Tuscan Chicken Orzo

 Well I found another recipe that will be added as a staple in our home. N2 had 3 plates and J had 2 large plates, I even went back for more. It’s a super simple dump and bake dish that you can absolutely take some short cuts on. Let’s get into it.

Tuscan Chicken Orzo

Ingredients 

1 lb rotisserie chicken, pulled

2 C dry orzo noodles

3 1/2 C chicken broth

1/2 C heavy cream

1 tsp minced garlic

1 jar sundried tomatoes - with the oil

Spinach - fresh (I chop mine up a little with a kitchen shears after it’s in the dish)

Italian seasoning

Pepper

Salt

Garlic powder 

1 C Parmesan shredded cheese 

Directions 

Preheat your oven to 425* F and grease a 9x13 baking dish. Add everything but the Parmesan cheese to the dish and give it a little stir to ensure the orzo is completely covered with liquid. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and slowly fold in the Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas

 This recipe I found on TikTok.. imagine that! ;) It comes from melissajorealrecipes.com

It was a win here so we are sharing it!

Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas 

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp avocado oil

½ a white onion chopped

5 garlic cloves chopped

1 jalapeno seeded & chopped

½ tbsp chicken seasoning

1 tsp adobo seasoning 

2 16 oz jars salsa verde

1 lime juiced

8 oz sour cream

4 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro divided

1 rotisserie chicken shredded

15 - 17 Flour fajita size tortillas I used 16 tortillas total

16 oz freshly shredded whole milk mozzarella

INSTRUCTIONS

In a pan, heat up some avocado oil. Then, add in onion, garlic, jalapeno, chicken seasoning, and adobo. Saute that on a medium heat for 5 - 7 minutes.

Next, pour in both jars or salsa verde and the lime juice. Give that a stir and bring the pan to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, drop the heat to low, and add in the sour cream. Make sure the heat is low and stir the sour cream in until everything is incorporated. Let that simmer on low for 3 - 5 minutes. Then, sprinkle in 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro and stir that in. Now, take a ladle and scoop that creamy mixture into a measuring cup until you get two cups. Set the two cups of that creamy mixture aside for later.

In the pan with the remaining creamy mixture, add in the shredded rotisserie chicken and fold that in until fully incorporated. Once that's fully incorporated remove it from the heat and set it aside.

Now it is time to assemble the enchiladas! Grease a large baking dish (I used 1 large baking dish and 1 smaller square baking dish because) and pour just a few tbsp of the creamy mixture from the set aside two cups into the bottom of the baking dishes. Spread that out so it's in a very thin layer in the bottom of the baking dish. Now take a tortilla and add a heaping spoonful of the creamy chicken mixture and top the chicken mixture with a little shredded mozzarella (I ended up using about 8 oz total of cheese in the enchiladas and 8 oz for the top). Roll it up and place it seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat that process until you have used all of the chicken mixture (I ended up making a total of 16 enchiladas). Once you have filled and arranged all of your enchiladas in the baking dish, pour the set aside creamy mixture from the measuring cup evenly over the top of the enchiladas. Then, sprinkle the remaining shredded mozzarella cheese evenly over the top. Lastly, sprinkle 2 tbsp of chopped fresh cilantro over the top of the enchiladas.

Cover both baking dishes with aluminum foil and bake them in the oven at 375°F for 25 minutes covered and about 10 minutes uncovered or until it's hot and bubbly. If you like your cheese a little more brown, turn on your broiler function for a minute or two. Enjoy!

Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

 Another TikTok recipe for the win! The whole family loved it and we will now never buy store bought Alfredo sauce ever again. It’s that good! Not to mention that easy to make! 

Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo 

INGREDIENTS

10 oz fettuccini

1 lb of chicken breast

1/2 tsp Salt and Pepper

1 tsp Garlic Powder and Italian Seasoning

2 tbsp butter

1 stick of butter

2 TBSP of minced garlic

1 1/4 cups of heavy cream

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 1/4 cups shredded Parmesan cheese

Dried parsley

INSTRUCTIONS

Boil fettuccini following the directions on the box.

Cut chicken in half lengthwise (to make them thinner) and season with 1/2 tsp salt and pepper, and 1 tsp garlic powder and Italian seasoning.

In a skillet over medium-high heat melt 2 TBSP of butter. Sear chicken on both sides until they are golden brown. Place in the oven at 400 degrees F to let the chicken finish cooking. I check with an internal meat thermometer to make sure it reaches 165 degrees F.

