What's Cooking: Chicken Pot Pie

To me the best part of a pot pie is the crust. I love pot pies and remember that being one of my favorite meals to whip up as a kid. How hard was it to pop one in the oven? I was young, naive and without a ton of kids at the time.

I still like pot pies, but I prefer making mine from scratch. It is healthier without all the sodium of the convenient, store-bought one serving pot pie. I forgo the crust to prevent fights because family dinner time is supposed to be a good thing, a time for bonding. Instead of crusts, I whip up a batch or two or three of homemade biscuits. While those are baking I make the pot pie filling.

Okay, I did say healthier but I must admit the batch I made this week might have had less sodium than a store bought version, but oh, the yummy fat was there. Shame I know, but it was really good. I used butter (unsalted and homemade) and cream in place of evaporated milk. It was what I had on hand. Darn!

I like making this recipe when I have leftover turkey or chicken. It was turkey this time. So I fudged a bit, it's Turkey Pot Pie that's cooking. A bag of frozen mixed veggies is easy to add. The hardest part of the recipe is cutting up the celery and onions.

What is so nice is that this recipe is freezer friendly. You can whip up a double batch and freeze half for a later time. You can freeze the biscuits too but I always run out of biscuits before I can ever do that.


Below is the recipe ... take note that this is a versatile recipe. You can make it healthier by using skim evaporated milk. I have and it still tastes yummy. The only difference is being able to fit in your jeans in the morning. There are other ways to make it healthier like using fat free chicken broth. You can adjust the vegetables by using what you have on hand or fresh even. I find using frozen mixed veggies saves prep time. The picky eaters just pick out which ones they don't like. There is no pleasing everyone in this house unless it is meatloaf for dinner.

Chicken/Turkey Pot Pie

(makes 6 servings or 2 pies)

1 cup onions, chopped

1 cup celery, choppped

1/3 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup flour

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup evaporated milk

4 cups chicken, cooked and chopped

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

1-1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Saute onions and celery in butter in a large skillet over medium heat until tender. Add flour and stir until smooth. Cook one minute, stirring constantly. Add chicken broth and evaporated milk. Cook, stirring constantly until thickened and bubbly. Stir in chicken, vegetables, salt and pepper. Heat through.

To Serve: Serve immediately hot over biscuits.

To Freeze: Let filling cool. Divide in half and freeze in one gallon freezer bags.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

I made this recipe this week. It was a HUGE hit. Even my picky that dislikes casseroles gave it a thumbs up when he had his polite bite. It tastes good as leftovers. I more than doubled the recipe. It is all gone 3 days later. See after the recipe for the changes I made to recipe to suit my and my family's tastes. Here is the recipe in the original form as I got it from a chat board.

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS
3-4 cups cooked, shredded chicken (about 4 breasts)
4 cups grated cheddar cheese, divided (Mexican works well)
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 can Rotel tomatoes, drained (add more or less according to preferences)
1 pack of taco shells, crushed

DIRECTIONS
Mix all ingredients (using only half of the cheese) in a large bowl making sure taco shells are wet. Place in a greased 9 x 13-inch casserole dish. Top with other half of cheese. Cover with foil. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes until bubbly and cheese starts to golden.

*Note from Ranae - I have used diced chicken breasts, leftover cooked chicken as well as shredded chicken for this recipe. I prefer the diced chicken breasts. I also use a tomato and green chile mix for added kick but not using the full half can called for if doing it that way. Also I have used tortilla chips. About half a bag equals a pack of taco shells.

I serve the casserole on a bed of shredded lettuce and topped with sour cream and sliced black olives. Salsa is a good topper as well if that is your preference like it is my hubby's.

Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings

INGREDIENTS
4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons butter
2 (10.75 ounce) cans cream of chicken soup
1 onion, finely diced
2 (10 ounce) packages refrigerated biscuit dough, torn into pieces

DIRECTIONS
Place the chicken, butter, soup and onion in a slow cooker and fill with enough water to cover. Cover and cook for 5 to 6 hours on HIGH. About 30 minutes before serving, place the torn biscuit dough in the slow cooker. Cook until the dough is no longer raw in the center.



*Note from Ranae - This is a versatile recipe. I use it as a base upon which to begin cooking. If using pre-cooked chicken, cook time would not need to be as long or even on HIGH. It would need to be turned to HIGH to cook the biscuits in the last 30 minutes or so. I have used chicken broth instead of water. I also use homemade biscuit dough cut into pieces. Vegetables add more nutrition to the meal and turns it into a one-pot meal.

Chunky Chicken Soup

I tried a new dish on my family last night. It was a hit and definite keeper. Usually when I make a recipe for the first time I follow the recipe closely. I did veer from that a bit as I know my family fairly well. I knew that a whole can of chiles would be too much so I cut the amount in half. Also I had no vegetable broth in my pantry so used fat-free chicken broth. I made some pumpkin-zucchini muffins to accompany the soup and had some leftover shredded zucchini and added that to the soup. Other than that and using Parmesan cheese instead of mozzarella for topping, I followed the recipe as it was written in my magazine, Simple & Delicious. I found it easy to assemble with basic ingredients. It would be a good recipe to use up leftover chicken, vegetables or even white beans.


Recipe and picture taken from December 2008 Simple & Delicious

SERVINGS: 5
METHOD: Stovetop - One-Dish
TIME: Prep: 20 min. Cook: 20 min.

Ingredients:
3/4 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup chopped onion
1-1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) vegetable broth
2 cans (15-1/2 ounces each) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1-1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
1 cup frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
3/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions: In a Dutch oven, saute the chicken, onion and garlic in oil until chicken juices run clear. Stir in flour until blended; gradually add broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes.

