Taco Chicken Soup

As promised on my Facebook page, the winning category of Rush Hour Recipes would be the topic of a new recipe post!  Slow Cookers to the Rescue won and I've chosen Taco Chicken Soup as the recipe to try.

This recipe was super easy...especially since it cooked all afternoon while I tidied up the house, ran a kiddo to a friend's house, and did school with a few kiddos.  I tweaked it a bit, so I'll post GBP's version and my own.

Taco Chicken Soup  (as appears in Rush Hour Recipes)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
15 - 1/2 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
15 - 1/2 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
16 oz. can fat-free refriend beans
15 - 1/2 oz. diced tomatoes, plain or with green chiles
1 - 1/4 oz. package taco seasoning mix
15 - 1/4 oz. can corn, drained

Place chicken in a slow cooker; add beans and tomatoes with juice.  Sprinkle with taco seasoning; stir to mix in.  Cover and cook on low setting for 6 to 8 hours.  Remove chicken and shred with 2 forks.  Return chicken to slow cooker along with corn.  Cover and cook on low setting an additional 20 to 30 minutes, until warmed through. Serves 4 to 6.  

- - -

Taco Chicken Soup  (my tweaked version)

2 lbs. of cooked chopped chicken
15 - 1/2 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
15 - 1/2 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
16 oz. can fat-free refriend beans
2 quarts canned tomato sauce from our pantry
4 tsp. of my bulk taco mix
8 oz. frozen corn

Place chicken in a slow cooker; add beans and tomatoes sauce.  Sprinkle with taco seasoning; stir to mix in.  Cover and cook on low setting for 3 hours until warmed through. Serves 8-10 (since there's more tomato sauce it will feed more).


Enjoy!

Barbecue Sauce

Last week we butchered a few of our roosters.  I had no clue until a Facebook reader clued me in to the fact that we couldn't cook them until they've rested in the refrigerator for a day or two or the meat will be a bit tough.  (Thank you Mindy!)  I read her comment too late.  The first five roosters were already done in the roaster.  *sigh* So...we have a bit of tough meat on our hands.  I looked up some sauce recipes and came up with my own concoction.  The family enjoyed the sauce.  The chewy chicken meat was another issue.  Most of us found it palatable, but a few (the younger ones) said their jaw hurt.  Oh my!  So...here's the recipe...chewy chicken omitted.  *wink*

 

 

 

Barbecue Sauce

1 1/2 cups ketchup

1/4 cup dijon mustard

1 T. onion powder

1/4 c. lemon juice

2 T. Apple Cider Vinegar

1 T. Worcestershire
1 T. brown sugar
1/2 c. water
2 T. Mrs. Dash Chicken Grilling Blend


Mix all ingredients in a sauce pan over medium-high heat.   Bring to a boil and turn down to low-medium heat for about 10 minutes.  Stirring occasionally.  Pour over cooked chicken, pork or beef in a crock pot and cook on low for 4-6 hours.  Makes enough to pour over about 3 pounds of cooked meat, so you'll want to use a small crock pot.

Weight Loss Wednesday

How are ya'll doing?  I'm not losing much weight but I'm hanging in there and chugging along with our goals.  You can read more about it and catch up on all previous posts HERE.

This week I thought I'd chat a bit about eating healthier.  When we hear the words "eat healthier" we think of salads, and tofu...at least I do.  I thought today I'd share a healthier version of a recipe our family loves.  I switched out a few things and they love it!   Give it a try!

Healthy Parmesan Crusted Chicken

12 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt  (instead of the mayo)
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I'm cheap so I used Kraft from the can -- got it nearly free with sale and coupons!)
4 Roma tomatoes seeded and chopped
1 T Italian herbs
1 T basil
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Crumbs:  (I left out the butter crackers and just sprinkled the following ingredients.)
3 T Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. garlic salt

The goal to cooking the chicken right is to have them the same size. You will want to cut each chicken breast into at least 3 separate equal sized pieces. Cut them on a slant not in three chunks...you want it to look pretty! :)

Place the chicken in 2 -- 9x13 baking dishes. In a bowl combine yogurt, parm. cheese, roma tomatoes, Italian herbs, basil, and cayenne pepper. Spread the mixture over the top of the chicken.

Mix the crumb ingredients and sprinkle over the chicken. Place in a pre-heated 425 degree oven and bake for 25-35 minutes until cooked through.

