Easy Chicken Tacos

I emailed some simple recipes to my brother who is in college. I can't believe I never shared this one. I'll have to take a picture next time I make it. These are so simple and easy. I have been making these for years.

Chicken Tacos

Flour Tortillas
Chicken Breasts, cut into cubes
1 TBSP oil
1 package taco seasoning
2 TBSP water
1 can refried beans
1 small jar taco sauce
Cheese

Preheat oven to 375. Heat oil in skillet. Cook chicken until done. Add taco seasoning according to directions on packet. Combine refried beans with water, spread over tortillas. Drizzle with taco sauce, top with chicken and cheese. Bake for 5-10 mins on large cookie sheet until cheese is melted. Fold in half and top with more taco sauce. YUM!

I, of course, like mine really cheesy and saucy and stuffed full. Dall, on the other hand, likes his a little less full. One time I found Chipotle Taco Sauce and it was just so good! Sometimes I use the refried black beans too.

Homemade Enchilada Sauce

Okay, I'm not a super huge enchilada person. I like them once in a while, mainly when its really cold outside. Then I found this recipe. AMAZING! I'm not sure where I got it, but it is so good. I will never use canned again.

3 TBSP oil
2 TBSP flour
1/4 cup chili powder
1 TBSP cumin
~Combine in large pot over medium heat, whisking until bubbly. Add:
2 cups beef broth
2 cups tomato sauce
1/2 tsp oregano
1 clove minced garlic
Salt to your liking

Simmer on low for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Use in place of canned enchilada sauce. I didn't do the whole 1/4 cup of chili powder and it still had good flavor. Its not a hot or spicy sauce, just a warm heat. Seriously, its so good. :)

(I do the tomato sauce first, and then add some beef broth to the empty can and swish it around to get all the leftover sauce on the sides and bottom.)

This would be good with your Imitation Cafe Rio or with my Cafe Rio Pork Burritos.

I had some shredded pork in the crock pot the other night, wasn't sure what to do with it, so I whipped up this sauce and instead of making and baking the enchiladas (takes forever!) I just did it the quick way!

In Order:
Tortilla
Meat
Smother in sauce
Cheese
Rolled it up
Smothered in more sauce and cheese
Shredded Lettuce
Pico de Gallo and Voila! Super easy and super yummy!!!
*You could always add beans and rice as part of the filling too.

Salsa Verde Tostadas

Another keeper I found over at Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

*Plan Ahead: the recipe calls for cooked chicken. Also, the flavor of the chicken or pork intensifies as it marinates so you may want to plan an additional 2-3 hours for that (but it isn’t absolutely necessary).

4 flour tortillas
1/2 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 1/2 cups cooked, shredded chicken or pork
1 cup green salsa (salsa verde) plus more for serving
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Toppings: lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, avocado, etc.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange the tortillas on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the tortillas, bake until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, toss together the chicken (or pork), salsa verde, 1/4 cup cilantro, beans, and cumin (this can marinate all day if you like). Spoon mixture evenly over the tortillas and bake until heated through about 8 minutes.

Top warm tostadas with lettuce, tomato, and sour cream and other toppings as desired. Sprinkle with remaining cilantro. Serve immediately with additional green salsa if desired.

~I used shredded pork and let it marinade for about an hour. The tortillas cook up nice and crispy, I was worried they would be soggy but they weren't at all. Dallas loved this one and Carter thought it was pizza, haha.

Chicken Taquitos

From Our Best Bites (link)

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 C green salsa
1T fresh lime juice
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t granulated garlic, or garlic powder
3 T chopped cilantro
2 T sliced green onions
2 C shredded cooked chicken
1 C grated Mexican blend cheese

small flour tortillas
kosher salt
cooking spray

Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.

Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges.

Then roll it up as tight as you can.

Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

*I cannot say enough good things about this, we loved loved loved them! Even Carter ate them! I didn't have kosher salt so I just used regular salt. I made the whole batch of filling and just made enough taquitos for us then the next day I used the leftover as filling in quesedillas.

She included a dipping sauce recipe, but its pretty much the same as your Cafe Rio dressing recipe.

*For easy shredded chicken, I put 3 frozen chicken breasts in the crockpot with 1 cup chicken broth and sprinkled some McCormick Montreal Chicken Seasoning on them, just cook on low all day or until chicken is done. This made about 3 cups so I had some leftover. So now I have leftover to use for BBQ Chicken Pizza!

Taco Macaroni

From Simple and Delicious

* 6 Servings
* Prep/Total Time: 30 min.

