Warm, smoky, and with just the right amount of heat, Southwest Chicken is lightning quick to make. I love this chicken because it is super easy to throw together, and my family loves it because it goes well with so many of our favorite meals.

I fell in love with these bite-sized pieces of chicken years ago, and this Southwest version has become a family favorite. It fits right alongside my other boldly seasoned chicken bites. I can make them several times a week and still never have a bite leftover.

Southwest Chicken

This chicken is one of my go-to meals to throw together for busy weeknights. My boys wrap these tasty morsels of chicken up in tortillas or pile them high over rice, and I toss mine with a salad. When everyone gets to eat what they want, dinner is a guaranteed success.

I love that I can cook the meat right at the end of my dinner prep and serve it piping hot with everything else. It’s great for those nights when I don’t want to overthink making a tasty dinner.

Ingredients and Substitutions

The Meat – I like boneless skinless chicken thighs because the meat is more flavorful and forgiving. Chicken breasts will also work. 

Oil – I use light flavored olive oil in this recipe. Refined coconut oil will work as well.

Bold Spices – The primary seasonings that I use for this chicken are chili powde

This chicken bacon ranch casserole is the kind of dinner you make when you want something quick and easy that is cozy, filling, and guaranteed to be a hit. It’s creamy, cheesy, and packed with shredded chicken, crispy bacon, pasta, and just the right amount of ranch flavor.

It’s easy enough for a weeknight, comforting enough for a Sunday dinner, and flexible enough to make ahead which is exactly what we want from a good casserole.

Ingredients You’ll Need

This chicken bacon ranch pasta bake is a hearty dinner recipe everyone will love! Here is everything you’ll need:

• Butter: Forms the base of the sauce and adds richness while helping create a smooth, creamy texture.
• Garlic: Adds savory depth and aromatic flavor that enhances the cream sauce without overpowering it.
• Flour: Thickens the sauce, creating a creamy, cohesive base that coats the pasta and chicken evenly.
• Heavy Cream: Provides richness and body, giving the casserole its signature creamy, comforting texture.
• Chipotle Lime Ranch: Adds tangy ranch flavor with a subtle smoky kick, balancing the richness of the cheese and cream.
• Salt and Pepper: Enhance and balance all the flavors, ensuring the dish doesn’t taste flat.
• Chicken: Adds hearty protein and makes the casserole filling and satisfying.
• Small Shells Pasta: Holds onto the creamy sauce thanks to its shape, delivering flavor in every bite.
• Mozzarella Cheese: Melts smoothly and creates that stretchy, gooey texture everyone loves.
• Cheddar Cheese: Adds sharp, bold flavor that balances the creaminess of the sauce.
• Bacon: Brings smoky, salty crunch that contrasts perfectly with the creamy casserole.
• Parsley: Adds a fresh pop of color and a light herbal finish to balance the richness.

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Italian sliders are the perfect party dish for a Super Bowl get together! You start with slider buns and layer them with Italian deli meats like salami, pepperoni, and ham, then add melted provolone cheese.

For extra flavor, you drizzle some garlic parmesan sauce on top, then bake them until golden and crispy. To finish, load them up with your favorite sandwiches toppings like lettuce, tomatoes, pepperoncinis and black olives mixed with a creamy Italian dressing. These sliders are delicious, easy to assemble, and perfect for a crowd!

I’m going to fail you all a bit when it comes to the Super Bowl…we don’t watch it. It hasn’t always been easy, and it was an important decision for our family to not watch the Super Bowl. I know, don’t hate me, but Sunday is our one day set aside for our family and religion. However, we still enjoy a lot of good food (check out our Super Bowl Food Recipe Roundup for more ideas!), so I really wanted to step up a bit and provide our readers with more options for the big day. Food is everything for a football gathering, am I RIGHT?!

I decided to take a nod from our famous ham and cheese sliders and make a new version. Because of my love of chopped salads and the goodness of Italian delis I decided to jump into a fresh version of baked sliders.

There’s nothing quite like a big pot of Charro Bean Soup simmering away on the stove. It smells divine! It’s one of those recipes that feels rustic and homey, but it’s also packed with so much flavor that it always surprises people.

With tender pinto beans, smoky bacon, spicy chorizo, and fresh veggies, this soup is hearty enough to be a main dish yet cozy enough to serve as a side dish to your favorite Mexican meals.

What is Charro Bean Soup?

In Mexico, charro beans are known as frijoles charros or cowboy beans, a traditional cowboy-style dish that’s been loved for generations. It consists of pinto beans slowly cooked with different meats (ham, chorizo and bacon) in a rich flavorful broth with peppers, onions and tomatoes.

Last year when I was figuring out the best charro beans recipe, I had the thought that if I added a little more broth and a few more ingredients, charro beans could be made into a bold, hearty soup. AND Charro Bean Soup was born! We are obsessed! It’s total Mexican comfort food!

Charro Beans vs. Borracho Beans

Many people have questions about the difference between charro beans and borracho beans because they are so similar. The short answer is beer. Ha! “Borracho beans” “drunken beans” included beer in the liquid that the beans get simmered in. That’s really the only difference. The beer gives the beans a deeper, more malty flavor, but both are made with smoky meats, pinto beans, vegetables and seasonings.

Ingredients for Charro Bean Soup

For the Beans

• Dried Pinto Beans: The base of the dish—hearty, creamy beans that provide protein, fiber, and body to the soup. Cooking them from dry gives a richer, more authentic flavor and texture compared to canned beans.
• Yellow Onion: Adds natural sweetness and depth to the cooking liquid. It builds a flavor base for the beans as they simmer.
• Garlic: Infuses the beans with a subtle, savory flavor that enhances the broth and ties in with the traditional Mexican flavor profile.
• Bay Leaves: Give a subtle earthy, herbal note that rounds out the flavor and makes the beans taste more complex.
• Kosher Salt: Seasons the beans from the inside out as they cook, enhancing their natural flavor.
• Dried Mexican Oregano: Distinct from Italian oregano, it has a slightly citrusy, earthy flavor that pairs beautifully with Mexican spices and beans. It’s traditional and really deepens authenticity.
• Water: The cooking medium that softens the beans and carries all the aromatics. Using water instead of broth at this stage lets the beans shine without overpowering them too early.

For the Soup

• Proteins: Bacon, Ham and Chorizo
• Vegetables and Aromatics: Yellow Onion, Jalapeño,

Tender crisp broccoli florets and savory chicken are perfect together in this creamy, cheesy Chicken Broccoli Pasta. I love the textures and flavors in this super fast meal. Forget takeout, this is the kind of easy dinner I go to for my busiest weeknights.

Weeknight dinners are hard, ok? Even now that my boys are older and can help with the driving, all of the activities on our calendar can still make getting dinner on the table a bit overwhelming some nights. Dinners like this easy pasta solve the problem.

And, it’s a solution I have dialed in over the years, like with this Southwest chicken skillet, because they just work.

Easy Chicken Broccoli Pasta

I have a fair number of recipes that use pre-cooked chicken. I love the way that I can make a big batch in the slow cooker to save me time in front of the stove. However, a store-bought rotisserie chicken will work just as well.

And, broccoli has been appearing at my table on repeat, pretty much ever since I learned how to properly cook it. Tender crisp, people! And since broccoli is also my middle son’s favorite vegetable, it is included in our recipes frequently.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Pasta – I use half a pound of bu