Creamy Chicken -n- Noodle Casserole Revised

I posted the original recipe HERE, but I've tweaked it over the last year or so to be a bit healthier and budget conscious. 

Creamy Chicken -n- Noodle Casserole

16 oz. egg noodles (cooked)
1 can cream of chicken soup (or use my homemade version HERE, just cut the recipe in half)
3/4 can of milk (I'm into dirtying as few dishes as possible! -- just use the can from the cream of chicken soup to measure...or about 1 cup will do fine)
1/4 c. butter
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 c. shredded colby-jack cheese
1 can of cooked chunk chicken (or 1/2 - 1 lb. cooked, chopped chicken -- depends on your preference)

Cook the egg noodles. Combine the remaining ingredients in a large saucepan.  Stir until the mixture is nice and creamy. Stir in the chicken and combine with the noodles.

Notes: You can put this in a baking dish and add cracker crumbles or crumbled chips as a topping and bake for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees. Or you can skip that step and just add the noodles to the bowl and serve from there. *whisper* That's what I do. They don't care about the fancy-schmancy presentation. But don't tell them there's an option. *wink*

Or...you can make this mid-afternoon and then put it in a crock pot on warm to keep it warm. This is such a versatile dish! Oh so many options!

Also there are no leftovers with this meal. If I make a double batch then there might be a little bit for lunch the next day but the more I make the more they eat. I guess it's a good problem to have, eh?

Creamy Chicken Sandwiches

I told ya'll I'd share the recipe from the other night's Gooseberry Patch Cookbook Preview Party so here goes...

Creamy Chicken Sandwiches

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
10-3/4 oz. can cream of chicken soup
14-1/2 oz. can chicken broth
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper

Put chicken in the bottom of a slow cooker; add soup and broth. Cover and cook on low setting for 8-9 hours, until chicken is tender and mixture is thickened. If too thick, stir in a few crushed saltine crackers to thicken. Shred chicken with a fork and serve on buns. (The recipe says it makes 6 sandwiches but I could easily get 9 or more.)

I made these homemade buns to go with it.

Enjoy!

Grilled Bruschetta Chicken

I found this recipe in a magazine a few years ago.  We love it! Perfect for grilling weather! I've tweaked it to suit our family size.

Grilled Bruschetta Chicken

8 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 2 lbs.) -- I butterfly them or trim them into smaller pieces.

1/2 cup Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing, divided
2 tomatoes, finely chopped

1 cup shredded mozzarella Cheese

2 tsp. dried basil


Heat your grill to medium heat. Cover half of the grill grate with a sheet of heavy-duty foil (don't use the el cheapo...bad things happen!). Place the chicken in a large baggie along with 1/4 cup of the dressing; seal the bag. Massage the bag to evenly coat. Refrigerate it for 10 minutes. Remove the chicken and discard the bag with the dressing. (Icky!) Place the chicken on the uncovered side of the grill and cover with the lid. Grill about 6-8 minutes. While that's cooking combine the remaining dressing (the fresh stuff...not from the bag...eew!), tomatoes, cheese and basil. Turn the chicken over onto the foil. Top with the tomato mixture. Cover (with the lid) and grill 8 more minutes or until the chicken is done.

We serve this with garlic bread, bow tie pasta, some corn on the cob and some steamed or grilled veggies. I warm up a little bit of the dressing (again...the fresh stuff!) if anyone wants to toss it with their pasta. Enjoy!

Huntington Chicken

A friend gave me the In the Kitchen with Mary and Martha: A Cookbook Featuring Oodles of Inspiration, Recipes and Tips (Cookbook Series)
cookbook. We had Huntington Chicken for dinner last night and it was delicious!


Huntington Chicken

4 cups chicken broth
8 tablespoons flour
1/2 pound grate cheese (Colby)
2 cups cooked macaroni
1 (4-5 pound) whole chicken, stewed and deboned
butter crackers crushed (1/2 tube)
salt and pepper to taste

Heat broth. Take 1 cup of broth and blend with the flour to make a paste. Add to pan of broth to create a gravy. Stir in cheese until melted. Add macaroni and chicken. Place in a large baking dish. Cover with cracker crumbs. sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until bubbly and browned.

*Note: you can freeze this casserole without the crumb topping.

