Chicken Pot Pie with Butternut Squash and Kale

Dinner made in one skillet = less dishes.  Yes!  I love the colors in this dish as much as the flavors.  There is no cream in this recipe yet it makes a wonderfully creamy chicken pot pie.

1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 TBSP chopped fresh sage
1 small bunch kale, center ribs and stems removed and leaves chopped
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup flour
1/2 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces
rotisserie chicken, meat torn into bite size pieces about 1 1/2 cups
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Place the rack in the top third of the oven.  Heat oil over medium heat in an oven proof skillet and saute onions stirring occasionally for about 4 minutes or until they become translucent.  Reduce the heat to medium low and add minced garlic and sage.  Cook for another 2 minutes.

Add the chopped kale and stir, stir stir.  Add salt and pepper.  Cook until the kale is wilted.

 Now sprinkle the flour over the top of this mixture and stir, cooking for about 4 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste.  It's going to look lumpy and weird but don't worry!  You are making a roux.  Add the chicken broth slowly scraping the brown bits off of the bottom of the pan. Add the squash.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the squash is softened and broth is thickened about 10 minutes.

Add chicken, season with salt and pepper.  Unfold the pastry and place over the skillet.  Whisk the egg and 1 tsp of water in a bowl and brush the egg wash over the pastry.

Cut 4 small slits into the pastry to allow steam to vent.  Bake the pot pie until the pastry starts to brown about 15-20 minutes and then reduce oven temp to 375 degrees and bake for another 15-20 minutes.  Look for a crispy, deep golden brown crust.  Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe adapted from Bon Apetit Magazine

Chorizo Stuffed Chicken with Sun Dried Tomato Sauce

It's Monday and I didn't have to work tonight so I thought I would spend a little extra time on dinner. This unexpectedly only took a few minutes to put together and 25 minutes to cook.  An awesome dinner in less than an hour. Sweet! This is one of those that you can make for guests and really wow the pants off of them.  Not literally but you know what I mean.   

For the Chicken:
4 garlic cloves
1/4 lb pork chorizo
4 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
1/2 cup cotija cheese, crumbled (look near the mexican cheese section)
1/2 cup jack cheese, grated
1/2 tsp dried thyme
salt and fresh ground black pepper
olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
chopped cilantro for garnish

For the Sauce:
4 sun dried tomatoes in oil, chopped (if you get chopped tomatoes, use enough to equal 4 whole dried tomatoes, about 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 garlic cloves, smashed
2 TBSP basil, chiffonade
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and fresh ground pepper

Make the Chicken:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Chop garlic and saute with a little olive oil for about 2 min.  Set aside.  In same pan cook the chorizo over medium high heat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until browned.  With a slotted spoon, remove the chorizo and drain on paper towels.  Place chicken breasts in a plastic zip lock bag and pound thin with a meat pounder/tenderizer or a rolling pin. 

Take your time so that the chicken breasts stay in one piece.  Rotate the chicken around as you pound it.  Lay the chicken out onto your work surface and spread evenly the chorizo, cotija, jack cheese and a little of the garlic. 

Don't overfill with filling or it will be hard to roll up.

 Roll up each breast up, tucking in the sides and gently squeezing as you go. 

Place the chicken seam side down in baking dish.  Sprinke with thyme, salt and pepper.  Drizzle a little olive oil over the top. 

Pour the wine around the chicken.  Bake for about 25-30 minyes until cooked through.   Let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

Make the Sauce:
In a blender or food processor, add sun dried tomatoes, red wine vinegar, garlic and basil. 

Basil chiffonade.

Blend until smooth. 

Slowly add the olive oil and blend until emulsified.  Season with salt and pepper. 

To serve slice the chicken into 1/2 inch thick slices and drizzle with sauce.  Sprinkle with chopped cilantro.  Prepare yourself to hear the oohs and ahhs and mmmm's.

Recipe adapted from Linda Martin @ Sweet Basil Cooking School 

Siracha Chicken and Pineapple Fried Rice

This is by far the tastiest fried rice dinner ever!  The original recipe calls for pork chops but chicken works well also.  Grilled pineapple, peas, caramelized onions and Siracha really make this fried rice out of this world. I usually double the sauce because its just that good and we all really like our fried rice extra saucy. 

Ingredients:
1 whole pineapple, cut into rings
3 cups white or brown rice, cooked
6  Chicken breasts (or 3 large breasts cut in half)
1 TBSP butter
1 TBSP  peanut oil or canola oil
1-2 large onion, sliced
6 TBSP Soy Sauce (or more to taste, or if more liquid is needed)
1 TBSP rice wine vinegar
2 TBSP honey
1 TBSP Sriracha, or other hot sauce
3 cloves minced garlic
2 eggs
1 jar (small) drained pimentos
2 cups frozen peas
2 TBSP soy sauce (additional)

Cook rice according to package instructions. Set aside.
Grill or saute pineapple rings until they have good marks/color on the outside. Slice, then set aside.

