Chicken Pot Pie

This is my second chicken pot pie recipe. Can you tell I like it? Though the other recipe is good, I prefer this one because the sauce is made from scratch.

Sauce:

1 1/2 c. chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/4 teaspoon dried sage

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt (more or less; taste to test)

1/2 teaspoon parsley

dash of paprika

1 1/2 cups milk, divided

3/4 cup flour

Pot pie:

2 cups cooked, diced chicken

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 carrots, thinly sliced

2 ribs celery, thinly sliced

1 onion, diced

1 cup frozen peas

2 small red potatoes, finely diced

2 pie crusts

In medium-sized saucepan, bring chicken broth, seasonings, and 1/2 cup of milk to a boil.  In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 cup of milk and flour. Once the broth mixture starts boiling, slowly whisk in flour mixture. Cook until desired consistency is reached. Keep in mind that once it is cool, it will be thicker.

Saute together butter, olive oil, carrots, celery and onions. Cook until tender.

Stir together sauteed vegetables, peas, potatoes, chicken and sauce.

Place one pie crust in a 9 inch pie pan and press into the bottom. Fill pie crust with chicken mixture, and place second crust over the top. Crimp edges together and cut vent holes in the top of the crust.

Bake pie at 400 for 40-50 min. Cover the edges with tin foil to keep from browning too much.

Summer Pasta Salad

This is super easy and quick, and perfect for the summer evening when you are tired, hot and don’t really want to cook. (That happens to me a lot in the summer!) Here’s a tip: Keep chicken cooked and diced in 1 cup increments in your freezer. I usually buy a couple of cooked rotisserie chickens when I go to Costco, take it all off of the carcasses and chop it up. I then freeze it in small quantities to just dump into meals like this. I get about 6 cups of chicken from one large rotisserie chicken (the chickens from King Soopers or Safeway are smaller and you won’t get as much meat. You could also roast your own whole chicken, or even a large quantity of chicken breasts and do the same thing.

Here’s the recipe (you can use the same veggies or add whatever you have–bell peppers, onions, jicama, peas, etc):

• 4 cups cooked elbow macaroni, or any other shaped pasta (this is about 1/3 pound of pasta)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2-3 tsp rice vinegar
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 small tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 large cucumber, diced
• 1 cup cooked chicken, diced

Mix everything together and you have a quick, easy meal. This can be served warm or cold…your choice!

White Chicken Chili

1 T Extra virgin Olive Oil
1 lb boneless chicken, cubed (about 3-4 boneless, skinless breasts)
1 medium onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans Great Northern Beans
1 3.5 oz can green chilies
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t dried oregano leaves
1/2 t coriander
1/2 t salt fresh cracked pepper
1 lime
1/2 C chopped cilantro
1 32oz box chicken broth

Condiments: (in addition to measurements above)
Sour cream
Chopped cilantro
Pepperjack or Jack cheese, shredded
Avocado
Tortilla Chips

In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add chopped onion and cook for about 2 minutes- just until it starts to become translucent. While onions are cooking, drain beans and rinse with cold water and set aside. Sprinkle chopped chicken with a little salt and pepper and add to pot. Add garlic as well. Cook until there’s no more visible pink on the chicken, probably 3-4 minutes.Then add green chills- along with all of the juices in the can. Add beans, cumin, oregano, coriander, salt, and a few turns of fresh cracked pepper. Stir to combine and then add chicken broth. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes.

Remove from heat and add the juice from one lime and the 1/2 C chopped cilantro. Add salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and top with sour cream.

Serve with condiments. If you don’t have all those condiments- at least have sour cream! But honestly, it’s best with everything. Makes about 8 cups of soup

Enchilada Casserole

I used a recipe from Food Network for the sauce, and then just layered my desired ingredients in a baking dish. Super easy and yummy!

Enchilada Sauce
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon flour
1/4 cup chili powder
2 cups chicken stock
10 ounces tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt

Casserole
10-12 corn tortillas
1-1/2 cups enchilada sauce
1-2 cups diced chilcken (I used rotisserie chicken)
1/2 cup diced onion
1 cup corn (I used two fresh cobs)
1 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chicken stock

Spray a 9×9 pan with cooking spray. Starting and ending with tortillas, layer the tortillas, sauce, chicken, corn, onions and cheese. Layer until your ingredients are gone, reserving a small amt of sauce and cheese for the top. Spread the sauce over the top layer of tortillas. Pour chicken stock over the top of the casserole and then sprinkle on remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 25-35 minutes, until nice and bubbly.

Directions for the sauce:

In a medium saucepan heat oil, add flour, smoothing and stirring with a wooden spoon. Cook for 1 minute. Add chili powder and cook for 30 seconds. Add stock, tomato paste, oregano, and cumin. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. The sauce will thicken and smooth out. Adjust the seasonings. Serve atop your favorite enchiladas.

Directions for the casserole:

Chicken and Strawberry Salad

Dressing:
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon water
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salad:
4 cups torn romaine lettuce
4 cups arugula
2 cups quartered strawberries
1/3 cup vertically sliced red onion
12 ounces skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast, sliced
2 tablespoons unsalted cashews, halved
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled blue cheese

Preparation
1. To prepare dressing, combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl. Gradually drizzle in oil, stirring constantly with a whisk.
2. To prepare salad, combine romaine and next 4 ingredients (through chicken) in a bowl; toss gently. Place about 2 cups chicken mixture on each of 4 plates. Top each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons cashews and 2 tablespoons cheese. Drizzle about 4 teaspoons dressing over each serving.

Nutritional Information
Calories:333
Fat:16.4g (sat 4.9g,mono 8.3g,poly 2.1g)
Protein:32g
Carbohydrate:14.8g
Fiber:3.5g
Cholesterol:83mg
Iron:2.5mg
Sodium:347mg
Calcium:156mg