Chicken Torellini Soup

2 carrots
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
3 cans cream of chicken soup
6 c. water
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
1 pkg. boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 bag cheese tortellini
2 boxes frozen broccoli

Cook chicken in small amount of oil. While meat cooks, chop vegetables and open cans. Add all of the above ingredients to large kettle except for the tortellini and frozen broccoli. These 2 ingredients you add the last 10 minutes or so before serving so that they are not over cooked. Simmer the other ingredients for an hour or however long you like. Soup tastes great with freshly grated Italian cheese and a loaf of Italian or French bread.

Hot-n-Spicy Chicken Wings

5 lbs. bag chicken wings (drumettes)
12 fl. oz. Louisiana Pre Crystal Hot Sauce
1-2 sticks butter

Fry chicken wings until golden brown and drain on paper towel. Mix hot sauce and melted butter and pour into deep pan or crock pot. Add chicken wings to sauce and heat thoroughly.

CROCKPOT CHICKEN/SAUSAGE CASSOULET

1 package Frozen lima beans
1 cup Tomato juice
1 Carrot — 1/2 inch pcs
1 Stalk celery — 1/2″pcs
1 Onion — chopped
1 Clove garlic — minced
1 Bay leaf
1 teaspoon Chicken bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon Dried basil — crushed
1/2 teaspoon Dried oregano — crushed
3 Boneless chicken breasts
3 Chicken drumsticks
8 ounces Smoked kielbasa

Place carrots, limas, celery and onions on bottom of crockpot which has been sprayed
with Pam. Combine herbs, juice and bouillon and add to vegetables. Place chicken on top of vegetables. Cut sausage into pieces. Put chicken and sausage on top of vegs Cover crockpot and cook on Low heat for 10 hours or on high for 5 hours. Remove bay
leaf before serving.

CASHEW CHICKEN

3 Chicken breasts (boned & skinned)
1/4 c Soy Sauce
1/2 lb Chinese pea pods
2 tbsp Corn starch
1/2 lb Mushrooms
1/2 tsp Sugar
4 Green onions
1/2 tsp Salt
2 c Bamboo shoots, drained
4 tbsp Salad oil
1 c Chicken broth or bouillon cube dissolved in water
1 pak Cashew nuts (about 4-oz)

Slice breasts horizontally into very thin slices and cut into inch
squares. Place on tray.

Prepare Vegetables, removing ends and strings from pea pods, slicing
mushrooms, green part of onions, and the bamboo shoots. Add to
tray.

Mix soy Sauce, cornstarch, Sugar, and salt. Heat 1 tbsp of
oil in skillet over moderate heat, add all the nuts, and cook 1 min
shaking the pan, toasting the nuts lightly. Remove and reserve.

Pour remaining oil in pan, fry chicken quickly, turning often until it
looks opaque. Lower heat to low. Add pea pods, mushrooms, and
broth. Cover and cook slowly for 2 mins. Remove cover, add soy
Saucemixture, bamboo shoots, and cook until thickened, stirring
constantly. Simmer uncovered a bit more and add green onions and
nuts and serve immediately. Serves 4

CROCKPOT CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP  - NEW ORLEANS STYLE

1 lg Whole fryer
1/2 c Diced celery
4 ea Cloves minced garlic
3 ea Bay leaves
4 ea Qts water
2 tb Butter
1 c Sliced mushrooms
1/4 c Cream sherry
Green onions for garnish
1 c Diced onions
1/2 c Minced parsley
1 c Chopped carrots
1 ts Poultry seasoning
12 oz Broad egg noodles
1 c Sliced onion rings
1 c Diced carrots
Salt and pepper to taste

First, take the chicken and wash it thoroughly. Remove the giblets, scrub out the internal cavity under cold running water. (But DO NOT remove the chicken skin or any of the fat! You need the skin to make a rich stock.) Next, take a crock pot and place the chicken and giblets into it. Then drop in the diced onions, the ½ cup of chopped carrots and bay leaves, poultry seasoning and *2* quarts of water. Then, with a spoon, evenly distribute the seasoning mixture around the chicken, turn the crock pot to high, and cook for at least six hours (or overnight). Remember, the longer you cook, the richer the base stock and the more tender the chicken. Cook noodles, but make sure they are firm.

