Creamy Crockpot Chicken and Broccoli Over Rice

This was a big hit with everyone! It was easy and a good way to add some broccoli to the diet 😀 Admittedly, not the healthiest with all the sodium-packed soups, sour cream and cheese but still a great dish.

From Picky Palate:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 14 ounce can Cream of Chicken Soup
• 14 ounce can Cheddar Soup
• 14 ounces Chicken Broth
• 1/2 teaspoon Cajun Seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 cup sour cream
• 6 cups steamed broccoli florets (Boiled in hot water for 3 minutes then drained) *I picked up a couple of the frozen, steamable bags
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
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• Place soups, chicken broth, Cajun and garlic salt into a crockpot over low heat.  Whisk until smooth.  Add chicken, pressing to the bottom. Cover lid and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours. *I mixed everything in a bowl, put the chicken in and poured the soup, etc over. I did this because I used a crockpot liner so whisking in the bag would have been tricky. 
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• When chicken is cooked, use 2 forks to shred into bite size pieces.  Stir in sour cream and broccoli.
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• Serve over steamed rice and sprinkle with cheese if desired (the cheese adds a lot, I recommend it! I grated from a large block. Adding pepper was a nice extra touch as well.) 

Honey Mustard Baked Chicken

I made this for the second time and am reminded just how good (and easy) this is! The first time I followed the recipe to the "T" except using breast. This time I had frozen tenderloin so I thawed some in the microwave. I also used onion powder instead of fresh onion and dried rosemary instead of fresh sprigs. I couldn't tell a difference. Best part, I had all the ingredients on hand!

Taken from: http://www.goodlifeeats.com/easy-honey-mustard-baked-chicken

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup of grainy, course mustard (aka Grey Poupon)
1/4 cup smooth dijion mustard
1/2 cup honey
3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 of a small yellow onion, diced (or onion powder)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken tenderloins
salt and pepper
3 - 4 small sprigs of fresh rosemary (or dried rosemary)

DIRECTIONS:

In a small bowl, combine the mustards, honey, and 2 teaspoons of the olive oil. (I forgot about the olive oil the second time and didn't notice a difference)

In a sauté pan or cast iron skillet (if you don't have a cast iron yet...get one!), add 1 teaspoon of olive oil.

Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until golden and tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for an additional 1 - 2 minutes, until fragrant. (I just did the garlic here)

Place the chicken tenderloins on top of the onion and garlic mixture, or if the pan you cooked the onion and garlic in is not oven safe, transfer the onion and garlic to an oven safe dish and add the chicken to it. Salt and pepper the tops of the chicken according to your personal preference. (I sprinkled on the onion powder with the salt and pepper)

Pour the honey mustard mixture on top of the chicken. Arrange the rosemary sprigs around the chicken in the pan. (Or sprinkle the Rosemary. Tip: if you rub the dried rosemary with your hands as you sprinkle on, it releases the fragrance...or so I've read)

Bake the chicken covered at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes (I used aluminum foil to cover). Then remove the cover, baste the chicken with the sauce, and continue to cook for an additional 20 - 30 minutes uncovered, or until the chicken is browned on top and cooked through (it only took 20 min for me). 

It is delicious served over rice! I pour some of the sauce over the top for extra moisture and so it soaks into the rice. This is also paired well with greens like asparagus, broccoli, or spinach salad. 

Tilapia, rice, and broccoli dinner

This might easily be the tastiest, easiest, and most "elegant" dinner I've made yet!  I am pretty proud :-)

We bought some frozen tilapia that I wanted to use up so I got creative, using a recipe on the bag...modified.  In a small bowl, I mixed a chopped roma tomato, chopped green pepper, dried onion flakes, garlic salt, black pepper, and olive oil. This was all eye-balled.  The recipe also called for cilantro and lime juice but I didn't have those. Would have been a nice touch but didn't need them.  At least a bit of lemon might have added some nice flavor.

On a sheet pan, I made a little shallow bowl with aluminum foil, put the tilapia down, then spread the mixture on top. I closed the bowl and baked them for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. 

While the fish was cooking, I made some white rice (I always just make the quick rice with a bit of butter and salt) and steamed fresh broccoli.  For the broccoli, I shredded cheddar cheese when it was nice and hot from the microwave and let it melt.  We use white cheddar seasoning for popcorn so I sprinkled that, salt, and pepper and shook it to mix. 

Side note: one of the handiest gadgets I have from Pampered Chef is the large micro-cooker, which is how I steamed, drained and mixed the broccoli!

This all came together in less than a half hour and even my 6 year-old ate it all!