Reduce heat; stir in the beans, vegetables and seasonings. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Garnish with cheese. Yield: 7 cups.


Nutrition Facts
One serving: 1-1/3 cups with 1-1/2 tablespoons cheese
Calories: 332
Fat: 6 g
Saturated Fat: 2 g
Cholesterol: 44 mg
Sodium: 1387 mg
Carbohydrate: 41 g
Fiber: 12 g
Protein: 28 g

Allergy-Friendly Birthday Dinner & Cake

My youngest is allergic to dairy, eggs, grapes, rice and we think we can add red dye now too (had a reaction this weekend). It makes for some extra planning when it comes to cooking. Eric loves food thankfully so doesn't seemed phased unless told he can't have it.

Yesterday Eric turned one so a cake was in order. Eric recently discovered Oreos (and can actually have them). So starts his love affair with chocolate. The trick was to find a cake recipe that he could eat. I found one (gotta love Google). It is on Recipezaar.com and called (surprise) Egg-free Milk-free Chocolate Cake. What the name lacks, the cake makes up for in taste. I am not a big sweets fan so the amount of sweet was just right for me. Hubby has a major sweet tooth so it wasn't sweet enough for him. There were no leftovers so that is the better judge. I didn't have it frosted (ran out of powdered sugar earlier making pancakes ... oops) so that would add to the sweetness.

Eric is a fan of peas, chicken and noodles. What else could I serve but Chicken and Noodles? I used this recipe using chicken instead of turkey. I had cooked up some chicken earlier so had it on hand. I had some egg-free noodles as well as peas & carrots. Oh, yeah I add more black pepper than called for as well as garlic powder. It is a quick and filling meal. Eric loved it. It does call for milk. Pre-Eric days I would make it using evaporated milk for a creamier taste. Yesterday I used plain soy milk and crossed my fingers. It turned out so yummy. Eric loved it as did the rest of the family especially hubby. I served it with a simple salad of Romaine with grated carrot and radishes.

So begins my journey into the world of cooking allergy-free for Eric. It was worth though seeing him enjoy the dinner and cake so much. It is good to have a success for the trial run. I'd hate to start discouraged.

Weekly Menu for May 19-25

Monday:
Burritos
Spanish Rice
Fiesta Salad

Tuesday:
Baked Mostaccioli
Ceasar Salad
Garlic Bread

Wednesday:
Homemade McChickens
Carrot-Radish Salad
Watermelon Wedges

Thursday:
Chicken Zuchinni Casserole
Steamed Broccoli
Green Salad

Friday:
Pizza Night - pepperoni, cheese, sausage

Saturday:
Potato Pancakes
Cheddar Sausage Links
Applesauce

Sunday:
Sundaes for Sunday (new and much enjoyed family event)

Leftover Chicken + Fresh Spinach = A New Dish

My 13 yo son said once that there was a reason why leftovers were leftovers. I think it was after I announced that was what was for dinner. He's not too big of a fan of leftovers if you didn't guess.

This morning while I was thinking of what to serve for dinner (haven't been too good at menus lately ... oops!), I decided on a leftover makeover. In the refrigerator were some seasoned chicken patties leftover from when I made homemade McChickens. I happened to have some linguine and fresh spinach too. All that equates to Chicken-Spinach Linguine. I ain't too good with coming up with cool recipe names.

I put water on to boil to cook the pasta. Next was cleaning and cooking the spinach. The rabbits got any wilted or bad leaves. They love me now. After the spinach was done and set aside. I sauteed some red onion and garlic in olive oil and butter. I added chicken boullion and water. Next comes the cream, milk, and parmesan cheese. Once that was done I added the spinach (I chopped it after cooking) and chicken, sliced thinly. I seasoned it with white pepper. The sauce was served over the liguine with a salad for a side.

I was able to use up leftover chicken and try my hand not only at a new recipe but add my own mark to it. Now here's hoping it tastes as good as it looks and smells!

Ready, Set, Cook!

The game is Ready, Set, Cook! You can read about how to play here:


This month the ingredients were chicken breasts, leeks and cauliflower. I decided to prepare this menu for the game. Join us in future games at Cooking with Anne (you can also see other game players' entries).


Menu:
Italian Herb Chicken
Creamy Potato-Leek Soup
Ceasar Salad
French Bread


Italian Herb Chicken
1 pkg McCormick Slow Cookers Italian Herb Chicken Seasoning
2.5 pounds chicken parts
1 pkg (8 oz) fresh mushrooms, sliced or halved
2 cans (14.5 oz each) stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste

Place chicken and mushrooms in slow cooker. Mix seasoning, tomatoes and tomato paste until blended. Pour over chicken and mushrooms. Cover. Cook 8 hours on LOW or 4 hours on HIGH. Remove chicken and vegetables to serving platter. Stir sauce before serving.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Serves: 8

Creamy Potato-Leek Soup
3 large potatoes, peeled and diced
2 quarts chicken broth
1 head cauliflower
2 Tablespoons butter
1 leek
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium carrot, shredded
1 cup fat-free half & half
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon basil

In large pot, place chicken broth and diced potatoes and cook until potatoes are tender. In a microwave-safe bowl, place cauliflower in an inch of water. Cover with saran wrap and heat in microwave 5 minutes until tender (but not mushy). Cut green tops off leek and chop white part. In small skillet heat over medium heat, add butter, garlic, celery and leek. Saute until tender.

When cauliflower is steamed, puree in blender all ingredients except half & half and grated carrots. Return to pot; add half & half and carrots. Reduce heat and simmer until flavors mix.

Hint: Using cauliflower as a substitute for potatoes in a soup allows for the same color and texture but eliminates the carbs.