Welcome to Hubby Approved Recipes! This is my collection of recipes that the hubs calls "repeat recipes." Some are my creations, some are borrowed and all are HUBBY APPROVED! I'm not the best about measuring, so feel free to adjust my suggestions to your liking. Enjoy!
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Crockpot Rotisserie Chicken
Monday, January 23, 2012
Chicken Enchiladas with Red Sauce
I straight up copied this recipe and the pictures from Pink Parsley and I didn't change a thing, except for using flour instead of corn tortillas.

adapted from Tide and Thyme, orginally from America's Test Kitchen
- 1 medium onion, chopped fine
- 2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped fine
- 1 teaspoon canola oil
- 3 medim cloves garlic, minced
- 3 Tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 3 teaspoons sugar
- 1 15-oz can tomato sauce
- 1 cup water
- 1 large beefsteak tomato, seeded and chopped
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 large breasts)
- 1 cup extra sharp white cheddar, shredded
- 1 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
- 12 (6-inch) soft corn tortillas (I used flour)
- cooking spray
- salt and ground black pepper
Combine the onion, jalapeno, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and oil in a large saucepan. cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the onions and peppers have softened, 8-10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and sugar, and cook until fragrant, less than 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato sauce, water, and chopped tomato. Bring to a simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, 5 minutes.
Nestle the chicken into the sauce. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through (thickest part reaches 160 degrees), about 12-20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate, and set aside to cool.
Strain the sauce through a strainer into a medium bowl, pressing the onion mixture to extract as much liquid as possible. Transfer the onions to a large bowl and set aside. Season sauce with additional salt and pepper to taste.
Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add to the onin mixture, and add 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce, 1 cup cheese, and the cilantro. Toss to combine.
Stack the tortillas on a plate and cover with plastic wrap; Microwave on high until warm and pliable, 40-60 seconds. Spread the tortillas on a clean work surface, and spoon 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture evenly down the center of each. Tightly roll each tortilla and lay seam-side down in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish.
Lightly spray the tops of the enchiladas with cooking spray. Place in the oven, uncovered, for about 7 minutes, or until the tortillas start to brown slightly (skip this step if you don't like the crunch).
Reduce heat to 400. Remove enchiladas and pour sauce evenly on top. Top with the remaining cheese. Cover dish with foil, and bake an additional 20 minutes, or until heated through.
Remove foil and bake another 5 minutes, until cheese browns. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Serve with sour cream, guacamole, salsa, additional cilantro, etc.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Chicken Gnocchi Soup

Ingredients:
1 rotisserie chicken, remove
meat and shred into strips
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 quart half and half
32 ounce chicken broth
1/2 cup celery, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup carrots, finely shredded
1 cup onion, finely diced
1 cup fresh spinach
1 tablespoon extra virgin oil
1 pack of potato gnocchi (Italian potato dumplings)
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon parsley
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1 tsp basil
Crushed red pepper to taste
Salt and cracked black pepper to taste
Directions: Sauté the onion, celery, and garlic in the butter and olive oil, over medium heat. When the onion becomes translucent, add the flour to make a roux. Let the butter and flour mixture cook for about a minute before adding chicken broth. Stir and let cook until well incorporated. Add the gnocchi and bring to a boil for about 2 minutes. Then add the half and half and remaining ingredients and simmer until ready to serve. Be careful not to boil again; gnocchi will get mushy.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Chicken-chile emPIEnadas
2 refrigerated pie crusts
2 cooked chicken breasts, cut into tiny bites
3/4 block of cream cheese, softened
2 tsp chopped green chiles (adjust amount to taste)
1/4 cup shredded cheddar
1 tsp beef fajita seasoning
1 egg
Coarse sea salt (optional)
-Mix together chicken, cream cheese, green chiles, cheddar and fajita seasoning.
-Cut pie crusts into circles. I used a large cup to cut the circles. It made about 12 empienadas.
-Spoon about a tablespoon of chicken mixture onto each pie crust circle. Fold crust over mixture to form a half circle shape. Press the edges of each closed firmly with a fork.
-Place onto a lightly greased baking sheet.
-Scramble the egg and brush over each empienada. This makes them beautifully brown and crispy in the oven.
-Sprinkle tops with sea salt. This is purely decorative :)
-Bake for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown, at the temperature on the pie crust box. It varies by brand.
We ate them all and didn't take a picture. Here's the site where I got it.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Rotisserie Chicken- My new BFF

