Chicken Alfredo and Rice Casserole

1 10 ounce container refrigerated light Alfredo pasta sauce (I used 1 jar of garlic Alfredo)

½ cup milk

2 ½ cups cooked white rice or wild rice 

2 cups cubed cooked chicken

1 cup frozen peas (did not have frozen so I eliminated this ingredient)

1/3 cup chopped bottled roasted red sweet peppers (I used fresh orange and green bell peppers that I sauteed)

¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted (optional)

1 tablespoon snipped fresh basil or 1/2 tsp. dried basil,  crushed

1 cup soft bread crumbs (I used crushed croutons)

1 tablespoon butter, melted (I did not use but used 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese instead) 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In large bowl combine pasta sauce and milk. Stir in rice, chicken, peas, sweet peppers, nuts, and basil. Transfer to 1-1/2-quart baking dish.

Bake, covered, 30 minutes. Uncover and stir. Combine bread crumbs and melted butter; sprinkle atop. Bake, uncovered, 20 to 25 minutes more or until heated through and crumbs are golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serves 4.

Martha:  As you can see I made a few changes, as always.  I used the garlic Alfredo sauce which is a staple in my pantry.  I like the sweet taste of orange and yellow bell peppers as well as the taste of the green so I decided to do as I recommend in my cookbooks and 'Think With My Taste Buds.'  The peppers I sauteed in about 1 Tbsp. of olive oil until they were tender and starting to brown lightly.  The croutons and Parmesan I sprinkled over the dish before the 2nd baking giving the dish another texture.  

This dish turned out so good!  There was a slight sweetness from the peppers, the garlic in the Alfredo gave it another taste with both of them combining beautifully.  My food testers ALL loved it.  

Chicken Mac & Cheese

This recipe is one that has no specific measurements.  You'll need:

Chicken carcass
Noodles
Cheese

I bought a rotisserie chicken a few days ago and after pulling most of the meat off for sandwiches and chicken salad I noticed there was still some left on the bones.  I placed my carcass in a pot, covered it with water, brought it to a boil and then reduced the heat to slow boil.  When the rest of the meat fell off the bone I removed the bones and added noodles to my water.  When the noodles were done I added cheese making - Chicken Mac & Cheese

If you're not sure how much liquid you might need for your noodles, read the package directions and use the amount required for the amount of noodles you plan to use.  If you don't have enough chicken after boiling the carcass, add a little from what you pulled off earlier.  And for the cheese, I cheddar and colby adding as much as I wanted for my taste.  This turned out simply delicious!

Oriental Chicken

Chicken:

3 pounds chicken (I used 3 large chicken breasts bone with a weight of about 2 ½ lb)

Marinade:

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup oil

1 teaspoon garlic powder (or 2 fresh garlic cloves, pressed – I used 2 Tbsp. minced garlic)

2 teaspoons five spice powder

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (I cut this down to ¼ tsp. ginger)

1 tablespoon dry sherry (this I didn’t use)

In a small bowl, combine 1/3 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup oil, such as light olive oil or peanut oil, 1 teaspoon garlic powder or 2 fresh pressed garlic cloves, 2 teaspoons five-spice powder, 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger and 1 tablespoon dry sherry, and use as a marinade.

Marinate Chicken

In a large plastic or ceramic container with a lid, place the 3 pounds chicken.

Pour the marinade over all the pieces, turning until all the pieces are coated evenly.

Cover and marinate at least 1 hour, and up to overnight.

Cook Chicken

Bake in a 375-degree F. oven (basting once or twice), or grill, for about 45 minutes or until done.

COMMENTS:  As you can see I used a little less chicken, minced garlic, less ginger (too strong for me) and eliminated the sherry.  This marinated for about 24 hrs.  As it baked I would baste with the drippings (not the leftover marinate).  This came out so moist.  The flavors flowed throughout the chicken and was delicious.  I ate some as it was and some on a salad that I drizzled with an oriental dressing, sesame sticks and some roasted peanuts.  This made a wonderful meal.

Skillet Chicken Pot Pie

3 cans cream of chicken soup
3 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into small pieces
2 large or 4 med. potatoes, cut into small chunks
1 1/2 cup cream
2-3 carrots peeled and sliced thin
1 small can English Peas drained
1 large can Crescent Rolls
butter

In a large, oven-proof frying pan mix soup and cream.  Over medium heat bring to a slow boil, stirring constantly.  Add chicken, potatoes, carrots, and peas.  Cover and simmer until potatoes and carrots are tender, stirring frequently.

