Chicken Pot Pie

My affection for chicken pot pie really made an appearance when I had a bite of Josh's when he ordered it at "Good Thymes Bistro" in Park City. The top was super flakey and the mess inside was different than most pot pies. They are usually yellowy, soupy and seem like a can of condensed soup. Now, that being said, this recipe has condensed soup in it, but it is the WHITE, CREAMY consistency that I was looking for, and achieved. Like so:

Now I have NEVER made pot pie before. So this was a risk altogether. And what I learned is this: dough does not rise when it is sitting on top of a moist, dense mixture. So although this puff pastry had the potential of being tall and flakey, it did not make it there for whatever reason. So if I were to make a change, it would be to bake the puff pastry SEPARATELY and then place it on top of the pie when the pie has about 5 min left. I had to turn the broiler on to get it crispy and even then, it was kind of the consistency of dumplings. Still good- but not what I was looking for. If anyone has suggestions on this, I'd love to hear them.

Chicken Pot Pie

1 1/2 lbs of skinless chicken breasts cut into cubes

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1/2 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 pkg frozen peas

1 pkg frozen corn

2 carrots thinly chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp Garlic salt*

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 package of puff pastry dough, (from the frozen section of the grocery store)**

Preheat oven to 400.

Unwrap the dough and let it defrost (about an hour will do.) While it is resting, put the sour cream, heavy cream, peas, corn and carrots into a bowl. Add the seasonings.

Spray a large skillet with non-stick spray or throw a pat of butter in. Stir in the chicken and the chopped onion, salt and pepper it a bit and cook through. Add the chicken mixture to the bowl of creamy vegetable mixture. Mix thoroughly. Spoon into a small casserole dish, 13X9 is fine..

*I added a clove of garlic to the chopped onions in replacement of the garlic salt.

OKAY- now this is what I did from this point, I cut stars out of the defrosted puff pastry and lined the dish with over-lapping layers and egg washed the pastry, and baked for 25-30 min. Again, it turned out fine, after broiling it a bit to get it cooked more, but here is what I would do instead...

**Follow the directions on the pastry box to cook the pastry BEFORE you cook the pot pie, cook it till it is ALMOST done, take it out and set aside. Put the pie in the oven and begin baking- when the pie is 5-10 mins before being done, take it out and add the pastry and finish baking.

I shouldn't give directions that I have not yet tried, but you better bet that this is the way I'll do it next time.

Chicken and Dumplings

Oh man. There is no better time of year for this. I've made this a few times, I'm just so busy scarfing it down, I always forget to take pictures. So finally- here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 Rotisserie chicken (you can opt out of this and use cooked chicken breasts, but the roasted chicken flavor is SO MUCH BETTER.)

2 carrots

2 stalks of celery

3 small yukon gold potatoes

1/2 yellow onion

1 clove garlic

2 T olive oil

2 boxes of Chicken Broth

Salt & Pepper for seasoning

(optional) 1 Chicken boullion cube

For Dumplings:

2 C. flour

1 tsp. salt

3/4c-1 cup of ice water

Chop your vegetables into bite sized cubes and chop the onion finely. In a large dutch oven pot or soup pot, heat the olive oil over med-high heat and saute the onion and garlic till fragrant. Add the carrots, celery and potatoes and stir around for a few minutes. Don't them burn..

Pour in the broth and bring to a subtle boil, then simmer for about 10-15 minutes, till the vegetables have softened. Then add the shredded chicken and simmer for another 5-7 minutes. Flavor with salt and pepper, and check to see if you want the boullion cube. I added because my family likes lots of flavor and though it was fine, I know Josh would have asked for the salt. So I added the cube, and it was fine. No requesting the salt shaker.

While that all simmers on LOW, make your dumplings. Mix the flour and salt and start adding the water while stirring with your fingers. As soon as it is wet enough to form a solid ball, you are done adding water. Flour a clean surface and roll out the dough to about 1/8" thick. Use a knife or pizza cutter to cut strips 1-1.5 inches thick, then again across to make little square dumplings. Once cut, turn the heat up to med-high to get it boiling again and add the dumplings. Shove them all down to the bottom with a wooden spoon, and once they are all floating again, they are cooked.

