Convenient Chicken Potpies

from Taste of Home’s Simple & Delicious

4 cups cubed cooked chicken
4 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
2 cans (18-1/2 oz. each) ready-to-serve cream of potato soup
1 package (15 oz.) refrigerated pie pastry

In a large bowl, combine the chicken, vegetables and soup. Divide between two 9-in. pie plates. Roll out pastry to fit top of pies. Cut slits in pastry. Place over filling; trim, seal and flute edges.

Bake one potpie at 400* for 25-30 minutes or until golden. Cover and freeze remaining potpie for up to 3 months.

To use frozen potpie: Remove from the freezer 30 minutes before baking (do not thaw). Cover edges of crust loosely with foil or with a pie shield; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 425* for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350*; remove foil. Bake 60-65 minutes longer or until golden.

I made this last night and honestly, my husband thought it was better than the one I make that is from scratch. I’d bought boneless skinless chicken thighs the last time is was BOGO from Costco and it worked perfectly in this dish. I just diced it and cooked it and threw it in. Again, always nice to have something in the freezer. It may seem like it takes a long time to bake the frozen one but think of it this way, about 3 in the afternoon you start thinking about dinner. Go out to the freezer, throw it in the oven. Done. I like it!

Chicken Broccoli Casserole (Chicken Divan)

2 (10-oz.) pkgs frozen chopped broccoli
2 large whole chicken breasts cooked and cut into bite-size pieces
1 can cream of chicken soup
2/3 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. evaporated milk
1 c. grated cheddar cheese
1 T lemon juice
3/4 tsp. curry powder
2 c. corn flakes
1/4 c. margarine or butter, melted

Cook broccoli according to package directions.  Drain well.  Place in a lightly greased 2 quart casserole dish.  Top broccoli with chicken.  Combine soup, mayonnaise, milk, cheese, lemon juice, and curry powder.  Mix well.  Spoon over chicken.  Toss corn flakes with butter and top casserole with mixture.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbling hot.

This is a great dish with things that are usually in my pantry.  I have to remember to pick up broccoli, sometimes I use fresh, sometimes frozen, doesn’t matter.  Instead of corn flakes you can use any kind of flaky cereal, potato chips, or fresh bread crumbs.  I had leftover broccoli so I just served that as the side.

Romanian Chicken

Romanian Chicken

3 skinless chicken breasts (I cut them in half to make 6 pieces)
2 T. butter
2 T. oil
2 T. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 c. mushrooms
2 T. parsley
1 T. dill weed
1 T. minced onions
1/2 c. sour cream
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup (I use Healthy Request)
1/2 c. or more of water

Brown chicken in butter and oil in an electric skillet. Remove chicken from pan. Stir in flour, salt and pepper, to make a roux for gravy. Thin with water to make right consistency for gravy. Add mushrooms, parsley, dill weed, minced onions, sour cream, and soup. Stir to mix. Thin with more water if necessary. Return chicken back to pan. Simmer for 40 minutes. You can follow same directions using oven at 325-350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Lemon-Teriyaki Glazed Chicken

Lemon-Teriyaki Glazed Chicken
from Taste of Home 1997

1/2 c. lemon juice
1/2 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. sugar
3 Tbs brown sugar
2 Tbs water
1-1/2 Tbs minced garlic
3/4 t. ground ginger
3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts cut in half (6 pieces)
Hot cooked rice (instant is quick and easy)

Combine first seven ingredients in a large skillet. Cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Add chicken; cook for 20-25 minutes or until thoroughly cooked, turning chicken occasionally. Serve over rice. Yield 4-5 servings.

This was really good! The kids like it and it is quick and easy so that makes this dish a real plus. I was a little short on the lemon and only used a little over a third cup but it turned out just fine.

Chicken Cacciatore (****)

Chicken Cacciatore
Living Waters Ranch

1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
2-1/2 – 3 lbs. assorted chicken pieces, skinned
1/4 c. olive oil
1 lg. onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. dry red wine (I used 1/2 c. chicken broth)
1 (8-oz.) pkg. sliced fresh mushrooms
1 (14-oz.) can whole tomatoes undrained and quartered
1 (6-oz.) can tomato paste
3 bay leaves
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried oregano
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 (2.75-oz.) can sliced ripe olives
2 med. green peppers, cut into strips (I skipped)
hot cooked spaghetti

Combine flour, salt, and pepper in ziplock bag. Shake chicken in flour mixture to coat. Brown chicken, in batches, in hot oil in a 12 inch skillet over medium high heat. Remove chicken, reserving drippings. Drain chicken on paper towels. Cook onion and garlic in drippings in skillet over medium heat 5 minutes. Add wine (chicken broth) and cook over medium high heat until liquid evaporates. Stir in mushrooms and next 9 ingredients; add chicken to skillet. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer 40 minutes or until chicken is tender. Discard bay leaves. Serve with hot cooked spaghetti.

Chris and I loved this dish! It might have been a little much for the girls but they ate the noodles and some green salad and that was great for them. It was pretty easy to put together with enough time on the stove to get a green salad together and set the table. I will definately make it again.

