chicken

Creamy Garlic Pesto Chicken

~ cowboybootsandhighheels ~ Leave a comment

Do you ever get stuck in a cooking rut, feeling like you make the same thing for supper every week? I know I do, and this chicken recipe is a great way to change things up – it’s easy, it’s colorful, and most importantly, it’s delicious!

Baked chicken breasts covered in a creamy garlic pesto mixture and topped with cheese? Yes please!

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • 4 thin-sliced boneless/skinless chicken breasts (If you can’t find thin-sliced at your store, just cut them in half length-wise for a thinner piece of meat)
  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened (I used the 1/3-less-fat kind)
  • garlic basil pesto (If you have fresh basil then you can make your own, but since this Louisiana heat has fried my basil plants, I just bought a small jar from the store)
  • shredded parmesan cheese
  • shredded mozzarella cheese
  • garlic salt
  • black pepper

Start by preheating oven to 375 degrees. Then place chicken breasts in a single layer in a 13×9 greased baking dish, sprinkling them with garlic salt and black pepper.

Mix together about 1/3 cup of pesto with the softened cream cheese, then stir in a small handful of the parmesan cheese. Spread mixture over tops of chicken, then top with mozzarella cheese. (I used about 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese because that’s all I had, but more cheese is absolutely fine!)

Bake at 375 for about 45 minutes, or until chicken is completely cooked through and cheese starts to brown. And that’s it! Super easy!

The cream cheese mixture will melt all around the chicken, so you can scoop up a little more to top chicken with when serving. You could also make some pasta as a side dish, and use the extra cream cheese sauce to toss with the pasta. (Garlic bread is also good dipped in the extra sauce!)

My family loved this dish, even the kids! I hope you and your family enjoy it as well!

Thanks y’all!

– Nikki

Ballpark Fajita Bowls

~ cowboybootsandhighheels ~ Leave a comment

We were in Lafayette, Louisiana last weekend for my son’s baseball tournament, and the concession stand there was serving these chicken fajita bowls that were amazing! They were so good that I tried to recreate them at home. My version isn’t exactly the same, but it’s pretty close!

It’s basically just grilled fajita chicken with a few veggies mixed in over rice, then topped with cheese and creole sauce. The sauce they used had a sweet flavor, so I decided to use Yum-Yum Sauce on mine, like the sauce at a Japanese restaurant. I was even able to find a “light” version of the sauce at my grocery store! I served mine over cauliflower rice since I’m on a diet, and served the rest of my family’s over regular white rice. We all loved it!

I’m all about saving some time, so I bought pre-cooked grilled fajita chicken, a jar of fire-roasted red peppers, and a bag of frozen sweet corn.

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • 1 bag pre-cooked grilled fajita chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 jar fire-roasted red peppers
  • 1 bag frozen sweet corn (or fresh sweet corn cut off the cob)
  • olive oil
  • Yum-Yum sauce
  • shredded cheese
  • cooked rice (or cauliflower rice)

*You can use any vegetables you’d like (jalapeños, onions, green onions…) – These were just the ones the ballpark used.*

While the rice is cooking, heat 1-2 tbs olive oil in a large skillet. When the oil is hot, add in the chicken and vegetables, then toss around for a few minutes until everything is heated through.

Top cooked rice with the chicken and veggies, then top with shredded cheese immediately so it can melt. Once cheese melts, drizzle with the sauce. And that’s it!

So easy and so delicious! This literally took me less than 30 minutes to make. The longest step was just cooking the rice. And it’s also really pretty with all the different colors!

The coolness and sweetness of the sauce makes this a perfect summer meal, even though the rest of the dish is hot. I hope you and your family enjoy this as much as we did!

Thanks y’all!

-Nikki