Category: <span>Main Dishes</span>

Oven Baked Quesadillas

½ thinly sliced sweet onion
½ thinly sliced yellow pepper
1 ½ to 2 cups shredded cheese
1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken
½ cup salsa
1-2 tablespoons taco seasoning
5-6 small, extra soft flour tortillas
2 T butter, melted

1. Preheat the oven the 425 degrees.
2. In a skillet with a bit of olive oil, sauté the onion and pepper until soft and lightly browned. Add 1-2 tablespoons of the taco seasoning to the vegetables while sauteing. Move the vegetables to a medium size mixing bowl.
3. Add to the vegetables in the mixing bowl, the shredded cheese, chicken, and salsa. Add more salsa if needed to hold the mixture together.
4. Lay the flour tortillas on a prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Divide the cheese and chicken mixture between the tortillas keeping the mixture in the center.
5. Fold the quesadillas over and press the edges together. If you use soft flour tortillas, the edges stick together easily.
6. Brush with melted butter.
7. Bake 6-8 minutes. Flip the quesadillas over and butter the other side. Bake an additional 3-4 minutes until brown and the cheese is visibly melted.
8. Serve hot with salsa and sour cream.

Slow Cooker Mediterranean Chicken

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup chicken broth or ½ chicken bouillon cube dissolved in boiling water
3 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 tsp lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ medium sweet onion, chopped
1 cup pitted kalamata olives
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes cut in half
2 tablespoons capers

1. Line the slow cooker with a cooking bag for easy cleanup.
2. Salt and pepper the chicken thighs to taste. Place in the slow cooker.
3. Combine the chicken broth with the Italian seasoning, lemon juice and garlic. Set aside.
4. On top of the chicken, place the onion, olives, tomatoes and capers.
5. Pour the chicken broth mixture over the chicken lifting the chicken to evenly distribute.
6. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.
7. After placing the chicken on a serving dish, pour the remaining juices from the slow cooker in a small pitcher. Serve with pasta or baked potatoes.

Red Lentil Soup

Healthy, easy, and delicious. Lentils are soft and cook quickly so this soup can be made at the last minute. The red lentils make for a very pretty soup.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 ½ cups dried red lentils
5 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoons lemon juice, or to taste
Fresh chopped cilantro or parsley, for serving

 Instructions

On the stovetop, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and cumin and sauté for another minute, until the garlic becomes very fragrant.

Stir in the lentils, broth, and tomatoes.

Bring the liquid to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and allow to continue simmering, uncovered, until lentils are soft, about 20 minutes. Thin the soup with some water if it becomes too thick while simmering.

Stir in the lemon juice. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle into bowls and top with parsley and/or cilantro.

Sweet and Easy Pulled Chicken

This slow-cooker pulled chicken caught my attention with a unique ingredient – Italian dressing. The flavor combination of the all the ingredients is outstanding.

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 ¼ cup Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce
½ cup Italian dressing – I used freshly made Good Seasons Italian
2 T Worcestershire sauce – I used Lea and Perrins
½ cup light brown sugar
1 T garlic powder
1 T onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Whisk together all the sauce ingredients. Pour mixture over and under the chicken breasts placed in the slow cooker. For easy clean up, use slow cooker liners.

Cook on high for 2.5 to 3 hours or on low for 5-6 hours. The chicken will shred easily. Serve as a sandwich in a hamburger bun or spoon it over a baked potato.

Greek Yogurt Lemon Baked Chicken

How do you know when a dinner main dish is a success? When you take it to a covered dish dinner and several people ask for the recipe! My friend Nan found the recipe on www.krollskorner.com.

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts – if too large, cut in serving size pieces
1 tsp each salt and pepper
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup FAGE Plain Greek Yogurt
2 T lemon juice
2 T olive oil
¾ tsp thyme leaves – dried
½ tsp onion powder
3 T Panko breadcrumbs mixed with ½ tsp thyme leaves
Lemon sliced very thin – one slice for each chicken piece

1. In a large bowl, season the chicken with salt and pepper.
2. In another bowl, mix yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, thyme and onion powder.
3. Add the yogurt mixture to the bowl with the chicken. Coat the chicken thoroughly with the yogurt mixture. Cover the bowl. Refrigerate for 4-6 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place the coated chicken pieces in a greased or non-stick foil lined baking dish. Discard the yogurt mixture left in the bowl.
5. Place a lemon slice on top of each chicken piece. Sprinkle with panko and thyme mixture.
6. Bake the chicken for about 40 minutes. Check that internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup – Instant Pot

Instant Pot Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup is a light and delicious soup that you can make in minutes. This pressure cooker lemon chicken orzo soup is healthy, with simple ingredients, and is an easy Instant Pot chicken soup.

