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Fast & Easy Dinner: Chicken with Cornmeal Dumplings

partysugar — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 06:13:33 -0700

If you're a fan of comforting chicken dishes, make this meal tonight. Chicken pot pie meets chicken and dumplings in this scrumptious recipe. With the help of packaged cornbread twists, the dish comes together simply and quickly. The recipe calls for two cups of frozen vegetables, but fresh asparagus, carrots, and onions would be equally delicious. To check out the recipe, read more.

Chicken with Cornmeal Dumplings
From Better Homes and Garden magazine

Ingredients

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. ground sage
12 oz. skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 Tbsp. cooking oil
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1 14-oz. can reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup milk
1 11.5-oz. pkg. refrigerated cornbread twists
1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
In resealable bag combine flour, sage, and 1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper.
Cut chicken in bite-size pieces. Add to bag; coat.
In skillet over medium-high heat stir and brown chicken in hot oil for 2 minutes.
In colander, run cold water over vegetables. Add vegetables along with broth and milk to chicken. Bring to boiling; stir.
Divide chicken-vegetable mixture among four small baking dishes.
Separate corn bread strips; place four strips over chicken-vegetable mixture in each dish. Sprinkle with cheese.
Bake 9 to 10 minutes.

Serves 4.

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Chicken Pot Pie Two Ways - Beginner & Expert

partysugar — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 15:30:18 -0700

The days are getting shorter, and I've noticed a cold nip in the air. While it's not yet time to bring out my boot collection, it is time to start making delicious comfort foods. Chicken pot pie, with its creamy filling and flaky crust, is one of my all time fall favorites. It's classic, retro, and soothing-to-the-soul. As tempting as it is to pop a frozen pot pie in the oven, why not take a few extra minutes to make your own homemade version? I've found two tasty recipes: one that comes together easily, and another that is much more challenging. Choose the one that best suits your needs and skills as a cook.

To take a look and make one of these scrumptious recipes this fall, please read more

Beginner Chicken Pot Pie
Modified from Everyday Food magazine
Source

3 cups cooked rotisserie chicken, shredded into chunks
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 carrots, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups low-fat (1%) milk
1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas, thawed
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
6 phyllo sheets (each 12 by 17 inches), thawed

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan over medium. Add carrots, onion, and thyme; season with salt and pepper, and cook until carrots are crisp-tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add flour, and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
Gradually add milk, stirring until smooth. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a simmer and thickens.
Remove from heat; stir in peas, lemon juice, and chicken, and season with salt and pepper. Pour filling into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate.
Stack phyllo on a work surface. Using a paring knife, cut out an 11-inch circle from the stack; discard trimmings.
Stack 2 circles on work surface, and brush gently with 1 teaspoon oil; repeat with remaining circles and oil. Place phyllo stack over filling, and press down about 1/2 inch from the edge so phyllo fits inside rim of pie plate.
Bake until golden and bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Let potpie cool 15 minutes before serving.

Serves 4.

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Expert Chicken Pot Pie
From Tyler Florence
Source

Pastry:
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon salt
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cut into small chunks
3/4 cup ice water, plus more if needed
Chicken Broth:
1 (4 to 5 pound) free range whole chicken
3 carrots, cut in 2-inch pieces
3 celery stalks, cut in 2-inch pieces
1 onion, halved
1 head garlic, halved horizontally
2 turnips, halved
Bouquet garni: 4 fresh thyme sprigs, 2 fresh rosemary sprigs, 1 bay leaf - all tied together with kitchen string
Pot Pie:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 carrots, cut in 1/2-inch circles
1 cup pearl onions, peeled, about 3/4 pound
1 cup fresh sweet peas, about 1 pound
1 garlic clove, chopped
Leaves from 8 fresh thyme sprigs
Needles from 1 fresh rosemary sprig, chopped
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 egg mixed with 3 tablespoons of water, for egg wash
Coarse salt

