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Easy cheesy baked chicken recipe

I like to make nutritious, homemade meals for my family so we can sit down and eat together at the dinner table.  That’s not always easy to accomplish when juggling various activities and schedules.  To get dinner on the table, I generally have some specific criteria for recipes.

Recipes need to be reasonably easy without too many ingredients to round up, especially on a busy weeknight.  They need to appeal to kids.  I mean, I try not to coddle my kids too much, but they all have definite preferences and I don’t want dinner to be a constant battle.  As I try to give everybody food that they like, I’m also always trying to make sure we’re eating something healthy.

Easy cheesy baked chicken recipe | AMerryMom.com This chicken dinner is a winner!  With just four ingredients, it’s so simple to prepare – and it cooks quickly, too.  This easy cheesy baked chicken recipe pleases even my most picky eater.

Yes, it has cheese and bacon bits (the real bacon kind) and canned soup, so this recipe isn’t going to turn up on the pages of a health food magazine, but I use Campbell’s Healthy Request soup variety.  I also go fairly light on the bacon bits and cheese.  They add some flavor as well as protein.

Easy cheesy baked chicken | AMerryMom.com

The prep work is fast to get this easy cheesy baked chicken ready to go into the oven.

The key for getting it on the table fast is cutting large chicken breasts into smaller pieces to bake faster.  This also helps control portion sizes and makes the pieces just right for kids.  Also good for kids:  it bakes up very tender so you can cut it with a fork.

Easy cheesy baked chicken recipe

Easy, cheesy baked chicken
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Ingredients
  • 3-4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
  • 1 10.5 ounce can of Campbell's Healthy Request cream of chicken soup
  • 4 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese
  • 3 tablespoons of bacon bits
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Place chicken breasts in a 13x9-inch baking dish. (I like to cut each large chicken breast into three smaller pieces so they cook faster. I then have 9-12 pieces of chicken.)
  3. Open the cream of chicken soup and cover the chicken evenly.
  4. Sprinkle bacon bits evenly over the chicken.
  5. Spread cheese evenly over the top.
  6. Bake uncovered about 30 minutes untll chicken is cooked through.

Note: Always be sure chicken is cooked thoroughly.

This recipe is so fast and easy!  I like to serve this with sides of carrots and green beans.

Do you have a favorite weeknight meal?

I shared this easy cheesy baked chicken recipe at some of these link parties.

Easy lemon thyme roast chicken recipe

Chicken dishes are a favorite in our house, so I like to try new recipes to mix things up as much as possible.

When I received some McCormick Gourmet Thyme recently in my Influenster VoxBox, I wanted to try it out right away.  I decided to improvise for dinner using a few chicken recipes I found online for inspiration and then pulling out some ingredients that I had handy in the pantry.Easy lemon thyme roast chicken recipe - AMerryMom.com

Happily, our chicken was moist and yummy, and we decided this recipe was a keeper.  Everyone liked it – even my pickiest eater.  He normally doesn’t like “green things” anywhere near his food but he was actually OK with the thyme that was sprinkled on his chicken.  I’m always so excited when a dish gets unanimous family approval!

This five-ingredient roast chicken recipe is super easy for weeknight family dinners.  I hope you enjoy it!

Lemon thyme roast chicken

Simple lemon thyme chicken recipe ingredients - AMerryMom.com

Four of the ingredients – I forgot to put the pepper in the photo!

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil (I use extra-light olive oil for baking)
  • lemon juice (from fresh lemons or from a bottle – I used bottled lemon juice because that’s what I had on hand)
  • thyme (I used McCormick Gourmet Thyme)
  • black pepper

Directions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Coat the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish lightly with the olive oil.  (I used a glass dish.)
  3. If the chicken pieces are thick, cut them to cook more evenly.  (I usually just cut them in half lengthwise.  You could also butterfly cut the chicken.)
  4. Place the chicken in the baking dish, spreading the pieces out evenly.
  5. Drizzle olive oil lightly over each piece of chicken.
  6. Drizzle lemon juice lightly over each piece of chicken.
  7. Sprinkle thyme lightly over each piece of chicken.
  8. Sprinkle black pepper lightly over each piece of chicken.
  9. Bake at 400 degrees for 40-45 minutes.  (Cooking time may vary based on size of the pieces and individual ovens.  Use a meat thermometer to determine if it’s fully cooked.)
  10. Enjoy!

The aromatic thyme smells so good as this dish is roasting in the oven!  You can adjust your seasonings to taste.

Lemon Thyme Roast Chicken - easy recipe at AMerryMom.com

Lemon thyme roast chicken makes a simple, yummy dinner!

Chicken recipes don’t get much easier than this one!

