Perfect Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Pot Pie















Directions for puff pastry topping:
4 sheets frozen puff pastry
1 egg, beaten
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cut each sheet of frozen puff pastry into 1-inch strips, 8 inches long. On a large cookie sheet, weave strips into a lattice large enough to cover the pot pie. Brush beaten egg onto lattice square. Bake for 5 minutes, or until dough has risen and turned light golden brown. Set aside until ready to assemble pie

Ingredients:

• 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breast--cooked all day in the crockpot with a little chicken broth and garlic powder and thyme. Cut up--about 3-4 cups of cooked chicken.
  

• 8 tablespoons butter
• 3 or 4 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 leek, sliced
• 3/4 to 1 cup thin sliced celery
• 3-4 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
• cups of frozen diced potatoes, thawed
  
• 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
• 5 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons sherry or white wine
  
• 1 cup frozen peas
  
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 sheet puff pastry

Directions:

Grease a 2-quart baking dish. (I made mine in a 9x13 glass baking dish)

In a large saucepan, heat 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat.
Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, until mushrooms are browned and tender. Add the green onions and continue cooking for 1 minute. Remove mushrooms and onions from pan.

Add the leek, celery, carrots and potatoes, adding more butter if needed and saute until vegetables are crisp tender. Add mushrooms and onions back to pan. Remove from heat.

In a sauce pan:
Melt 4 tablespoons of butter.
Stir in flour until well blended.
Stir in the reduced chicken broth, cream, and sherry. Continue cooking, stirring, until thickened. Add the peas and chicken, and vegetables to sauce.
Taste and add salt and pepper and a pinch of nutmeg.
Spoon into the prepared baking dish.

Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until hot and bubbly.

Add pre-cooked puff pastry top and bake 5-10 minutes more--depending on how brown topping turned out during the pre-bake.

Chicken Potpie

Chicken Potpie
(recipe from Taste of Home)

Ingredients:
4cups cubed cooked chicken

1 package (12 ounces) frozen broccoli and cheese sauce

1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken and mushroom soup, undiluted

1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted

2 medium potatoes, cubed

3/4 cup chicken broth

2/3 cup sour cream

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/4 teaspoon pepper

TOPPING:

1-1/2 cups biscuit/baking mix

3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

3/4 cup 2% milk

3 tablespoons butter, melted.

Directions:
In a Dutch oven, combine the first nine ingredients; bring to a boil.

Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine the topping ingredients; spoon over top.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until bubbly andtopping is golden brown. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Beach Street Lemon Chicken Linguini

Beach Street Lemon Chicken Linguini
photo and recipe from My Kitchen Cafe

**This recipe requires marinating the chicken for 3-12 hours so plan ahead!**

1 lb. linguine
2 tablespoons olive oil
Zest from one lemon
Juice from one lemon
3 green onions, chopped (white and green parts)
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Marinade:
½ cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed (smashed with the back of a large knife or saucepan)
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning (cut this down to 1 1/2 teaspoons if you want less heat but don't omit entirely or you will lose great flavor)
Juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 chicken breasts, sliced

Combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl and whisk lightly before pouring into a ziploc plastic bag. Pat chicken dry and toss in marinade to coat. Refrigerate 3-12 hours.

When ready to cook, preheat skillet over medium heat and pour contents of plastic bag (both marinade and chicken) into the skillet. Saute over medium-high heat until chicken is cooked.

Combine juice of one lemon, lemon zest, olive oil, green onions and fresh parsley together in a small bowl. Set aside.

While the chicken is sauteing, cook linguine in boiling salted water until done; drain and return to warm pot. Pour lemon juice/olive oil/green onion mixture over pasta and mix lightly. When chicken is finished cooking, add hot pasta mixture to the skillet with the chicken and toss well. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and toss in parmesan cheese. Serve warm.

