Category: chicken

Chicken Tinga Tacos with Cilantro Ranch Slaw

I have a delicious new recipe for y’all that is going to spice up your Taco Tuesdays! Chicken Tinga is a Mexican dish made with shredded chicken in a sauce made mostly from tomatoes and chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. It is my new favorite chicken taco recipe for sure! It is slightly spicy but I am a wimp with spice and love it. My girls who are even bigger wimps loved it! The slaw is super flavorful and cools off the spice of the chicken perfectly. The dressing that goes on it is SO good that we use it as a dip. Like, just give me a straw! It is THAT good! Make sure to check the notes below for tips on using up the extra meat and dressing because this makes a lot! If you need to feed a crowd, this will be a sure winner! (Sponsored post for Lee’s Marketplace)

*Items on sale at Lee’s Marketplace from July 16-22: chicken breasts, Hidden Valley dressing mix, mayonnaise, limes, chipotle peppers, onions, cumin (Badia brand), tortillas, black pepper

Chicken Tinga Tacos with Cilantro Ranch Slaw

  • Servings: 8+
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

For the chicken:
4-5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (14 oz each) cans fire roasted diced tomatoes
1-2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
½ large yellow onion, cut into large chunks
5 large cloves garlic

For the slaw:
1 bag (14 oz) classic coleslaw
1 packet Hidden Vallen Ranch Dressing mix
1 cup mayonnaise (light is ok)
½ cup buttermilk
1 bunch fresh cilantro
½ large jalapeno, seeded
2 tomatillos, husked and cut into fourths
1 large clove garlic
1 lime, juiced

For serving:
Flour or corn tortillas
Avocado slices

Directions

Place chicken breasts in slow cooker. Sprinkle garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper on top. In a food processor or blender, add tomatoes, chipotle peppers, onion, and garlic. Blend until smooth. Pour over chicken and cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. Remove chicken and shred with two forks. Add back to sauce and stir to combine. Keep warm.

In a food processor or blender, add ranch dressing mix, mayo, buttermilk, cilantro, jalapeno, tomatillos, garlic and lime juice. Blend until smooth. Add coleslaw mix to a medium-sized bowl then add 1 cup of the dressing. Toss to combine. Reserve extra dressing.
Place chicken in tortillas and top with slaw. Optional: garnish with avocado, cilantro, and/or extra dressing.

***Note: This makes A LOT of chicken but I prefer to make a large amount of taco meat and freeze the leftovers. Cook once eat twice (or more)! Also, the dressing makes a lot too, so if you are feeding a crowd, use 2-3 bags of slaw mix and you’ll use all of the dressing. All of the meat could feed at least 12 people.

Charlotte Hancey2 Comments

Shortcut Arroz Con Pollo

Anyone else feeling Maycember in full force? Whoever came up with that term for the month of May was spot on! Field trips, recitals, sports, projects, graduations…who else is going crazy?!? I’m feeling all of it double duty as a mom AND a school teacher. For my Lee’s Marketplace recipe this week I wanted to do something super easy but of course yummy. We all need something quick to feed our families and keep our sanity right now! I knew that my Shortcut Arroz Con Pollo would be perfect! I have been making this for at least 10 years. I used to just call it “Chicken and Sausage with Yellow Rice” but realized that it has many of the same flavors as Arroz Con Pollo. That sounds fancier anyway right? Ha! There are only 6 main ingredients besides water and oil. SIX! The rotisserie chicken, sausage, and rice all pack a punch with flavor which makes a simple dish tastes like you’ve spent hours. I always make cornbread muffins with this because they just go really well and it makes a more complete meal. I hope y’all love it as much as we do. To all the parents of school-age children…may the force be with you for the next couple of weeks! You got this!

