Chinese Chicken Salad

This can be added to Kaylie's bridal shower salad category. Woot woot! I loved to sneak little bites of ramen when my mom made this growing up. I love how easy and fast this is to make: just slice up the stuff and throw it all into a bowl together. Love it.

1 head green cabbage, diced
8 green onions, chopped
2 packages Ramen noodles, dry and crumbled (set aside seasoning packets)
4 chicken breasts, poached and chopped
1 cup slivered almonds, toasted (optional)
4 T. sesame seeds

   Dressing:
4 T. sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
6 T. white vinegar
2 t. salt
2 t. pepper
Contents of BOTH Ramen seasoning packets

Combine ingredients for dressing in a jar with a lid.  Shake and set aside until right before serving.

Mommy Urban's Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

I grew up on this soup and there were many a winter evening memories cutting the noddles with my mom and plopping them into the soup. It warms the heart and soul. It is totes the best! I was reminded of it just the other day when my sister Bethany blogged the recipe so I just copied and pasted (even the picture taken by her). The homemade noodles are my absolute favorite. I am going to make this tonight with my sister and try wheat flour in the noodles. I'll tell you how it goes. Enjoy :)



1. Start by boiling the chicken.

3-3.5 lb. chicken cut up
6 cups water
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
bay leaf

OR

6 cups chicken broth (or water mixed with "better than bouillon" (so good), or a combination of the two.)
4-ish chicken breasts
salt and pepper
bay leaf

Put all ingredients in pot, and heat to a boil. Cover and simmer for about 45 minutes or until meat is fully cooked (less time if using chicken breasts). Remove chicken, and cool in a casserole dish. Skim off the fat. Remove chicken and cut into pieces.

(I usually chop the vegetables and get the noodles going while the chicken is simmering.)

2. Add the vegetables

4 stocks of celery, sliced
3 large carrots, peeled and sliced
1 onion, chopped (Again, we omit the onions. Since I miss the onion flavor, I do add onion powder)
chicken boullion cube (or one tablespoon of "better than bouillon")
salt, pepper, and parsley to taste

Add vegetables to the soup and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or until carrots are tender.

3. Homemade Egg Noodles

Make these while the soup, chicken, and/or vegetables are simmering.

2 cups flower
3 eggs
2 tsp salt
1/4 - 1/2 cup water

Add flour to a large bowl. Make a well in the flour, then add the eggs and salt, then mix with a fork. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time while mixing with fork. Stop adding water when dough is stiff and easy to roll. Use a rolling pin to roll into preferred thickness on a floured, cloth covered board (or a clean, floured counter top). (I have learned to roll the dough QUITE thin, otherwise the noodles won't cook all the way through. They also plump up when added to the soup.) Slice them into strips with a pizza cutter, and add to boiling soup. Cook for another 7-10 minutes, test the doneness of the noodles, add the chicken, serve, and enjoy!

Easy chicken and rice dinner

This is the epitome of "homework meals" for us. All you gotta do is mix all the ingredients together in your 8 1/2 x 11, throw her in the oven, and study for an hour while she does her magic.

What you'll need:

1 can cream of chicken soup (or celery or mushroom)

2 cans water

1 package of onion soup

2 heads of fresh broccoli, chopped (or 1/2 pkg of frozen)

1 cup uncooked rice

2 chicken breasts, chopped

So, like I said, throw everything into your pyrex, mix well, add the chicken, cover her with foil, and throw her in the oven at 350 for 1 hour. Easy enough.

Southwest Crockpot Chicken

This delectable chicken concoction was served as a base for a salad at a luncheon before our "Women in White" Relief Society activity. We all loved it and it has become a staple in many homes because it meets all of the "good recipe" criteria: delicious, EASY, healthy, and inexpensive. You can also use it as the meat filling for burritos, tacos, etc.

1 - 16 oz. bag frozen corn (or canned)
4 chicken breasts
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 - 24 oz. jar MEDIUM salsa (mild doesn't add enough flavor)

Combine ingredients and cook in crockpot on high for 5 hours. Before serving, shred chicken with two forks and mix well with other ingredients.

For Southwest Chicken Salad, serve over Fritos with desired garnishes.

1 bag Fritos
Garnishes: shredded lettuce, chopped tomato, shredded cheeses, sour cream, avocado, fresh cilantro, etc. etc. etc.

Basic Crockpot Recipe

This is the classic throw-anything-into-the-crockpot recipe that Katie and I used on most Sundays when we lived together. I put together these specific ingredients last night when I had earlier been convinced that we were completely out of food. As long as we have cream of chicken, rice, and frozen chicken, we will never go hungry--when in doubt, raid your kitchen and throw it all in the crockpot (within reason, of course).


Basic Crockpot Recipe

Serves: 2             Preparation Time: 10 minutes                Cook Time: 3 hours

1 can cream of chicken soup
3/4 C sour cream
2 chicken breasts, thawed and cut into small strips
           OR 5 chicken tenderloins
1/4 C parmesan cheese
salt & pepper (the divine spices)
1-2 spices from the cabinet

pasta or rice

In Order to Create:
Add cream of chicken soup, sour cream, chicken strips, and seasonings to the big, red crockpot. Cook on high for three hours (or on low for 5-8).
In the meantime, prepare pasta or rice, steam vegetables, butter crusty french bread, etc.
Before serving, cut up chicken into bite-sized pieces. Serve chicken over pasta/rice. Top with more s&p and parmesan.

Variations:
add canned/frozen/fresh vegetables to the mix (e.g. green beans, corn, broccoli)
top with bread crumbs or prepared stuffing mix
use 1/2 brick of cream cheese instead of sour cream