Kitchen Tip Tuesday: Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup

I made my Easy Peasy Chops on Sunday, but as I was gathering the ingredients I noticed I was plum out of cream of chicken soup. Didn't I just stock up on that a few months ago? Uh oh! What was I going to do? Then I remember Crystal aka Money Saving Mom had mentioned a homemade recipe a while ago. She linked over to Tammy's page where the recipe is posted. I tweaked it a bit to suit my needs (ie. non-existent poultry seasoning -- oops!). It worked great and we didn't even miss the poultry seasoning! (You can use cream of mushroom soup for the chops, too!)


Cream of Chicken Soup Base
(Makes about 3 cups which would be about 2 cans of soup.)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt (or less; taste to test)
1/4 teaspoon parsley
dash of paprika
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup flour

In medium-sized saucepan, boil chicken broth, 1/2 cup of the milk, and the seasonings for a minute or two. In a large measuring cup (I used my 2 cup) whisk together the remaining 1 cup of milk and flour. Add to boiling mixture and stir until mixture boils and thickens.

Enjoy!

Creamy Chicken and Stuffing

This dish is super easy and great for the crock pot. It's wonderful paired with smashed potatoes. The cream can be used as a thick gravy for the potatoes.

Creamy Chicken and Stuffing

8 boneless, skinless chicken breast (halves)
2 10 3/4 oz. can cream of chicken soup
1 can of milk (use one of the soup cans)
1/4 tsp. onion powder
2 packages Stove Top stuffing mix
3/4 cup water

Place chicken in the crock pot. Combine soup, milk, and onion powder; pour over the chicken. Combine stuffing and water in the same bowl (remember...no use dirtying lots of dishes!). It will seem a little dry but it will moisten up while cooking. Spoon over the chicken. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours.

Enjoy!

*picture from foodandfunfromhome.com

Ranch Cheddar Chicken

I bought a lot of split chicken breasts a few weeks ago that were super cheap and put them in the fridge. I had my husband (aka Hubster, not-the-Hubster...hehe) grill some the other day and to get them thoroughly cooked they had to be...um...charred, let's say. So I'm thinking grilling these puppies is not a great idea. I dug up this recipe that I haven't used in a long time and it's a hit!

Ranch Cheddar Chicken

8 chicken breasts (split with skin removed or boneless)
1 cup ranch dressing
2 T flour
1/2 c. cheddar cheese

Combine ranch, flour, and cheddar cheese and spread on top of the chicken. Bake at 375 degrees covered with aluminum foil for 10 minutes. Remove aluminum foil, bake for 25 minutes. Check for doneness.

Enjoy!

*drawing from kitchentablecomix.com

Caesar Chicken Pizza

A friend of mine shared this recipe with me years ago and our family loves it! She used 2 Pillsbury pizza crusts or you can use my recipe.

This recipe is for one large rectangular pizza.

1 lb. chicken
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese
Parmesan cheese (1 fresh wedge (shredded) is best but I use the canned Kraft kind and eye-ball it)
2 tsp. minced Garlic (or 4 cloves or 1 tsp. garlic powder) -- divided
Creamy Caesar Salad Dressing (Kraft makes a nice one!)
Romaine lettuce
Roma tomatoes
Black olives
Green onion if you like (us...not so much!)

Cut chicken into strips. Put 2 T. salad dressing and 1 tsp. garlic into a large skillet. Add the chicken and cook thoroughly. Place the pizza crust on a pan. Spread 2 T dressing and 1 tsp. garlic onto the crust. Sprinkle 1/2 the wedge of Parm. cheese (or 1/2 cup-ish of canned) plus 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese over the crust. Put the cooked chicken on top of the cheese then sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top. Bake for approx. 25 minutes (or until cheese is melted and crust is done).

The topping for this is basically a salad on top. Chop up your lettuce, dice the tomatoes, black olives and onion. Toss it with some of the dressing and place on top of the baked pizza. Slice and enjoy!