Ingredients

* 1 package (16 ounces) elbow macaroni
* 1 pound ground beef
* 3/4 cup chopped onion
* 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
* 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed tomato soup, undiluted
* 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
* 1 envelope taco seasoning
* Shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

* Cook macaroni according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.
* Stir in the tomatoes, soup, tomato sauce and taco seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes or until thickened.
* Drain macaroni; stir into meat mixture and heat through. Sprinkle with cheese. Yield: 6 servings.

I know it sounds kinda weird, but we love this. It makes a lot for just the 4 of us, so I will make the whole batch of sauce and freeze half of it, and then just make enough noodles for us.

Shrimp and Avocado Salad

From my Simple and Delicious magazine...

Shrimp and Avocado Salad
-Serves 4

1 lb uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp olive oil
5 cups of heart of romaine salad mix
1 cup fresh or frozen corn, thawed
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper
1 medium ripe avocado, peeled and thinly sliced

Cilantro Vinaigrette:
7 TBSP olive oil
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1/4 cup lime juice
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

In a large skillet, cook the shrimp, garlic, chili powder, salt and cumin in oil over medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until shrimp turn pink; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine romaine, corn, peas, and red pepper; divide among 4 serving plates. Top each with shrimp and avocado. In a small bowl (or my Magic Bullet) combine vinaigrette ingredient and drizzle over salads.

*I halved it for us. I already had frozen cooked shrimp in the freezer so I just thawed it a bit and then warmed it up in the skillet with the spices.

Charred Corn Guacamole

My latest find - Better Homes and Gardens Ultimate Mexican cooking magazine. Found it at Costco, LOVE IT! It has lots of yummy recipes!

Charred Corn Guacamole
1/2 cup fresh corn kernals (1 ear) or frozen whole kernel corn
2 tsps olive oil
2 tsps lemon juice
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp salt
Mix in small bowl. Preheat broiler. Spread corn mixture in a shallow baking pan. Broil corn mixture 4 to 6 inches from heat for about 5 minutes until lightly charred and tender; set aside.

2 very ripe small avocados, halved, seeded, and peeled
2 TBS lime juice, or lemon juice
2/3 cup finely chopped, seeded tomato (about 2 small)
2 TBS finely chopped red onion and/or green onion (I just used green)
1 fresh jalapeno chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 TBS snipped fresh cilantro
1/4 tsp kosher salt or sea salt or 1/8 tsp table salt
Few dashes of Tabasco

Place one avocado in a medium bowl. Using a fork, mash the avocado with lime juice, mixture will be lumpy. Chop remaining avocado. Stir chopped avocado, corn mixture, tomatoes, onions, jalapeno, cilantro, salt and Tabasco into mashed avocado, stirring until well mixed. Serve immediately or cover well and refrigerate for up to 4 hours. Makes about 2 cups.

* Ummm, this was SUPER yummy! Seriously, it was. We just had plain old tacos and this really added some great flavor. Took a bit of time to prepare, but soooo worth it. I didn't have a jalapeno and it still tasted great!

*And an update on the Chicken Tostada recipe, I have started added a little bit of chipotle flavoring to it to spice it up a bit. Makes it sooo much better.

Chicken Tostadas

I am giving up on taking pictures! It just doesn't look good on my glass plates.

Chicken Tostadas
*courtesy of my Better Homes and Gardens Ultimate Slow Cooking

2 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped
8 cloves of garlic, minced
3 Tablespoons chili powder
3 Tablespoons lime juice
1/4 tsp bottled hot sauce
1 medium onion, sliced and separated into rings
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs

-Place chicken and onions in slow cooker. (I used my smaller one and greased it.) Combine jalapeno peppers, garlic, chili powder, lime juice, and hot sauce and pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours, high 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
-Remove chicken and onions from slow cooker, reserving 1/2 cup of cooking juices. Using two forks, shred chicken. In medium bowl, combine chicken, onion and reserved juice. (I didn't have that much juice left so I just shredded it in the crock pot and turned it to warm until Dall got home.)

1 can fat-free refried beans (I warmed mine first)
Tostada shells (I used the crunchy stand and stuff taco shells)
Shredded cheese
Lettuce
Salsa
Sour Cream
Olives

-Spread beans on shell, top with hot chicken mixture and cheese, and then layer ingredients however you want!

*Don't skimp on the spices! I only used 1 jalapeno and dumped in a bunch of chili powder and garlic and while it still had good flavor, but it was pretty mild. Next time, I will do it all! I have started adding some chipotle spice to add more flavor. You could use the powder or about 1 TBS chopped of the chipotle in adobo sauce.
*Tonight we are having leftovers and I am making your yummy rice to go with it!

Mexican Rice

Another success from Food Network Mag.
This was SOO good! Sadly I am pictureless again.. Oh well. You have to try this! Its so easy and so good. I half the recipe and its perfect for us.