In a separate pan, melt 1 stick of butter over medium-low heat and add minced garlic stirring well. Add heavy cream, stirring constantly.

Add 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper and 1 tsp Italian seasoning. Add 1 1/4 cup of shredded parmesan cheese stirring until it thickens.

Once the Alfredo is to the consistency you like, add the cooked fettuccine and stir until well combined. Top with sliced chicken. Serve.  

*Do note we doubled this recipe to feed 5 people (2 adults and 3 teenagers) and had enough for two lunches.*

*You could absolutely do this with shrimp and just cook that as you usually would*

Marry Me Meatballs

 I can’t say no to crockpot recipes and Your Barefoot Neighbor shared this one so I had to try it. I’d like to say my children aren’t picky but they all have their own quirks when it comes to food and my youngest daughter didn’t care for the sun-dried tomatoes. Everyone else enjoyed it as it is. 

Marry Me Meatballs

Ingredients

2 lbs frozen Italian meatballs

4 C chicken stock

1 jar sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped 

1 can cream of chicken soup

Italian seasoning

Garlic powder

Onion powder 

Red pepper flakes

2 lbs gnocchi (shelf stable ones)

1/2 pint heavy whipping cream

Baby spinach 

Shredded Parmesan cheese (I used shaved Parmesan)

Directions

Add meatballs, chicken stock, cream of chicken soup, sun-dried tomatoes and seasonings to crockpot. Cook on high for 3 hours. When that is done add in your gnocchi, heavy cream and baby spinach and cook for another 30 minutes on high. Top with the Parmesan cheese. Serve with garlic toast. 

Sausage & Rice Casserole

 Last night we failed to pull anything out of the freezers for dinner. Seems to be a common thing here in this house and it’s quite frustrating. I went to my fridge and saw the mushrooms I had gotten and remembered there was a TikTok recipe for them. Y’all this was the EASIEST meal! 

Sausage & Rice Casserole

Ingredients 

1 lb Jimmy Dean sausage

2 pouches of Uncle Ben’s long grain and wild rice 

1 1/2 C. Mozzarella or Cheddar cheese, shredded 

1 can of golden mushroom soup

1 package of sliced mushrooms 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown sausage, add in mushrooms once almost all the way cooked. While that’s cooking down, pop your rice pouches in the microwave per the instructions. When they’re done add them in with the sausage and mushrooms. Also add in your can of golden mushroom soup and the shredded cheese. Mix it all up and put in the oven for 15 minutes. 

Orzo Chicken Casserole

 Y’all! This was another TikTok recipe I saw and had to try! Tonight I’m home alone as our youngest is at work and the middles are with my hubby packing bacons and hams. Even though I’m alone, I made dinner tonight for them to have when they all get home. Let me tell you, I LOVE IT! The kiddos who don’t like mushrooms may not care for it but.. It’s a rather easy, one pot/pan meal. Let’s get into it.

Orzo Chicken Casserole

Ingredients

2 C uncooked orzo pasta 

3 1/2 C chicken broth

1 pkg Lipton Beefy Onion Soup Mix

1 rotisserie chicken, deboned

8 oz sour cream

1 can cream of mushroom soup 

Spinach, fresh and as much as you want (I used baby spinach and chopped it up a bit)

Mushrooms, fresh and as much as you want (I used sliced Portabella mushrooms and chopped those up a bit)

Shredded parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425* F

Spray a 9x13 baking dish and add in your orzo pasta, chicken broth, beefy Lipton soup mix, chicken, spinach, mushrooms, sour cream and soup.

Give it a light stir, be sure to keep orzo covered in the broth.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and stir really well. Top with parmesan cheese.

Place back in oven for another 15 minutes.

One Pot Rigatoni

 We made this a while ago and it was a huge hit in this house .. can’t believe I forgot to share it!! Let’s do it!

One Pot Rigatoni 

Ingredients 
1 lb Ground Italian Sausage
8 oz Rigatoni
1 Tbsp Garlic
1 can Tomato paste
Italian seasoning
8 oz can Tomato sauce

2 C Chicken stock
1 C Heavy Cream

Directions

Brown sausage, drain grease off

Add heaping scoop of garlic and tomato paste - give it a good mix

Add Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste and tomato sauce

Add rigatoni 

Add chicken stock & heavy cream

Let simmer for 10-15 minutes

Let stand a few minutes before serving