Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos
print recipe text only
Courtesy of Anna Stone :)
From Our Best Bites

1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 C green salsa
1T fresh lime juice
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t granulated garlic, or garlic powder
3 T chopped cilantro
2 T sliced green onions
2 C shredded cooked chicken
1 C grated pepperjack cheese

small corn or flour tortillas
kosher salt
cooking spray

Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it’s soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.

Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or are coming unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.

Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges.

Then roll it up as tight as you can.

Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

The ones pictured below are actually flour tortillas- which I found out I like just as well (maybe even better!) than corn ones.

Dip ‘em in salsa, sour cream, guacamole, or this dressing.

Freezer instructions: People are always making requests for freezer meals- so here ya go! Taquitos are definitely best right after cooking, so if you’re not going to use all of them, plan ahead and freeze some. I bake just enough for my little family to eat for a meal and then food-save the rest in dinner-sized portions. Then you can pull them out for a quick meal, appetizer or snack any time! To freeze Make as noted above through the step where you sprinkle the tops of the taquitos with salt. Place in a dish a single layer, not touching each other and set in the freezer. After frozen, place in zip-top bag, foodsaver bag, or any other air tight container. To cook, preheat oven to 425. Place frozen taquitos on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake until edges are golden brown. (Usually about 30 minutes)

Southwestern Sloppy Joes with Sliced Avocado

Southwestern Sloppy Joes with Avocado Slices:
Adapted recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net
Original recipe by Cuisine at Home Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
1 lb lean ground beef (I used 93/7)
1/2 small red onion, diced
1 small jalapeño, seeded and diced
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp coriander
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
5 small pearl tomatoes, diced
1/3 cup of ketchup, more if needed
1-2 tsp brown sugar
3/4 cup frozen sweet yellow corn, thawed
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
Hamburger buns, toasted
Avocado slices

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the red onion and cook for 2-3 minutes or until softened. Add the lean ground beef, making sure to break it up into crumbles as it cooks. Add the chili powder, paprika, oregano, cumin, garlic powder, coriander, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Mix the ingredients so the spices are evenly coating the beef and onion. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until the beef is cooked through. Add the minced garlic and diced tomatoes and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the ketchup, brown sugar, sweet yellow corn, and cilantro. Cook for 2 minutes. Taste and re-season if needed. Scoop the filling onto a toasted hamburger bun and top with avocado slices. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Lime Chicken Fajitas

From Dana Made It:
* This recipe uses chicken. You could also try steak or shrimp but I haven't tested those out.

MARINADE:
Juice of 2 Limes
2 Tbl Rice Vinegar (substitute Apple cider vinegar if you're out)
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper
2 tsp Cumin
optional:
1-2 Tbl finely chopped jalapeno pepper
1-2 Tbl finely chopped cilantro

Fajitas:
Appx 8 boneless chicken tenders or 4 chicken breasts, thawed and cut into bite-size pieces.
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 green bell pepper, cut into strips
1 onion (or less if preferred), cut into rings/strips

Toppings:
Cheese, sour cream, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce or cabbage, salsa, cilantro

Okay, start by preparing your vegetables, chicken, and marinade. Cut up one onion and two bell peppers into strips. I prefer using one red and one green pepper but if red peppers are out of the budget for the week, just use green. Still tastes great.

And, if you're not a big onion person (me), it's best to still include them for flavor but you can pick some out later when done cooking.
For the chicken I either:
* buy frozen chicken tenders because they're easy to thaw and use when I need them.
* buy a large pack of boneless chicken breasts when they're on sale. I cut them into pieces that day and freeze it all in 3 or 4 separate bags of chicken labeled "fajitas". Then I'm all ready to go!

You need approximately 8 chicken tenders or 4 breasts, cut into small strip-like pieces.
Place the peppers and onions in one bag together and the chicken in another bag. Something my mom taught me: use the produce bag that the veggies were wrapped in. You're recycling and it's free!
Leave those aside and prepare the simple marinade.
Squeeze the juice from two limes. When in a bind you can substitute store-bought lime juice from a bottle, or lemon juice as well...but fresh limes are best.
Mix the lime juice, vinegar, salt, pepper, and cumin. The cumin is what makes this dish. I absolutely love the smell.

For added flavor and heat, add 1-2 Tbl of finely chopped fresh jalapeno.
And if you're a cilantro person (people either love it or despise it), add 1-2 Tbl of finely chopped cilantro.
Mix everything together and you have a simple marinade.
Now pour half the marinade over the pepper/onion mix,
and the other half over the chicken.
Fill each bag with air and shake it all around to make sure everything is coated. Do this over your kitchen sink in case anything leaks or pops.
And place both bags in in a bowl to marinate for 30 minutes or longer. If you're going to cook them soon, they can be left on the countertop otherwise place them in the refrigerator.
Now let's start sizzling!