While cooking, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  After vegetables are cooked tender top mixture with unrolled crescents.  These can overlap if needed.  Bake 10 minutes or until rolls are starting to brown.  Top with butter and continue to cook until butter melts and the crescents are golden brown.  Serves 6-8.

Martha:  I found the recipe for Skillet Chicken Pot Pie in a cookbook and made a few changes.  It called for a 26 oz. can of cream of chicken soup, I used 3 10 oz. cans.  It called for 1 cup of cream, I used 1 1/2 cups.  It called for an onion diced, I omitted this and added the English peas.  It called for biscuits and I used the Crescent which was a wonderful change!  The slight sweetness of the crescents worked perfectly.  I also added the butter during the last few minutes of baking.  This dish has to be the best Chicken Pot Pie I've ever eaten!  Yes it's that good and if you don't believe me you should ask my food testers that were served this dish.

Chicken Florentine

·      

           4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, sliced in half

·         1/4 cup butter

·         3 teaspoons minced garlic

·         1 tablespoon lemon juice

·         1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

·         1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

·         1/2 cup half-and-half

·         1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

·         1 lb. frozen spinach, thawed & drained

·         4 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced

·         6 slices precooked bacon, cut into pieces

·         1 cups shredded Italian blend cheese

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place the chicken breast halves on a baking sheet; bake 20 to 30 minutes, until no longer pink and juices run clear. Remove from heat, and set aside.

2.    Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

3.    Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stirring constantly, mix in the garlic, lemon juice, cream of mushroom soup, Italian seasoning, half-and-half, and Parmesan cheese.

4.    Arrange the spinach over the bottom of a 9x9 inch baking dish. Cover the spinach with the mushrooms. Pour half the mixture from the saucepan over the mushrooms. Arrange chicken breasts in the dish, and cover with the remaining sauce mixture. Sprinkle with bacon bits, and top with mozzarella cheese.

5.    Bake 20 to 25 minutes in the 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) oven, until bubbly and lightly browned.

Martha:  I found this recipe online after seeing a picture and couldn't wait to give it a try.  It's actually simple and so delicious!  The only changes I made was using Italian blend cheese instead of Mozzarella and I used pre-cooked bacon instead of bacon bits.  I also cut the cheese from 2 cups to 1.  Yes!  I you read that correctly.  This was passed on to 4 of my Food Testers and they gave nothing but high praise for this dish.  It's one I will make often!  One more thing.  I cut the chicken through the thickness making it thinner and it worked perfectly.  And don't salt this dish. Due to the cheese and bacon, it won't need it.

Creamy Chicken Potato Soup

1 pkg Bear Creek Cheddar Potato Soup Mix
2 chicken breasts, cooked, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup half and half
1 stick butter
1 cup cheddar cheese
Cumin (to taste)

In a large pot cook the soup mix according to package directions.  Stir in half & half, butter, and chicken.  Add a little cumin at a time to fit your own taste.  Stir in cheese.  Makes 8-10 servings.

Martha:  I had a package of Bear Creek Cheddar Potato and decided I wanted to try adding some chicken to it.  It was good but needed a little something more so I added the half and half, butter and ended up adding about 1/2 tsp. cumin.  This was a perfect taste preference for me.  And of course I added just a little more cheese to top it off.  The soup turned out creamy and so delicious! Perfect for any day.

Asian Chicken

Marinade:

3 Tablespoons soy sauce

1 Tablespoon sesame oil

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

½ teaspoon Chinese Five Spice powder

Stir-fry:

1 lb. chicken, cut into ½-inch strips

2 medium stalks celery, thinly sliced

3 cloves crushed garlic

1 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger

6 oz. fresh shitake mushrooms, sliced into ½-inch strips

1 cup sliced green onions (scallions) - about 6 onions

4 cups sliced cabbage (½-inch strips)

8 oz. bean sprouts (mung beans are good, or any type intended for stir-frying)

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

1 Tablespoon oil (vegetable or light olive oil)

1. Mix together marinade ingredients, add chicken, and mix to coat. Refrigerate 1-2 hrs.

2. Prepare vegetables, and grate ginger and garlic so everything will be ready.

3. Heat large skillet on medium-high heat with vegetable or olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the chicken, and stir-fry until just cooked through, probably 3 to 4 minutes depending upon how thick you cut the chicken. Remove chicken from pan.

