Chicken Pot Pie

Another fall comfort food, this recipe is easily customizable to your tastes. I've included the veggies and spices I added this time, but you can always add any of your favorites.

Chicken Pot Pie

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked and cubed (I hate boiling my chicken, so I cook it in a skillet with a little olive oil and s&p)

1/2 to 1 cup carrots, chopped

1 cup broccoli, chopped

3 to 4 red potatoes, cubed

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup onion, chopped

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped

1 3/4 cups chicken broth

2/3 cup milk

2 (9-inch) unbaked pie crusts

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine chicken, broccoli, and carrots.

In a saucepan, add chopped potatoes, water, and salt (to taste) and boil until tender. Drain and add to veggie/chicken mixture.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook onion in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, garlic salt, and parsley. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and add to the veggie/chicken mixture.

Place the mixture in bottom of first pie crust. Cover with the top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for approx. 10 minutes before serving.

Adapted from All Recipes.

Shredded Chicken w/ Homemade BBQ Sauce

I've never made my own BBQ sauce, so I thought I'd give it a shot. It was delicious, and it'll be hard to go back to store bought!

Shredded Chicken w/ Homemade BBQ Sauce
Makes 6 to 8 sandwiches

1 rotisserie chicken, shredded (dark and light meat)

BBQ Sauce: 
2 c. ketchup
1 c. water
1/2 c. cider vinegar
5 tbsp. light brown sugar
5 tbsp. granulated sugar
1/2 tbsp. fresh ground black pepper
1/2 tbsp. onion powder
1/2 tbsp. ground mustard
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat. Cook uncovered for 1 hour 15 minutes, stirring frequently.

Mix in a large bowl with shredded chicken and serve on hamburger buns or soft rolls.

Sauce recipe courtesy of the Neelys.

Cheese and Chicken Enchiladas

I made this using some of the whole rotisserie chicken I also used for the chicken salad. Using rotisserie chicken is an easy, economical choice (and I prefer having both light and dark meat mixed in). 

Cheese and Chicken Enchiladas

Serves 4

1/2 to 3/4 c. shredded rotisserie chicken

1/2 lb. Monterrey jack cheese, shredded

2 4-oz cans diced green chiles

1 c. sour cream

1 sm. yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped

Small handful of cilantro leaves, chopped (plus some whole leaves for topping)

1 tsp. ground cumin

Kosher salt

Pepper

EVOO or vegetable oil for warming tortillas

12 corn tortillas

Red onion thinly sliced for topping

1 lime

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 

In a medium bowl, combine chicken, cheese, chiles, onion, garlic, jalapeño, chopped cilantro, cumin, salt, and pepper.

Heat 1/4 inch oil in a skillet over medium heat until hot. Using tongs, add 1 tortilla at a time, turning in oil to soften for a few seconds. Drain on paper towels.  

Dollap a few tbsp. of the cheese mixture onto each tortillas and roll. Arrange enchiladas in a single layer in a casserole dish, seam down. Cover with the remaining chicken and cheese mixture and bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Top with the red onions, cilantro leaves, and lime juice. 

Serve with a dollop of guacamole and/or sour cream. 

Recipe modified from Rachael Ray Show. 

Chicken Salad

There's nothing like a chicken salad sandwich on a summer afternoon! Note: I like to go light on the wet ingredients for my chicken salad. If you like more mayo mix, then consider doubling.  

Chicken Salad
Yields about 4 servings

2 to 3 c. shredded rotisserie chicken meat (dark and white)
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/4 c. sweet onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. fresh dill, finely chopped
2 tsp. Italian parsley, finely chopped
1/2 c. mayo
1 to 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)
1/2 to 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
Approx. 1 tsp. kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper

In a mixing bowl, toss together chicken, celery, onion, dill, and parsley.

In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Add to the chicken and mix gently until combined. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Melt-in-your-Mouth Chicken and Honey Roasted Potatoes

My sister Angie has been raving about this chicken, and I must admit I was skeptical. I will literally eat my skepticism because it was A-MAZ-ING! It is also incredibly easy. In addition, the honey roasted red potatoes were a nice and simple side.