Chicken Lo Mein

Easy Chicken Lo Mein
photo and recipe from My Kitchen Cafe

12 ounces Chinese Lo Mein noodles or linguine pasta (I used linguine cooked until barely al dente)
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Stir-fry Sauce (recipe follows)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large onion
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 cup broccoli florets, steamed until just barely tender (they will cook longer in the stir-fry)

Unsalted dry-roasted peanut halves (optional)

Cook the noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, continue with the recipe, and when the noodles are done, drain and set aside.

Make the stir-fry sauce and set aside. Heat the oil in an extra-deep 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Peel and coarsely chop the onion, adding it to the skillet as you chop. Stir from time to time. While the onion cooks, slice the chicken into strips about 1/4-inch wide. Add the chicken to the skillet. Raise the heat to medium-high and stir occasionally.

While the chicken cooks, add the carrots, broccoli and mushrooms and stir to mix. Stir-fry the mixture until the chicken is no longer pink. Immediately add the stir-fry sauce and noodles. Raise the heat to high and cook until the noodles and chicken are heated through and coated with sauce, 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Serve, garnished with peanut halves (if using - I did not).

Stir-Fry Sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar or distilled white vinegar (I used white since I had it on-hand)
1 tablespoon ketchup
2 teaspoons chopped ginger (I omitted since my husband doesn't like fresh ginger)
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

Whisk all of the ingredients together in a 1-quart bowl.

Cream Cheese Chicken with Broccoli

Cream Cheese Chicken with Broccoli
Ingredients: 4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 tbsp. olive oi
l 1 package Italian salad dressing mix
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 cup chopped onion
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 bag frozen broccoli florets, thawed
1 pkg. low-fat cream cheese,
cubed 1/4 cup dry sherry
Hot cooked pasta

Directions: 1. Toss chicken with olive oil. Sprinkle with Italian salad dressing mix. Place in crock-pot and cook on low for 3 hours.
2. Coat large skillet with no-stick spray. Add mushrooms and onion; cook 5 minutes until onions are tender, stirring occasionally.
3. Add soup, broccoli, cream cheese and sherry to skillet.
Cook until hot.
Transfer to crock-pot.
Cover; cook on low 1 hour.
Serve chicken and sauce over pasta.

Chinese Cashew Chicken

Chinese Cashew Chicken

Ingredients:
1 can bean sprouts, drained
2 cups sliced cooked chicken
1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup chopped green onions with tops
1 can mushrooms, drained
2 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 can water chestnuts
1 cup cashews
Hot cooked rice

Directions:
1. Combine bean sprouts, chicken, soup, celery, onions, mushrooms, water chestnuts, butter and soy sauce in crock-pot. Mix well. Cover and cook on low 4-6 hours or high 2-3 hours.

2. Stir in cashews just before serving. Serve over rice.

Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice

Ingredients:

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cheddar cheese soup
2 cups uncooked instant rice
1 cup water
1/2 soup can of sherry or white wine
1 pound skinless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 cup diced celery

Optional toppings at serving time:
Parmesan cheese
slightly steamed peas--frozen or fresh

Directions:
Combine soups, rice, water, wine in slow cooker. Add chicken; sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika. Sprinkle celery over chicken. Cover and cook on low, 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.

Olive Garden Chicken Vino Bianco


Ingredients:
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken Breasts, sliced into strips
2 tbsp. chopped green onion
1/2 cup finely chopped onion (red)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup chopped canned tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp. chopped parsley

Directions:
Heat oil in non stick skillet over medium high heat. Season the chicken strips with salt and pepper. Brown chicken in hot oil and remove to a plate.
Stir in onions and garlic and cook until tender.
Stir in mushrooms and cook until golden.
Stir in wine an bring to a simmer.
Stir in tomatoes an return to a simmer.
Season with salt and pepper and return chicken to pan. Cook over medium heat until sauce begins to thicken. Finish sauce with cream and parsley.
Serve warm over pasta.

Makes 4 servings, 5.3 points per serving. Don't forget to count points for pasta.

