Spinach and Feta Stuffed Chicken Breasts

4 chicken breast halves, pounded flat
4 ounces feta cheese crumbled
1 big bag of baby spinach
1 lemon, juiced
1 small can chicken stock
1/2 cup sherry
half and half (optional)
1 T flour
salt, pepper
1/2 T fresh or dried mint, chopped (optional)
1/2 t fresh or dried oregano, chopped (optional)
sprinkling of pine nuts
olive oil
crushed garlic

Lay chicken breasts on chopping board.  Carefully scoop a tablespoon or so of feta onto each breast. Top with a small handful of spinach.  Fold the chicken breast over to cover the cheese and spinach (you'll be forming a stuffed pocket with the chicken). Use a toothpick to secure (close) the chicken breast.

In a heavy skillet, carefully brown the chicken pockets in olive oil.  Remove from pan and set aside.

Deglaze the skillet, using about a 1/4 cup of the chicken broth (scraping up any little bits of golden chicken stuck to the pan). Add the flour to the 1/4 cup broth and whisk.  Slowly add the remaining chicken broth, whisking while adding so lumps do not form.  Add lemon juice, sherry and seasoning, then bring to a boil to thicken.  If desired, add the half and half to taste and stir.

Arrange chicken pockets in a greased casserole dish, and pour the sauce over all. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes (depending upon size of breasts).  If the sauce starts to cook away, cover the casserole for the remaining cook time.

Shortly before serving, saute the remaining spinach in garlic and olive oil.

Remove baked breasts from oven.  Place each on a bed of sauteed spinach (spoon any leftover sauce on top), and sprinkle with pine nuts.

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

  Homemade enchiladas with Fiesta Rice and cheesy, refried black beans.  Mucho gusto!

One of the benefits of living in southern California, is the availability of authentic Mexican food.  If you love Mexican food the way I do, you'll appreciate this fast and easy recipe for red enchilada sauce.  The canned sauce sold in the grocery store is usually bitter and tinny tasting.  All you really need to make this sauce taste authentic, is the canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce.  Once again, the smoked chile gives the sauce a nice heat without overpowering the other flavors.  Be careful though, use only one chile, not the entire can.

1 (29 ounce) can tomato sauce

1/2 onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

3 garlic cloves, or 1 1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic

1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce (just one chile from a small can) See Note Below

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (4 ounces) chicken broth

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 whole, large rotisserie chicken (3 cups cooked chicken)

2 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (10 ounces)

1/3 cup chopped, fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons minced pickled jalapeno pepper

10 fresh corn tortillas

1 fresh avocado, pint sour cream, sliced black olives, sliced green onion

Process tomato sauce, onion, garlic, chipotle chile, cumin, coriander, salt and broth, in the large bowl of a food processor or blender.  Heat oil in a deep skillet, add the tomato mixture, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 8 to 10 minutes.  Set aside.

Strip the meat from a rotisserie chicken (dark and light meat), and shred.  Toss the shredded chicken with 3/4 cup of the enchilada sauce, 1 cup of cheese, cilantro and jalapenos.

Place five tortillas in a ziplock bag with a sprinkling of water.  Zip bag, leaving a 1/2 inch vent at one end.  Place the bag in the microwave for 1 minute, checking each 20 seconds for pliability.  Tortillas not steamed until pliable, will crack and break when rolled.

At a clean work surface, carefully remove one tortilla at a time.  Place 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture down the center of the tortilla, and roll the tortilla.  Place, seam-side down, in a 13 x 9 glass casserole that has been sprayed with cooking spray or olive oil.  Continue until all tortillas have been used (place plastic wrap directly on top of enchiladas, and cover with tin foil to freeze).

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly spray the tops of the enchiladas with olive oil.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove from the oven and pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the entire casserole.  Sprinkle with the remaining 1 1/2 cups of cheese, and bake until the cheese melts and the center of the casserole is hot and bubbling, about 15 minutes longer.

Garnish enchiladas with a dollop of sour cream, sliced avocado, black olives and green onion.  Serve with Fiesta Rice, Rancho Red Beans, or refried beans, and a frosty mug of  good Mexican beer like Dos Equis or Bohemia.  Serves 4 - 5 adults.

Note:  I place the remaining chilies in a small ziplock and freeze them for future use.