Melt-in-your-Mouth Chicken
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tsp season salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
Handful bread crumbs

Mix mayo, cheese, and seasonings. Spread some of the mixture at the bottom of a baking dish. Place chicken in the dish and cover with the remaining mixture. Top with bread crumbs and a little more parmesan cheese.

Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.

Honey Roasted Red Potatoes
1 pound red potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 Tbsp diced onion
4 Tbsp butter, melted
2 Tbsp honey
2  tsp dry mustard
s&p to taste

Lightly coat an 11x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Place potatoes in a single layer in dish and top with onion. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Drizzle over potatoes and onions and mix until potatoes are coated. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until tender, stirring a few times during cooking.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

My friend Brittany made a chicken tortilla soup last week, and I decided to try my hand at putting together a recipe for it myself. It turned out fantastic, and I am looking forward to leftovers! The measurements are approximate and can be adjusted to your liking. Also, if you want to change it up, consider adding corn, black beans, or whatever else sounds enticing to you. Also, I baked my own tortilla strips. You can always use store-bought.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Serves 4 to 6 people

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast

48 oz. chicken broth

1 medium white onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 jalepeno pepper, chopped

2 medium tomatoes or 1 large tomato, diced

1 avocado

2 limes

1 bunch cilantro

5 corn tortillas

Cooking spray

Olive oil

Chili powder

Cumin

S&P

Cut chicken into thin strips and season with chili powder and s&p. Heat about 1 Tbsp olive oil in a small pan. Add chicken to pan and cook until done.

In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add onion, garlic, pepper, and cumin (approx. 1 to 2 tsp.). Cook until translucent. Add chicken broth, tomato, and cooked chicken. Stir and cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes.

For the tortilla strips, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Cover tortillas with oil or cooking spray, cut into thin strips, and sprinkle with salt. Spread out on cookie sheet and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until crispy.

When soup is finished, ladle into individual bowls and add the juice of one lime wedge, avocado (or guacamole, which I made since all of the ingredients needed were already in the soup), cilantro, and tortilla strips.

Maple-Walnut Chicken Thighs and Cheddar-Apple Rice

I tried this recipe last fall when having friends over for dinner. It was a huge hit, and I have been waiting for fall weather to make it again. This weekend I broke out this recipe (and my boots!). I made some tweaks this time, and it was even better than I remembered.

Maple-Walnut Chicken Thighs and Cheddar-Apple Rice

Yields: 4 servings

1 cup walnut halves

2 tablespoons butter

1 1/4 cups long-grain white rice

2 1.2 cups chicken stock

1 honeycrisp, gala, or golden delicious apple

3/4 cup packed Italian parsley leaves

1/4 cup packed fresh dill

Salt and coarsely ground black pepper

One 3-ounce brick sharp white cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup dark maple syrup

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spread the walnuts on a baking sheet and roast until well toasted, 10 to 12 minutes.

Rice (total cooking time: 22 minutes):

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium head. Add rice and toast for a minute or two. Add 2 cups chicken stock and bring to a boil, then lower the head, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the apple and simmer for 8 minutes.

Using a food processor, pulse 1/4 cup of chicken stock, parsley, dill, and 1/4 teaspoon salt until finely chopped. Stir this mixture into the rice during the last minute of cooking. Turn off the head and let the rice stand, covered, for 1 to 2 minutes before fluffing with a fork. Stir in the cheese.

Chicken (total cooking time: approx. 20 minutes):

In a large skillet, heat the EVOO over medium-high heat. Pat the chicken dry and season liberally with s&p. Add to the skillet and cook, turning once, until browned (about 12 minutes). Transfer the chicken to a platter. Drain off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat in the skillet and add the vinegar. Cook, scraping up the pan drippings, then add the remaining 1/4 cup chicken stock, the maple syrup, and black pepper to taste. Cook until thickened (about 1 minute). Add the chicken and walnuts and spoon with the sauce. Loosely cover the pan with foil and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve with the rice.

Adapted from Rachael Ray