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 Onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1-2 stalks Celery, chopped (about ½ cup)
• 2 Carrots, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 Chicken Thighs or Breasts, skinless/boneless (cut in larger than bite sized pieces)
• 1 sprig Fresh Rosemary (about 1½ tsp chopped leaves)
• ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt (or ¼ tsp table salt) or to taste
• ¼ teaspoon Pepper
• 5 cups Chicken Broth, low sodium
• 1 tsp Lemon Zest
• ½ cup Orzo Pasta, uncooked

 After Pressure Cooking

• 2-4 Tablespoons Lemon Juice, fresh (2 T was plenty for us)
• 2-3 cups Baby Spinach Leaves

 Garnish

• Grated Parmesan Cheese
• Lemon Wedges
• Fresh Parsley

Instructions

1. Prep all the ingredients before starting to cook the soup. Veggies chopped, etc.
2. Turn pot on to the sauté setting. When the pot is hot, add the olive oil. Then add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until turning translucent.
3. Add the celery, carrots, and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for about 20 seconds.
4. Add the chicken, rosemary, salt & pepper. Stir until chicken is browned.
5. Add the broth, lemon zest, and orzo pasta. Stir.
6. Place the lid on and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
7. Press the Pressure Cook or Manual button or dial, then the +/- button or dial to select Soup setting.
8. When the cook time is finished, do a *Controlled Quick Release of the steam/pressure. *A controlled quick release means you release the steam in short bursts, then longer bursts, until you can be sure none of the sauce spews out of the vent with the steam from the intense pressure. Then fully open the vent and let it go.
9. When the pin in the lid drops down, open it and add the lemon juice (start with 2 Tablespoons) and the spinach leaves. Taste and adjust salt, if needed, and add the remaining lemon juice if you want.
10. Serve hot with lemon wedges, parmesan, or whatever you like.

Note: Recipe from www.simplyhappyfoodie.com by Sandy Clifton

Smoky Spinach Chicken Bake

An easy and flavorful baked chicken dish perfect for a winter dinner. Marinate the chicken ahead of time, top with a wilted spinach mixture, and finish baking with a smoked cheese on top. Delicious!

Ingredients

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts (not too thick)
½ cup honey mustard dressing (I use my homemade honey mustard)
¼ cup dry white wine
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 small shallots – chopped
3 cloves garlic – minced
4 cups fresh baby spinach
Salt and pepper
¾ cup smoked cheese such as provolone or gouda or Havarti – shredded

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking dish with non-stick foil.
• Stir together honey mustard dressing, wine, and black pepper. Marinate chicken in mixture for about two hours.
• Prepare spinach topping just before you’re ready to bake the chicken. Heat oil and butter in a skillet. Add shallots and garlic until soft and lightly browned. Salt and pepper to taste. Add spinach and stir constantly until wilted. Set aside.
• Remove chicken breasts from marinade and place in baking dish. Throw away the marinade. Top chicken with spinach mixture.
• Bake for about 30 minutes until juices run clear. Top with cheese for the last 5 minutes of baking.

This recipe was adapted from an allrecipes.com recipe.

Chicken, Spinach & Tomato Basil Feta Roll-Ups

This has become a favorite baked chicken dish in our house. It takes a little time to prepare, but luckily it can be made ahead to be popped in the oven 30 minutes before dinner. It’s easy to cut in half to serve two.

Ingredients:

4 half chicken breasts, pounded to ¼ to ½ inch thickness
2 cups fresh baby spinach – chopped
1 package crumbled tomato & basil feta cheese
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
½ teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning – divided
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter, melted
¾ cup Italian breadcrumbs (or breadcrumbs with 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning added)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Pound chicken breasts to desired thinness. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, mix the spinach, feta cheese, black pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning and lemon juice. Set aside.
4. Sprinkle the remaining 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning on the flattened chicken breasts.
5. Spoon the spinach and cheese filling on to the chicken breasts. Roll up and secure with a few toothpicks. Place chicken breasts in a baking pan lined with non-stick foil.
6. Brush each rolled breast with butter and then sprinkle on the breadcrumbs.
7. Bake in a 350 oven for 30 minutes or until internal temperatures tests to 165 degrees.

Serve with a simple pasta side dish and a tossed salad. Serve the chicken rolls on a bed of wilted spinach for a pretty presentation.

Instant Pot Pot Roast

Pot roast is high on our comfort food list. The Instant Pot makes is so easy to sauté and pressure cook in one pot for quick cooking and easy clean up.

Ingredients

• 3 pounds beef chuck roast (I cut mine in two or three pieces)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 tablespoons olive oil – divided
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 packet dry onion soup mix
• 1 white or yellow onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 pound baby potatoes or cut up russet potatoes
• 1 cup baby carrots

Instructions

• Sprinkle pot roast with salt and pepper and set aside. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to Instant Pot (I use a 6-quart pot) and set to “Saute”. When oil becomes hot and shimmery, add pot roast and sear for 4-5 minutes on each side. Turn Instant Pot off.
• Pour the beef broth into the Instant Pot around the beef.
• Mix together the vegetables, the last 2 tablespoons of olive oil and onion soup mix. Stir until all the vegetables are evenly coated. Put vegetables in the Instant Pot and distribute evenly around roast.
• Place lid on the Instant Pot with steam valve closed. Switch Instant Pot setting to “manual” and set for 60-80 minutes (depending on the size of the roast) on “high” pressure. Do a natural release for at least 10 minutes, then quick release.
• Remove roast from Instant Pot, slice, and serve with vegetables. Use extra drippings from the instant pot to make gravy or au jus.