4. Add the vegetable oil, then the celery, ginger, and garlic.

Saute for one minute.

5. Add the vegetables in the following order, stir-frying for 1 to 2 minutes after each addition: mushrooms, onions, cabbage, bean sprouts.

6. Add the soy sauce and the chicken. Toss to combine.

7. If you like, use low-carb tortillas or lettuce leaves as wrappers.

Makes 4 servings.

Martha:  This is a healthy recipe that I found online and had to give it a try.  I made 2 changes.  I didn't use the bean sprouts, mainly because I forgot to buy them, and I served this over Japanese Udon Noodles.  So good!!!!

Simple Chicken with Spinach, Artichoke and Rice

1/2 cup Wild Rice Blend
2 (6 oz. each) boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 pkg. TGI Fridays Spinach & Artichoke Cheese Dip
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Make cuts in chicken that go the full width but not completely through allowing the chicken to 'butterfly'.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Cook chicken until juice runs clear.  While chicken is cooking cook rice according to package directions.  When chicken is done top with Spinach & Artichoke Dip.  Cook 10 minutes or until heated and bubbly.  Serve over rice.

Martha:  This is one of the easiest dishes you'll find that is busting with flavor.  The spinach and artichokes give this dish a full flavor that can't be beat.  The cooking time depends on the thickness of your chicken but mine cooked in about 15 minutes.  The cuts speed up the process too.  This is perfect for a quick, after work dish that looks like you spent all evening making.

Chicken & Rice Stuffed Peppers

1/2 onion, chopped
3/4 cup cooked wild rice & brown rice blend
1/2 cooked chicken breast, shredded
1/2 cup spinach
2 Tbsp. cheese
salt & pepper to taste
1 bell pepper, cut in half & cleaned

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a non-stick frying pan cook onions for about 5 minutes. add rice, chicken and spinach.  cook for about a minute blending well.  Spoon into bell pepper halves.  Cook 25 minutes.  Sprinkle each half with 1 Tbsp. cheese.  Return to oven until cheese has melted.  Serves 1 - 2

Comments:  This is simply delicious!  And so simple to make!  Plus it's healthy!  I also baked mine in the toaster oven which worked perfectly.   I've tried to come up with additions or changes and so far haven't come up with anything.  It's great as it is.  If you have suggestions, please add in the comments.

Panko Chicken Wrap

1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken, cut into strips
1/4 cup Italian dressing, light
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup seasoned Panko
Kraft Seasoned Grated Parmesan cheese, to taste

In a bowl mix chicken strips, salt and pepper and dressing.  Cover and refrigerate 3-4 hrs. or over night.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover a cookie sheet with edges using foil sprayed with non-stick.  In a bowl with a lid combine Panko and Parmesan.  Place chicken in the bowl and shake coating the chicken well. (There should be just enough to cover the chicken with none left over.  If there is sprinkle it over the chicken after placing on the pan.)  Lay chicken out trying to keep each piece from touching.  Bake 5 minutes, turn and bake another 5.

To make the wrap I used a flour tortilla, lettuce, broccoli and chopped spring onion.  Add the chicken strips and very lightly drizzle with Olde Cape Cod Toasted Sesame Soy & Ginger or your favorite salad dressing.

Martha:  I've been trying to watch what I eat and hopefully lose a little weight along the way so I've been experimenting with ways to make healthy dishes, mainly using chicken.  Most oven 'fried' chicken uses milk as a dip and then some sort of dry ingredient.  I decided to try the Italian dressing which would give the chicken flavor.  The Panko I knew would crisp up nicely and the little sprinkle of seasoned Parmesan would just add more flavor.  Then I needed a way to eat my new 'fried' chicken strips.  Why not a wrap.  The tortilla shell has 170 calories for 2 so I decided that would be perfect for my new dish.  Then I spotted the Olde Cape Cod dressing which has only 40 calories for 2 Tbsp. and decided that would add a touch of sweet plus blend in perfectly with the other flavors.  This one turned out to be a big hit!  Simply delicious!  I'll make this again.

