We eat a lot of chicken in this house. I’m constantly pinning new chicken recipes to get some cooking inspiration, as well as going back to my tried and true dishes. It’s been a while since I’ve share a recipe, so I thought I’d write up two – yes, TWO – chicken dinner ideas for you. I hope you’re hungry!
The first one came to me through the Urban Accents Brine & Bake Kits. I’ve been using their grill seasonings and rubs since trying them last year. I was so excited when they sent me the new brine and bake kits. These are so delicious! The kit includes an overnight brine blend to lock in the juice, a rub for added flavor, and a savory coating for a mouthwatering crunch. (This is NOT sponsored, by the way.)
I first tried the Tuscan Garlic & Herb Chick’n Brine & Bake mix. That’s the chicken tenders using the kit. Look at that deliciousness! Both Bryan and Sophie LOVED them!
I also tried the Nashville Hot & Spicy, which includes Habanero Hot & Spicy Brine Blend, Peri Peri Chili Spice Blend, and the crispy crust mixture. This one definitely has a kick to it. You can also buy the brine packets alone if you’re not interested in the crunch (but I recommend the crunch).
El Diablo Chicken
Speaking of heat, let me tell you about my to other chicken recipe: El Diablo Chicken.
This one has a story behind it: After Sophie was born, our friends, Paul and Polly, were so thoughtful and brought us a delicious dinner, which included Paul’s El Dorado Chicken and Cheese Casserole. The comfort of this creamy chicken casserole was so good and the perfect food for two sleep-deprived parents with a newborn.
For the longest time, I forgot the name was El Dorado and I continued to call it El Diablo. Paul was kind enough to share the recipe with me, which I’ve adapted a bit and will now share with you.
This is the easiest casserole to make and people love it. I’ve continued the tradition Paul and Polly started and make this for many families that welcome new babies.
El Diablo Chicken
- 1 lb. of chicken breasts (I use one package; it’s usually a little more than 1 lb.)
- 1 small onion, minced
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 1 can diced green chiles (mild)
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 cups jack cheese (I use pepper jack to give it some added heat)
- Several cups of crushed tortilla chips
Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Spray a 13″ x 9″ baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Cook the chicken however you feel comfortable in order to get it to a diced or shredded texture. You can boil or bake the chicken, and then dice. Or cook it in the slow cooker all day (I tend to do the slow cooker to save time when cooking). Add the diced onion to the chicken when cooking. When they’re both cooked through, transfer to a mixing bowl.
Add to the cooked chicken: cream of chicken soup, sour cream, green chiles and 1 cup of jack cheese. Mix together.
On the bottom of the baking dish, sprinkle half of the crushed tortilla chips to form one layer. Then spread the chicken mixture over the layer of chips. Top with the remaining cup of cheese and the remaining half of the tortilla chips.
Bake for 30 – 45 minutes. It’s best eaten after you bake it since the chips will be crunchy.
If you want to gift this to a friend who needs a meal, cover it in foil, hold off baking and send along an instruction label for the cooking temperature and time. In the words of Annelle, this meal “freezes beautifully.”
TORTILLA CHIP TIP: You know when you get to the bottom of the bag of tortilla chips and all that’s left are crushed chips not suitable for dipping in salsa? When that happens, I dump all those into a large Ziploc bag and freeze them. I continue adding to that bag so that when I’m ready to make El Diablo chicken, my chips are all ready! It beats having to crush up chips every time.
Do you have a favorite chicken recipe you want to share? I’m always looking for inspiration!
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