To make the pastry: combine the flour and salt in a very large mixing bowl. Add the butter and mix with a pastry blender or your hands until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Pour in the ice water and work it in to bind the dough until it holds together without being too wet or sticky. Squeeze a small amount together, if it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Wrap the large ball of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate while preparing the rest of the recipe (feel free to make the dough the night before if you prefer.)
To make the chicken broth: put the chicken in a large stockpot and cover with 3 quarts of cool water. Add the vegetables and herbs and bring it up to a boil over medium-high heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour; skimming frequently as the oil rises to the surface. What we're doing here is not only cooking the chicken but also creating the base sauce for the pot pie. It's the old trick of killing two birds with one stone -- or one pot as the case may be. Remove the chicken to a platter to cool.
When it's cool enough to handle shred the chicken meat, discarding the skin and bones, and set aside.
Using a colander, strain the chicken broth into another pot and discard the solids; you should have about 2 quarts when you're done.
To make the pot pie filling: wipe out the stockpot and put it back on the stovetop over medium-low heat. Melt the butter and just as the foam subsides, add the flour, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or whisk to prevent lumps. This is a roux, which will act as a thickener. Cook and stir the roux until it's the color of a California blonde.
Now, gradually pour in the reserved chicken broth, whisking the entire time to prevent lumps. Whisk and simmer for 10 minutes to cook out the starchy taste of the flour and thicken the broth; it should look like cream of chicken soup.
Fold in the carrots, pearl onions, peas, garlic, rosemary, thyme, and lemon juice; stir to combine. Simmer for 10 minutes to soften the vegetables a bit; season the mixture with salt and pepper. Stir in the shredded chicken until incorporated, remove from the heat and cool to room temperature; it will get quite thick as it cools down.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Take the dough out of the refrigerator and set it out on the counter for 5 minutes to warm up a bit, making it easier to roll out.
Sprinkle the counter and a rolling pin lightly with flour. Roll the dough out into a big 14 by 20-inch rectangle. Carefully transfer the dough to a large rectangular pizza stone or standard sheet pan, leaving about 1 foot of the pastry hanging off 1 end.
Spoon the cooled chicken filling on the pastry that is on the pizza stone, leaving a border around the sides. Lightly beat the egg with 3 tablespoons of water to make an egg wash and brush it on the dough border. Fold the "free" dough over the filling like a blanket and crimp the ends with a fork to form a tight seal; it should look like a big pillow.
Brush the top of the giant chicken pie with the remaining egg wash, sprinkle with the coarse salt, and cut tiny slashes in the top so steam can escape.
Place the chicken pie in the oven and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour until puffed and golden. Let the chicken pie rest for 10 minutes before moving it.
Run a spatula underneath the pot pie to loosen it from the pizza stone. Scoop out the chicken pie with a large serving spoon.

Serves 8-10.

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Reader's Recipe: Hearty "Cleaned Up" Chicken Pot Pie

YumSugar — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 07:58:13 -0800

For some reason, I have been craving chicken pot pie for the past few weeks. I'm not sure where the craving came from, or why, but I do know that I need to make one sooner than later. I've got a few recipes in my repertoire, but I decided to see if there were any great recipes online. Lucky for me, I didn't have to look too hard. My first stop was TeamSugar and reader suzanne has provided a great looking chicken pot pie that's she's altered from The Best Light Recipes cookbook. To check out what suzanne has come up with, read more

Recipe submitted by suzanne

This recipe (from "The Best Light Recipes Cookbook") started out at 380 calaories and 9g fat (instead of the usual 510 calories and 28 g of fat...) The changes I made did not alter the taste or texture at all... just brought the fat and calories even lower. Serves 8

It's delicious and satisfying. give it a try!

Light Chicken Pot Pie

- 6 medium carrots peeled and sliced
- 3 celery stalks sliced 1/4 in. thick
- I medium onion chopped fine
- 2 garlic cloved, minced
- 2 tsp. fresh Thyme or 1/2 tsp. dried
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 medium skinless boneless chicken breasts trimmed of all fat
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup frozen green beans
- 1 cup skim milk
- 2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley leaves
- pinch salt and ground black pepper
- 1 Kroger frozen pie crust (4gm per serving) taken out of the shell, moistened, a bit formed into a ball and rerolled into a thin round circle.

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Combine carrots, celery, onion, garlic, thyme and 1/2 tsp. salt in a cooking pot. Cook in 4 cups chicken stock until vegetables are soft and tender. Stir in white wine and bay leaves and bring to a simmer.
3. Place the whole chicken breasts into the vegatable/sauce mixture and cook until the chicken is not pink in the center - about 12 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and allow to cool.
4. While the chicken cools, whisk the cornstarch into the milk and add to the simmering pot. Simmer until thick, then turn off heat.
5. Take out the bay leaf, stir in the peas, green beans and parsley and season with salt and pepper
6. When the chicken is cool enought to handle, shred it and then cut into bits sized pieces. Stir the chicken into the sauce/veg mixture.
7. Use a turned over ramekin as a cookie cutter and make 8 pie crust circles for topping the pot pies.
8. Evenly divide the mixture into individual ramekins and top each with a pie crust round. Brush each pie crust round with egg white or milk.
9. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the sauce is bubbly... 20-25 minutes.

