Chicken Pot Pie

I love chicken pot pie.  It is comfort food in it's best form.  This recipe is from a couple of different recipes that I combined.  

3 celery sticks, diced small

3 carrots, peeled and diced small

1 yellow onion, diced small

1 large red potato, diced small,

            optional

½ cup frozen peas, optional

2-3 cups cooked chicken, cubed

½ cup butter

½ cup flour

2 cups chicken broth

2-3 T. cream, if I have it or milk

1-3 pinches thyme to taste

Heat oven to 400º.  Melt butter in large pot.  Add celery, carrots, onion, and potato.  Sautee until the vegetables begin to turn translucent and are barely tender.  Sprinkle the flour over and stir to combine.  Add the chicken broth and gently stir until thickened.  Add peas and chicken and stir.  Place in baking dish or small baking dishes.  Cover with pastry.  Bake for 30 minutes, until golden brown.  Serve hot.  Makes 6 personal size or serves 6.

**I usually double the sauce recipe because the crust recipe makes about double what is needed.  Or roll the leftover pastry up with a piece of parchment and put in a Ziploc bag and freeze to use later.

Pie Crust

3 cups flour

1 t. kosher salt

1 t. baking powder

½ cup butter, room temperature

¾ cup shortening.

Mix flour, salt and baking powder.  Add butter and shortening and cut in with a pastry cutter or two knives.  Add ½ cup ice water and mix until it comes together.  Add a bit more if needed.  Roll out for pot pie.

This crust is perfect for a pot pie.  Flaky and flavorful.

I like using a rotisserie chicken from the store to make it faster.

Pot pies can be baked and then frozen or frozen before baking and then baked later.  If baking right from the freezer, cover with foil for 30 minutes and then bake another 20 minutes without the foil.

Bacon Wrapped Barbecue Chicken and Pineapple Skewers

Chelsea and Dan made these the other Sunday and they were delicious!

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 ½ inch pieces

1 - 2 pounds bacon

About ¼ cup brown sugar

1 ½ - 2 cups barbecue sauce – mixing KC Masterpiece and Sweet Baby Ray’s is yummy.  Set aside ½ cup for brushing on during grilling

1 large pineapple cut into chunks 

Combine chicken pieces with barbecue sauce and marinade for 2-3hours (this step can be omitted if pressed for time, but add some extra barbecue sauce while grilling)

 Lay out bacon strips on a cookie cooling rack and place rack in a regular cookie sheet (so the bacon grease will drip into cookie sheet) brush each strip with the brown sugar and bake at 400 degrees for about 5 minutes just enough to make sure the brown sugar cooks into the bacon. This step is important for wrapping the chicken and getting crispy on the grill. 

Let bacon cool enough to handle and wrap bacon strip around each chicken piece and skewer. Then thread pineapple and bacon-wrapped chicken. I like to alternate pineapple chunk, bacon wrapped chicken, in a pattern until skewer is filled to my liking.

Grill kabobs until chicken reaches 155-160 degrees F. Slather remaining barbecue sauce onto bacon-wrapped chicken when they are nearly cooked.

Serve with a green salad with avocado, tomatoes, cucumbers and croutons.  Enjoy!

Chicken in a Creamy Parmesan & Sundried Tomato Sauce

A quick, easy and tasty chicken dish in a creamy parmesan and sundried tomato sauce. from Brianne's Pinterest Yum food board!  Yum is right.  I enjoyed another Sunday chicken dish that I didn't need a crock pot for.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon oil
4 (~6 oz) skinless and boneless chicken breasts, pounded thin
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup dry white wine (or chicken broth)
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy/ whipping cream
1/4 cup oil packed sundried tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup fresh basil, thickly sliced (or 1 teaspoon dried basil)

Directions:
1) Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat, add the chicken and cook until lightly golden brown on both sides and cooked through, about 5 min. per sides before setting aside.  (take out chicken)
2) Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté until fragrant, about a minute.
3) Add the wine and deglaze the pan.
4). Add the broth, cream, sundried tomatoes and parmesan, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce thickens a bit, about 3-5 min.
5) Mix in the chicken along with the juices, season with salt & pepper to taste, remove from heat and mix in the basil.