**photo from blogchef.net

Chicken Pot Pie

I have a few friends whose children think I make the best chicken pot pie ever. Some were betting that I was making it the other night for dinner when they came over. They were sort of bummed that I hadn't. So I promised to put the recipe on here so their mom could make it for them. : )

Chicken Pot Pie
This recipe is for 3 pot pies -- if you don't need to eat three, then eat one, bless a friend with one, and stick the other one in the fridge for another day that week. ; )

Double Crust Pie Crust Recipe x3
2 lb. bag of frozen mixed veggies (I get the kind with carrots, peas, and green beans)
2 T. onion powder (or 2 medium onions chopped)
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup flour (I use unbleached all-purpose)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sage
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups milk
3 pounds cubed cooked chicken (or turkey for turkey pot pie)
1/4 cup dried parsley (or 1/2 cup fresh)

Make the pie crust and stick it in the fridge for a while to stiffen up. Cook the mixed veggies according to the package; drain. In a very large saucepan melt butter and stir in onion powder (or cook onions until tender). Stir in flour, salt, sage, thyme, parsley (unless fresh then add it when the chicken is added) and pepper. Add chicken broth and milk all at once. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Stir in drained veggies and chicken. Heat while mixing until it's bubbly. Turn it down to warm then roll out your pie crusts, pour in the fillings, then top with crust. Flute edges of pastry, cut slits in the top for steam to escape. Cover the edges with foil and bake at 450 degrees for 30 minutes, remove the foil and bake until golden brown on top (about 20 minutes more).

Notes:
*Sometimes I'm feeling really industrious so I dice up some potatoes, cook them most of the way then add that to the pot pie filling. Make sure to reduce the veggies to 1 lb. or you'll have extra filling left.

*Also, you can pour the filling into a 9x13 baking dish. Roll out the pie crust (use 1 double crust recipe) and place over the top. Flute the edges, cut slits in the top. Bake 450 degrees for 15 minutes or so.

Cinnamon Chicken

In season 6 of Little House on the Prairie there's an episode where Laura makes a meal for Almonzo but Nellie is pretending that she made it. Laura is upset with Nellie so she puts cayenne pepper in the mix instead of cinnamon. It's one of my favorite episodes. Hilarious to say the least!

Every time I make this the kids chatter on and on about that episode. But then of course we have to a-hem and remind them that it wasn't very nice of Laura. (But it sure was funny!)

Cinnamon Chicken
2 whole chickens (see note below)
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 cup honey
2 T. lemon juice
1/8 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. garlic salt

Blend together broth, cinnamon, honey, lemon juice, cumin, chili powder, and garlic salt. Place chicken in a large ungreased roasting pan (I use my roaster); pour mixture over chicken. Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight. Bake at 400 degrees for 1 and 1/2 hours. (Make sure that you have plenty of room between the chickens to let air circulate.) Let them rest for about 20 minutes to retain moisture.

Note: You can use chicken pieces such as breast on the bone with skin. Cooking time will be less (about an hour) and you'll want to lower the temperature to about 375 degrees.

Creamy Chicken -n- Noodle Casserole

This recipe came from a friend many years ago. I think my family would eat it every day if I served it. Enjoy!

Creamy Chicken -n- Noodle Casserole
16 oz. egg noodles (cooked)
1 can cream of chicken soup
3/4 can of milk (I'm into dirtying as few dishes as possible!)
1/4 c. butter
1/2 lb. Velveeta
1 can of cooked chunk chicken (or 1/2 - 1 lb. cooked, chopped chicken -- depends on your preference)

Cook the egg noodles. Combine the remaining ingredients in a large saucepan.  Stir until the mixture is nice and creamy. Stir in the chicken and combine with the noodles.

Notes: You can put this in a baking dish and add cracker crumbles or crumbled chips as a topping and bake for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees. Or you can skip that step and just add the noodles to the bowl and serve from there. *whisper* That's what I do. They don't care about the fancy-schmancy presentation. But don't tell them there's an option. ; )

Or...you can make this mid-afternoon and then put it in a crock pot on warm to keep it warm. This is such a versatile dish! Oh so many options!

Also there are no leftovers with this meal. If I make a double batch then there might be a little bit for lunch the next day but the more I make the more they eat. I guess it's a good problem to have, eh?

Chicken Burritos

We have a certain child who really doesn't like anything made with sour cream in it. I made this and didn't reveal what was in it. He loved it. What he doesn't know won't hurt him, right? (This recipe is from Gooseberry Patch.)


