Chicken Enchilada Soup

My sister brought some leftover chicken enchilada soup she had made over to my mom's one night. It was so delicious. She told us she bought a pouch of a mix and added chicken, corn, and rice. It was so good, I decided I wanted to make it this week. When I went to the store, I only found one mix, and it was 4 dollars. I was then inspired to try to make it from scratch. I searched for chicken enchilada soup recipes and came across a few copycats for Chili's chicken enchilada soup. A few had velveeta, which I don't usually buy, but I did find one with cheddar, so I decided to give it a try. YUM!!! This soup is awesome!
Note- this recipe calls for Masa Harina. This is a corn flour that can be used to make tortillas, tamales, and this soup! It can be found either in the ethnic food or with the flours.

Chicken Enchilada Soup
(Chili's copycat)- Original Recipe found on Allrecipes.com

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into small cubes and cooked
1/2 onion diced
1-2 garlic cloves diced
4 cups chicken broth
3 cups water, divided
1 cup masa harina
1 can red enchilada sauce
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin

1. Prepare a large pot with cooking spray and heat over medium high. Add onions and garlic and cook until soft and translucent. Add chicken broth and 1 cup water.
2. In a bowl, combine 2 cups of water and masa harina and mix until well combined. Add mixture to soup and stir in.
3. Add enchilada sauce, cheddar, salt, chili powder, cumin and stir to combine. Bring to a boil. When boiling, add chicken and lower heat to simmer. Simmer 30 minutes.

I think I am going to add in corn and rice next time.

Margarita Chicken

Chilis was having this awesome deal last week. $35 for an appetizer, 2 meals, 2 margaritas (top shelf I might add), and a dessert. My hubby really wanted to go, and although I looked forward to the yummy feast, I didn't want to go crazy with all of those calories (not such a good advertisement for Chilis, but I think I gained 2 pounds after eating all that yumminess). I usually go for the Chicken Fajitas, but decided instead to have the Margarita Grilled Chicken this time at the recommendation of the waiter. He said it wouldn't "weigh me down." Oh my it was SO delicious and I have been craving it ever since. That is why I decided to try to recreate it. Mine is not exactley like theirs. If you Google (or Bing, or Dogpile....whatever search you like to use) a copycat recipe, they use margarita mix. I wanted to avoid the temptation of having margarita mix in the house, so I decided to make it from scratch. The meal was very tasty! I will definitley make it again.

Margarita Chicken

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut in half NOTE- almost like butterflying, but seperate the pieces (to make them thinner so they cook more evenly and quicker)
Salt and pepper
Zest of 2 limes
Juice of 2 limes
1 Tbsp honey
1-2 tsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp triple sec (optional)
1 Tbsp tequila (optional)

1. In a large bowl, combine the zest, lime juice, honey, 1 tsp brown sugar, triple sec and tequila. Taste. If too sour, add more brown sugar and stir to combine.

2. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Place chicken in marinade and allow to marinate approximately 30 minutes.

3. Preheat grill (or grill pan which is what I used). Cook chicken until done.

I served mine over rice and beans (just like Chilis)!

Garlic Cheddar Biscuits

I used to work at Red Lobster and have made loads of their biscuits. I have also eaten more than my fair share. I decided to make them for a party at work. I have tried making them at home before and they were never quite right. I came across this recipe on Chickens In the Road and decided to give it a try. These were better than the original! They got rave reviews at work.

2 1/2 cups Bisquick (I used Heart Smart)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups milk

Garlic Butter Topping
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon parsley
dash of salt

1. Preheat oven to 450. Preapare baking sheet with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine Bisquick and garlic powder. Stir to combine.
2. Cut butter into small cubes and add to bowl with Bisquick and garlic. Using a fork, smoosh the butter into the flour making a crumbly appearance.
3. Stir cheese, sour cream, and milk into Bisquick and butter mixture until well combined.
4. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet.
5. In a small bowl, mix melted butter, garlic powder, parsley and salt until well combined. Spoon half of butter mixture over unbaked biscuits.
6. Bake biscuits at 450F approx 8-10 minutes or until golden at edges. Remove from oven and spoon remaining topping over biscuits. Allow to cool slightly.

These are best served hot and are addicting!