Shortcut Arroz Con Pollo

  • Servings: 8
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

1 (30 Oz) rotisserie chicken, meat removed
1 lb kielbasa, sliced into half circles
1/2 large yellow onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
7-10 Oz yellow rice mix
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

Using a large pot with a lid, drizzle olive oil and heat to medium high. Add sausage, onion, and pepper then cook for 5 minutes or until soft and browned. Add chicken and stir to combine. Add rice mix plus as much water as the mix calls for. Stir and bring to a boil. Put the lid on and turn heat down to low. Cook according to the rice mix directions (usually 20-25 minutes). When the rice is done, stir in the frozen peas and serve.

Charlotte Hancey2 Comments

Chicken Cacciatore

As many of you already know, I am now collaborating with my favorite grocery store, Lee’s Marketplace! I am doing custom recipe development for them based on what’s currently on sale. I am getting ready to make my third recipe for them today and am having so much fun. I love looking over their sale ad and coming up with a meal to make. It’s like my own little version of my favorite Food Network show, Chopped. Chicken Cacciatore is the first recipe that I came up with for Lee’s. My mom made this all the time when I was a kid and it is the dish that made me love onions and peppers. I don’t have her recipe, so I came up with my own based on memory. My mom always served it over white rice but my kids are pasta lovers, so I used mini shells for this version. Use what you like though! This is a quick, delicious weeknight dinner that tastes like you spent hours. Enjoy!

Chicken Cacciatore

  • Servings: 6-8
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

8-10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (excess fat trimmed)
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt, divided
Black pepper, freshly ground
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 (15 oz) cans petite diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Parmesan cheese (for topping-optional)

Directions

Sprinkle both sides of thighs generously with salt and pepper. Heat a large non-stick skillet to medium-high and add 2 tablespoons of canola oil. When the pan is hot, add half of the thighs to the skillet and cook about 4 minutes per side. You want the thighs to brown really well so leave them alone and only turn after they brown. Remove thighs, set on a plate, then cook the rest of the thighs.
Turn heat down to medium then add peppers and onions to the pan. Cook about 7 minutes or until softened (add more oil if pan is too dry). Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add diced tomatoes, sauce, paste, sugar, Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon of salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Stir to combine then add thighs back into pan. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Just before serving, add parsley. Serve over short pasta or rice. Top with parmesan if desired.

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Enchiladas Verdes

Here are my favorite enchiladas that were featured in my local city magazine, North Ogden Connection (along with a few other nearby town magazines of the same publication). It’s my first time in print! So exciting!
My Enchiladas Verdes are full of flavor and are an easy weeknight dinner. They taste like you spent hours though! Split into two pans and pop one in the freezer to have on hand for busy nights or unexpected guests.

Enchiladas Verdes

  • Servings: 8
  • Difficulty: moderate
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Ingredients

2 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon chili powder
4 oz can diced green chilies
½ large yellow onion, diced (3/4 cup)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
28 oz can green enchilada sauce, divided
¾ cup sour cream
12 flour tortillas, soft taco sized
3 cups Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place chicken in a bowl and add garlic powder, cumin, onion powder, chili powder, and green chilies. Stir to combine and set aside.

Add olive oil to a small skillet and heat to medium. Add onions and cook 5-7 minutes or until they start to brown a little. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add onions and garlic to chicken. Add ¼ cup of enchilada sauce to the chicken mixture as well then stir to combine.

In a separate bowl, add remaining enchilada sauce and sour cream. Whisk to combine. Spray the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. Ladle about ¾ cup of the sauce mixture into the dish and spread with the back of a spoon.

Add 1/3 cup chicken mixture to center of tortilla then sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of cheese. Roll up tightly and place seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas. They will be packed in tight.

Pour sauce mixture over the top being careful to leave the open ends of the tortillas exposed (so they can get crispy). Add remaining 2 cups of cheese to the top.

Bake in 375 degree oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Garnish with cilantro. Serve with Avocado Green Salsa.

*Warm tortillas in the microwave before assembling for more pliability.

Charlotte Hancey2 Comments