and garlic. Cook over med heat on stove. Set on paper towel to drain oil. Start water boiling for noodles, cook and drain. Melt butter in medium pan on low heat. Add cream cheese and milk. Stir together. Add parmesan cheese. Keep stirring until smooth. If it is too thick, add more milk. Add pasta, chicken, and any other cooked vegetables. Season with garlic powder to taste.

I make this with the chicken/vegetables and without--it's good either way!

Easy Swiss Chicken

4 chicken breast halves
1 pkg. stuffing mix
2 cans cream of chicken soup
¼ lb. swiss cheese, sliced
1 c. chicken broth
½ c. grated parmesan cheese

Place chicken in crockpot. Cover with swiss cheese. Combine the soup and 1/2 c. broth. Spoon over chicken. Combine stuffing and remaining broth. Spoon over soup mixture. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Cook on low for 8 hours or high 3-4 hours.

Parmesan Chicken

1 cube melted butter
1 c. parmesan cheese
¾ c. bread crumbs
2 tsp. parsley
2 tsp. oregano
½ tsp each salt/pepper/paprika
Combine all except butter.
4-6 chicken breasts (cut in half/If the chicken is really thick I will cut it in half to make it thinner)

Dip chicken in melted butter, roll in crumb mixture.
Bake @ 350 for 30 minutes.

Slow Cooker Herb Chicken

2 ½ lbs. chicken, cut in serving pieces
2 envelopes Lipton Savory Herb and Garlic Soup Mix
2 bell peppers cut in 1 inch cubes (optional)
1 c. coarsely chopped onion
½ c. dry white wine or water

In crockpot, combine all ingredients. I add the bell peppers and onions during the last 1-2 hours so they don't get mushy. Cook covered on low for 8-10 hours or high 4-6 hours.

Hawaiian Teriyaki Chicken

1 cup soy sauce
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. finely grated fresh ginger root
1 tbsp. sliced green onion
1 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds (can be optional)

Mix it all up and pour over chicken thighs in a large pot. Cover and boil on low for about 45 - 60 min.

Thicken gravy with a cornstarch and water mix. Serve with rice.