Chicken Crack Pasta

Many food bloggers are sharing recipes of Crack Chicken Dips, Sliders and Buffalo style dips. I decided to make it more of a meal. I served it with pasta. In this case, spaghetti! You can make this in an instant pot in 8 minutes or a slow cooker on high for 4 hours. 

2 chicken breasts pounded thin
1 cup chicken broth
1 8 oz package cream cheese
1 package dry ranch seasoning, or 3T mix
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

3-6 drops of hot sauce (I used 4 drops of Texas Pete)*
2-4 servings of spaghetti noodles

Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt pepper and garlic.
Add chicken breasts to an instant Pot.** In a glass bowl, microwave cream cheese for 1 minute to soften, then stir in ranch seasoning and chicken broth. Pour over chicken in the Instant Pot.

Place the lid on the instant pot, and press the pressure cook button. Select the high setting, then set to cook for 8 minutes. 

While the chicken is cooking, boil spaghetti noodles or your favorite pasta until done. 

When the chicken has finished cooking and pressure is released, open lid when safe to do so. Shred chicken inside pot with two forks.

Add pasta, hot sauce and cheese to chicken, and stir.

Garnish with scallions and crumbled bacon if desired.

* Taste the sauce after adding a little hot sauce, and adjust by adding more until you get the desired kick. 

** If you don't have an instant pot, you can use a crock pot/slow cooker. Cook on high for about 4 hours. 

Sausage and Spinach Pasta Bake

Pasta, Green Beans, BLT salad and Garlic bread!

1 (12 ounce) package pasta*
1 pound ground sausage, cooked and drained
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
2 eggs
1/4 cup olive oil

5 cups tomato and roasted garlic pasta sauce
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain. Place the cooked pasta in a medium bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and oil. Toss the pasta with the cooked spinach, egg mixture, and sausage.

Cover the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish with 1/3 of the pasta sauce. Pour half of the pasta mixture into the baking dish, and cover with another 1/3 of the pasta sauce. Sprinkle with half of the Cheddar cheese and half of the mozzarella. Layer with remaining pasta mixture, and top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with the rest of the Cheddar and mozzarella cheeses.

Bake 45 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly browned.

*I used spaghetti pasta.

Chicken and Pasta with Roasted Tomato, Onion and Garlic

I was looking for a casserole recipe using chicken and pasta. After looking through dozens of recipes and searching my freezer and pantry, this is what I came up with last week. It is very simple and the roasted vegetables add the perfect smokey flavor.

1/2 to 1 pound pasta, spaghetti or linguine
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved lengthwise
4 cloves garlic, left whole
1 yellow onion, sliced thick
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
4 cups Colby Jack cheese, shredded
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne*
Salt and black pepper, to taste
4 cups shredded cooked chicken


Lightly grease a casserole dish, and line a baking sheet with foil.

Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of salted water. Drain and transfer to casserole.

Place the tomatoes, skin side up on the baking sheet, along with the whole garlic cloves and onion. Broil, for about 10 to 15 minutes, until the tomatoes, garlic, and onion are softened and have begun to blacken. Remove from the oven, cool and, dice. Turn the oven to 350 degrees.

In a saucepan, melt the butter and whisk in the flour until well combined and slightly browned. Slowly pour in the milk and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens just a bit. Once the sauce thickens, turn off the heat and slowly stir in 2 cups of cheese, a little at a time, until melted. Stir in the chicken broth until the sauce is the consistency of gravy. Stir in the diced vegetables, along with the cumin, and cayenne. Taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking. Add salt and black pepper to taste, and stir in the shredded cooked chicken. Pour the sauce into the cooked spaghetti. Cover with the remaining cheeses.

Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Serve with Garlic Bread and a side salad for a nice complete meal.

*For an added kick add a couple of jalapeno peppers halved and added to the roasting vegetables.

Chicken Parmesan

This recipe is as old as the hills. Some people will scoff at using mayonnaise, but it really helps to keep the chicken moist and tender. This is also a recipe that I think you have to be willing to get a little messy in the kitchen. I've never been able to do the "wet hand, dry hand" method of breading chicken, and believe me, when you've worked in a kitchen frying chicken by the 5 gallon bucket loads... you'll try every method available... So get in there and get your hands dirty! I like to prepare the chicken for the Chicken Parmesan this way, so it stays nice and juicy. 

4 chicken breasts
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking pan or large casserole dish with oil. In a flat dish, combine bread crumbs, cheese and seasonings. Place mayo on a plate. Coat the breasts with mayonnaise (I actually used my fingers), and then roll in the bread crumb mixture. Bake chicken for 25 minutes or until no longer pink inside.

To assemble and prepare the Parmesan you'll need:

Spaghetti Noodles

32 oz Spaghetti Sauce, make your own or use your favorite store brand
½ t Basil, dried
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and Pepper to taste
3 cups Mozzarella Cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, shredded

Cook spaghetti noodles in boiling salted water until done and put in a greased casserole dish. Combined sauce and spices and pour over noodles. Remove chicken from oven and place on top of the noodles and sauce. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top of chicken then top with the Parmesan Cheese. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes. Serve with a Caesar or Garden Salad and Garlic Bread.

Chicken Parmesan... a little healthier version

This is my "healthy" version of Chicken Parmesan. I baked the chicken instead of breading and frying.

4 Chicken Breasts, boneless, skinless
2 T Butter, melted 
32 oz Spaghetti Sauce, make your own or use your favorite store brand
½ t Basil, dried
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and Pepper to taste
3 cups Mozzarella Cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, shredded

Toss the chicken breasts in butter and sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until no longer pink and juices run clear. Remove from oven and Layer in casserole dish. Sprinkle 1 cup of cheese on top of chicken then add sauce. Top with remaining mozzarella and sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Serve over noodles with tossed salad and garlic bread.

Spaghetti Pie

I've had a lot of people asking for the recipe for this one, so here goes...

 Filling:
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
1 cup Mozzarella Cheese
1 lb Spaghetti Noodles, cooked and cooled

Mix eggs, sour cream and cheeses well. Toss in noodles. Place in a greased 13X9 casserole dish.

Sauce:
1 1/2 lbs Ground Chuck, seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder, browned and drained
1 - 24oz can Spaghetti Sauce, your choice
1 - 12oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 tsp basil
1/4 tsp oregano
salt, pepper and garlic powder, to taste

Combine the above ingredients and simmer 15 or 20 minutes. Cool and top the noodle mixture with the sauce.

Top with an additional 1 1/2 cups Mozzarella Cheese

and 1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes

or until golden brown and bubbly.

Slice and serve... maybe with a salad and some toasty garlic bread!