I hope you enjoy this lemon thyme roast chicken as much as we do!

This recipe is linked at some of these link parties.

Easy, no-bake chocolate eclair dessert

As a busy mom, my favorite recipes are the kind that are fast, easy, and super yummy.  This is one of those favorites.

This chocolate eclair dessert is so simple to make, and my family loves it.  As a no-bake recipe, you can whip up this fabulous layered dessert in just a few minutes and then place it in the refrigerator overnight.  It has to be made at least 12 hours in advance of serving it so the graham cracker layers have time to soften to the perfect consistency.

For fun, you can use the basic chocolate eclair dessert recipe and mix it up a bit each time.  I’ve used different types of graham crackers – regular, cinnamon, and chocolate – and they all tasted great with this recipe.

  • To make this dessert most similar to actual eclairs, use the regular graham crackers.
  • I got a lot of compliments using the cinnamon graham crackers because the cinnamon adds an extra bit of pizzazz.
  • My family likes this dessert best with the chocolate graham crackers.  I used the chocolate graham crackers for the photos shown here.  I call this version double chocolate eclair dessert.

I like taking this chocolate eclair dessert to potluck meals since I can make it in advance.  It’s always a popular dessert.  It tastes so good!Easy no-bake chocolate eclair dessert - AMerryMom.com

No-bake chocolate eclair dessert recipe

(Scroll down for a printable version of this recipe.)

Ingredients

  • 2 packages of instant vanilla pudding mix (3.4-ounce size)
  • 1 cup of powdered sugar (confectioners sugar)
  • 3 cups of milk
  • 1 container of Cool Whip (8-ounce size) – thawed
  • 1 package of graham crackers (16-ounce size)
  • 1 container of chocolate frosting (16-ounce size)

I like to use the Betty Crocker Hershey’s milk chocolate frosting since it doesn’t contain unhealthy trans fat or partially hydrogenated oils.  (Even though this is dessert, I prefer to make it less unhealthy if I can!)  You could also make your own frosting.

No-bake chocolate eclair dessert recipe ingredients - amerrymom.com

Directions

  1. Empty the pudding mix into a large bowl.
  2. Add the powdered sugar.
  3. Add the milk and whisk together until smooth.
  4. Gradually fold in the Cool Whip.
  5. In a 9×13-inch pan, place a layer of graham crackers.
  6. Cover the graham crackers with half of the pudding mixture.
  7. Add another layer of graham crackers.
  8. Cover with the remaining half of the pudding mixture.
  9. Place a final layer of graham crackers over the pudding mixture.
  10. Frost over the top layer of graham crackers.  To make this easier with canned frosting, remove the lid and seal from the plastic can.  Microwave the frosting for 20 seconds.  The warmed frosting should be easy to spread evenly over the top layer of graham crackers.
  11. Cover and refrigerate at least 12 hours before serving.

No-bake chocolate eclair dessert - AMerryMom.com

Enjoy!

Note:  I’ve heard about the dangers of microwaving food in plastic containers, but when I looked it up online, an article on WebMD said it’s safe.  So I feel OK about microwaving the frosting container for a few short seconds.

No-bake chocolate eclair dessert
Author: 
 
This yummy, no-bake dessert is great using your choice of plain, chocolate, or cinnamon graham crackers!
Ingredients
  • 2 packages of instant vanilla pudding mix (3.4-ounce size)
  • 1 cup of powdered sugar (confectioners sugar)
  • 3 cups of milk
  • 1 container of Cool Whip (8-ounce size) - thawed
  • 1 package of graham crackers (16-ounce size)
  • 1 container of chocolate frosting (16-ounce size)
Instructions
  1. Empty the pudding mix into a large bowl.
  2. Add the powdered sugar.
  3. Add the milk.
  4. Whisk together until smooth.
  5. Gradually fold in the Cool Whip.
  6. In a 9x13-inch dish, place a layer of graham crackers.
  7. Cover the graham crackers with half of the pudding mixture.
  8. Add another layer of graham crackers.
  9. Cover with the remaining half of the pudding mixture.
  10. Place a final layer of graham crackers over the pudding mixture.
  11. Frost over the top layer of graham crackers. (To make this easier with canned frosting, remove the lid and seal from the plastic can and microwave the frosting for 20 seconds. The warmed frosting should be easy to spread evenly over the top layer of graham crackers.)
  12. Cover and refrigerate at least 12 hours before serving.
Notes
I like to use the Betty Crocker Hershey's milk chocolate frosting since it doesn't contain unhealthy trans fat or partially hydrogenated oils. (Even though this is dessert, I prefer to make it less unhealthy if I can!) You could also make your own frosting.

 

This recipe was shared at some of these link parties.