Edited to add that I made this dish again and I learned a very VERY important lesson.  Vegetable oil is NOT a substitute for olive oil.  Make a note of this!

Roast Chicken w/Lemon & Herbs

3 1/2 lb. chicken
Salt & Pepper
6 fresh sage leaves (or dried sage)
1 lg. lemon in 1/4″ slices
2 T unsalted butter (room temp)
2/3 c. mixed chopped carrots & onions

Rince the chicken inside and out under hot water then dry with paper towels. Salt & pepper the cavity and stuff it w/sage leaves and 3 or 4 thick slices of lemon – giving them a squeeze as you put them in. Massage butter over chicken skin, including underside then salt generously.

Use the rack on the lover middle oven and preheat to 425°. Roast for 15 minutes then lower heat to 350° . Baste with pan juices. After 30 minutes, add onions, carrots, and potatoes.

For a small chicken, 1 1/4 hours + 15 minutes rest before carving
For a large chicken, 1 1/2 hours + 15 minutes rest before carving

This is a wonderful roast chicken recipe. I don’t use fresh sage leaves but I do use dried. I rub in inside the chicken before adding the lemon slices. I got this recipe from Epicurious.com a few years ago. Enjoy!

Chicken Parmesan

2 frozen breaded chicken breast patties
angel hair pasta
1 can stewed tomatoes Italian style
mozzarella cheese
parmesan cheese

Bake breaded chicken patties as per package instructions. Place a slice of mozzarella cheese over patty for the last 5 minutes of cooking time. While the chicken is baking make some angel hair pasta. Put some cooked pasta on a plate, add the chicken patty, the desired amount of hot stewed tomatoes and then grated parmesan cheese.

This is really easy and yummy served with french style green beans and garlic bread. Add a salad, glass of wine, and a couple candles and you’ve got an easy romantic meal. Don’t forget to dim the lights!!

Hearty Chicken Pot Pie

1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed chicken broth
1 1/3 c. water, divided
4 med. carrots, thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
3 medium red potatoes, scrubbed and diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 T olive oil
2 c. quartered medium mushrooms
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 cup frozen peas
1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1 refrigerated unbaked piecrust (for 9-inch pie)
2 1/2 c. chopped cooked chicken

• Combine broth, 1 c. water, carrots, and potatoes in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer over low heat 10 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 425°F. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and onion; saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in broth mixture and peas. Whisk remaining 1/3 c. water into the flour until smooth; whisk into vegetable mixture. Increase heat to a medium-high; bring to a boil.
• Spread out piecrust on floured surface. Measure and roll, if necessary, to fit 1-inch larger than top of a 2-qt. shallow baking dish. Stir chicken into vegetable mixture and transfer to the baking dish. Place crust over filling; trim and flute edge. Cut a scalloped round from center with a cookie cutter.
• Bake until filling is bubbly and crust is browned, about 20 minutes.

I was halfway through making this pot pie and thought – what a bunch of work, this better be good!! Luckily it paid off – it was delicious. I used leftover roasted chicken from Costco that we had last night and I made my own crust. It says that it serves 6 and I believe that is an accurate serving amount. The girls loved it and so did Chris which means I’ll be making it again.

Chicken Enchiladas

2 c. chopped cooked chicken or turkey
1 c. chopped green bell pepper
1 pkg (8 oz.) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, cubed
1 jar (8 oz.) salsa, divided
8 (6-inch) flour tortillas
3/4 lb. (12 oz.) Velveeta Cheese cut up
1/4 c. milk

Stir chicken, bell papper, cream cheese and 1/2 c. salsa in saucepan on low heat until cream cheese is melted.
Spoon 1/3 cup chicken mixture down center of each tortilla; roll up. Place, seam-side down, in lightly greased 12×8-inch baking dish.
Stir processed cheese spread and milk in saucepan on low heat until smooth. Poor sauce over tortillas; cover with foil.
Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Pour remaining salsa over tortillas.

I made this last night and it was really good! I forgot to put the salsa on top after it was done baking – now I know why I thought it looked “naked”!

The recipe says that it serves 4 to 6 but Chris and I each had some, the girls split one tortilla and there were two left so conservatively I would say “Serves 4″ at the most. I served it with just corn on the side but it would go farther if there was a plate of rice to go with it.

It was easy to prepare, taking 20 minutes to put together and 20 minutes to cook.

Easy Enchiladas a la Sandi

12 frozen taquitos
1 can enchilada sauce
grated cheddar cheese

Line taquitos on bottom of a casserole dish, pour sauce over and top with cheese. Bake 400° for 20 minutes or until bubbly.

Pros: Easy Easy Easy
Variations: Next time I will add sliced hard boiled egg, sliced black olives, and/or shredded lettuce. We were out of sour cream which would have been fabulous. Perhaps serve with some Mexican Rice with corn and diced stewed tomatoes added to it. How about a tomato salad (thanks Steph!)?! Add some chips and salsa and a margarita and life is good!