Wednesday, July 28, 2010
I'm in LOVE with this recipe: Veggies and Noodles with Thai Coconut Curry Sauce
Veggies and Noodles with Thai Coconut Curry Sauce {aka Kate's Noodles & Company Bangkok Curry Semi-Knockoff from Our Best Bites}
**I added 2 cups of cooked chicken
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Asian Chicken Salad
Ingredients
Salad
* 1/2 bag of cole slaw cabbage mix
* 1/2 bag of lettuce shreds
* 1/4 red bell pepper, chopped into bite sized pieces
* 1 sliced cucumber
* Chopped cilantro
* Chopped green onions
* 2 cups thinly sliced store-bought rotisserie chicken (about 2 small chicken breasts)
Dressing
* 1/4 cup vegetable oil
* 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
* 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
* 1/4 tsp minced ginger
* Sprinkle of garlic powder
* Sriracha chili sauce to taste
* 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, optional
* 1/2 pack of crumbled ramen noodles, for garnish
Directions
For the salad, mix all salad ingredients and chicken.
For the dressing- In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, garlic powder, chili sauce, and sugar until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well. Garnish with the ramen noodles and serve.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Chicken Salad #3: Waldorf Style

Here's my twist on a classic Waldorf Chicken Salad.
Ingredients
* 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
* 3 cups chopped cooked chicken (leftovers work great)
* 1 cup seedless red grapes, halved
* 1 large apple, diced
* 1 cup diced celery
* 1 handful of dried cranberries
* 1/4 cup mayonnaise
* 1/2 cup honey mustard (dressing works great)
* 2 tbsp lemon juice
* 2 tbsp dijon mustard
* 2 tbsp yellow mustard
* Sprinkle of paprika
* Sprinkle of cayenne pepper
* Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1. Place chicken, nuts, grapes, apples, celery and cranberries in large dish and mix.
2. Mix mayo and lemon juice until smooth.
3. Add mustards and mayo to chicken mixture and stir until combined. I like to add the mustards first and then add mayo, little by little, so that it doesn't get to be to heavy with the dressing.
4. Sprinkle in paprika and cayenne. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Chill for 30 min- 1 hr before serving. This lets the ingredients get to know each other for a while.
(One day I will learn to take decent pictures. Until then, I will continue to google. I found this great one on the Southern Living site.)
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Creamy Chicken and Bacon Pastry Pockets
1 box puff pastry, defrosted (2 sheets)
1 8oz container Philadelphia Chive and Onion flavor Cream Cheese
1/2 C shredded mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 C cooked shredded chicken breast
1/3 C cooked crumbled bacon
3 Tbs finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes
Red pepper flakes to taste (my addition)
1 egg
1 Tbs water
**I defrosted the puff pastry dough in the fridge overnight before using it.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Warm cream cheese in the microwave for 20-30 seconds to soften. Place in a mixing bowl with mozzarella cheese, chicken, bacon, red pepper flakes and sun-dried tomatoes. Stir to combine and set aside.
Lightly dust a work surface with flour and roll one sheet at a time into a 12 x 12 inch square. Cut 4, 3 inch strips each direction to make 16 squares, 3 x 3" each.

Place about 2 teaspoons of cream cheese mixture onto each square. With your finger, brush a dab of water around the edges of each square and fold over diagonally to make a triangle. Press edges together and crimp with a fork to seal.
After stuffing and folding each pastry, place on a baking sheet. Whisk egg and 1 tablespoon water together and brush over the top of each pastry. Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Cool 10 minutes before serving. Can also be served at room temperature. Recipe by Our Best Bites.
Freezer instructions: Follow directions through egg wash. Place baking sheet in the freezer. When pastries are solid to the touch, transfer to an airtight container and store in the freezer. When ready to bake, place frozen pastries directly on a baking sheet in preheated 400 degree oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until puffed and golden.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Chicken and Green Chile Taquitos
I'm so glad that I learned about how to make them crunchy without frying them! I can make all sorts of cool little taquitos now! They were great for watching a movie on a cold day with the hubs!

Ingredients
3 chicken breasts
1 block of cream cheese
Green chile salsa
Hot sauce (we like Cholula)
Adam's Beef fajita seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
Corn or flour tortillas
Cooking spray
Directions:
Boil chicken breasts until fully cooked. Remove from water and shred with fork and knife. Soften cream cheese in microwave for about 30 seconds. Mix chicken, cream cheese, several tablespoons green chile salsa, hot sauce to taste, fajita seasoning, salt and pepper. Cover tortillas with damp paper towel and warm in microwave for about 45 seconds.

Place on lightly sprayed cooking sheet. Spray with cooking oil and sprinkle with salt (I like using sea salt here because it is bigger).

Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Chicken Cordon Bleu

**WARNING- This is not one of the lighter meals on my blog, but it sure is yummy***
Ingredients:
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts
3 slices Swiss cheese
3 slices ham
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon paprika
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules or a bouillon cube
1 tablespoon cornstarch or flour (for thickening the sauce)
1 cup heavy whipping cream **yikes**
toothpicks
Directions:
1- butterfly your chicken breast and place slices of ham and swiss in the middle. fold over the top flap of the chicken breast and secure with toothpicks.
2- mix together flour and paprika. coat chicken in mixture.
3- melt butter in pan and let it get nice and hot...like, bubbley, golden brown hot...place your chicken in pan and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
4- while the chicken is cooking, mix up your chicken broth and bouillon granules. turn chicken to low heat and sloooowly pour broth into pan. cover and let simmer for about 15 minutes, or until chicken is done.
5- remove chicken and pour cream into pan. whisk in cornstarch and stir until thickened.
6- pour a good amount of the sauce over the chicen when you are ready to serve.
**this recipe is from the amazing site, www.kevinandamanda.com**
Bacon wrapped asparagus
i kinda made this up as i went along and it turned out pretty dang good! i made mine with ham (b/c i do not like bacon one tiny bit) and ross' with bacon. yum, yum!
blanch your asparagus...only like 2 minutes max....remove from water and sprinkle with salt and pepper. tightly wrap a few in bacon to make a little pack. cook in skillet, turning as each side of bacon gets cooked.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
White-ish Enchiladas

I made these tonight for dinner. They still have room for improvement, but they are pretty good for just mixing random things together and hoping for the best! Ross went back for seconds...
INGREDIENTS
8 small flour tortillas
2 large chicken breasts
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 can rotel
shredded cheese (your choice of kind...I use Mexican blend)
olive oil
chopped jalapenos to taste
Adam's Beef Fajita Seasoning
DIRECTIONS
1- Cut chicken into small bite sizes and cook in olive oil until thoroughly cooked. Season with Adam's Beef Fajita Seasoning.
2- Mix together cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, onion, rotel, 1/2 cup shredded cheese, some Adam's Beef Fajita Seasoning.
3- Stir a few tablespoons of sauce in with chicken over low heat until well mixed.
4- Spray baking dish with non-stick spray. Spoon about 2 tbsp chicken/sauce mixture into each tortilla. Roll tightly and place crease down in dish. Do this to all tortillas and pour remainder of sauce evenly over tortillas.
5- Bake in oven for 15 minutes uncovered. Sprinkle with cheese and continue baking until cheese is melted.
6- Let cool a little before serving. This goes well with my White Girl Mexican Rice.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Verde Chicken Enchiladas

These are in Ross' top 3 favorite dishes that I make. Lucky for me, they are yummy and easy!
Ingredients:
4-6 large flour tortillas
1 can Hatch green chile enchilada sauce
1 cup (or so) shredded cheese
2 large chicken breasts, cut into small bites
Adam's Beef Fajita Seasoning
Olive oil
Directions: Sautee chicken pieces in olive oil and sprinkle with fajita seasoning. Cook thoroughly. Roll up 1 tbsp sauce, 1/4 of chicken and some cheese inside of each tortilla. Roll each tortilla tightly and place crease down in 9x9 square cooking pan. Pour rest of sauce from can over enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake in oven until warmed through and cheese is melted. (about 10 minutes on 375)

Monday, September 21, 2009
Bacon-Jalapeno-Grilled Chicken

This recipe is a twist on one that the men in my family make while hunting. It is one of the yummiest ways to cook chicken ever! Plus, Ross grills it, so all I have to do is prepare it! Perfecto!
Fresh or pickled jalapenos
Cream cheese or Laughing Cow cheese
Bacon
Thawed out chicken breast cut in 1/2
Toothpicks
Put cream cheese and jalapenos on chicken breast and roll up. (Or chop the jalapenos and mix them into the cream cheese. It's wonderful either way.) Wrap chicken with bacon tightly. Secure with toothpicks. Have your man grill them while you relax :)
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Quesadillas- Just Glorified Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

So this is more of an idea than a recipe.
I love making quesadillas. They are so versatile and easy. Just butter some tortillas, stuff with whatever you have and brown it in the skillet! It's great for leftover meat!
The only "rule" is to include cheese. It's the glue that sticks the tortillas together.
Ideas
*American cheese, lunch meat, salsa
*Feta or mozzarella cheese, spinach, sun dried tomatoes, chicken
*Cooked chicken or beef, salsa, shredded cheese
Chicken Pesto Panini

