Easy Set and Forget Mexican Chicken

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We’ve all been there – you get going through your day and realize you haven’t thawed anything for dinner! You get stuck between trying (and usually failing) to get the meat thawed in time or throwing in the towel and going out to eat.

Well not when you’re making this recipe!

Slightly spicy with crispy skin without being dry, this chicken is cooked low and slow, so you can start with frozen chicken!

You’ll need to grab a 9×13, and this one is only $18.99! (Price accurate at time of posting)

You’ll need some tinfoil too! Snag it for $9.49 (Price accurate at time of posting).

This chicken is perfect paired with some refried beans, Mexican rice, and a couple of corn tortillas to sop up all the delicious juices at the end! And, since its made from some pretty common spices, you more than likely have all the ingredients on hand, meaning its a great go to in those DOH! moments!

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Mexican Chicken

Chicken, Dinner, Meals for a Crowd, Meat, Mexican

Mexican Chicken

Ingredients

4 lbs partially frozen chicken thighs and legs
Juice of 1 lime
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 TBS butter

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place chicken into a 9×13 glass pan, skin side up for the thighs. Pour juice over chicken, making sure each piece gets some juice.
In a small bowl, combine the cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and salt. Sprinkle seasonings liberally over chicken.
Cut butter into pieces and place directly on pieces of chicken. Cover pan with tinfoil and place in oven.
Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Remove foil and cook for another 30 minutes or until skin is crispy and brown and chicken has an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Rest and serve.

Need a different chicken recipe?! Check these out!

August 8, 2019

Layered Chicken Enchilada Dip

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Between church, work, and family parties, my wife and I attend our share of pot lucks. We’ve brought a wide variety of things to these, but I think this new recipe is one of our favorites!

For our monthly get together with my wife’s family, the theme was “dips”. We, in true procrastinator fashion, waited until Friday night to pick what we were going to do (the party was Sunday). We decided on two – a crab dip (coming soon!) and this…

It takes all the favorite parts of the best enchilada, and put it in dip form to eat with chips! The dip was a hit, and my year old niece especially loved it. She begged her parents for thirds!

Its not as hard to make as it sounds like it would be! Of course, we make it with our homemade refried beans which add a little more time, but otherwise its pretty dump and go!

Layered Chicken Enchilada Dip

Appetizer, Beans, Cheese, Chicken, Comfort Foods, Dinner, Dip, Meals for a Crowd, Mexican, Sides

Layered Chicken Enchilada Dip

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 Anaheim pepper
5 cups enchilada sauce
1 batch of Pressure Cooker Refried Beans*
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
3 cups shredded pepper jack cheese

Instructions

Cut up the chicken into 2″ pieces. Finely chop Anaheim pepper. Place the chicken, pepper, and enchilada sauce in a slow cooker. Cook on high for 2 hours. Stir, and then cook on low for an additional 4 hours.
Using two forks, shred the chicken and mix it thouroughly into the sauce.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place a few spoonfuls of sauce onto the bottom of a 9×13 baking pan. Spread half of the refried beans over the sauce, making it smooth and even.
Layer on half of the chicken and sauce, making it even. Layer on the rest of the beans, smoothing down, and then top with the remaining chicken and sauce.
Place pan in the oven for 25 minutes or until heated through. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.
Spread sour cream evenly over the pan. Sprinkle on green onion, followed by the cheese. Serve hot with tortilla chips.

Notes

*If you don’t want to make your own beans, you can use one can of refried black beans per layer.

What is your go to potluck dip? Let us know in the comments!!

August 5, 2019

Pressure Cooker Refried Beans

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When it comes to eating cheap, beans and rice are the obvious go to. Buying canned beans can be easy too, but the sodium in those is ridiculous! So what is the solution? Taking forever to boil beans to make a side from those dry things that come in the bag?

That may have been the answer before we got our Instant Pot. I cannot sing the praises of this electric pressure cooker enough! There are so many recipes you can simplify by using one of these! Though they seem like they can be pricey, they go on sale all the time and are TOTALLY worth it!

This week, we used ours to make some refried beans. We bought the dry beans in bulk and they were soooooo cheap! Those plus a few spices we had on hand and BAM!

My sister-in-law compared them to Taco Bell’s discontinued beans. We used them in a yummy Layered Chicken Enchilada Dip (recipe coming soon!) and the whole family loved them!

While soaking the beans before hand makes them cook up faster, it isn’t necessary.

