Orange Chicken Sauce - Panda Express Copycat

recipe taken from Tasty.co

2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
2 T minced garlic
1/4 c. white sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2-3/4 c. orange juice
1/2 c. white vinegar
1/4 c. soy sauce
3 T corn starch
3 T water

Mix water and corn starch to create a slurry and set aside.  Heat oil in skillet and add red pepper flakes, ginger and garlic and saute for 30 sec.  Add sugars and mix.  Add orange juice and stir until sugars start to dissolve.  Add vinegar and soy sauce and stir until mixture starts to boil.  Add the slurry a little at a time until the mixture thickens to the consistency of maple syrup. Turn off the heat and add chicken or vegetables.  Serve over rice.  

White Enchiladas

eatathomecooks.com

Ingredients 

10 flour tortillas
2 c. cheese
2 c. cooked chicken
2 c. black beans ( I added this)
1/2 c. diced onion
3 T butter
3 T flour
1 can chicken broth
1 c. sour cream
1 can diced green chilies (7 oz)

Mix together 1 cup of the cheese, the chicken, beans and the onion.  Put some of this mixture into each tortilla, roll and place seam side down in a 9×13 casserole dish. In a skillet, melt the butter. Stir in the flour and cook for a minute. Add the chicken broth, whisking till smooth. Cook this over medium heat until it thickens and bubbles. Stir in the sour cream and green chilis. Pour over the top of the enchiladas. Top with the remaining cheese and bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Grilled Chicken Marinade

taken from momontimeout

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar or other vinegar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/8 cup lemon juice
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp dried rosemary (have used thyme and basil)
• 2 tbsp Dijon or Spicy Brown mustard
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 6 chicken breasts or 3.5 lb chicken

Combine and pour over chicken.  Seal in plastic bag and let marinate 

Skillet Garlic Parmesan Pasta

taken and adapted slightly from this blog

1 T olive oil
6 cloves garlic minced
4 c. chicken broth
2 c. milk
2 T butter
16 oz pasta
1/2 c. grated parmesan
2 c. chopped chicken
salt and pepper
chopped fresh basil or parsley (optional)

Saute garlic in olive oil for 2 min.  Add broth, milk, butter, pasta, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until noodles are tender.  Stir in Parmesan and chicken and herbs if desired.  Mixture will thicken up.  Add more milk and/or broth during cooking if you need more liquid.

Maple Glazed Chicken Thighs

taken from served from scratch

6-8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 T olive oil
2 T pure maple syrup
2 T soy sauce
2 T apple cider vinegar
salt

Season chicken with salt.  Heat olive oil in large skillet on med-high.  Mix syrup, soy sauce and vinegar in a bowl.  When oil is hot, add chicken and brown for 4 min then flip.  Add maple mixture to pan and let it boil.  Flip chicken every few min until mixture thickens and chicken is done (15 min or so).

Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps

taken from melskitchencafe

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup finely diced yellow or white onion

1 cup finely diced (or shredded) carrots

3-4 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs, cut into small pieces (I’ve used rotisserie chicken)

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoon pure maple syrup

1/2 cup chopped raw cashews (lightly toasted, if desired)

Bibb or green leaf lettuce leaves for wrapping

Chopped cucumbers and tomatoes for serving

In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and add the onion and carrots. Add the garlic, salt and pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the vegetables start to soften.

Season the chicken pieces lightly with salt and pepper and add to the skillet with the onions and carrots. Cook, stirring often, until the chicken pieces are cooked through, 4-5 minutes.

Stir in the soy sauce and maple syrup and cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, letting the soy sauce and maple syrup bubble and simmer.

Stir in the cashews, cooking until they are just heated through. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if needed.

Serve in lettuce leaves topped with tomatoes and cucumbers (the freshness adds a delicious element to the flavors!).

Tortilla Soup

taken from lots of different recipes

1 onion chopped
1 bell pepper chopped
2 carrots chopped
3 cloves garlic chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 can diced tomatoes
small can green chilies
2 c. cooked black beans
2 c. chopped chicken (cooked)
3 T cornmeal
4-6 c. chicken broth (depending how liquidy you want it)
6 corn tortillas
sour cream
shredded cheese

Saute onion, pepper and carrots until soft.  Add garlic, cumin and chili powder and cook for a minute or so.  Add broth, tomatoes, chilies, beans and chicken.  Bring to a boil and then simmer for 30 min.  Mix cornmeal with a little water and add to pot.  Simmer another 30 min.  Cut the tortillas in thin strips.  Add them to soup and stir and let sit for 5 min.  You can also bake half of them in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 min or so until they get crunchy and you can add them on top.  Serve with cheese and sour cream.  