Pineapple slicer in action.

Ta Da!  Isn't that awesome?!

 If your chicken breasts are large pound them so that they are an even thickness all the way across.  This way you don't have a cooked end and the thick part of the breast is still raw.  If they are really big, cut the breasts in half.  Heat butter and oil over medium high heat, then add the chicken breasts to the pan. Saute on both sides until they have nice caramel brown color.  
Add the sliced onions a few minutes after you flip the chicken and work them into the crevices between the chicken. Saute the onions for a few minutes.  When the onions are starting to soften, add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, honey, and hot sauce.  Let it cook for a few minutes until the chicken is completely cooked, the onions are a lovely brown color and the sauce is thicker. Remove the chicken to a bowl, then let the sauce bubble up and cook for another 30 to 45 seconds. Pour it over the chicken. Set aside.

Add a small amount of oil to the same pan (without cleaning it) and return it to the stove top over medium-high heat. Add garlic and stir it around, then crack in the eggs and immediately stir them to scramble them a bit. Add peas, pimentos, and a couple of tablespoons (additional) soy sauce or if you doubled the sauce like I do add it here. Add cooked rice and stir it around to cook for a couple of minutes.

To serve, pile rice on a plate, then top with chicken and onions from the sauce. Drizzle a little bit of sauce over the top.  Go back for seconds. 


Recipe adapted from tastykitchen.com

Mandarin Chicken Salad (Sandwiches)

This is my favorite chicken salad recipe.  It can be a chicken salad salad served on lettuce or a chicken salad sandwich.  I serve it on a croissant.  I really like all of the textures of the ingredients and the slight sweet flavor that comes from the green grapes and mandarin oranges.  This is a great salad for summer time lunch.

Ingredients:
4 cups chopped or shredded cooked chicken
1 cup diced celery
2 TBSP lemon juice
1 TBSP minced onion
1/2 cup mayonnaise or plain greek yogurt
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup seedless green grapes quartered
1 (2 oz) package slivered almonds, toasted
1 (11 oz) can mandarin oranges, drained
Croissants and or lettuce

For the chicken I always roast a whole chicken or bake chicken breasts.  I'm sure a rotisserie chicken would be good too. You want to make sure the chicken is cold or at least cooled to the touch. 

Combine first four ingredients; cover and chill at least one hour.

Combine mayonnaise or plain greek yogurt, and salt.  Add mayo mixture, grapes and almonds to chilled chicken mixture; toss gently.  Stir in mandarin oranges.

Serve on lettuce for salad or on a croissant or your favorite bread for a yummy sandwich.
Makes about 6 servings.

Recipe from The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook.

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

This is one of my favorite easy dinners to make during the week.  Its pretty easy and very delicious!
The recipe is an adaptation from Ina Garten Barefoot Contessa Family Style cookbook.  Her recipe includes roasting chicken breasts and making biscuits from scratch.  To make things easier I use rotisserie chicken from the market and Grands biscuits.

Serves 8

Ingredients:
5 cups chicken broth or homemade chicken stock
1 1/2 sticks butter (12 TBSP)
2 cups chopped onion (2 small onions)
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 10-12oz bag frozen peas and carrots mix
1/2 cup minced fresh* parsley
2 cups simply potatoes (diced with onion, but sliced and hash brown type work too)
1 rotisserie chicken cubed  yield 4-6 cups
1 can Grands buttermilk biscuits


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a small saucepan heat the chicken stock on medium heat.  In a large pot or dutch oven melt the butter and saute onions over medium-low heat for 10-15 min, until translucent.  Add flour and cook over low heat stirring constantly for 2 min.  Don't worry if the mixture is lumpy, it will make for a thick creamy sauce.

  

Add the hot chicken stock to the onion mixture.  Simmer for another minute stirring until thick.  Add salt, pepper and heavy cream.  Stir in cubed chicken, peas and carrots, potatoes and parsley.  Mix well.

Place stew in a 10x13x2 oval or rectangular baking dish and bake for 15 min.  Take dish out of oven and place biscuits on top of the stew.  Place the dish back in the over for 15-20 minutes until biscuits are brown and stew is bubbly.  *I always use fresh herbs when I can.  Dried parsley isn't an option for me.  Fresh herbs make a world of difference.
 

Here is my little Cameron enjoying his yummy dinner :)

Since it was one of those nights at my house.......  Salute!

Wine bottled by Will and I @ Su Vino Winery, Scottsdale, AZ