This makes great leftovers. And I hate leftovers.

Lemon Chicken Picatta

This was, as my husband put it, "the best meal I ever made." It was on our plates for less than 5 minutes. Jack's too- he loved it. I got this recipe from my cute neighbor, but only changed a couple of things.

Lemon Chicken Picatta

3 Large Boneless Chicken Breast Halves, cut into medallions

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 C. flour

2 T. vegetable oil, (more as needed)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 C. Chicken Broth

1/2 lemon, thinly sliced

1/3 C. freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 T. capers, drained

3 T. butter

2 T. minced italian flat-leaf parsley

Preheat oven to 200 degrees, and place a serving platter inside to keep warm.

Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour. Shake off excess flour. Heat a skillet with the oil in it and pan-fry the chicken pieces till slightly golden. (A few minutes on each side.) Do not crowd skillet, work in batches if needed. Place the browned chicken into the warm platter and keep in oven to hold heat. Drain most of the oil in the skillet leaving a thin layer, you will be using this same skillet to make your sauce.

-Cut and stir in the minced garlic in the skillet, till fragrant.

-Carefully- pour in chicken broth and stir in lemon slices. Scrape down any brown bits that may be on the side of the pan.

-Let sauce come to a boil, then reduce heat slightly and cook till it reduces to about 2/3-1 Cup, then add the lemon juice and capers.

-Let it cook till it thickens slightly, about 5 min more. Then add the butter and swirl it in letting it melt slowly.

-Once incorporated, remove from heat then add parsley and stir it in completely.

Pull your chicken out of the oven, then pour all the sauce over* and slightly toss the chicken till the sauce is evenly distributed. Serve immediately.

*(if serving with noodles, after pouring sauce over chicken, leave the pan with a coating of the sauce, add a tablespoon more of butter, and toss the cooked noodles in the pan. Serve chicken over noodles.)

We were all left wanting more...

Char's Garden Chowder

A friend of mine's Aunt entered this recipe into a contest at Zupas and won. They served this soup at Zupas for a little while so if you have had it there you'll know how delicious it is. It's pretty easy to make and is vegetarian if you want it to be.

Char's Garden Chowder

2 Medium Zucchinis
1 Medium Onion, Chopped
2 T Fresh Parsley, Minced
1 tsp Dried Basil
1/3 c Butter
1/3 c Flour
1 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
3 c Vegetable Broth
1 tsp lemon juice
2-3 Tomatoes, Diced
1 12oz can Evaporated Milk
1 can Corn
1/3 c Parmesan Cheese, grated
2 c Cheddar Cheese
1/2 lb cooked diced Chicken (optional, I originally added this thinking the soup would need more substance but I was wrong. It holds it's own without meat)

Over medium heat saute the onion, zucchini, parsley, and basil in butter until vegetables are tender. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Gradually stir in vegetable broth. Add lemon juice; mix well. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for two minutes. Add tomatoes, milk, and corn; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for five minutes or until corn is tender. Just before serving, stir in cheese just until melted. Serve.

Bacon-Wrapped Chicken and Cream Cheese Bundles

This recipe made me feel like I was 12 years old, sitting on the couch in my parents family room, watching the Simpson's while mom cooked dinner. I loved it. This may not be your bag, but I sure liked it, Jack SCARFED it... which is always a plus because he needs those calories, and Josh seemed pleased.

Ingredients:

3 Chicken Breasts

Strips of bacon

1 block of cream cheese

Fresh chives, chopped (about 1/4 cup.)

toothpicks

What You Do:

Preheat oven to 400.