Using a large frying pan, heat a small amount of cooking oil. Pour in the contents of the pepper bag (it's okay if the liquid goes in too) and let everything cook for about 5 minutes. If there are too many peppers, do it in two batches. I usually let the liquid help steam the veggies for a few minutes and then drain the liquid off in the sink so the veggies will brown in the pan. The key is to cook them enough that they're not raw, but not too much so they still have bite. Similar to al dente.
Put the cooked peppers and onions aside on a plate. And clean your pan slightly with water in the sink to remove any black residue from cooking the peppers.
Now let's cook the chicken. Just as you cooked the peppers, heat a bit of oil in the pan and then add the chicken. I try not to let the marinade liquid get into the pan because the chicken tends to release it's own liquids. But no big deal if some slips in.
Let it all cook for a few minutes.
Then drain off any liquids in the sink and add a bit more oil (if needed) so the chicken can brown in the pan.
yummy, yummy.
Finally, add the peppers and onions back into the mix and warm for a minute.
And you're done!
If you're a good multi-tasker, prepare the toppings while the fajitas cook.
You'll need taco-size flour tortillas. If you can find fresh baked tortillas from your bakery or local Mexican restaurant do it. They're divine.
Chop up some tomatoes. If you're a pico de gallo person, mix some on up and use that for your salsa.
I love using cucumbers on my tacos. They add such a refreshing bite.
Chop up cilantro for the cilantro lovers.
and grate your favorite cheese. I go back and forth between Sharp Cheddar and Colby Jack.
Chop up cabbage or lettuce, pour salsa in a bowl, and get out the sour cream.
Your toppings are ready!
Cut up fresh mangos or oranges as a side dish and call everyone over to the table.
Time for fajitas!
Of course, cheese is my favorite part of any meal, so we also throw some cheese crisps in the oven (tortillas, cheese, and bake).
Now who's jealous?
Not you! Your pan is sizzling.
Enjoy!

Chili's Monterey Chicken

Jon and I LOVE this recipe. It is super easy to throw together and it only has 5 ingredients! If you want to be extra healthy, you can wrap your chicken in bacon like some recipes call for... but I like it without. I know!! You never thought you would hear me pass on bacon! It is a rare occasion, but it in this case it is too hard to get your chicken cooked right and your bacon crispy. Nobody likes soggy bacon. :(

If you shred your chicken before you garnish it, this recipe also lends itself well to quesadillas, enchiladas, and pizza! And I think they actually serve it on a bun as a BBQ Chicken Sandwich at Chili's.

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 c. BBQ Sauce (i.e. Bull's Eye)
1/2 cup monterey jack cheese, grated (or whatever you have on hand)
1 fresh tomato, diced
chopped chives (you could also use green onions, if you don't randomly have fresh chives laying around your kitchen)

Directions:
1. Pound chicken breasts until somewhat flattened, season with salt and pepper if desired (if your chicken breasts are really thick, slice them in half horizontally so you have longer, thinner pieces; that way you don't spend 30 minutes pounding your chicken to death to get it thin enough)

2. Place chicken in greased casserole dish and top with BBQ sauce and shredded cheese.

3. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees, or until your chicken is cooked throroughly and your cheese is nice and bubbly (varies depending on thickness of chicken).

4. Sprinkle with a generous amount of fresh chopped tomatoes and chives. Serves 4.

Breaded Pork Tenderloin

I love all things breaded, and this recipe is a nice twist on traditional pork chops. You wouldn't think to use mustard and Stove Top for breading, but this dish has a lot of flavor! Prep is a snap and the mustard flavor is a nice undertone without being overwhelming.

Ingredients:

1 pork tenderloin (1 pound), cut crosswise into 1-inch medallions (or you can use boneless Pork Chops)
¼ cup butter, melted
¼ cup mayonnaise
4 to 5 teaspoons prepared mustard
1 ¼ cups crushed herb-seasoned stuffing mix (i.e. Stove Top Stuffing)

Directions:

1. Flatten pork tenderloin pieces to ¼-in. to ½-in. thickness (if you are pressed for time, you can skip this step!)

2. In a shallow bowl, combine butter, mayonnaise and mustard; dip tenderloin pieces, then roll in stuffing crumbs.

3. Place in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan.

4. Bake, uncovered, at 425 degrees F for 13-16 minutes or until juices run clear. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.