Cooking with Tammy: Is your chicken tired?

Chicken is a super healthy protein, but are there days you feel like you have eaten so much chicken you may just start clucking?  Don’t give up on cooking chicken just change it up a bit.  Here are some healthy ways to make your chicken dinners interesting.  Here are some great easy and “lightened” up recipes for you to try!!  Enjoy!! 

Three-Cheese Chicken Penne Florentine

1 teaspoon olive oil

Cooking spray

3 cups thinly sliced mushrooms

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped red bell pepper

3 cups chopped fresh spinach

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 (16-ounce) carton 2% low-fat cottage cheese

4 cups hot cooked penne (about 8 ounces uncooked tube-shaped pasta)

2 cups shredded roasted skinless, boneless chicken breast

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese, divided

1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided

1/2 cup 2% reduced-fat milk

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed reduced-fat, reduced-sodium cream of chicken soup, undiluted  

Preheat oven to 425°.

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, and bell pepper; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add spinach, oregano, and black pepper; sauté 3 minutes or just until spinach wilts. 

Place cottage cheese in a food processor; process until very smooth. Combine spinach mixture, cottage cheese, pasta, chicken, 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, milk, and soup in a large bowl. Spoon mixture into a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheddar cheese and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake at 425° for 25 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly.

Roast Chicken Chimichangas

2 1/2 cups shredded roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled queso fresco cheese

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1 garlic clove, minced

1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained

1 (16-ounce) can fat-free refried beans

6 (8-inch) flour tortillas

Cooking spray

1/2 cup bottled green salsa

Preheat oven to 500°.

Combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl; toss well.

Spread 1/4 cup beans down center of each tortilla. Top each tortilla with 2/3 cup chicken mixture; roll up. Place rolls, seam sides down, on a large baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Coat tops of chimichangas with cooking spray. Bake at 500° for 7 minutes. Serve with salsa.

Chicken Potpie

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cups diced red potato (about 1 pound)

2 cups diced onion

2 cups sliced mushrooms (about 8 ounces)

1 cup diced celery

1 cup diced carrot

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

6 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 cups fat-free milk

1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast (about 12 ounces)

1 cup frozen green peas

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

6 (14 x 9-inch) sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed

Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375°.

Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add oil. Add potatoes and next 6 ingredients (through thyme), and sauté for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low; sprinkle flour over vegetables. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in milk and broth. Increase heat to medium-high; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until thickened. Add chicken, peas, salt, and pepper. 

Spoon mixture into a 3-quart baking dish. Place 1 phyllo sheet on a large cutting board or work surface (cover remaining dough to keep from drying); lightly spray with cooking spray. Repeat layers with cooking spray and remaining phyllo. Place phyllo layers loosely on top of mixture in dish. Place dish on a baking sheet. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until top is golden.

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

2 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast

2 cups (8 ounces) pre-shredded reduced-fat 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese

1 2/3 cups plain low-fat yogurt

1/3 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed reduced-fat, reduced-sodium cream of chicken soup (such as Healthy Request), undiluted

1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained

8 (8-inch) flour tortillas

1 tablespoon canola oil

Cooking spray

1/2 cup (2 ounces) finely shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 cup chopped green onions

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine first 9 ingredients in a large bowl. Remove 1 cup chicken mixture; set mixture aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working with 1 tortilla at a time, brush oil over both sides of tortilla. Add tortilla to pan; cook 5 seconds on each side or until toasted and soft. Remove from pan; arrange 1/2 cup chicken mixture down center of tortilla. Roll jelly-roll style; place filled tortilla, seam side down, in a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Repeat procedure with remaining 7 tortillas, remaining oil, and remaining chicken mixture. Spread reserved 1 cup chicken mixture evenly over enchiladas. Cover and bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle evenly with cheddar cheese and green onions; bake an additional 5 minutes or until cheese melts.

Feta, Herb, and Sun-Dried Tomato-Stuffed Chicken

2 cups water

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil

1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil

1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind

1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

2 teaspoons thinly sliced fresh basil (optional)

Preheat oven to 425°.

Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a small saucepan; add tomatoes. Remove from heat; cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Drain and slice into thin strips. Combine tomatoes, cheese, 2 teaspoons chopped basil, oregano, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl.

Place chicken breast halves between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and pound each piece to an even thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Cut a horizontal slit through one side of each chicken breast half to form a deep pocket. Stuff 1/4 cup tomato mixture into each pocket. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper. 

Fold 4 (16 x 12-inch) sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil in half crosswise. Open foil; place 1 1/2 teaspoons butter on half of each foil sheet. Lay one stuffed chicken breast half on top of each portion of butter. Place 1/8 teaspoon grated lemon rind on top of each stuffed chicken breast half, and drizzle each serving with 1 tablespoon chicken broth. Fold foil over chicken, and tightly seal edges. Place packets on a baking sheet. Bake packets at 425° for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and let stand for 5 minutes. Unfold packets carefully, and thinly slice each chicken breast half. Garnish each serving with 1/2 teaspoon sliced basil, if desired. Serve immediately.