Pound out your chicken breasts between some parchment/wax paper, to thin the meat to about 1/2" thick. (The thinner, the more evenly it will cook.) If your chicken is wet- sprinkle some flour on it. Stir the chives in with your cream cheese and divide 3 ways. Spread it onto the chicken breasts and roll them up. Wrap with bacon- my mom suggested 1 strip, I did 2, it depends on what bacon you get. I just wanted it to be wrapped well, plus the grease from the bacon moistens the chicken and makes it nice and juicy. Fasten it with a toothpick, then place in a dish that will hold all the juices and cheese that will inevitably melt out. Bake for 45 min, or until the chicken is cooked through. If your bacon isn't crispy enough for you, you can broil it for a few minutes, but keep your eye on it.

Serve- and don't eat the toothpick. I served a side of yellow and green squash sauteed in butter, salt and pepper. Yum.

Lemon Pepper Grilled Chicken with Cream Sauce and Asparagus

This was something I whipped up out of nowhere. But dang, it was a hit, and mega good.

Ingredients:

Two boneless chicken breasts, tenderized

2 cups of milk

Juice from one lemon

2 T. McCormick Lemon Pepper Seasoning (or just pepper and lemon rind)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Steamed Asparagus

Cream Sauce:

1/2 pint of heavy cream

4 T. Butter

2 T. flour

Lemon juice

Salt

CAPERS- (I forgot to put my capers in.. :( Sad.)

Tenderize your chicken breasts by placing them between two sheets of parchment and beating them gently. Place them in a marinade of the milk, lemon juice and lemon pepper seasoning. I left them in there for just over an hour.

Start steaming your asparagus, and warm up your grill. (I used a grill PAN, not an actual grill... but it goes either way.) Grill your chicken on a med-low heat for 3-4 minutes on each side, with a bit of olive oil in the pan.

While the chicken is cooking, melt the butter over low heat for the cream sauce in a sauce pan. While stirring with a whisk, add the flour. Then slowly add the cream while stirring quickly and the sauce should thicken. Then add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. If you have capers, add those. Keep the sauce on low heat and stir occasionally while your chicken finishes grilling. Place chicken and asparagus on plate and SMOTHER with delicious cream sauce.

Or, if you are one of those people "watching what you eat", you may omit the cream sauce and have an uber-healthy meal.

Chicken Schnitzel

Oh man. I may make this again this week, because it was a huge hit. I got it of of iVillage again, but I made my own changes. I used lemon, and I used Panko Crumbs in stead of bread crumbs, and I added the noodles with lemon sauce. You can make this however you want and I'm sure it is just dandy.

Chicken Scnitzel

2 large chicken breasts

2 cups Panko crumbs, sauted till golden with butter in a frying pan

1 egg

2/3 c flour

salt and pepper

Canola oil

1 package soba noodles (yummy buckwheat noodles that are SO good for you, found at Whole Foods or even better- Sunflower Market)

Sauce

2 T butter

1-2 T flour

1/3 cup heavy cream

3 T capers

salt pepper to taste

squeeze of lemon

Place your chicken breasts between two pieces of wax paper and one at a time, beat with a rolling pin till 1/4 inch thick. Cut in half, length-wise so you now have four schnitzel's. Beat the egg, and put in a shallow bowl. Put the flour in another shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper. Put your toasted Panko crumbs in another bowl. Dip each schnitzel one by one first in the flour, then the egg, then the panko crumbs. Make sure to press into the panko crumbs to get good coverage. Place on a plate and refrigerate for 30 min.

Meanwhile, boil your soba noodles just until tender and drain. Melt the 2 T butter in a small sauce pan and add the flour. Keep stirring, and always try to keep the mixture moving. Add the cream and the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Add the capers.

Rinse your soba noodles and drain as much as possible. (They are pretty slimey... don't worry about it.) Toss the noodles with the sauce and set aside to keep warm.

In a large skillet warm up the oil and when hot add the refrigerated schnitzel. If doing them not all at once, warm the oven to 175 degrees to have a place to keep them warm. Fry the schnitzel's for 2-3 min on each side at med-high heat, or until golden brown and cooked through. Keep warm in oven till ready to serve.

Curl up a pile of noodles on the plate and place warm schnitzel on top, and serve!