Chicken Dijon Pasta

1/2 pkg. (6 oz) gluten free pasta
1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 can (6.5 oz.) sliced mushrooms, drained
1 onion, sliced
1/2 bell pepper, sliced
1/2 tsp. dried oregano leaves
1/2 tsp. dried basil leaves
1/2 tsp. thyme leaves
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions.  In a large skillet heat oil on med. high heat.  Add chicken and garlic.  Cook until lightly browned.  Add mushrooms, onion, pepper, oregano, basil, thyme, salt & pepper.  Saute until tender.  Stir in cream and mustard.  Toss in noodles and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Serves 8

Martha:  As you can see, I've really taken a liking to the Dijon mustard!  This dish is original until you get to the cream and mustard which I added.  It didn't have quite enough taste.  Also the Parmesan cheese I used was Kraft's seasoned in a jar.  Delicious dish!!! And again, this would be good done with poultry, I have no doubt.

Chicken Dijonnise #3

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1 lb)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. chopped green onions
1/3 cup whipping cream
3 Tbsp. chicken broth
3 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

Place each chicken breast half between two pieces of plastic wrap. Using the flat side of a meat mallet, lightly pound chicken to 1/4- to 1/8-inch thickness. Discard plastic wrap. In a shallow dish combine flour and pepper. Coat chicken pieces with flour mixture.  In a 12-inch skillet melt butter over medium heat. Add chicken to skillet. Cook about 6 minutes or until no pink remains in the chicken, turning once. Transfer chicken to a platter, reserving drippings in skillet. Cover to keep warm. 

For sauce, add green onion to the drippings in the skillet. Cook and stir over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes or until tender. Stir in whipping cream, white wine, and mustard. Cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth and slightly thickened. Spoon sauce over chicken.

Martha:  OH MY GOODNESS!  This is delicious!  I was surfing the internet looking for healthy dishes and ran across this one on a diabetic site.  Wasn't sure I would really like it and almost wished I wouldn't so as not to be tempted to eat more than I was supposed to.  Well, I had to give the rest it away to my food testers to keep myself out of it.  I didn't change a thing in their recipe either.  But... I want to try this with pork chops.  I know that is going to be just as good.  Yes, the food testers loved it just as much as I did.  I did serve it over wild rice blend which completed the meal for me.

Cheeze Chicken Pasta Casserole

1 pkg. (8 oz.) pasta noodles (of your choice)
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
1 can (10.75 oz.) Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 soup can of milk
1/2 cup Ricotta cheese
1 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp. Grill Mates Montreal Steak seasoning (more or less to taste)
1/4 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded

French Fried Onions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cook the noodles according to the packaging.  Drain.  In that same pot, mix in the chicken, mushroom soup, milk, Ricotta and Mozzarella cheeses. Add Steak seasoning to taste.  Transfer mixture to a 3 qt. baking dish sprayed with non-stick. Bake covered for 45 minutes.  Remove cover, sprinkle with 1/4 cup Mozzarella and French Fried Onions, enough to lightly cover dish.   Bake for another 5-10 minutes or until cheese has melted.

Martha:  This has to be one of the best chicken pasta dishes I've ever made.  I used the gluten free pasta which to me has a little firmer texture.  The chicken I baked in my toaster oven until done.  From there on I decided to "Think With My Taste Buds" to come up with the rest of the dish, tasting as I went along.  The real winning addition was the Montreal Steak seasoning and the French fried onions on top.  It's full of flavor and far from being bland like so many chicken pasta dishes.  This is also a dish you can play with.  You might try adding black olives, mushrooms, and/or some almond slivers.  My Food Testers sure loved this one.

Cheese Nip Chicken Strips

1/2  lb. chicken tenderloins or breasts cut into strips (1" wide)

1/2 stick butter or margarine, melted

1 cup Cheese Nips

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a baking dish large enough to hold all strips without them touching.  Crush the Cheese Nips.  Blend in the garlic salt and pepper.  Melt the butter and pour over the chicken, tossing to coat.  Add the Cheese Nips and mix to coat.  Place the chicken strips in the baking dish, sprinkle with any leftover Cheese Nip crumbs.  Bake 15-20 minutes depending upon the size of the strips, until done and the crumbs are crispy.  Serves 2-4 depending upon how hungry you might be.

Martha:  I found a recipe for a dish that used Ritz Crackers crushed and a couple of herbs added to the crumbs.  When I went to get my Ritz from the pantry I spotted a box of Cheese Nips and decided to give them a try instead of the Ritz.  After crushing the Nips in my processor I decided I wanted the cheese taste so I used the pepper and added the garlic salt and eliminated any other herbs.  I also poured the crumbs over the chicken instead of dipping them in them.  Make sure you add the crumbs while the butter is still melted or the coldness of the chicken will firm it back up.  If you're a cheese lover, this is a recipe you must try.  The kids will go wild over this.  

Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

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

1 (8 oz.) can sliced water chestnuts

1 (8 oz.) container sour cream

1/2 cup milk

2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast

1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped

1 box (1 lb.) spaghetti

1 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
French Fried Onions, crushed

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook spaghetti according to directions, drain and set aside.  Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In large bowl, mix soup, water chestnuts,  sour cream and milk until blended. Stir in chicken, cheese and bell pepper.   Bake 30-40 minutes or until bubbly in the center.  Sprinkle with French Fried onions and bake another 5-10 minutes allowing the onions to brown slightly.  Serve on top of spaghetti.  Sprinkle with a little cheese (optional).

Martha:  This dish was originally a recipe for a Chicken Tortillas Casserole but as I started putting it together I decided to make a couple changes.  I added the chestnuts for their texture.  The chicken breasts were sprinkled with Greek seasoning to give added flavor and baked.  I actually decreased the cheese to 1 cup instead of 1 1/2 (yeah, can you believe I did that!).  Instead of using broken tortillas I decided to use spaghetti.  I was afraid the tortillas would become soggy.  And last I added the crushed French Fried onions.  I've heard so many raves on those who had the joy of trying this one.  It is simply delicious!  The only change I can think of would be to add celery.  It's actually perfect the way it is.

Food Tester Carol:  Hi Martha, that was one delicious dish you made!  We had it last night and yummed our way through it! It was light and fresh tasting, I'm sure, partly because of the water-chestnuts, tender, moist chicken and sauce.

Ritzy Chicken Casserole

3 small sleeves Ritz Everything crackers
1/2 cup French fried onions, crushed

1 can Cream of Chicken or Mushroom soup

1 cup sour cream

¾ cup chicken broth

Chopped chicken

4 oz melted butter

1 cup cooked rice

Crumble one sleeve of Ritz crackers in the bottom of a 2 ½ quart casserole dish.  Drizzle half of the melted butter over crackers.  Mix chicken with soup, sour cream, broth and rice.  Pour over crackers.  Crush the other sleeve of crackers over mixture.  Drizzle with remaining butter.  Bake at 300 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Martha:  This is a remake of a recipe that's been around for a while.  I made a couple of changes, of course.  The original called for 2 sleeves of Ritz crackers, I used the Ritz 'Everything' crackers which have onion, poppy seeds, garlic and sea salt but used only 3 of the short sleeves.  I also added the French fried onions to the Ritz.  That was it.  No more changes but the 2 that I did make gave this dish a taste that is so good!  My food testers all loved and raved about it.  This will feed 6-8.  You can make a few of your own changes if you want.  You could make this into a 'pot pie' by adding a few cooked carrots and English peas.  That too would be good additions.

Parmesan Chicken Breast Tenders

1/2 cup gluten free flour
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
10-12 chicken breast tenders (about 1 1/2 lbs.)
1/4 cup canola oil
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Combine flour, cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper and salt in a medium shallow dish.  Combine buttermilk and egg in another shallow dish.  Warm oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Dip chicken tenders in buttermilk mixture and then dredge in flour mix.  Add chicken pieces to the oil and cook about 3 minutes on each side or until brown.  Don't allow them to touch while cooking.  Spray a large baking dish, cookie sheet with edges works great, with non-stick spray.  Add browned chicken pieces not allowing them to touch.  Bake about 5 minutes or until chicken is done.

Martha:  Finally I've found a recipe for fried chicken that is actually crispy and delicious.  And it has so many possibilities for changes in flavor.  You can add seasonings like oregano for a totally different taste.  This chicken is well worth making!

Mediterranean Chicken & Potatoes

4-5 medium potatoes, cubed
2 chicken breasts, cubed

1 head broccoli, cut into large chunks

2 Tbsp. olive oil - divided

2 Tbsp. butter, melted - divided

2 Tbsp. Greek seasoning - divided
1/2 cup shredded cheese of your choice

Dash garlic seasoning

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl toss potatoes with 1 Tbsp. olive oil, 1 Tbsp. butter, melted, and 1 Tbsp. Greek seasoning.  Pour into a 9 x 13 x 2 baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray and bake 30 minutes turn occasionally.  In the same bowl toss together chicken breast and broccoli with 1 Tbsp. olive oil, 1 Tbsp. butter, melted, and 1 Tbsp. Greek seasoning.  Add this to the potatoes and bake another 20-25 minutes or until potatoes and chicken are done and slightly browned, tossing occasionally.  While all is still hot, sprinkle with cheese and toss to mix.  Serves 6.

