Chicken Spaghetti

I've had some really unfortunate experiences with Chicken Spaghetti in the past, but I’m here to tell you – if this one works for me (the picky one) I think you will enjoy it. This is a carb-fest, but what fun is life it you can’t carb-load every now and then, right? This one is really more like a Chicken Spaghetti Bake so bear with me on the semantics :)

What you’ll need:

½ cup butter (= 1 stick)

1 large onion, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, minced

4 ounce can of mushrooms (optional)

2 teaspoons cumin

10 ounces spaghetti (or angel hair pasta)

1 cup chicken broth

16 ounces chopped tomatoes (drained)

2 cups Velveeta, cubed

3 cups chopped, cubed or shredded cooked chicken

How you’ll do it:

Sautee butter, onion and garlic until tender. Boil spaghetti until tender. Combine all ingredients into a casserole dish. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Summer Chicken Salad

Looking for something to do with your leftover chicken? Everyone loves a chicken salad sandwich, and what better way to honor the summer than by making some yummy additions to the classic chicken salad your mom used to make. Tired of sandwiches? Enjoy this recipe on crackers or pita chips as a quick snack or for your next pot luck.

What you'll need:

1 - 1 1/2 c. chopped chicken

1 tsp. chopped onion

1 tbsp. chopped green bell pepper

1 tbsp. chopped walnuts or pecans

2 tbsp. mayonnaise (not salad dressing) - add more if you prefer a creamier chicken salad

3-4  hard boiled eggs, coarsely chopped

1/4 c. chopped green onions

1/4 c/ chopped red apples (with skin)
1 tbsp. sweet relish
1 tbsp. dill relish
1/8 tsp. paprika
1/4 c. chopped red grapes

What you'll do:
Combine all ingredients listed above, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Baked Pesto Chicken

Pesto is one of the BEST things I've recently "discovered" with wonderful flavor, amazing versatility, and it tastes great any time! As a topping for chicken it will change your world - PLUS it is SO easy, it won't be a big deal to make on a weeknight.

Here's what you'll need:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 c. of basil pesto (I like Classico Traditional Basil Pesto®)
1.5 c. mozzarella cheese (or any Italian blend)
Salt
Black Pepper

Preheat oven to 400°F

Place 2 tablespoons of basil pesto on the bottom of a 8x8 ceramic rectangular dish. Lightly salt and pepper both sides of chicken and place in the dish. Top chicken with the remaining basil pesto. 

Cover loosely with aluminum foil.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Remove aluminum foil, top chicken with cheese and bake for 5 more minutes uncovered.

Remove from oven & enjoy!

P.S. This goes GREAT with ciabetta bread as a sandwich leftover!