Chicken Pot Pie

Photo taken with my iPhone. @modernsimplicty

Yesterday was cloudy and a bit dreary, and I had a craving for chicken pot pie. Thankfully, I was able to dig out a super easy version that tasted great, with only about 10 minutes prep time and 30 minutes in the oven.

Chicken Pot Pie
1-1/2 cups frozen mixed veggies
1-1/2 cups chopped chicken
1 10-3/4 oz. can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup Original Bisquick mix
1/2 cup milk
1 egg

Preheat oven to 400F. In a skillet, saute chicken until fully cooked. Mix chicken and frozen veggies in ungreased 9-inch glass pie pan. Stir together soup, Bisquick, milk and egg with a fork until combined and pour over chicken and veggies. Bake uncovered 30 minutes, until golden brown.

Pressure Cooker: Chicken and Dumplings

I've been wanting to make Chicken and Dumplings for years, but I could never seem to get it right. This pressure cooker version came out very tasty, and I'll definitely be making it again and fine-tuning the recipe! I'm still looking for a reliable crockpot version, so please pass it along if you have one!

PC Chicken and Dumplings
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 large chicken breasts, whole
2 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1-1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 cup shredded carrot
2-1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 bay leaf
1 can buttermilk biscuits

Combine flour, salt and pepper, and coat chicken lightly with flour mixture. Melt half the butter in the pressure cooker on Browning mode, then cook chicken 5-6 minutes on each side to brown. Transfer chicken to platter and melt remaining butter, then select Saute mode. Add onions, celery, bell pepper, and thyme and cook until the onions are translucent.  Stir in carrots, chicken broth, wine, parsley and bay leaf and return chicken to the pot. Cover and lock lid in place. Select High Pressure and set timer for 10 minutes. When the timer sounds, use the Quick Pressure Release to release the pressure and remove lid carefully once pressure is released fully. Remove bay leaf. Select the Saute mode. Open the can of biscuits and tear each biscuit in half, rolling each half into a ball and dropping it into the pot. When all the biscuits are in the pot, cover loosely and cook for 10-15 minutes on Saute mode, until the dumplings are puffed and thoroughly cooked. 

Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken

An easy chicken dish, we all loved it and will be making it often!

Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken
4 chicken breasts
8 small red potatoes
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
2/3 can of water
2 tbsp Louisiana spice blend

Place chicken breasts and potatoes in a crockpot. Pour cream of chicken soup and water over them, then drizzle on the spice blend. Cover and cook 8 hours on low. Serves 4.

Thai Chicken and Rice

This one was a big hit with the whole family, though it's not one I can let cook all day while I'm at work. It's great for half days or weekends though. I took the photo with a cell phone -- it doesn't do it justice!

Thai Chicken and Rice
1-1/2 lb. chicken cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut into short thin strips
1-1/4 cups chicken broth, divided
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbsp cornstarch
3 green onions, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/3 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter
1/2 cup peanuts, chopped
2 tsp dried cilantro
4-6 servings hot cooked rice

Place chicken, bell pepper, 1 cup of broth, soy sauce, garlic and red pepper flakes in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours.

Mix cornstarch with remaining 1/4 cup broth in small bowl until smooth. Turn slow cooker to high and stir in green onions, peanut butter and the cornstarch mixture, shredding the chicken and you stir. Cover and cook 30 minutes or until sauce is thickened. Stir well. Sprinkle with peanuts and cilantro. Serve over hot cooked rice. Serves 4-6.

Creamy Chicken and Potatoes

This crockpot meal was very tasty -- even my toddler and preschooler ate without fussing!

Creamy Chicken and Potatoes
6 chicken breasts
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp onion powder
1 can cream of chicken and mushroom soup
a dozen or so baby carrots
3 large potatoes, quartered
1 cup water

Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of the slow cooker, then pour on cream soup and sprinkle Italian seasoning and onion powder. If prepping the night before, you can cover this and place in the fridge. Quarter the potatoes and cover them completely with cold water and place in fridge. When you're ready to start cooking, drain the potatoes and add them to the chicken and spices, then add the carrots on top. Add 1 cup of water. Cook on low 8-10 hours. Serves 6.

Crock Pot Chicken Stock

I have never been good at making chicken stock, but I hate wasting the bird, so I keep trying. This weekend I came up with this little recipe, and the stock turned out fantastic with little effort. I used a rotisserie chicken we had leftover after eating it for a meal the first night, then scraping out all the leftover meat for chicken salad. I netted 96 oz. of stock from one rotisserie bird. I can't wait to try this with the Thanksgiving turkey...

Crock Pot Chicken Stock
leftover chicken carcass
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tsp chicken bouillon
a few carrots
1 tsp garlic seasoning salt
water to cover

Place the chicken, garlic, boullion, carrots and garlic salt in a 6-qt. crockpot and fill with enough water to cover the bird completely. Simmer on high for 4 hours, then low for 8 hours or overnight. Strain stock, discarding all solids, and use within a week or freeze for later use.

Roast Chicken Chimichangas

These chimichangas are excellent and can be made either with fresh chicken or leftover chicken from a roasted or rotisserie bird. Very light too at only ~380 calories per serving.

Roast Chicken Chimichangas
2-1/2 cups shredded roast chicken
4 oz crumbed queso fresco or Monterrey Jack
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 garlic clove, minced
1 4.5 oz can chopped green chiles, drained
1 16 oz can fat-free refried beans
6 10-12 inch flour tortillas
salsa verde or your favorite salsa to taste

Preheat oven to 500F. Combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl and toss well. Spread 1/4 cup beans down center of each tortilla. Top each tortilla with 2/3 cup of chicken mixture. Fold tortillas shut and place with seam sides down on large baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Coat tops of chimis with cooking spray. Bake at 500F for 7 minutes. Serve with salsa verde. Serves 6.

Sesame Chicken Salad

I haven't made this in awhile, but now that I've been reminded of it, I have to make it soon!

Sesame Chicken Salad
2 egg whites
2 tbsp breadcrumbs
4 tsp sesame seeds
8 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into pieces
2 tsp butter
1 cup fresh spinach
4 tsp canola oil
1 tsp lemon juice
10 tbsp uncooked rice

Cook rice. Beat egg whites in shallow dish. In another dish, combine breadcrumbs and sesame seeds. Brush egg on chicken pieces, then sprinkle dry mixture over chicken. Heat butter in skillet over medium-high heat. Saute chicken until cooked through. Toss spinach with oil and lemon juice, then top with chicken and rice. Serves 2.