Jaime Oliver's Crispy Garlic Chicken

Yummy, light and simple. Both husband and child ate this one.

Ingredients

• 1 clove(s) garlic
• 1 lemon
• 6 cream or plain crackers, such as Jacob's
• 2 tablespoon(s) butter
• 4 sprig(s) fresh Italian parsley
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoon(s) all-purpose flour
• 1 large egg, preferably free-range or organic
• 2 skinless chicken breast fillets, preferably free-range or organic
• Olive oil

Directions

1. To prepare your chicken: Peel the garlic and zest the lemon.
2. Put your crackers into a food processor with the butter, garlic, parsley sprigs, lemon zest, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Whiz until the mixture is very fine, then pour these crumbs on to a plate.
3. Sprinkle the flour on to a second plate. Crack the egg into a small bowl and beat with a fork.
4. Lightly score the underside of the chicken breasts. Put a square of plastic wrap over each one and bash a few times with the bottom of a pan until the breasts flatten out a bit.
5. Dip the chicken into the flour until both sides are completely coated, then dip into the egg and finally into the flavored crumbs. Push the crumbs onto the chicken breasts so they stick — you want the meat to be totally coated.
6. To cook your chicken: You can either bake or fry the chicken. If baking, preheat your oven to its highest temperature (475 degrees), place your chicken on a sheet pan, and cook for 15 minutes.
7. If frying, put a frying pan on a medium heat, add a few good lugs of olive oil, and cook the chicken breasts for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until cooked through, golden, and crisp.
8. To serve your chicken: Either serve the chicken breasts whole, or cut them into strips and pile them on a plate. Beautiful and simple served with a lemon wedge for squeezing over, and a tiny sprinkling of salt. Great with a lovely fresh salad or simply dressed veggies.

Honey Lime Chicken

I am a bad blogger today since this post will not contain a picture of my own, but trust me, I was too busy gobbling these recipes down to think of taking a picture!
Monday night, I had a whole pack of chicken breasts in my fridge that were nearing expiration. I decided to throw them all in the crockpot on low with a much of mexican spices (cumin, chili powder, garlic, onion powder, cilantro, oregano, etc.) until I could decide what to do with the chicken. Then, I found this yummy recipe on the Sister's Cafe site for Honey Lime enchiladas. We made it for dinner following the recipe posted and they were delicious! The best part was that I had a lot of leftover chicken that I had already put honey and lime juice in. So, a few days later, they became Honey Lime Shredded Chicken Tacos. Yum! So, whatever your family craves, give this tasty shredded chicken a try in your favorite Mexican recipe.

Honey Lime Chicken

You can follow the direction from the Sister's Cafe if you are a measuring type of cook, but I rarely measure, so I just adjusted the amounts of the following ingredients:

Honey
Lime Juice
Garlic Powder
Chili Powder
salt and pepper

Mix in with your hot shredded chicken straight from the crockpot. Adjust the amounts to your personal tastes (we used more lime and less honey). Yum!

Black Bean Salsa

1 can black beans, rinsed
3-4 chopped Roma tomatoes
1/2 can corn, drained
1/2 yellow onion minced
1/2 a bunch of cilantro, chopped
1 TBS minced garlic

Toss to combine. Add a few sprinkles of salt, a few squirts of lime juice, and a teaspoon of both chili powder and cumin to the mix. Let it chill until ready to use.

Then, take a nice crispy corn tortilla, add the salsa with the chicken, garnish with cilantro, cheese, and sour cream, and enjoy!

Jaime Oliver's Chicken and Leek Stroganoff

This was from the book I posted about earlier. I have been having a lot of fun with these. Mainly, because I'm starting with the 30 minutes meals, so they are fast and easy. So far, I've enjoyed each recipe. This stroganoff is surprisingly tasty. It's tangy, creamy and savory all at the same time. My husband acted on instinct, and said "he may not be able to eat all of it, and save some for later"... but once he tasted it he finished it all off.