Lazy Green Enchiladas

adapted from picky palate

1 c. green enchilada sauce (I used 1 large can and omitted the salsa verde)
3/4 c. salsa verde
1 c. reduced fat sour cream
12 corn tortillas cut into 1 inch pieces
2 c. cooked chicken (costco rotisserie is great!)
1 can black beans drained and rinsed
1 c. shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray 9x13 pan.  Mix enchilada sauce and sour cream together in pan.  Stir in beans, chicken and tortillas.  Spread cheese on top and bake 20-25 min.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

taken and slightly adapted from  tsgcookin.com

FOR THE CASSEROLE:
5 c. rotisserie chicken diced
½ pounds Very Thinly Sliced Deli-style Honey Ham, Rough Chopped
¼ pounds Thin Sliced Baby Swiss Cheese

Sauce:
3 Tablespoons Butter
4 Tablespoons Flour
3-¼ cups Milk
2 T Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard (I used about 1 tsp mustard powder)
½ teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoons Smoked Paprika
¼ teaspoons pepper

Topping:
2 Tablespoons Butter
1-½ cup Panko Bread Crumbs (I used 1/2 c. seasoned panko and 1 c. plain)
1-½ teaspoon Crushed Dried Parsley
seasoned salt (omit if using seasoned bread crumbs - careful with how much! might be salty)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter a 9- x 13-inch baking dish. Set aside.
Put cooked shredded or diced chicken on the bottom of the baking dish. Rough chop the ham
and scatter it over the top of the chicken. Lay the Swiss cheese on top of the ham.
For the sauce:
Melt the butter in a large sauce pot over medium heat. When butter is melted, quickly stir in
the flour to form a smooth roux. Do not brown! Once the roux is smooth and bubbly, slowly
pour in the cold milk while stirring briskly to make a smooth sauce. Cook over medium heat,
stirring constantly until the sauce thickens. Stir in the lemon juice,mustard, salt, smoked paprika and white pepper. Bring sauce just back to a low boil and turn off heat. Pour sauce evenly over the casserole, being certain to get some of the sauce around the edges of the pan.
For the topping:
Melt the butter in the microwave in a medium sized microwaveable bowl. Heat it for 30
seconds at a time and stop once it’s melted. Take the bowl out of the microwave and stir in
the panko bread crumbs, seasoning salt and crushed dried parsley. Sprinkle over the top of
the casserole. Bake casserole uncovered for 45 minutes until hot and bubbly throughout and topping has turned a light golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes prior to

Chicken Pot Pie Pasta

from Every Day Food

All of my 5 kids ate this and many had seconds.   

• Salt and pepper
• 3/4 pound penne or other short tubular pasta
• 1/3 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 small yellow onion, minced
• 1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
• 2 carrots, diced medium
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups diced cooked chicken
• 
  
• In large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes less than package instructions. Add green beans and cook 3 minutes, then drain.
• Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt butter over medium-high. Add onion, celery, and carrots and cook until onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute. 
• Gradually add broth, stirring constantly, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in chicken and season with salt and pepper.
• Stir pasta into chicken mixture.

Can omit the pasta, increase flour to 5 Tablespoons and bake it in a pie crust or increase broth to 3 cups and make some dumplings to drop in

Lemon Chicken Soup with Orzo

from Ellie Krieger


4 tsp olive oil
8 oz chicken breast cut into small chunks
pinch of salt
1 med onion diced
2 stalks celery diced
1 med carrot diced
2 tsp fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried
6 c. broth
1 c. orzo
2 large eggs
3 T fresh lemon juice
black pepper to taste

Heat 2 tsp oil over med-high heat.  Season the chicken with the salt and add it to the pot and cook until just cooked through.  Transfer the chicken to a dish and set aside.
Add the remaining 2 tsp oil to the pot.  Add the onion, celery, carrot, and thyme and cook over med-high heat until the vegetables are tender.  Add 5 cups of the broth and bring to a boil.  Add the orzo and let simmer until tender, about 8 min.  Turn the heat down to low to keep the soup hot but not boiling.
Warm the remaining 1 c. broth in small saucepan until it is hot but not boiling.  in a med bowl, beat the eggs.  Gradually whisk the lemon juice into the eggs.  Then gradually add the hot broth to the egg-lemon mixture, whisking all the while.  Add the mixture to the soup, stirring well until the soup is thickened.  Do not let the soup come to a boil.  Add the cooked chicken to the soup.  Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Serves 4,  1 1/2 c. serving
280 cal, 10g fat, 26g protein, 22g carb

Chicken and Noodles

3 carrots diced
2 stalks celery diced
1 onion diced
2 cloves garlic chopped
4-5 cans chicken broth 
3-ish c. shredded chicken
salt and pepper to taste
chopped fresh herbs, any assortment is fine (basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, sage, parsley,) *I used all of them and probably had about 2 T total but add to your taste and liking. 
frozen "homemade" egg noodles (12-16 oz package) (or make your own fresh ones)
2 T flour
1/3 c. cream (more if needed) *can also use milk or water but the cream makes it really good. 

If starting with raw chicken, boil in 1-2 quarts water for 30 minutes. Shred when cool enough and set aside.  Saute chopped vegetables for 3 minutes and then add garlic and herbs.  Stir and cook for another minute or two.  Add chicken broth (or use 2 cans broth and  4 c. cooking liquid from chicken.  Bring to a boil and then lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes.  Bring back to a boil and add noodles and chicken.  Simmer for 20 minutes or until noodles are tender.  Mix flour with the cream and stir until blended. Stir into soup and let simmer for 5 minutes or until thickened.

