Portuguese Chicken and Rice
1 whole chicken cut up, or 1 lb chicken thighs
1 onion, quartered
1 bay leaf
Half a pound of bacon
1 1/2 cups of rice
Salt and pepper to taste

For the chicken rub:
4 tablespoons of softened butter
olive oil
paprika
garlic powder
a little bit of salt

Fill a pot halfway with water, add the chicken, bacon, onion, bay leaf and some salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken, bay leaf, onion ad bacon to a bowl and set aside. Pour 1 ½ cups of rice into the chicken broth and cook for about 20 minutes until rice is cooked.

In the meantime, in a small bowl, combine 4 tablespoons of softened butter. Add the olive oil and paprika, garlic powder and a little bit of salt, mix well until smooth. Spoon the rice into a greased 13 x 9-inch pan. Next layer the chicken on top, spread it out a bit so that you have room for the bacon and onions. Spoon the rub onto each thigh and using your hands, rub it all over, on both sides. Add the bacon and onions, placing them between the chicken thighs. At this point I add another 2 tablespoons of butter, cut into pieces. Bake in a 425 º oven for 30 minutes or until chicken is brown and bacon is nice and crispy.

Laurie’s Notes: I made a lot of this so I did not have a pan big enough to put the whole dinner into. While I cooked the rice on the stove, I finished cooking the chicken with the rub and the bacon and onions for 30 minutes. Then when I served it, I combined the rice and chicken on the plates. It worked out well and tasted very yummy this way also.

Chicken Enchilladas Casserole
Bake: 350º Cook Time: 25 minutes

1 cup chopped onions
½ cup chopped green pepper
2 Tbsp. margarine
2 cups chopped cooked chicken or turkey
1 -4oz. can green chili peppers
3 Tbsp. margarine
¼ cup flour
1 tsp. ground coriander seed
¾ tsp. salt
2 ½ cup chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1 ½ cups shredded Monterey jack cheese
12 -6in. tortillas


In large saucepan, cook onion and green pepper in 2 Tbsp. margarine till tender. Combine in a bowl with chopped chicken and green chili peppers; set aside.

In same saucepan, melt 3 Tbsp. margarine. Blend in flour, coriander, and salt. Stir in chicken broth all at once; cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream and ½ cup of cheese. Stir ½ cup of sauce into the chicken. Dip each tortilla into remaining hot sauce to soften; fill each with about ¼ cup of the chicken mixture. Roll up. Arrange rolls in a 9x13 baking dish; pour remaining sauce over. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, in 350 degree oven about 25 minutes or till bubbly.



Laurie's Notes: I don’t use the green peppers or green chili’s. I also prefer to use canned chicken but only because it’s faster prep time and easier for my kids to eat.