*Ingredients
2 c. long grain white rice (I admit... I use minute rice and it works just great)
3 T vegitable oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 white onion, chopped
4 plum tomatoes (although I could only find cherry tomatoes so I used quite a few of them)
1 jalepeno pepper, halved (or a more mild pepper if you dont want the heat)

*Directions
- Soak rice in a bowl of hot water, about 5 minutes, drain, rince, and shake dry (omit this step if you use minte rice!)
- Heat the vegi oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add the rice and toast, stirring for 8-10 min.
Meanwhile puree the garlic, onion, and tomatoes in a blender (it doesnt say to but I also add the jalepeno in this step, it seemed to give it more flavor). Add to rice mixture and cook until absorbed, about 3 minutes. Add 3 1/2 c. water, the jalepeno (if you didnt add it to the puree mixture), and a pinch of salt (I added more... it needed it!). Cover and cook until rice is tender, about 10 min.
- Remove from heat, uncover and place a towell over the rice then recover. Let stand 15 min. (I didnt do this step once and it turned out fine. I think its just to make it more sticky)
-Fluff rice with a fork.

Restaurant Style Salsa

Courtesy of Pioneer Woman

• 1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes With Juice
• 2 cans (10 Ounce) Rotel (diced Tomatoes And Green Chilies)
• ¼ cups Chopped Onion
• 1 clove Garlic, Minced
• 1 whole Jalapeno, Quartered And Sliced Thin
• ¼ teaspoons Sugar
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• ¼ teaspoons Ground Cumin
• ½ cups Cilantro (more To Taste!)
• ½ whole Lime Juice

Preparation Instructions

Combine whole tomatoes, Rotel, onion, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you’d like—I do about 10 to 15 pulses. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.

Refrigerate salsa for at least an hour. Serve with tortilla chips or cheese nachos.

*I half it, cause it makes a lot for just 2 people. Instead of using stewed tomatoes, I've just been using a can of diced tomatoes. I've made it this way quite a few times, but lately I kinda made up my own just due to having a very empty pantry and fridge!

1 can of Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
1 can Rotel
Cilantro to taste (I use a TON!)
Dashes of Sugar, Lime juice, Onion Powder, Garlic Salt to taste
Small sprinkling of cumin

Pulse together in food processor. Done! My mouth is watering, I think I'll go make some right now....

Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 cans (10 oz each) Ro*Tel® Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, undrained 2 cans (14 oz each) chicken broth 1 can (16 oz each) Rosarita® No Fat Traditional Refried Beans 1/2 cup drained canned whole kernel corn 2 cups shredded cooked chicken Tortilla chips, broken, optional Shredded Monterey Jack cheese, optional

Directions

Combine undrained tomatoes and broth in medium saucepan. Stir in beans and corn; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add chicken; heat through. Serve topped with tortilla strips and cheese, if desired.

Nutrition Facts

Amount per Serving

Calories

184

*This was really good! I had the leftovers for lunch today and I think it tasted even better! I honestly didn't think Dallas would like it, but he said it was a keeper! The Rotel makes it a little spicy so you could add a dollop of sour cream I suppose. And I halved it and got 4 servings out of it.

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Burritos

Pictureless again!

3-4 pound boneless pork loin roast
1 1/2 cups Coke or Dr. Pepper
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 cup taco sauce (I use medium)
Place pork in crockpot and add just a little bit of water. Cook on low for 6 hours. Remove pork to cutting board. Drain water and clean out any fat in crockpot. Mix Coke, brown sugar and taco sauce in crockpot. Shred pork, add to sauce, cook on low for another 2 hours. *If my roast is more on the 4 pound side, I do 2 cups sugar and coke and an extra squeeze of taco sauce.

Green Sauce
1 small can diced green chilies
1 TBS sugar
1 small can of green enchilada sauce
Puree chilies with sugar. In small pot, combine with enchilada sauce. Heat through.

Easy Pico de Gallo
Chopped tomatoes
Chopped green onions
Chopped cilantro
Splash of lime juice
Sprinkle of salt
This all depends on personal taste. I go easy on the onions and heavy on the cilantro.

1 box of Zatarains Black Beans and Rice, cooked according to directions on back.

You have to use the uncooked tortillas from Costco for this, they are the best! Spread some beans and rice on tortilla, drizzle with green sauce, add some pork, sprinkle on a little bit of cheese, roll up, pour on more green sauce and top with fresh pico.

All of the other copy cat Cafe Rio recipes I found called for making all the burritos, then baking them, but I didn't see a point in doing that. This makes a ton. We eat leftovers for like 3 days. Yum!