Pressure Cooker Refried Beans

Beans, Comfort Foods, Meals for a Crowd, Mexican, Pressure Cooker, Sides, Vegetarian

Pressure Cooker Refried Beans

Ingredients

1 cup of black beans
2/3 cup pinto beans
1/3 cup kidney beans
6 cups of water
4 TBS butter
1 TBS garlic powder
1 TBS onion powder
1 TBS sea salt
1 TBS lemon juice

Instructions

Mix dry beans in a large bowl. Cover beans in water up to 2 inches above them. Soak overnight, or at least 12 hours*.
Drain beans and place them in the electric pressure cooker. Add in 6 cups of clean water. Place lid on cooker, making sure vent is in sealed position. Cook on manual high pressure mode for 8 minutes*. Allow pressure to release manually.
Drain excess liquid from beans. Using an immersion blender, begin breaking up the beans.
Break butter into 8 1/2 tablespoon pieces. Add butter gradually, using the immersion blender to blend beans into a chunky texture. Add in garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and lemon juice. Blend until desired texture and spices are completely combined.

Notes

*If you don’t want to soak the beans overnight, cook them on high pressure for 35 minutes, allowing pressure to release naturally.

Serve this up with chips, or use it as a side for your next taco night! Or, use it like we did in a dip or casserole! (recipes coming soon!)

Don’t see a recipe you want to see? Send us a suggestion! We’d love to learn how to make a new recipe just for you!

July 25, 2019

Easy Breakfast Burritos

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Breakfast is my wife’s favorite meal of the day. In her mind, the heartier the better! So sometimes I spoil her by breaking out the eggs and making some delicious breakfast burritos!

Burritos are super easy! Sure, you can go down the street and grab an easy fast food one early Saturday morning. However, they can be so cheap if you are willing to do a little work at home.

If you can scramble eggs you can make these easy burritos! They are also super versatile! Love something in your breakfast burrito you don’t see on our list? Add it!

We fill ours up with our Make Ahead Freezer Hash Browns, but you can always snag some at the store as well.

Easy Breakfast Burritos

Breakfast, Comfort Foods, Eggs, Meat, Mexican, Non-Traditional

Easy Breakfast Burritos

Ingredients

8 breakfast sausages
1 green bell pepper
10 eggs
Preferred egg seasonings
1/4 cup milk
6 cooked hashbrown patties (Use homemade ones from our recipe here)
6 10″ tortillas

Instructions

Cut the breakfast sausages into 1/2 inch pieces. In a large non-stick pan, cook sausage until done. Remove and set aside, leaving grease in pan.
Cube the bell pepper. Place pepper in hot sausage grease, cooking until almost tender. Lower the heat.
In a large bowl, beat eggs. Season beaten eggs as preferred (we keep it classic with salt and pepper) and add milk. Stir to combine.
Place sausage back in pan with the pepper, and then add the beaten eggs. Scramble until eggs are firm. Set aside.
Warm tortillas either in a pan or by layering them and paper towels on a microwave safe plate and microwaving for 15 seconds.
Divide egg mixture between 6 tortillas. Place hash browns on egg mixture. Fold burritos. Serve hot.

Made these delicious burritos yourself? Tell us about it in the comments!

Or let us know your favorite breakfast food and we’ll write a post about it!

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June 13, 2019June 13, 2019

Crispy Chicken Taco Salad

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Mark this down as one of my biggest kitchen wins!

Taco salad is a staple in our house. Its easy to throw together and relatively cheap. You can customize it to fit your tastes and if you’re missing an ingredient or two its not the end of the world.

However, this week we made one of my wife’s new favorites. We’ve combined crispy, zesty fried chicken with our traditional taco salad mix ins. Add a bit of our Tomatillo Salad Dressing on top and BOOM! This hearty salad keeps you full for hours without making you feel heavy.

The secret to the extra crunchy chicken is crushed cornflakes. This is the first time I’ve breaded anything with them, and I must admit I liked it more than I thought. You can’t taste the cornflakes and it gives them an extra crispy texture we all love!

Crispy Chicken Taco Salad

Chicken, Dinner, Fried, Meals for a Crowd, Mexican, Non-Traditional, Salad, Sauce, Summer

Crispy Chicken Taco Salad

Ingredients

For the Chicken

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 cup buttermilk
8 cups crushed cornflakes
4 cups flour
1/2 cup garlic powder
1/2 cup onion powder
3/4 cup taco seasoning
1/2 cup black pepper
10 eggs
1/4 cup of milk

For the Salad

1 head of lettuce
2 orange bell peppers
1 red bell pepper
1 large tomato
1 can black beans
1 can corn
Tomatillo Salad Dressing