Chicken and Leek Stroganoff

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup long-grain or Basmatti Rice (I used short brown rice)

1 large leek

big handful of mushrooms (I used cremini)

2 chicken breasts

olive oil

a knob of butter

a glass of good, tasty white wine

a bunch of fresh parsley

1 1/2 cups heavy cream*

Cook your rice according to the packet instructions in salted boiling water.

Cut both ends off the leek, quarter lengthways and then slice across thinly, then wash well under running water. Slice the mushrooms. Slice the Chicken Breasts into finger size pieces.

Put a large frying pan on a high heat and add a good lug of olive oil and the knob of butter.

Add the leek to the pan with the white wine and a small glass of water and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Let it bubble away for 5 minutes loosely covered with a piece of foil.

Meanwhile, finely chop the parsley, stalks and all. Remove the foil and add the chicken strips, most of the parsley, the cream and the mushrooms.

Stir, and bring back to a boil then turn the heat down and simmer for 10 minutes.

Just before serving, cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice of one half into the stroganoff. Season to taste. Spoon rice onto each plate, and top with the stroganoff. Scatter with the remainder of the chopped parsley.

Chicken Pillows

Ahh... comfort food. I've had these at three, completely separate homes before. They are the real thing. What's great about them is how alternative they are, and the recipe can catered to your specific likes and dislikes.

Chicken Pillows

1 pkg of Pillsbury crescents, or 8 defrosted Rhodes rolls

1 pkg cream cheese, softened

1 C. cooked, diced chicken

1 C. diced or canned mushrooms

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

dash of salt and pepper

melted butter, bread crumbs, and parmesan to top

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix the chicken, cream cheese, mushrooms and seasonings together. Then divide the mixture amongst the dough and pull the sides of the dough up over the mixture, and pinch the edges closed. Place them equally apart on a greased pan, top with melted butter and sprinkle bread crumbs over the top.

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown on top.

(Some serve with gravy- some don't. I don't have the gravy recipe. Cue: Lyndsey's 'post comment' with the gravy recipe.)

Cafe Rio anyone??

(note: some pictures and recipes are my own; others came from favfamilyrecipes.com and 365daysofcrockpot.blogspot.com)

OK, I'll admit it. If an AA group for Cafe Rio lovers existed, I'd be a member. I just can't get enough of it. Thus began my search for the perfect Cafe Rio "copycat" menu items. Some of the following recipes come pretty dang close, while others are a little different but still taste great. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Cafe Rio Pork

3-5 pound pork roast (or boneless ribs)
18 ounces Coke (not diet)
1 cup brown sugar
1 (7 oz.) can chipotle chilies in Adobo sauce (discard chilies, only use sauce)
1 heaping tsp. ground mustard
1 tsp. minced garlic

Place pork roast in bottom of crock pot. Mix all other ingredients together and pour over the roast. Cook on LOW for 7-9 hours, or until it shreds easily. Shred the pork meat 1 hour before the total cook time is up so it can cook in the sauce for the remaining time. Make sense?


Cafe Rio Chicken
5 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 oz. Zesty Italian dressing
1 tblsp. chili powder
1 tblsp. cumin
3 tsp. minced garlic

Place chicken in the bottom of a greased crock pot. Mix all other ingredients together and pour of chicken. (If you like lots of sauce you can double the recipe so it covers the chicken). Cook on LOW for 3-5 hours then shred with a fork. Again, shred the meat before the total cooking time is up so it can cook longer in the sauce!


Use the pork or chicken to make tacos, burritos, salads, tostadas, etc....be sure to use the tortillas you can cook in a pan for just a few minutes, NOT pre-cooked ones)

Also serve with the following recipes:

Cafe Rio Lime Rice
2 tblsp. butter
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
4 tsp. minced garlic
6 2/3 cup water
7 chicken bullion cubes
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
2 tsp. cumin
1 tblsp. lime juice
1/2 tsp. salt
3 cups long grain rice

Saute butter, onion, and garlic then set aside. Bring all other ingredients, except rice, to a boil in a large pot. Add onion and garlic, then add rice. Cover and simmer until rice is tender.