Crockpot Rotisserie Chicken


1 whole chicken
olive oil cooking spray
Lawry’s seasoning salt
aluminum foil

Spray inside of crockpot with olive oil cooking spray. Clean chicken inside and out. Spray chicken with olive oil cooking spray. Sprinkle with seasoning salt. Note: Do not put any water in the crockpot. Roll 3 or 4 wads of aluminum foil into 2”-3” balls and put them in the bottom of the crockpot. Place the chicken, breast side down, on top of these aluminum foil balls.

Cook on HIGH (will not come out the same if cooked on LOW) for 4-6 hours. Remove skin before serving.You have to use the aluminum to get the deli taste. This chicken tastes very close to one you would buy, precooked, in the deli section of your supermarket.

Yield: 1 chicken
Points: 1 point per ounce of chicken

Cheesy Crockpot Chicken

Ingredients:

** 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
** 1 can cream of celery soup (fat free)
** 1 can cream of mushroom soup (fat free)
** 1 can condensed cheddar cheese soup
** 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
** 1/4 tsp. onion salt
** 1 can of mushrooms or can use fresh sliced
** 8-10 ounces of low-fat or fat-free sour cream

Directions:

Place chicken in crockpot.
Mix the undiluted soups together with the garlic powder and onion salt and pour over chicken.
Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours.
About fifteen minutes before serving, cut up or shred the chicken and place back in crockpot.
Add sour cream, stir well and low to heat up.

Serves: 8
4.5 weight watcher points (must add points for rice)

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes
• 2 cloves garlic
• 5 small onions, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 2 red bell peppers, cut into 2 inch pieces
• skewers

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, whisk together oil, honey, soy sauce, and pepper. Before adding chicken, reserve a small amount of marinade to brush onto kabobs while cooking. Place the chicken, garlic, onions and peppers in the bowl, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours (the longer the better).
2. Preheat the grill for high heat.
3. Drain marinade from the chicken and vegetables, and discard marinade. Thread chicken and vegetables alternately onto the skewers.
4. Lightly oil the grill grate. Place the skewers on the grill. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until chicken juices run clear. Turn and brush with reserved marinade frequently.

Sticky Coconut Chicken

Sticky Coconut Chicken
from Leigh Anne

6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 cup canned coconut milk
1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1 tsp. red pepper flakes

Marinade chicken in coconut milk, ginger, pepper and red pepper flakes at least one hour (I let mine marinade four about four to five hours). Grill on barbecue.

Glaze:
3/4 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. red pepper flakes

While the chicken is grilling, bring above ingredients to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until mixture is reduced and thickened, about 8-10 minutes. Be patient because it takes a little while. But once it starts getting really thick, immediately take it off the heat! Glaze both sides of chicken the last few minutes of grilling and serve chicken over rice.

Sidenote: I used the extra coconut milk left in the can as part of the liquid in my rice and it was unbelievable! It was very mildly sweet and paired so well with the chicken. Yum!

Bowtie Chicken Salad

1 1/2 cups uncooked bow tie pasta
1 1/2 cups rotini pasta
1 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken
1 (20 oz can) pineapple, drained
1 cup red grapes, sliced in half
2 ribs of celery, diced
3 green onions, diced
1 cup craisins
1 cup cashews (if desired)
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup mayonnaise

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and cool pasta. To large bowl, add pasta, chicken, pineapple, grapes, celery, onion, and craisins. In a separate bowl mix sugar and mayo. Pour over pasta mixture and toss. Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving. Mix in cashews just before serving.

Lime Chicken Tacos

1-1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup chunky salsa
12 flour tortillas (6 inches), warmed
Sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese and shredded lettuce,sliced olives, and avocados, optional

Place the chicken in a 3-qt. slow cooker. Combine lime juice and chili powder; pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken; cool slightly. Shred and return to the slow cooker. Stir in corn and salsa. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes or until heated through. Serve in tortillas with sour cream, cheese and lettuce if desired. Yield: 12 tacos.