Chicken and Rice

The boys absolutely love this chicken and rice dish, and its extraordinarily simple to make for a quick weeknight dinner.  I call this "cheaters" chicken and rice as it uses salsa rather than tomatoes and seasonings separately, but it's so delicious I needed to share.

 

Ingredients

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup salsa
1 cup mixed vegetables, frozen

Directions

1. Place chicken breasts in a medium saucepan and cover with water.  Bring to a boil, then lower heat and continue to simmer about 10 minutes until cooked through and chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165°.  
2. Remove chicken from saucepan to a plate and let sit for 10 minutes.  Shred with forks.
3. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onion, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
4. Add rice to saucepan and stir.  When rice begins to brown, stir in chicken broth and salsa.  Bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes until liquid has been absorbed.
6. Heat mixed vegetables in saucepan or microwave until hot. 
7. Add shredded chicken and vegetables to rice and stir until well blended. 

Hashbrown Casserole

This cheesy hashbrown casserole is quick to prepare and can be made ahead of time.  It's budget friendly and makes enough to feed a crowd.  We have this dish at most big family dinners; Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving, and everyone looks forward to it! 
 

Ingredients

2 lb bag of frozen, diced hashbrowns
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 cups old cheddar, grated
1 can cream of chicken soup (undiluted)
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste

Topping

2 cups Corn Flakes, crushed
1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions

1. Place hashbrowns in a large bowl.  Pour melted butter over the top and stir.
2. In another bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients (except topping).
3. Pour over potatoes and mix well.
4. Pour into greased 9"x12" pan.
5. Mix topping ingredients. Spread over potatoes.
6. Bake in 350°F oven for one hour.
   

Shrimp Fettuccine

Shrimp Fettuccine is a quick and easy dish to get on the table, and it looks super fancy.  The  boys all love this buttery, garlicy shrimp tossed with fettuccine dinner, which takes under 30 minutes to get to the table.  This can be served as a casual comfort food, or an elegant meal for guests.  I serve this up with a baguette for dipping in the delicious garlic butter sauce, and if they boys are particularly hungry, I add a garden salad too.

This can be made with any kind and size of shrimp. I tend to buy medium-sized frozen shrimp and choose shrimp that is already peeled and deveined to cut down on prep work.

Ingredients

1 package (450g) fettuccine 

1 1/2 lbs (680g) uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 cup butter

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 cup chicken broth

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 cup parmesan, grated

Directions

1. Cook fettuccini according to package directions.  Drain and set aside.
2. In a large skillet sauté the shrimp in the butter, for approximately 4 minutes.
3. Add garlic, lemon juice, broth, cilantro, salt and pepper. 
4. Cook and stir 2 minutes until garlic is tender.
5. Toss with cooked fettuccini, stirring until heated through.  
6. Serve, topped with a sprinkle of parmesan.

Chicken Pot Pie

This chicken pot pie is stuffed full of chicken and vegetables in a creamy sauce.  This recipe makes two pies, so you can have one for dinner, and have one another day, freeze it, or give one to a neighbour or friend as a delicious gift. 

My boys really love this pie. It fills them up and is a complete meal, and it's a hundred times better than any meat pie you'll find at the grocery store. If I'm feeling fancy, sometimes I will add a garden salad and/or a baguette on the side. 

I realized early on that it is important to ensure you do measure the amounts of vegetables because if you just guess and make too much, the pies will be overflowing and the tops won't stay sealed.

Ingredients

2 cups diced peeled potatoes (about 2 medium potatoes)
1 3/4 cups sliced and quartered carrots (about 2 medium carrots)
1 cup butter
2/3 cup chopped onion (about 1/2 medium onion)
1 cup all purpose flour
1 3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp thyme
3/4 tsp pepper
3 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups milk
4 cups cubed cooked chicken (about 3 chicken breasts - see notes below)
1 cup frozen peas
1 cups frozen corn
2 boxes of Tenderflake ready-to-bake deep-dish pie shells

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Place potatoes and carrots in a medium saucepan, cover with water.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and cook for 8-10 minutes until tender-crisp.  Drain and set aside. 
3. In a large skillet, heat butter at medium-high heat.  Add onion and cook until tender.  
4. Stir in flour and seasonings until blended.  Gradually stir in broth and milk. 
5. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Cook a further two minutes or until thickened.
6. Stir in peas, corn, carrots, potatoes and chicken, and mix until thoroughly combined.
7. Remove from heat.
8. Place half of mixture into each pie crust. Wet edges of crust and top with second crust.
9. Seal edges with a fork, and cut slits in the top of pie for venting.
10. Bake 35-40 minutes or until crust is light brown.  
11. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Notes  

• Raw chicken breast can be quickly prepared by boiling in water for 15-20 minutes until no longer pink. 
• A whole rotisserie chicken can be used, and that will make 3 cups, but I find it is a bit fiddly and time consuming for me as I loathe stripping the dark meat. 
• Sometimes I purchase a couple of already prepared "dinners" at the grocery store that include two chicken breasts and some macaroni or potato salad, for $5 (usually I pick them up when they also have a $1 off sticker on them), and then repurpose the salad, and chop up the chicken breasts. 
• Leftover chicken that has been tossed in the freezer works too. Just make sure you have 4 cups.