Cafe Rio Tomatillo Ranch Dressing
1 package Hidden Valley buttermilk ranch dressing
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups mayo
2 tomatillos, remove outer husk
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/3 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp. lime juice (or more!)
1 small jalapeno, seeds removed (keep seeds if you like things spicy)

Mix all ingredients in a blender. If you want the dressing thicker, add a bit more mayo. Refrigerate a few hours before serving.

Cafe Rio Pico de Gallo
4 tomatoes, chopped
1 white onion, chopped
1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp. lime juice
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

Mix all the above ingredients and ENJOY!

Sour Cream Chicken

This is one of my favorite meals of all time. (Don't mind the bad picture.) Growing up, I'd frequently ask for this on my birthday. If you want to know what's for dinner at our house....this meal is a regular. In fact, I had my brother over for dinner yesterday and this is what he requested. And the best part about it is that it's SO easy. You can literally whip it up in about 5 minutes and throw it in the oven. We made it last night with Lisa's buttermilk rolls--yum!

Sour Cream Chicken

4-6 servings

1 10 ¾ ounce can cream of chicken soup (If you like a lot of sauce like we do, use 2 cans)

1 cup grated cheddar cheese (add more for more sauce)
1 cup sour cream

4 chicken breasts - thawed
dash paprika

Mix first 3 ingredients together and set aside. Place thawed chicken breasts in a glass baking dish. Salt and pepper lightly. (Cut breasts in half for faster cooking.) Spoon mixture evenly over chicken and sprinkle lightly with paprika. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Serve over white rice, and enjoy the delicious cheesy goodness!

Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Pasta

Just tried this for dinner tonight, and it did not disappoint. I guess my CRAZY "5-kid life" lures me to these easy crock pot recipes. Is there such a thing as a crock pot junkie? Maybe. Whatever puts food on the table, right?

(I promise....the next meal I post won't come from one of "those").

Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Pasta
(adapted from 365daysofcrockpot.blogspot.com)

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used frozen chicken tenders)
4 oz. can of mushrooms, drained
1 packet of Ranch dressing
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz. cream cheese

1 box of your favorite pasta, cooked

Place chicken breasts and mushrooms on bottom of crock pot, then sprinkle ranch dressing packet on top. Dissolve the bouillon cube in 1 cup boiling water and pour over chicken. Cook on LOW for about 2 hours. Stir in soup and cream cheese until well blended then cook for another hour. (My slow cooker cooks really fast, times may vary)

Serve over pasta and with your favorite rolls or vegetable side dish.

Creamy Chicken Enchilada's

It was moderately difficult to get a good picture of these tasty enchilada's. I tried to take one out and have it nicely displayed on the plate, but in my carefulness I somehow ended it up flipping it upside down and it exploded on impact. But it tasted just as great at the others. This recipe can be customized to all different palate's, I am not one to have meat be the bulk of things and I don't like too much spice, so the recipe I give you will be the one I use, and you can change it accordingly. There are no mistakes with this one.

Creamy Chicken Enchilada's

2-3 boneless breasts of chicken

1 can of cream of chicken

1 1/2 cups of sour cream

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp onion powder

salt and white pepper to taste

1 small can of chopped olives

1 small can of green chili's (I only use half)

1 1/2-2 cups of grated monterey jack cheese

4-5 tortillas (I used spinach in my attempt to "be healthier")

Boil chicken till just barely cooked through. Mix in a large bowl cream of chicken, sour cream and all seasonings till creamed together. Set one cup of this concoction aside. Preheat oven to 350.

With the remaining bulk of the cream sauce, add olives, chili's and all but 1/2 cup of the cheese. Mix evenly.

Shred the cooked chicken and stir into the mix. Using the plain sauce that was set aside, coat the bottom and sides of a square 8x8 dish with half, and leave the rest to spread on top. Fill the tortillas with the filling and place in the dish. Spread remaining sauce on top, and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese.

Cook for 20-25 min.