*Update* The last time I made this, I froze half of it. I pulled it out of the freezer, it had been like 2 months, thawed it in the fridge and then just let it simmer on the stove for a little while. I did add an extra squeeze of taco sauce and a tablespoon of brown sugar and it still tasted yummy!

Chicken Fajitas

You may have seen this one over on My Kitchen Cafe. I made them for dinner last night and they were so yummy!!

Marinade:
¼ cup fresh lime juice (about 3-4 limes)
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons apple cider or red wine vinegar
2 easpoons soy sauce
½ teaspoons chili powder
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon liquid smoke
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder

Fajitas:
1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts (about 3 large chicken breasts)
1 yellow onion, cut into thin strips
1 green pepper, cut into thin strips
1 red (or orange) pepper, cut into thin strips
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, quartered
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons water
½ teaspoon fresh lime juice (a quick squeeze of a cut lime)
dash of salt and pepper

Combine all marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Place chicken in a ziploc bag and pour the marinade ingredients over the top. Seal the bag and place in the refrigerator and let marinate for 2-3 hours.

After marinading, take chicken out of the bag and discard the marinade. Grill or broil the chicken 4-5 minutes per side (I use my indoor grill pan usually). Remove from pan and tent with foil to keep warm.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat and add the onion, mushrooms and peppers. Stir fry until softened but still crisp tender. Add soy sauce, water, lime juice and salt and pepper. Cook another 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Slice chicken thinly on the diagonal and toss with the vegetables in the skillet. Serve immediately with flour tortillas and top with tomatoes, lettuce, guacamole, cheese, sour cream...the options are endless!

*So I was short on time and my chicken was frozen, so I sliced it into really thin strips and marinaded it for about an hour, hour and a half. I cooked the chicken first in the skillet and there was enough juice and marinade that dripped in from when I put the chicken in, so I skipped the last step of adding more lime juice and soy sauce. Yummy!!!

Southwestern Chicken

Crockpot Southwestern Chicken courtesy of Sisters Cafe
1 small bag frozen corn
1 can black beans
2 large frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used 6 chicken tenders cause I was using my smaller crock pot and they fit better)
1 16-oz jar medium salsa, such as Pace medium picante sauce
shredded cheddar cheese
tortilla chips
sour cream
chopped cilantro
diced avocado
Pour bag of frozen corn in bottom of crockpot. Place frozen chicken breasts on top of corn and cover with rinsed and drained black beans and jar of medium salsa. Cook on high for 1 hour, and then on low for 4 hours. Shred chicken with forks. Serve with tortilla chips and add toppings to individual servings.
Her notes - **It is very important that you use MEDIUM salsa in this. Mild simply isn't flavorful enough. Be sure to serve with tortilla chips, and not tortillas. The salty crunchy chips make this so good!
My notes - I am not a big fan of regular salsa, like Pace. I did use it and it turned out good, but next time I think I will use my favorite one, a roasted red salsa. This was really good! We ate it like a taco salad. So easy to put together! I shredded the chicken and then let it sit another 30 mins before we ate.

Imitation Cafe Rio!

This tastes super close to the real thing... Mmmm yup I'm craving it right now!

**Cafe Rio Dressing
1 Hidden valley buttermilk ranch dressing packet (make per recipe--so buy the buttermilk and mayo also)
1 Bottle of Green Salsa Verde Salsa
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 clove minced garlic
juice of 1 lime
Use a food processor to blend all ingredients

**Cafe Rio Chicken
1 small bottle Kraft Italian dressing
1 T. Chili powder
1 T. Cumin
3 cloves minced garlic
5 lbs chicken breasts
Cook all together in a crock pot for 4 hours, shred meat and cook 1 additional hour.

**Cafe Rio Pork
Cook 2 1/2-3 lbs of pork roast in a crock pot seasoned with
1/8 tsp garlic salt
1/8 tsp of pepper
Add about 1/3 C sprite.
Cook on high for 4 hours
Drain off water and shred
Add 1 Small can of diced chilies and 1/2-1 C brown sugar
Allow to cook 15 min. longer.

**Cafe Rio Rice
6 C. water
1 small can green chilies -or equivalent fresh
4 tsp. chicken bouillon
4 tsp minced garlic
1/2 bunch cilantro
3/4 tsp salt
1 T. butter
1/2 onion
3 C. rice
Blend cilantro, green chilies, and onion together in food processor. Bring water to a boil and add all ingrediants, simmer covered for 30 minutes.

Heat flour tortillas and layer on lettuce, the rice, your meat of choice, and any of the following: sliced avacados, black beans, tomatoes, cheese - Then top with the cilantro dressing.

You will LOVE it!