This is just a sandwich, but it turns out looking so fancy!
Ingredients
Chicken breast
Olive oil
Salt and pepper (or your favorite all purpose seasoning)
Pesto (again, I recommend Classico brand)
Butter or margarine
Mozzarella cheese
Sun dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
Thickly sliced bread (I like sourdough or french bread)
Thaw your chicken breast partially. (It is easier to slice when kinda frozen, kinda thawed) Slice it horizontally so that it is in two thin layers. Cook chicken in olive oil in a skillet. Season with salt and pepper (or your favorite all purpose seasoning). Be positive it is fully cooked!!
LIGHTLY spread butter on one side of each of your bread slices (the pesto has olive oil in it, so you don't want it to be too greasy). Spread pesto on other side of both pieces of bread. Layer up your sandwich with chicken, cheese and sun dried tomatoes. Place in skillet or on George Foreman grill! Cook until golden brown.
***ENJOY***
Chicken Salad #2

I love chicken salad, but sometimes you want to mix it up. Thanks to the culinary genius, Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa), we have the perfect alternative!! The extra bonus---it's packed with healthy veggies!! **I have tweaked it a bit**
Ingredients
* 2 whole (4 split) chicken breasts
* Good olive oil
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 2 cups broccoli florets
* about 3/4 cup good mayonnaise (I use low fat)
* 2 tablespoons dry white wine
* 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
* 3 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
* 2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon leaves
* 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
Directions
Chop chicken into small bite size pieces. Saute chicken with olive oil, salt and pepper until cooked through.
Meanwhile, add the broccoli florets to a large pot of salted boiling water. Cook for 1 minute, until crisp tender, drain, and place into a bowl of ice water until cool. This will stop the cooking and set the bright green color.
For the dressing, whisk together the mayonnaise, wine, mustards, 1 tablespoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add enough sauce to the warm chicken to moisten well. Add the tarragon, broccoli, and tomatoes and mix gently to combine. Refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend. ONLY ADD AS MUCH SAUCE AS YOU WANT. YOU DON'T HAVE TO USE IT ALL!!!
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Chicken Fried Rice

Ingredients
3 large chicken breasts thawed and cut into bite sized pieces
1 1/2 cup white rice (uncooked)
3/4 cup chopped onion
2 tbsp(ish) minced garlic
soy sauce- I would guesstimate about 1/4-2/3 cup--just to taste
Sunbird fried rice seasoning- 1 packet
2 or 3 eggs scrambled without butter or seasoning
2 tbsp(ish) olive oil
salt and pepper
Directions
I cook this in a wok, but any large dutch oven or skillet will work just fine. Cook rice and cool. (This is important so that it doesn't overcook later on.) Saute onions in olive oil for a few minutes and then add garlic. (You add the garlic later so that it doesn't burn) Add chicken and cook until done--season with a little bit of salt and pepper. Add rice, fried rice seasoning, soy sauce and scrambled eggs. Mix together gently so that the rice doesn't get mushed up. Cook just until thoroughly heated.
***Serving suggestion: I like to serve this with stir fried veggies in a Szechwan or sweet and sour sauce. I also top it with the sauces pictures below. I like the sweet chili sauce and Ross likes the spicy one.

Pictured from left: Sweet Chili Sauce (the kind I grew up eating, but any will be great), Chicken Man Sauce (That is, of course, not the real name, but we don't know what it is really called. It's spicy chili sauce), Sunbird Fried Rice Seasoning (I get it at WalMart)
Monday, July 20, 2009
Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad

This is a quick and easy meal great for hot summer days b/c it is served cold. It is also a great way to use left over chicken!
One box of your favorite short pasta cooked al dente (I like shells, penne or pinwheels)
3 cooked chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces (left overs work great here)
Pesto (it's on the same isle as spaghetti sauce)
Red pepper flakes
Cherry tomatoes cut into halves
Once chicken and pasta are cooked, mix together with 3 or 4 tbsp of pesto. Add red pepper flakes to taste. We like it spicy, so I use a lot. Cool in fridge until ready to serve. Top with cherry tomato halves before serving.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Chicken Salad: Perfect meal for a hot summer day

Ingredients~
about 4 cooked chicken breast
about 5 boiled eggs
2 or 3 tbsp dill pickle relish
2 or 3 tbsp sweet pickle relish
2 or 3 tbsp light mayo (NOT miracle whip)
Tony Chachere's Cajun seasoning to taste
Chop up chicken into small pieces and place in mixing bowl. Grate or chop (I prefer chopped) eggs and add to bowl. Add other ingredients and stir. Cool and serve with crackers or as a sandwich.