Instructions

Slice the chicken thighs into 2-3 thin strips each.
Place chicken and buttermilk in large ziplock bag or bowl. Remove as much air as possible, and place in the fridge. Marinate for at least 2 hours. You can keep it in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
In a large bowl, combine flour, garlic powder, onion powder, taco seasoning, and pepper. In a shallow dish, beat eggs and milk together. Place cornflakes in a third bowl or dish.
To bread chicken, shake buttermilk off each piece and then dredge in flour mixture. Shake off excess flour and dredge in egg mixture. Dredge in flour and eggs again, then bread in crushed corn flakes.
Place breaded chicken on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. As pan fills, layer more parchment paper and chicken as needed. Place baking sheet in freezer for at least 2 hours, allowing breading to adhere to chicken.**
Preheat deep fryer to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Place chicken in oil and fry for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Place on pan lined with paper towels to drain excess oil.
Chop up lettuce, bell peppers, and tomato. Drain and rinse black beans. Drain corn. Toss veggies in a large bowl.
Slice the chicken into bite size strips. Place chicken on top of salad and serve with Tomatillo Dressing.

Notes

**You can freeze the chicken to keep on hand. After chicken is fully frozen, place pieces in an air tight container and place back into the freezer. Cook as described above. Chicken can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Made this recipe and loved it as much as we did? Let us know! We’d love to hear from you!

June 10, 2019

Tomatillo Salad Dressing

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Our first subscriber request! This one goes out to you CL!

This copy cat dressing from one of America’s favorite Mexican restaurants is to DIE FOR! Its smooth, tangy, savory, and light – meaning you can smother your salad in it and not feel guilty.

Its an easy dump and blend recipe. Anyone can do it! Especially when you have the power of a Ninja blender to back you up.

You’ll need to start with a ranch dressing base. You can either make your own, or use the store bought stuff. I HIGHLY recommend the homemade kind. It has a stronger, fresher flavor, and free of chemicals and preservatives the stuff from the store has.

Tomatillo Salad Dressing

Dinner, Jalapeno, Meals for a Crowd, Mexican, Salad, Sauce, Sides, Spicy, Summer

Tomatillo Salad Dressing

Ingredients

2 cups of buttermilk ranch OR 1 1/2 cups of homemade ranch (see ingredients below)
4 cups of loosely packed cilantro
5 small tomatillos
1/2 tsp minced garlic
2 TBS fresh lime juice
1 jalapeno

For the Homemade Ranch

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp dried dill weed
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried chives
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 TBS fresh lemon juice

Instructions

Quarter the tomatillos. Slice jalapeno in half and remove seeds and inner membrane.
Place everything in the blender. Blend until smooth and well combined.
Keep in an air tight container for up to 1 week.

This week we’re going to try this on a Crispy Chicken Taco salad. I will link it as soon as we’ve tried it out!

Thanks again to our subscriber for suggesting this recipe! Want to see your favorite recipe on our blog, or want to see us try something you’ve been eyeing? Drop it in our suggestion box at the bottom of the page!

April 15, 2019April 12, 2019

Slow Cooker Taco Soup

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Spring is in the air – but if you live anywhere like we do, April still has a chill in the air. Around here that means soup time!

One of our heartiest and budget friendly soups is our Taco Soup! Filled with lots of protein and brimming with flavor, we can never have enough!

You can make this recipe even simpler if you want to use canned beans instead of soaking your own. Or make it faster by using a pressure cooker to cook up your beans!

Garnished with tortilla chips, sour cream, and green onions for a fiesta in a bowl!

Slow Cooker Taco Soup

Comfort, Comfort Foods, Dinner, Meals for a Crowd, Meat, Mexican, Pork, Soup

Slow Cooker Taco Soup

Ingredients

3 lbs pork shoulder, cut into bite sized chunks
1 1/2 cups dried pinto beans
1 1/2 cups dried black beans
1 1/2 cups dried kidney beans
5 TBS Taco Seasoning
2 cans of diced tomatoes
1 can of corn
7 cups of water
2 TBS of chicken base powder
2 medium Anaheim peppers, finely chopped and separated
1 bunch of green onion, chopped
1 lb of cheddar cheese, shredded
Sour cream
Tortilla chips

Instructions

Mix dried beans in a large bowl or pot. Fill bowl with enough water to cover the beans. Soak overnight. Drain beans.
Mix beans, pork, 4 TBS of the taco seasoning, diced tomatoes, 3 cups of water, 1 TBS chicken base and corn in a 6 QT slow cooker. Cook on high for 2 hours.
Add 1/2 of a medium Anaheim pepper. Cook for another 5 hours on high.
Add remaining water, chicken base, and taco seasoning. Cook for an additional 2 hours, bringing the total cook time to 9 hours.
Garnish soup with tortilla chips, remaining Anaheim peppers, green onions, cheese, and sour cream.

Notes

If using canned beans use 3 15oz cans of beans, drained, for each variety. They will not need to be soaked. Reduce cook time by 1 hour and cook on low instead of high.