Loafstyles of the Rich & Famous (apple turkey loaf)

from Looneyspoons

1 tsp butter
2 c. chopped unpeeled granny smith apples
3/4 c. chopped onions
1 1/2 lbs ground turkey
1/2 c. quick cooking oats
1/2 c. chopped italian parsley
1/3 c. milk
1 egg
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 clove garlic minced
3/4 tsp dried marjoram
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground sage
1/2 tsp black pepper

Melt butter in pan and saute onions and apples until onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Let cool. In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients. Spray a 9x5 loaf pan with non-stick spray and pat turkey mixture into pan. Bake for 1 hour or until no longer pink in center. Pour off any liquid from pan. Invert onto a platter and serve. Makes 6 servings
198 calories, 3g fat, 30g protein

Southwestern Chicken Soup

4 cups chicken broth
1 16oz can refried beans
1 15oz can black beans
2 tsp. Taco seasoning
1-2 cans Rotel diced tomatoes w/ green chiles
1 cup Frozen corn
1-2 cupscooked shredded chicken 
Fresh Cilantro (optional)



Add all ingredients together and let simmer for at least an hour..

Finger Picking Chicken Balls

1 T olive oil
1 onion finely chopped
1/2 c. grated carrot
1 large apple peeled and grated
2 chicken breasts cut into chunks
1 T fresh parsley
1 tsp fresh thyme
1/2 c. fresh bread crumbs
1 chicken bouillon cube crumbled
flour

Saute half the onion and grated carrot for 3 min in oil. Using your hands, squeeze a little extra liquid out of apple. Mix together apple, chicken and sauteed onion and carrot along with the raw onion, herbs, bread crumbs and stock cube and chop for a few seconds in food processor. Season with salt and pepper. Form mixture into balls and roll them in flour and fry them in a little oil until lightly golden and cooked through.

White Chicken Chili

2 med onions chopped
4 cloves garlic minced
2 cans chopped green chiles
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
¼ tsp cayenne
¼ tsp ground cloves
2 cans chicken broth
4 c. cooked chicken
3 cans great northern beans (or any beans)
2 c. Monterey jack cheese

Saute onions until tender. Stir in garlic, chilies, cumin, oregano, cayenne and cloves. Cook 2-3 minutes. Add broth, chicken and beans. Simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cheese. (or each person can add their own cheese to their bowl)

Roast Chicken Chimichangas

2 1/2 cups shredded roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled queso fresco cheese
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained
1 (16-ounce) can fat-free refried beans
6 (8-inch) flour tortillas
Cooking spray
1/2 cup bottled green salsa

Preheat oven to 500°. Combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl; toss well. Spread 1/4 cup beans down center of each tortilla. Top each tortilla with 2/3 cup chicken mixture; roll up. Place rolls, seam sides down, on a large baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Coat tops of chimichangas with cooking spray. Bake at 500° for 7 minutes. Serve with salsa.
Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 chimichanga and about 4 teaspoons salsa)
CALORIES 380 (23% from fat); FAT 9.7g; PROTEIN 28.8g
Cooking Light

Chicken Soft Tacos with Onions and Apples

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups thinly sliced onion
2 cups thinly sliced peeled Granny Smith apple (about 2 apples)
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 (6-inch) flour tortillas

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the chicken evenly with salt, nutmeg, and pepper. Add chicken to pan; sauté 7 minutes or until golden. Remove the chicken from pan; keep warm.
Melt butter in pan over medium heat. Add onion; cook 4 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add apple; cook 6 minutes or until golden, stirring frequently. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Return chicken to pan; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently.
Heat tortillas according to package directions. Arrange 1/2 cup chicken mixture evenly over each tortilla.
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 tacos)
CALORIES 454 (25% from fat); FAT 12.6g, PROTEIN 32.9g;
CookingLight

Lemon Chicken

4 chicken breasts
3 T flour
2 T butter
2 T olive oil
1 ¾ c. broth
¼ c. lemon juice
Salt and pepper
cooked rice

Pound breasts to ½ in thickness. Dredge in flour, reserving excess. Melt butter with oil and add chicken breasts and cook 4-5 min turning once, until juices run clear. Remove chicken to plate. Stir reserved flour into pan. Whisk in broth and lemon juice. Heat to boiling. Boil 1 min to thicken slightly. Return chicken to pan to heat through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve over rice.

Chicken Enchilladas

2 c. cooked chicken
1 ¼ c. Monterey jack cheese
½ c. sliced green onion
¼ tsp garlic salt
1/3 to ½ c. sour cream
1/8 tsp pepper
¼ tsp cumin
½ c. cheddar cheese
¼ tsp garlic powder
8 tortillas
1 20 oz can enchilada sauce

Mix chicken, ¾ c. jack cheese, onions then everything else except sauce, tortillas and cheese. Put a little sauce in tortillas then add some chicken filling. Lightly grease bottom of 9x13 pan. Put tortillas in pan and cover with rest of sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 min.