Chicken Mole

2 Tbsp vegetable oil
4 lbs chicken parts (I like to use boneless and skinless thighs and then cut each one into three or four pieces)
1 small onion, peeled & chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled & finely chopped
3 cups salsa
1 cup chicken broth
3 Tbsp chili powder
2 to 3 Tbsp creamy peanut butter
2 Tbsp cocoa

Heat oil in large skillet over med-high heat. Add chicken; cook, turning occasionally, for 4 to 6 minutes or until browned on all sides. Remove from skillet. Add onion and garlic to the skillet; cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes or until onion is tender.

Stir in salsa, broth, chili powder, peanut butter and cocoa. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Place chicken in sauce; cook uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes or until chicken is completely cooked through.

Serve over cooked rice.

The longer you can let it simmer, the more the flavors marry and the better the dish tastes.

Chicken Enchiladas

Got home from church hungry! Opened the freezer and saw that we had chicken thighs and tortillas in there. I knew we had cheddar and pepper jack cheese and instantly decided to make chicken enchiladas.

These are so easy to make, I semi-defrosted the chicken and cubed it up pretty small and browned it. I then actually shredded about half of the meat in the Cuisinart after it was cooked . I just really like the texture of the shredded chicken when I'm eating an enchilada. I put it back in the pan, added some chopped onion and garlic and cooked that up together for a few minutes then added my go to taco seasoning from Costco and let it all simmer together while I got the pan, the sauce and the cheese ready.

I sprayed a 9x13 pan lightly with vegetable oil and grated up a little bit of pepper jack cheese and lots of cheddar. Of course, you can change the amounts based on your own taste.

I did not have a can of enchilada sauce in the basement so I Googled it and found an interesting idea on AllRecipes.com. One of their recipes suggested using a combination of salsa and cream cheese. Amazingly I had both of those items in my fridge so I dumped a little more than 1 cup into a saucepan and added about 4 oz of cream cheese, roughly cubed into six pieces. I set that on the stove over low heat and just let the cream cheese melt into the salsa. I whisked it all together and then spooned it on top of the tortillas before adding the cheeses and chicken. We discovered, since I'd made more than needed, that this is actually quite yummy as a dip for tortilla chips.

I rolled up the tortillas over the filling, placed them seam side down in the pan, spread a little more sauce over each enchilada, sprinkled them liberally with cheese and then as a nice finale, diced up a fresh tomato from the garden and added that to the top. They baked at 350 degrees for not quite 20 minutes and then we devoured them. Simple, inexpensive and Yummy!

Chicken Noodle Soup

I used fresh celery (chopped) and garlic (minced), sauteed in butter (okay, not healthy, but I didn't use much and I refuse to believe that FAKE butter is better for anyone).

Then I added equal amounts of chicken broth & water and dumped in a couple handfuls of dried carrots and some dried onions (YEAH, I used my food storage!). Then I added a shake of peppercorns (just don't bite into one - SPICY!) and a couple of shakes of Italian Seasoning. I brought this to a light boil and then let it simmer for half an hour.

Then I cut up two chicken breasts into bite-size pieces, turned up the heat to medium and added the chicken to the broth. After the chicken had cooked for 15 minutes I turned up the heat to medium high and once the soup was boiling again I dumped in a couple of handfuls of egg noodles, letting them cook until tender. Then I served it up in my pretty soup bowls and enjoyed!

Oh. My. Goodness! You should make this.