CHICKEN, BROCCOLI, QUINOA CASSEROLE RECIPE

1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts (sliced into strips)

1 16 oz bag fresh broccoli florets

1 cup quinoa (uncooked and rinsed)

1 cup 2% milk

3 cups fat free chicken broth

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup reduced fat shredded mozzarella cheese

2 tsp poultry seasoning

Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Generously mist a 9 x 13 baking dish with nonfat cooking spray.

Place a medium sized saucepan over medium high heat, and pour in 2 cups of the broth and 1/2 cup milk. Bring to a boil, then whisk in the flour, poultry seasoning and remaining 1/2 cup milk. Whisk well until the sauce is creamy and smooth. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Pour into a large bowl.  To the large bowl of sauce, add remaining 1 cup broth and quinoa, and mix well.

Place broccoli florets evenly into baking dish, pour quinoa and sauce mixture over the broccoli.

Season chicken strips with salt and pepper and lay them evenly over top of the casserole.

Cover with foil, and bake for about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and stir around a bit.

Return to oven, uncovered this time, and bake for another 10-12 minutes or until chicken is golden brown, and quinoa grains are cooked and tender.

Remove from oven and top with the mozzarella cheese. Bake for another 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.  Makes 6 servings – 1 cup each

Comment:  I made this using cooked chicken and it worked great.  The combined flavors of the chicken, broccoli and quinoa are simply delicious.  The 2 food testers that were fortunate enough to try this both loved it.  It does make a lot and I had enough left over for the next day and it was even better reheated.  The flavors had blended and I enjoyed it even more.  I did use colby cheese instead of the mozzarella but that was the only change I made.

Broccoli/Cauliflower Chicken Casserole

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts - cooked, cut into bite-size pieces

1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup cauliflower florets

1 can (10-3/4 oz.) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 can (10-3/4 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup

1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. water

1-1/2 cups instant brown rice, uncooked

1 cup shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl combine all ingredients except the cheese.  Pour into casserole dish.  Cover with foil and bake 45-50 minutes or until rice is done.  Cover with cheese and cook another 5 minutes or until cheese has melted.  Serves 6-8

Comment:  This recipe started out using broccoli only but I had some cauliflower that needed to be used so I combined the 2.  It was also cooked on top of the stove but I decided to make mine in the oven which actually took longer due to the rice.  I also added the can of cream of chicken soup to make it creamer.  This turned out so good.  The 2 'food testers' that tried it simply wanted more.

Chicken & Dumpling Casserole

1/2 cup butter 1 stick

1 cup small onion chopped

2 ribs celery chopped

3 cups cooked shredded chicken

1 cup Self-Rising Flour

1 cup milk 2% or higher

2 cups chicken broth

1 10.75 oz can cream of chicken soup undiluted

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In a small skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and add chopped onion and celery.

Cook for about 8-10 minutes (until veggies are soft).

Pour the butter and veggie mixture into your prepared baking dish.

Add the chicken in a layer on top of the vegetables.

In a small bowl, combine self-rising flour with milk.

Pour this mixture over chicken (do not stir mixture).

In another small bowl combine the chicken broth with the cream of chicken soup.

Season this with a bit of salt & pepper (optional).

Pour this mixture over the chicken.

Do not mix the layers.

Then bake for about 40-45 minutes or until the casserole is set.

Comment:  This is one of the best recipes I've found in a long time!    The only changes I made was to use rotisserie chicken that was garlic seasoned and I used only 1 cup of chicken broth instead of 2 which turned out perfect.  This is moist, tender, but mostly simply delicious.  This will be a dish I make quite often.  P.S. - add a small can of drained English peas or peas and carrots before adding the chicken layer for a chicken pot pie!

Tater Tot Chicken Pot Pie

2 cups cooked cubed chicken

2 cups mixed veggies corn, carrots, peas and green beans

10 1/2 oz can cream of chicken soup

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp minced onions

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

40-45 frozen tater tot crowns

Add the chicken, veggies, soup, milk, onion, thyme, and pepper to a 10” round pie dish. Stir until combined. Spread out evenly. Cover with tater tots. Bake at 425° for 25-30 minutes, until the tater tots are golden and the chicken pot pie filling is hot and bubbling.

Comments:  I saw a version of this while visiting my friend at the nursing home and she expressed how much she wished she could make it because it looks so good.  Well, that was all it took for me to find a recipe so I could make and take it to her the next Sunday.  The recipe above is from The Gunny Sack.  It looked easy and sounded delicious.  The only changes I made was to the veggies.  She has problems with corn so I bought a small can of peas and carrots and used them (drained).  My friend loved it and ask if I would make it for again in the near future.  I shared with one of my food testers and she couldn’t get over how something so simple could be so tasty.  This is a keeper.

Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli, and Wild Rice Casserole

12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

3/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, divided

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1/2 medium yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups frozen broccoli florets

1 tablespoon whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups skim milk

3/4 cups sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated, divided

2 cups cooked whole grain wild rice blend

Cooking spray

1/4 cup whole wheat panko breadcrumbs

Heat oven to 350F. Cut chicken into 1/2-inch cubes. Season with salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

In a large skillet, heat 1/2 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring, until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken to a large bowl.