Martha:  I found a recipe for the potatoes but decided to give this dish a try adding chicken and broccoli.  This turned out really good.  The cooking time will vary depending on how large you cut up your potatoes and chicken.  I used an Italian blend cheese which worked deliciously.  I also topped mine with a little sour cream.

Chicken Spinach Casserole

8 ounces pasta

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 portabella tops, sliced

1 med onion, sliced

1 cup orange and/or yellow bell peppers, sliced

10 ounces leafy frozen spinach, thawed

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

¹⁄₄ teaspoon pepper

16 ounces cottage cheese

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus 1/2 cup for topping

¹⁄₂ cup milk

1 (10 1/2 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cook pasta according to package, drain and set aside.  Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat.  Cook mushrooms, onion and bell pepper until tender.  Cut spinach into 1/4's and add to pan along with oregano, and pepper.  Mix well.  Remove from heat.  In a large bowl combine pasta, chicken, spinach mushroom mixture, soup, milk, 1 cup cheddar cheese, cottage cheese and mix well. Salt and pepper to taste.  Coat a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.  Pour chicken pasta mixture into baking dish. Cover with foil and bake 25-30 minutes or until bubbly.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake another 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Martha:  I found a recipe for this dish in BH&G online but made a few changes.  I had 1/4 a box of shells and 1/4 box of twists and used them for my pasta giving me about 8 oz.  I changed the mushrooms to portabellas simply because I had some in the freezer that needed to be used.  Yes I freeze them when I find them on sale.  I sliced my onions and peppers instead of chopping and decided to use orange and yellow peppers instead of green to give color and a milder flavor.  Using the leafy spinach and cutting it into 1/4's made it blend better than chopped, at least to me.  I increased the amount of chicken as well as the cheddar cheese.  Now... the recipe directions didn't include when the cottage cheese was to be added.  I don't know if it was a misprint including it as an ingredient or if it was a mistake by not telling when to add so I just added it along with everything else.  Believe me, if it is a misprint and was not supposed to be an ingredient you'll want to add it.  This dish ended up feeding 8 people and I've gotten nothing but raves about it being one of the best.  It may have a long list of ingredients but it's worth every bite.

Chicken Shangri-La With a Twist

2 cups chopped, cooked chicken
2 cans (10 3/4 oz.) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 can (4 oz.) mushrooms, drained
1 can (6 oz.) water chestnuts, sliced
2 cans Chinese noodles (or 2 cups cooked egg noodles)
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup sliced onions
1 small can cashew nuts (or 1/2 cup almond slivers)
Butter
Crushed potato chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Combine first 8 ingredients.  Spoon into a large (9 x 12 x 2 approx.) baking dish sprayed with non-stick.  Dot the top with butter then sprinkle with crushed potato chips, as desired.  Bake uncovered for 1 hr.

Martha:  This sounded like a really good dish and decided on an impulse to give it a try.  I thought I had all of the ingredients - not.  So I decided to 'Think With My Taste Buds' and see what I could use in place of what I didn't have.  The chicken came from 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves that I baked.  I had the soup, mushrooms and chestnuts but when it came to the Chinese noodles I found that I only had 1 can but I had plenty of egg noodles so I cooked up what ended up being about 2 cups.  The celery I cut down to 2 stalks and the onion I cut down to 1 medium and instead of slicing, I chopped.  Then came the cashews.  I had about a handful.  I always keep almond slivers in the refrigerator so decided to use them instead.  For the butter it took about 1/2 a stick and I used about 3/4 cup of crushed to cover the dish well.  Now for cooking.  Since I used egg noodles I knew those exposed to the heat would become 'crispy' when cooked so I took a piece of foil and laid it on top of the dish, removing it the last 10 minutes to allow the chips to brown.  This dish turned out simply delicious!  So see - if you Think With Your Taste Buds you can usually come up with something to add in place of what you don't have or don't like.

The original recipe came from a cookbook titled Seasonal Sampling from the American Cancer Society in Michigan, dating 1981.  Bringing back the old dishes is fun and tasty!

Carol:  Your Chicken Shangri-La With a Twist is delicious.  Noodles and chicken are always good together but paired with the water chestnuts and other cruncy bits (haven't figured that out) it is a very appealing meal.  I know you  will say this is easy to put together but I guess it will be because you have done the hard work of thinking through such a good combination!