This is one of my favorite crockpot recipes. Its not gourmet by any means, but it sure is comfort food. This recipe is all over the Internet. I adjusted it by leaving out the mushrooms and adding a can of peas.

Creamy Italian Chicken in the Crockpot

6 servings

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (I like my chicken cut into chunks)
1 (1 1/4 ounce) envelope dried Italian salad dressing mix (Good Seasonings is the brand I use)
8 ounces low fat cream cheese, softened
1 (10 1/2 ounce) can low fat cream of chicken soup, undiluted

Place the chicken breast halves in the crock pot. Sprinkle with the Italian dressing mix. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours.  Combine the cream cheese and soup until smooth and blended. (I sometimes need to microwave the mixture for a minute to smooth out the lumps. Pour soup mixture over chicken. Add a can of peas. Cook 1 more hour.

Serve over hot cooked rice or pasta.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 234.3
Fat:  12.6 g
Carbs: 10.7 g
Fiber: 1.8 g
Protein: 10.7 g

5 Weight Watcher points (8 points if you divide this into 4 servings)

Ok, so the picture doesn’t look like pie or even a layered dish.  Next time I think I will let it sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.  That is if I can wait.  This was really good.  It was a nice change from just plain old spaghetti. I got the recipe from here.

Spaghetti Pie

3/4 pound lean ground turkey
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1 cup low fat sour cream 2 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
2 Tbs Parmesan cheese
1/2 lb spaghetti, cooked
4 ounces low fat cheese (I used mozzarella)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Brown the ground turkey in a skillet over medium heat. Drain if needed.  Add salt, spices, and tomato sauce.  Simmer 20 minutes.  In the meantime, cook the spaghetti.
Combine the sour cream, cream cheese, and Parmesan in a small bowl, set aside.
Place spaghetti noodles in a 2 quart casserole dish coated with cooking spray. Spread sour cream mixture over spaghetti noodles. Top with meat mixture. Sprinkle with cheese.
Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Uncover, bake an additional 5 minutes until cheese is bubbly. Let sit 5-10 minutes.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 328
Fat: 13.9 g
Carbs: 27.5 g
Fiber: 1.2 g
Protein: 23.8 g

8 Weight Watcher points - you can get this down to 7 points per serving if you use a high fiber pasta such as Ronzoni.

I found this recipe and thought it sounded interesting.  I’m glad I gave it a try.  I left the additional salt out and glad I did as the soy sauce gives the chicken plenty of a salty taste.
Oven Fried Sesame Chicken

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast strips
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a baking dish with vegetable spray. In a shallow dish, place soy sauce. Add chicken, turning once to coat; remove and discard remaining soy sauce. In a large resealable plastic bag, add sesame seeds, flour, and pepper. Add chicken and shake to coat. Place chicken in prepared baking dish. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, uncovered.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 248
Fat: 6.4 g
Carbs: 8.1 g
Fiber: .9 g
Protein: 37.6 g

5 Weight Watcher points

The original recipe called for 1/2 cup of oil and 1/2 cup of butter.  I’m sure it is really really yummy but I can’t really justify eating that many calories for one dish.  Here is my lighter version.

Chicken Scampi

4 servings

1/2 cup chicken broth
1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs butter substitute (I use Smart Balance)
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp oregano
3 cloves garlic minced
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 lb chicken cut in cubes

In a skillet, heat the butter and oil over medium high until the butter melts.  Add the broth and the seasonings and stir.  Add lemon juice and stir.  Add the chicken and saute for about 3-5 minutes or until white.  Lower the heat to medium-low and cook for about 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 222
Fat: 8.3 g
Carbs: 1.3 g
Fiber: 0g
Protein: 33.7 g

5 WW points