In the same skillet, heat another 1/2 tablespoon of oil. Add garlic, onion, and broccoli. Cook, stirring, until onion is soft and broccoli is bright green. Pour into bowl with chicken.

Turn heat to low and add remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Sprinkle flour over oil and whisk to make a paste. Slowly add milk, whisking to combine. Stir in cheese and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Remove from heat.

Add rice to chicken and broccoli in the large bowl. Stir to combine. Gently stir in cheese sauce.

Spray a 9x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread rice mixture into baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup of cheese and breadcrumbs.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and casserole is bubbly. Remove from the oven and serve hot

Comment:  This is totally delicious!  I did make one change.  I sprinkled mine with French fried onions instead of the panko breadcrumbs.  So, so good.  And healthy too.

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 9 servings (1 cup each)
Amount per serving
Calories	218
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g	10%
Saturated Fat 3g	15%
Cholesterol 34mg	11%
Sodium 189mg	8%
Total Carbohydrate 22g	8%
Dietary Fiber 3g	11%
Total Sugars 4g
Includes 0g Added Sugars	0%
Protein 17g
Vitamin D 1mcg	5%
Calcium 146mg	11%
Iron 1mg	6%
Potassium 283mg	6%

Chicken & Spinach Alfredo

8 oz. egg noodles 2 cups Alfredo Sauce 1 cup Ricotta Cheese 1 pkg (10 oz.) spinach, chopped, thawed and drained 1 egg ½ cup Parmesan Cheese 2 cups Italian Cheese Blend 1 tsp. garlic powder ¼ tsp. pepper ½ tsp. salt 2 cups chicken, cooked and cubed

Preheat the oven to 350 degree F. Cook egg noodles according to package directions and set aside. In a medium bowl combine egg and ricotta cheese. Whisk in the parmesan and half the Italian cheese. Add the seasonings.  In a large bowl mix the chicken, noodles and spinach.  Fold in cheese mix and Alfredo sauce.  Pour into a large baking dish and bake for 15-20  minutes or until hot in the center.  Sprinkle with remaining Italian cheese and bake another 5 minutes or until cheese melts.  Serves 8-10

Comment:  I made this and froze half for another day.  The flavor is delicious and the only thing I might change would be to add a few mushrooms. 

CHICKEN & SPINACH PIZZA

Calories 200 (approx) 

Servings 12

1 flat, frozen pie crust

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon minced rosemary

8 ounces fresh spinach, roughly chopped

3/4 cup plain marinara sauce

6 oz. cooked, shredded chicken breast (see note below)

1/2 cup part skim ricotta cheese

1/2 cup grated part skim mozzarella cheese

Thaw the pie crust by letting it stand at room temperature for about 10 minutes and preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place on a foil lined baking pan sprayed with non-stick spray. Add oil and garlic to a large skillet and cook over low-medium heat, until garlic is fragrant and slightly golden, about 3 minutes. Be sure to stir it and watch it so that it does not burn. Pour oil from the skillet into a small bowl. Add minced rosemary to the oil and let stand. Keep garlic in the skillet. Add spinach to the skillet and cook over medium-high. Use tongs to toss it. Cook until just wilted, about a minute and a half (you don't want to overcook it or have a lot of liquid released). Remove from the heat and let stand at room temperature for ten minutes. Drain any liquid released from the spinach and combine it with marinara sauce, shredded chicken breast, and ricotta cheese. Stir well to combine. Drain any excess liquid out. Spoon the spinach chicken mixture evenly on the pie crust.  Sprinkle the mozzarella on top. Bake at 450F until dough is lightly browned, about 15 to 17 minutes and center is bubbly. Let cool slightly before slicing into 12 pieces.

Comment:  I used ready-to-eat rotisserie chicken.  Make sure to omit the skin. Six ounces yields about a cup and a half. Enjoy the rest of the chicken for a different meal.  This dish is delicious.  The original one called for puff pastry and it made a Stromboli.  I decided to use the pie crust and make a pizza. 

Chicken Casserole with Crescents

2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked, cut into 1-inch pieces (3/4 - 1 lb)

1 ¾ cups spaghetti sauce 

3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese

6 tablespoons butter, melted 

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 can (8 count) refrigerated crescent rolls

½ cup grated cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 375°F. In 12x8-inch (2-quart) ceramic or glass baking dish, arrange chicken. Pour marinara sauce over top to coat chicken. Sprinkle with basil and mozzarella cheese.  In small bowl, stir together melted butter and Italian seasoning.  Separate crescent rolls and cut into strips. Dip dough into melted butter mixture. Scatter pieces over mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle cheddar cheese over dough.  Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (at least 165°F) and cheese melted and bubbly.  Serves 8

Comments:  I did, of course make a few changes.  The original called for refrigerated bread sticks, which I didn't have but did have crescent rolls.  It also called for Parmesan cheese, which for the 1st time in forever I was out of so I used cheddar cheese instead.  Still came out delicious!  

Also, since I've gone on Weight Watchers, I entered this recipe and it has 13 points for 1 serving.  Not too bad.