Rancho Santa Rosa Chicken and Green Chili Enchiladas

This is a wonderful recipe I picked up from a neighbor in California.  It tastes entirely different from enchiladas made with a tomato-based enchilada sauce.  I love to make it for a crowd because it's mild enough to satisfy everyone, and can be made in advance.  For more heat, mince some pickled jalapeno peppers and sprinkle sparingly over the chicken before rolling.  I always serve this dish with my Mango and Avocado Salsa. 

27 ounce can of Ortega whole green chilies, drained
36 ounces cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup (one large and one small can)
2 whole rotisserie chickens (6 cups of cooked chicken), shredded
36 fresh corn tortillas
1 bunch cilantro (leaves only)
2 bunches green onions (white and light green part only)
8 cups of Co-Jack cheese, shredded
1 small jar of jalapeno peppers, minced (optional, for those who like heat)
salt and pepper to taste
sour cream, shredded lettuce for garnish

In large bowl of food processor, combine chilies, cilantro, and onions.   Process until cilantro and onions are minced.  Combine, chili mixture and soup in large bowl; set aside.

Prepare two large 13 x 9 casserole dished with cooking spray.  Spread about a cup of the chili sauce in the bottom of the dishes.  Set aside two more cups of sauce to top enchiladas.

Prepare a work space.  Place five to eight tortillas in a ziplock bag with a sprinkling of water. Microwave about twenty seconds, or until the tortillas are very soft and pliable.  Carefully, but quickly, remove one tortilla at a time from the bag.  Slather with green sauce.  Place a heaping tablespoon of meat down center of tortilla, sprinkle with a tablespoon of cheese (add minced jalapeno pepper if desired, and roll.  Place seam-side down in casserole (you may layer if you have to, but try to get as many into a single layer as possible).  Continue until all ingredients have been used.

Spread remaining sauce (one cup each or more) on top of enchiladas.  At this point, casseroles may be frozen (place plastic wrap directly on enchiladas and cover with foil).  Thaw completely before baking.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and cover with more cheese.  Return to oven until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling, (watch bottom doesn't burn) about 20 minutes more.  Check to make sure center is piping hot.

Garnish with sour cream, a piece of pickled jalapeno (for those that like heat) and a sprinkling of shredded lettuce.  Serve with Fiesta Rice, Rancho Red Beans, and Mango and Avocado Salsa.

Shredded Chicken and Mashed Potatoes

Shredded chicken and mashed potatoes, served with green bean casserole and spiced beets.

Good old country-fare, this was everybody's favorite "hot lunch" at St. Rose School in Perrysburg, Ohio.  Its an easy, stick-to-the-ribs kind of dinner that's sure to please even the pickiest eater.  To get a truly sweet tasting chicken stew, you must use a whole chicken.  You'll find the dark meat has the most flavor, so if you choose to use chicken parts, make sure you throw in the thighs and legs, as well as the breasts.

A favorite shortcut - grab a rotisserie chicken from your favorite market or butcher.  Strip most of the meat from the carcass, and set it aside.  Pour the container drippings into your stew pot along with the stripped carcass (discard the skin).  Add chicken stock, veggies; bring to a boil - reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.  Carefully remove the chicken carcass and any small bones that may have fallen off, from the soup base, and continue on.


1 whole fryer, cut-up, or 1 rotisserie chicken
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 small sweet onion, chopped
1 large (32 ounce) can of organic chicken broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch (possibly a little more if needed)
salt and pepper (I use my favorite seasoned salt)
mashed potatoes for four

Place chicken parts, vegetables, and chicken broth (stock) in large stew pot (or follow the rotisserie directions above).  Add 1 teaspoon salt.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through and veggies are tender (about 30 minutes).

Remove cooked chicken from the stock with a slotted spoon, and set stock pot aside.  Cool chicken slightly.  Separate the meat from the skin and bones; shred (I use the two-fork method).  Sprinkle the cornstarch over the shredded chicken, stirring to fully coat.

Add the shredded chicken to the stock.  Stir well so the cornstarch dissolves into the stock.  Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly to prevent scorching.  The stock should thicken quite nicely.  Remove from heat when thick enough to serve.

Place a large dollop of mashed potatoes at the center of each dinner plate (or pasta bowl). Make a well in the center with a spoon, and ladle the hot stew over the potatoes.  Serve with hot biscuits and honey :))