Parmesan Chicken Florentin

These are easy and so delicious.

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

6 T. Parmesan cheese, divided

6 boneless chicken breasts, ¼ inch thick (3 cut horizontally into cutlets)

1 egg

½ cup Ritz crackers crushed, about 10

½ t. Bon Appetit season salt

1½ cups spaghetti sauce, heated

Preheat oven to 375°.  Mix cream cheese, spinach, mozzarella cheese, salt to taste and 3 T. parmesan cheese until well blended.  Spread evenly onto chicken breasts and roll up tightly.

Beat egg in shallow bowl.  Mix remaining 3 T. Parmesan cheese, Bon Appetit and the cracker crumbs in a separate bowl.  Dip chicken bundles in egg then roll in crumb mixture.  Place chicken, seam sides down, in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  Serve topped with spaghetti sauce.  Serves 6.

To make cutlets: place chicken breast on a cutting board.  Place your hand flat on it and cut through the middle horizontally.  This is much easier than pounding them out and makes a much better serving size.  

Stacie's Hawaiian Haystacks

Stacie made these for Lizzie's birthday dinner and they were YUM!
(What?  No chicken pillows?)

Chicken and sauce
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1/2 t. salt
3 cups milk
1-2 t. dry minced onion
1 t. garlic salt
1 (10 3/4 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
4 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into cubes

Cooked rice (at least 4 cups)

Toppings:
Chow mien noodles one 9.5 oz can
Grated cheese
Celery, sliced
Cooked peas
Mandarin oranges
Green onions, sliced
Pineapple chunks
Slivered almonds
Tomatoes, diced

coconut


Melt the butter in a saucepan.  Add the flour and salt and stir until it is bubbly.  Add the milk and cook until thickened, stirring constantly.  Add soup and then the chicken.  Simmer on low for 15 minutes.  Serve with rice, chicken sauce and toppings.  Serves 6-8.

Hint:  Stacie likes to grill a lot of chicken on her "George Forman" grill, cut it in cubes and put it in bags of 2 cups or 4 chicken breasts in the freezer.  It makes it easy to make this recipe because she makes the sauce and throws in the chicken and it is all ready.

Heather's quick sauce: (from Melaine ward pal)

Heather likes to use 2 (10.75 oz) cans of cream of mushroom soup

1 cup chicken broth

2 cups of shredded chicken, cooked chicken

Chicken Enchiladas

This recipe is so easy and always a hit!

7-8 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded or finely diced (about 6 cups)

2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, drained and rinsed

36 oz. salsa (about 2/3 to ¾ jar of Jack’s Medium Fresh Salsa from Costco)

1 quart cream (real whipping cream is the best!  If you prefer, use half and half)

3-4 cups grated cheese

Flour tortillas, about 24 of the 8” size

Fresh limes

Combine cooked chicken, beans, salsa and half of the cheese in a large bowl.  Spray 2 or 3 9x13-inch glass baking pans with non-stick cooking spray.  Pour just enough cream in each pan to cover the bottom.  Using a separate round pie tin filled with cream, dip both sides of each tortilla in cream, drain.  Fill tortilla with 1/2 cup chicken mixture, roll up and place in 9x13-inch pans, filling pans from end to end.  Pour remaining cream over the top and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.  Cover with foil sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Bake, covered, 45 minutes at 350°.  Squeeze fresh lime juice on top just before serving.  Makes about 24 8” enchiladas.  Can be prepared ahead and refrigerated up to 2 days before baking. 

Serve with a Mexican tossed salad, cornbread, lime rice and fresh fruit.  From Rosemary Wixom.

(Sorry my picture wasn't the best.  These got a bit burned on the bottom when I was trying to bake two pans at a time.)

Sweet Potato Turkey Shepherd's Pie

A yummy Autumn flavor.  The vegetables are easily doubled in this recipe without altering the flavor too much.