Chicken Burritos
2 lb. cooked and shredded (or chopped) chicken

1 1/2 c. salsa (divided)

1 c. sour cream

8 (10-inch) flour tortillas

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 c. shredded colby-jack cheese (or mexican blend kind)

Combine chicken, 1/2 cup salsa and sour cream in a large bow. Spoon chicken mixture evenly onto tortillas. Fold up sides and roll up, burrito-style; place in an ungreased 9x13 baking dish. Mix together soup and remaining salsa (1 c.); pour over burritoes.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and bake 5 more minutes or until cheese melts. Serve with chopped black olives, tomatoes, sour cream, baked beans, mexican rice, etc.

Note: When I bake this I double the recipe (using my BigOven program!) and bake in two dishes. I put them in the oven together and rotate the pans half-way. I find that the bottom of the burritos aren't as crunchy and easier to cut this way. When baking together the bottom dish shields the top dish from the intense heat. Make sense?

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

I love The Pioneer Woman! I love The Pioneer Woman's recipes! Most of all I love The Pioneer Woman's Parmesan Crusted Chicken. It is to die for!! But...I must say it is NOT light on the calories! You might as well take a helping and slap it right on your thighs! I tried to find it posted on her site but I couldn't so here's my tweaked version...
Oh and...it's for our crew of 10 for two meals (I love leftovers! And this chicken is great in sandwiches the next day!)...you might want to cut the recipe in half or thirds! Or if you have BigOven  it'll do that for you!

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

12 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups Mayonnaise
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I'm cheap so I used Kraft from the can -- got it nearly free with sale and coupons!)
4 Roma tomatoes seeded and chopped
1 T Italian herbs
1 T basil
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Crumbs:
2/3 tube of butter crackers, crushed into little bitty bits! (the rectangular kind that are mouthwatering good...yummy butter goodness!)
3 T Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. garlic salt

The goal to cooking the chicken right is to have them the same size. You will want to cut each chicken breast into at least 3 separate equal sized pieces. Cut them on a slant not in three chunks...you want it to look pretty! :)

Place the chicken in 2 -- 9x13 baking dishes. In a bowl combine mayonnaise, parm. cheese, roma tomatoes, Italian herbs, basil, and cayenne pepper. Spread the mixture over the top of the chicken.

Mix the crumb ingredients and sprinkle over the chicken. Place in a pre-heated 425 degree oven and bake for 25-35 minutes until cooked through.


P.S. She has a cookbook out! (Check out the Amazon link in my side bar.)

Turkey (or chicken) Rice Soup

Left over chicken or turkey, watch out!  You are about to be served...literally!  Are you ready for one easy peasy recipe??  Hold on to your apron because here we goooo!

Turkey Rice Soup

16 cups turkey or chicken stock *

3-4 cups chopped turkey (or chicken)

4 carrots, thinly sliced

1 1/2 cups brown rice (uncooked)

1/2 cup dried parsley

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

a sprinkling of rosemary 

a sprinkling of thyme  

Combine ingredients in a very large crock pot (I use a 6.5 Qt.) and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 5-6.

*If I don't have stock on hand I'll use a few cans of chicken broth and then either chicken bouillon granules (follow the directions on the jar for adequate measurement) or chicken base (usually 1 tsp. per 1 cup of hot water) to make up the difference.  Chicken base comes in a jar, is thick and creamy in texture and is cheaper per ounce than bouillon granules.  I'm not a big fan of the cubes.  All that unwrapping puts a cramp on my cooking time.  The downside is that the chicken base makes a greasier soup.

Kitchen Tip Tuesday -- How to Cook a Chicken (or Turkey)

For years when we were first married I would buy the flash frozen bags of chicken breasts from the store.  I though it was the best option for me.  It wasn't too costly and I didn't have to touch raw, slimy chicken, right?  Well it is costly compared to buying a whole chicken on sale (or on clearance if you watch the meat section) .  I think also think flash frozen is a bit on the salty side.  I've grown to not mind the slimy-ness of preparing chicken in exchange for the better flavor and saving my family a little bit of money.  How long do those flash frozen chicken breasts sit at the store, anyway?  I digress...

