southwest

Marinated Chicken Tacos

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Fire up the grill for this recipe! If you are familiar with fresh Mexican grill Costa Vida restaurant chain, this is a copycat recipe for their grilled chicken.  It is used in all their chicken entrees from burritos to salads. I absolutely LOVE their grilled chicken! This recipe is wonderful for anything you would use grilled chicken in, but my family’s favorite is tacos.  And it’s great because it is really quick to mix together; score one for me! You might even want to make a double batch, grilling and freezing some for a quick heat-up option another day!  ~Kathy

CknTaco

Ingredients:
  • 3 lbs. chicken breast
  • ½ c. olive oil
  • 1 heaping T. fresh garlic, finely minced
  • 3 T. all purpose seasoning (I used a combo of original Mrs. Dash & Emeril’s Original Essence.)
  • 1 T. kosher salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika, optional
  • Juice of 2 lemons

Instructions: 

  1. Pat chicken dry. Trim all fat and cut each chicken breast in half, lengthwise.
  2. Add all other ingredients in a large Ziplock freezer bag. Mix to combine well. Add chicken, seal bag, and turn to coat chicken pieces completely.
  3. Place in refrigerator to marinate for 30-45 minutes, turning occasionally.
  4. Remove chicken from marinade; place on pre-heated, oiled grill. Grill on medium-low heat until cooked completely through. Chicken should reach 165 F. Chop chicken into bite sized pieces and serve warm in a soft tortilla with your favorite taco toppings.

Easy One-Pot Tortilla Soup

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I try really hard (well, most of the time) not to let the weekends get the best of my eating habits.  Sometimes though, I need to feel like I’m eating an indulgent food that I’d order at a restaurant on a Saturday night out with friends. That is, if I don’t get the enchiladas, but that’s something for a different post.  I hope you and yours love this tortilla soup as much as I do….it’s so good, and doesn’t wreck your entire diet (I’ve recently started adding a can of Cannellini, or  white pinto beans, to make this soup even heartier for no extra WW points).  Only 1 WW Freestyle Point per cup!  ~Tracy

Ingredients:

½ T. extra virgin olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

½ c. red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

½ c. green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or pressed

2 cans (4.5 oz.) chopped and peeled green chilies

2 tsp. ground cumin

1 pinch cayenne pepper (or to taste)

1/2 tsp. salt

3 c. chopped white meat chicken (I use shredded rotisserie chicken breast)

32 oz. fat free chicken broth

2/3 c. mild red enchilada sauce (I use Old El Paso)

1 15 oz. can Cannellini Beans (I use Bush’s)

½ c. nonfat plain Greek yogurt

2 limes, quartered

4 avocados, peeled and chopped (optional but highly recommended)

tortilla strips (optional)

Instructions:

In large (3 quart) stock pot, sauté onion, peppers, chiles, and garlic until the onion begins to become translucent.  Add cumin, cayenne, and salt and stir to blend.  Stir in chicken, enchilada sauce, and broth.   Bring to a boil, reduce heat, add beans and then simmer for 15-20 minutes.  

Right before serving, stir a small amount of hot broth from the soup into the Greek yogurt to temper yogurt.  Stir yogurt mixture into soup.  

Serve each bowl topped with ¼ of an avocado, peeled and chopped into small chunks.  Squeeze a lime wedge over the top of soup / avocado and serve.  If desired, top with crunchy tortilla strips (don’t forget to include the avocado and tortilla strips in your WW points if you add those).

Weight Watchers Info.:  Makes 8, 1 cup servings.  Each cup is 1 Weight Watchers SmartPoint on the Freestyle program, not including optional garnishes. 

 

Southwest Chicken Spaghetti

4 Comments

I had tried several recipes for this over several years and was starting to think I just didn’t like chicken spaghetti. Some were too soupy, others were swimming in cheese, and many were just flavorless.

I finally just scrapped every recipe I had ever tried and started over with my own.  This has a touch of a kick from the Ro-Tel that you can customize to your own taste (substitute some petite diced tomatoes instead!) but also just a really nice flavor from the Ro-Tel, green onion, garlic, and cilantro…It’s cheesy but not just a giant blob of Velveeta.  This is finally, finally, finally, it!  Hope it’s just right for you too.  One more note:  This makes a LOT of food (14 one-cup servings) but you could easily cut the recipe in half if you have a smaller crowd to feed.  ~Robin

ChickenSpaghetti_logo

Ingredients:

  • 16 oz. Barilla whole grain pasta spaghetti
  • 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded
  • 16 oz. Velveeta cheese, chopped into 1” cubes
  • 4 cans (10 oz. each) of Ro-Tel tomatoes & green chilies, drained (I use original but if you aren’t into spice, you could use mild too)
  • 1 ½ c. green onions, chopped (reserve ½ c. to garnish the individual servings)
  • 2 to 3 tsp. garlic salt to taste
  • ¼ c. cilantro, finely chopped
  • 2 oz. of Kraft 2% mild cheddar cheese (for topping)DSC_0209

Instructions: 

Cook the spaghetti according to package directions; drain.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

While noodles are still hot, add Velveeta and stir until melted.

Add shredded chicken, 1 c. chopped onions, drained Ro-Tel, garlic salt, and cilantro; stir until combined.

Spread the mixture in a 9×13 baking dish and sprinkle cheddar across the top.

Bake at 350°F until bubbly and hot throughout (25-30 minutes).

Sprinkle servings with additional green onion if desired.

WW Freestyle Info.:  Makes 14 one-cup servings at 7 points each.