After the noodles are cooked, butter them slightly and set them aside. When the chicken is tender, take a set of tongs or a strainer spoon, remove it from the crock pot and set it on a platter to cool. Strain out all the seasoning vegetables from the stock, place the stock into a metal bowl, and place the bowl into the refrigerator or freezer until the chicken fat congeals (which should take about 1 hour). Meanwhile, pick the chicken off the bones and, with a sharp knife, chop it into bite-sized pieces. Then, in a heavy 12- inch skillet, melt the butter and saute the sliced onions, mushrooms, and carrots until they’re tender. Then drop in the chopped chicken meat. And over medium-low heat, cook it into the vegetables for about 10 minutes. While the chicken and vegetables are sauteing, remove the chicken stock from the refrigerator, skim off all the fat, and place the skimmed stock into a soup pot, along with the remaining 2 quarts of water. Season the soup stock to taste with salt and pepper. Now drop in the sauteed chicken, mushrooms, onion rings and diced carrots - along with the sherry, the Tabasco, and as soon as it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer the soup about 30 minutes to allow all the flavors to thoroughly blend.

Southwest Chicken Barbecue

1 cup ketchup
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, if available
1/4 cup strong black coffee
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 to 2 tablespoons pure ground hot chilies
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar, packed
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
3 to 4 pounds chicken, cut into serving pieces

1. To prepare the sauce: in a 2-quart saucepan combine all the
ingredients and all the sauce to simmer, uncovered over medium
heat for 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside until you are ready to
barbecue.

2. To barbecue the chicken: when the fire is ready, position the
rack 5 inches above the heat source.

3. Place the chicken pieces on the hot rack, skin side down. When
seared, turn and grill the pieces bone side down, until light
golden.

4. Remove the chicken from the grill and cover the grill with a layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Puncture the foil to make plenty of ventilation holes.

5. Place the chicken on the foil, skin side down, and generously
spoon on the barbecue sauce. Grill until the sauce is set. Then
turn the pieces over, sauce the skin side and grill bone side
down.

6. Continue saucing and turning until all the pieces are done, about
50 to 60 minutes. To test to doneness, insert the tip of a sharp
knife into the largest piece of chicken breast. If the juices run
clear, it’s done

HIDDEN VALLEY CHICKEN DRUMMIES
20 chicken drummies
Good 1/4 c. butter, melted
1 tbsp. hot pepper sauce
2 tbsp. vinegar
2 pkgs. Hidden Valley dressing mix
Paprika
Celery sticks

Dip chicken in mixture of melted butter, pepper sauce and vinegar. Put in baking pan.
Sprinkle with 1 package dry dressing mix. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees or until
browned. Sprinkle with paprika. Serve with celery sticks and prepared Hidden Valley
dressing mix as dip.

GOLDEN CHICKEN NUGGETS

4 whole chicken breasts, skinned & deboned
1/2 c. unseasoned fine bread crumbs
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. thyme (or 1/4 tsp. powdered thyme)
1 tsp. basil
1/2 c. butter, melted

Cut chicken into bite-size pieces. Mix dry ingredients. Dip chicken into butter, then into
crumb mixture. Bake on foil-lined cookie sheet at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Serves
8 to 10.

APRICOT CHICKEN WINGS
1 pkg. Lipton onion soup
1 jar apricot preserves
1 bottle of clear Russian dressing
2 lbs. chicken wings

Bake chicken wings in oven at 350 degrees until tender (1 hour). Mix together soup
mix, preserves and Russian dressing. Pour mixture over chicken wings, coating each
piece and serve.

CRISPY CASHEW CHICKEN (MADE IN WOK)
2 egg whites
1 1/4 c. finely chopped cashew nuts
2 whole chicken breasts, skinned, boned and thinly sliced
2 c. peanut or vegetable oil
1/4 c. cornstarch
1 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tbsp. dry sherry

In small bowl, combine cornstarch, salt, sugar and sherry. In separate bowl, beat egg
white lightly until just frothy. Gradually add cornstarch mixture. Stir gently until blended.
Place chopped cashews on plate. Dip chicken slices into egg mixture, then coat with
cashews. Place on waxed paper. Pour oil into wok, place tempura rack onto wok,
making sure rack is level and hooks rest securely on edge of wok. Heat oil over
medium to medium-high heat until it reaches 375 degrees. Drop 5 or 6 slices of chicken
carefully into hot oil, using a slotted spoon. Fry until golden brown, about 2 to 3
minutes. Remove from oil and place on tempura rack to drain and keep warm.
Continue frying remaining chicken pieces.