Friday, December 18, 2015

A Few Tasty Chicken Dishes

We had some leftover chicken a while back and Bev decided to turn it into pot pie.  Since my favorite part of pot pie is the bread (crust), she used frozen biscuits on top.



It was delicious comfort food but since the biscuits were a little soggy on the bottom, next time we’ll just bake them separately and spoon the filling over them – it won’t be a pot pie then but it will still be delicious.

We rarely ever roast a chicken in the oven (I don’t think I’ve ever done one) so I was surprised when Bev came home with a big hen and announced she wanted to have roast chicken.  So I went on line, found Ina Garten’s recipe (who else would I go to), and cooked my first ever roast chicken.


It was very good and we had lots of leftovers for the next dish she wanted to make – chicken broccoli casserole.  So I went to the web and found a recipe that contained rice and measured the chicken by volume rather than number of pieces.  I turned it over to Bev and, of course, she worked her magic on it to come up with this recipe.

Ingredients:
2¼ cups cooked chicken
3 cups cooked rice (1 cup uncooked)
2 cups chopped broccoli
1 large carrot, diced (mostly for color and will use two next time)
1 (8 ounce) can cream of chicken soup
8 oz French onion dip (for a little more flavor)
3/8 cup butter
1 cup or so of chicken broth or water (see note)
1⁄2 cup chopped onion
6 ounces shredded cheddar cheese - divided

Note: Bev used our rice cooker and after mixing everything together, decided it was too dry so she mixed in a cup of chicken both).

Directions:
1. Boil broccoli till tender; drain.
2. Lightly grease a 13 x 9 casserole dish.
3. Melt butter in large frying pan and saute onions till glassy. Add soup and dip and stir well. 
4. Add most of the cheese and mix till melted. Remove from heat.
5. Add all ingredients to a large bowl, mix well, and add broth if mixture is too dry.
6. Pour into the prepared dish.
7. Sprinkle more shredded cheese on top – Bev used Pepper Jack, Cheddar, and Mozzarella - I think we like cheese.
8. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly (Bev made it ahead of time so it was cold from the fridge – she baked it for 50 minutes covered with foil and 10 minutes uncovered).



The casserole was very good and will definitely go on the keeper list - I especially liked the use of the French Onion Dip.

Quick knee update - All seems to be progressing on schedule.  I walk with no aids around the house, but use the cane when I'm going for walks.  Everything I do to rehab my right leg I also do for my left leg so it should be much better prepared when it's turn comes for a new knee.

Photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

12/17/15 event date

10 comments:

  1. Love chicken dishes of any kind thanks for the tips.

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  2. Larry, Some good looking comfort food, that's for sure! Laurie loves chicken pot pie and so do I (with a little Tabasco). We roasted a chicken a couple of years ago... Love roast chicken and its something that we did at home when I was young but it seems to have fallen out of favor. Keep on rehabbing! Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

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  3. that chicken and broccoli casserole looks delish! as well as the pot pie.
    We are so pleased to know your rehab is going well. Hi to Bev.

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  4. Your chicken looks like a turkey. No wonder you had enough to make a couple of extra meals. I love the look of the broccoli casserole - yum!

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  5. That is one beautiful roasted chicken! I see those lovely hens in the grocery store and think about it - just so much to do. Glad you are doing well and getting around without a cane at home. Best wishes for a speedy recovery! Merry Christmas to you and Bev - everything looks wonderful!

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  6. I could eat that whole pan of that casserole! Looks delicious. It's been a spell since I've roasted a chicken and they're always so good. And of course Ina is always so reliable. Merry Christmas week.

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  7. I can't believe you've never roasted a chicken! It's one of my favorite meals, when I can get one of the boys to carve it.

    Merry Christmas, Larry and Bev!

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  8. We usually double the crust for any pot pie recipe we try but I think yours has it covered the first time around. I like it! Hope the knee is doing well, keep at it!

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  9. That roasted chicken looks great. I'm going to have to start roasting my own as the rotisserie ones we've bought in Florida from both Fresh Market and Publix have been dry. Happy to hear that you are doing so well. Merry Christmas to both of you.

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  10. Comfort food at it's best. I can't believe that was your first roasted chicken! All of the meals look absolutely amazing.

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