Sweet Potato Topping

2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into  1-inch cubes
2 t. kosher salt
3 T. unsalted butter, melted
1/4 t. freshly grated nutmeg
freshly ground black pepper

Turkey Filling

2 T. unsalted butter
2 T. canola oil
1 large onion, diced
3/4 c. diced celery
3/4 c. peeled, diced carrots
1 t. kosher salt
3 T. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c. chicken stock or broth
1/2 c. whipping cream or half-and-half
2 1/2 c. shredded roast turkey or chicken
2 T. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 T. finely chopped fresh sage
1 T. minced fresh thyme

In a saucepan combine sweet potatoes, 1 t. salt and enough water to cover by 1 inch.  Cover partially.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for about ten minutes until potatoes are fork tender.

Drain potatoes, mash with a masher and stir in melted butter, nutmeg and 1 t. salt. Set aside

In a large saucepan melt butter with oil over medium heat.  Add onion, celery, carrots and salt. Cover partially and reduce heat to medium-low.  Cook until vegetables are very tender, about 12 minutes.

Sprinkle flour over vegetables.  Stir to combine.  Slowly stir in stock.  Simmer, stirring occasionally untion smooth and thickened, about 2 minutes.  Stir in cream; bring to a simmer.  Add turkey, parsley, sage and thyme.  Stir and return to a simmer.  Spread turkey filling in a 9x13 dish.  Using a rubber spatula, spread and mound sweet potato mixture over filling, leaving some of the filling visible.  Bake at 400 degrees until bubbly, about 20 minutes.  Makes 5 servings.

Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens Oct 2013

Cordon Bleu Casserole

 A quick and tasty dish

1/2 c. bread crumbs
1 1/2 t. garlic salt
1 t. chili powder
1 T. margarine, melted
6-8 chicken tenders
8-10 pieces thin sliced ham
4 pieces sliced Swiss cheese

Mix bread crumbs, garlic salt and chili powder together. Pour melted margarine into 8x8 baking dish and top with half the bread crumb mixture.  Place chicken tenders, ham and cheese on top.  Top with remaining bread crumbs. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes.

Serve with rice, white sauce and peas

Chicken Noodle Soup

The perfect comfort food.

3-4 cups water

4 t. chicken bouillon

2 cups sliced or diced carrots, 3 to 4 carrots

2 cups sliced or diced celery, 3 ribs

¾ cup chopped onion

2 cups dry noodles

3 T. butter

3 T. flour

1 cup milk

2 cups cooked diced chicken - leftover grilled chicken is very tasty 

Heat water and bouillon to a boil.  Add carrots, celery, onions and simmer 10 minutes.  Add noodles and cook through, about 10 minutes more.  Meanwhile, melt butter and add flour to make a roux.  Add milk and stir until smooth and beginning to thicken.  Add to cooked vegetables and noodles.  Stir until broth is smooth and slightly thickened.  Add chicken and heat through.   Add more water if it is too thick.  Season to taste. Makes about 2 ½ quarts. 

The original Lion House recipe uses 2 cans of cream of chicken soup but after reading The Kitchen Counter Cooking School, I make if from scratch and I like it much better. 

Feta Stuffed Chicken

Easy and so good!

4 chicken breasts
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese*
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons olive oil

Cut a pocket into each chicken breast at the thickest part (not all the way through).  In a small bowl mix 1/4 cup of feta with lemon zest and fill each chicken breast.

Heat olive oil in skillet and add the chicken breasts.  Cook on each side for 8-10 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink.  Top with remaining feta.

Serve with rice and cooked green beans or with a spinach salad. Yum!

*Feta can be purchased for much cheaper at Costco.

Sweet and Sour Chicken Strips

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves cut in strips
¼ cup flour
½ t. season salt
1 cup finely crushed cornflake crumbs
¼ cup butter, melted

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine flour and season salt.  Dip chicken strips in flour mixture, then in butter then roll in cornflake crumbs.  Place on baking sheet.  Bake at 400 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown.  Serves 6-8.

Serve with sweet and sour sauce and ham fried rice.  I like buying the corn flake crumbs because I don't eat regular corn flakes unless I live outside the U.S. so these are lots easier!

Sweet and Sour Sauce

2/3 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup apple juice

2 T. vinegar

1 t. catsup

1 t. soy sauce

1 ¼ cup water

¼ cup cornstarch 

In a saucepan, mix all ingredients.  Cook and stir over medium heat until sauce begins to thicken and becomes clear.  Serves 8.

Olivia C loves