Buy a chicken, no...buy two or three, especially if they're on sale!  Either put them in a large electric roaster or cook them in various crock pots.  If you're choosing to roast them it'll take about 4-5 hours.  I love my Rival RO188BR 18-Quart Roaster W Bonus.  I roasted two 14 pound turkeys in it the other day and I can easily roast 3 average size chickens.  If you choose to cook it in the crock pot you can put them in at night on low, shut it off in the morning and by lunch time it'll be cool enough to handle.  Take it apart, chop it up or shred it and package it up for the freezer.  To season them just sprinkle a little ground black pepper, some onion powder (unless you like real onion...the hubster doesn't), and I add a smidge of sage, thyme (or rosemary) and a sprinkle or two of lemon juice (I leave the lemons out if it's turkey I'm cooking).  I really dislike de-yucking (as we call it) the chicken.  I'm fortunate enough to have a mom who lives with us and doesn't mind that part.  Having her to help me do that is great!  If you have little helpers around they might enjoy it as well.  We have lots of little helpers but I find they eat more than they package if they are helping!  Simply take the large breast portions out and then work on the legs, thighs and back.  And if your birdies came with giblets or liver then you can cook that up, chop it and make gravy with the juices from the cooked bird(s).   

You'll get a lot of chicken (or turkey) out of that little cooking session.  The pair of 14 pound turkeys I roasted the other day yielded enough for dinner twice (approx. 3 pounds), sandwiches for lunch three times (approx. 2 pounds), meat for a double portion of Turkey & Rice Soup (I'll post the recipe soon!), and I have 6 more 2 pound bags of meat in the freezer ready to go.  Not too shabby!  Especially since Wallyworld had them on sale for 40 cents per pound back before the holidays!  

If you don't want to buy a whole bird you can go the boneless, skinless route.  If I find boneless, skinless (or tenderloins) on sale I'll put a bunch of them in the crock pot at night.  Add just enough water to cover and then the same seasonings above.  Cook them on low, turn them off in the morning and by lunch time you'll be ready to cut up and package the meat.  (You can wait until the kiddos are taking their afternoon nap.  Just shut it off an hour or so later or put your crock pot on a "keep warm" setting.)  The only drawback to the boneless skinless is there is no good quality stock (broth) left over for soups, etc.  Yes, you get water and some juice, but it's not the same.

I try to do this about once a month when meat is on sale.  Since it's not the most enjoyable part of my kitchen time it is nice to get it over with all at once!

Now go find some little birdies and cook away!  

Chicken Tetrazzini

I've been pondering what recipe to list first here on Old House Kitchen.  I've decided to post one of the family's favorite recipes.  It's not per say my favorite but the kiddos like it.  It's fairly simple, it's easy to freeze if you have left overs and it's pretty inexpensive.  We actually made it Turkey Tetrazzini after the holidays when we had all the turkey meat left over.  I hope your family enjoys it as much as ours.

Chicken Tetrazzini

2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken cooked and chopped (this works out to be about 4 cups)
1 1/3 stick butter
1 cup flour
4 cups milk
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 tsp. garlic powder
3 cups cheddar cheese
16 oz. box thin spaghetti
Preheat oven 350 degrees.
Break noodles up into thirds or fourths (I do this so that it's a little easier to eat...and it doesn't have the Lady and the Tramp spaghetti thing going on.)
Cook noodles approx. 10 minutes in boiling, slightly salted water.  (After it's drained leave it in the large pot so you can mix in the sauce mixture.)
While they are boiling melt butter in a large sauce pan.  Stir in flour until blended and then stir in milk until it thickens.  (Keep stirring and make sure you don't have the heat up too high, you don't want to scorch the sauce.)
Stir in soup and garlic powder.
Blend in cheese and then the chicken.  Add to the pan of noodles and mix together.
Pour into large 9x13 dish -- it will be quite full (An 11 x 17 dish would be better.)
Topping:
1 dozen butter crackers, crushed
2 T. butter
Sprinkle topping mixture over the tetrazzini before baking.  Bake for 20-30 minutes.
Notes:
This meal is made for our family in mind...10 people...if you want a scaled down version and you don't have BigOven (it's designed so you can change the portion sizes) then see my conversion below.
Serving suggestions:  mixed veggies, a fruit dish, rolls or even garlic bread.
Scaled down to feed a smaller crew:
2/3 stick butter
1/2 c. flour
2 c. milk
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 lb chicken (2 c.)
1 1/2 c. cheddar cheese
8 oz. spaghetti
(Keep the topping recipe the same.  You may have a bit left over but you can package it up and save it in the freezer for next time.)