Serve on a dinner plate alongside a fresh salad. Mmmmmmmmm!!!

10 Foods You Should NEVER Eat

FitSugar — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 12:15:00 -0800

We all know that there are foods we should avoid, but sometimes we all need to hear the news from an outside source - other than our moms.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has made a list of 10 foods you should NEVER eat. Here's details on the top three.

Pepperidge Farm Original Flaky Crust Roasted Chicken Pot Pie has 510 calories and 9 grams of saturated fat, but that is only half a serving!!! So if you eat the entire pie, which seems likely, you're getting about half a day's worth of calories in one sitting.
McDonald's Chicken Selects Premium Breast Strips - the meat might be specially selected, but they are coated with fried breading just like the familiar, but not-so-premium, Chicken McNuggets.
The Cheesecake Factory's 6 Carb Cheesecake may be light in carbs but it packs practically the same amount of calories and fat as their regular Cheesecake.

Other list makers include: Dove Ice Cream, Mrs. Fields Milk Chocolate & Walnut Cookies, Starbucks Venti (20 oz.) Caffè Mocha, Burger King Quad Stacker, Campbell's condensed soups, Chipotle's Chicken Burrito, and the Mint Chip Dazzler available at Häagen-Daaz stores.

To get all the details on all the foods, check out the CSPI's Nutrition Action Newsletter.

Fast & Easy Dinner: Chicken Potpie Empanadas

partysugar — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 06:45:08 -0700

The classic chicken potpie gets a portable makeover in this delicious recipe. Although a traditional potpie, with its homemade dough and slow-cooked chicken, takes time to make, this shortcut version uses refrigerated pie crusts and rotisserie chicken to cut the cook time. Kids will especially enjoy these empanadas because they require no eating utensils. For the recipe please, read more.

Chicken Potpie Empanadas
From Real Simple

Ingredients

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 tablespoon flour
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 10-ounce box frozen peas and carrots
1 3- to 4-pound store-bought rotisserie chicken, meat shredded
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 refrigerated 9-inch piecrusts (from a 15-ounce package, such as Pillsbury)

Directions

Heat oven to 400° F.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
Still stirring, slowly add the broth. Cook until thickened, about 3 minutes. Add the peas and carrots, chicken, salt, and pepper. Remove from heat.
Cut each piecrust in half to form 4 half-circles. Spoon the chicken mixture over the bottom half of each half-circle, leaving a 1/2-inch border.
Using your fingers, wet the border with water. Fold the top of each crust over the chicken to form a quarter-circle. Press to seal. Make three 1-inch slits in each top crust.
Transfer to a baking sheet. Bake until golden, 15 to 18 minutes.

Serves 4.

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 696.66(46% from fat); FAT 35.48g (sat 8.14g); CHOLESTEROL 142.95mg; CALCIUM 61.27mg; CARBOHYDRATE 42.72g; SODIUM 680.21mg; PROTEIN 50.47mg; FIBER 3.33g; IRON 4.29mg

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Today's Special: Easy Chicken Potpies

YumSugar — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 09:02:31 -0800

Comfort Foods have made a real comeback in the past few years at some of the nation's top restaurants. Never one to overlook a trend, I like to make my own variations at home, adapting my grandma's recipes to suit today's palate. Tonight I'm making an easy chicken potpie that uses frozen vegetables and puff pastry instead of pie crust. I ripped this recipe out of an Instyle magazine way back in January of 2002. To make this for your family read more

Easy Chicken Potpie

1 box (17.3 oz) frozen puff pastry sheets
1 can (48 oz) chicken broth
1 1/2 lbs potatoes, peeled, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
4 carrots, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
2 ribs celery, sliced 1/2 inch thick
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 box (10 oz) frozen pearl onions, thawed
1 box (10 oz) frozen peas, thawed
5 tbsp butter
5 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400°F. Thaw puff pastry according to package directions. Place broth, potatoes, carrots, and celery in a Dutch oven. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 25 minutes until tender.

Meanwhile, cut pastry into 8 squares; bake on baking sheet 10-13 minutes until golden.

Add chicken to broth mixture; simmer 12 minutes.

Stir in onions and peas; simmer until heated through.

Meanwhile, melt butter in saucepan; stir in flour. Cook until golden; add cream and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes. Mix in remaining ingredients and stir into the chicken mixture.

To serve, ladle into bowls; top with puff pastry square.

Serves 8.

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Checking In With San Francisco's Mission Beach Cafe

partysugar — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 08:00:36 -0700

The last time I went to Mission Beach Cafe, Ryan Scott of Top Chef season 4, taught me how to make his amazing croutons. Since then, Scott has moved on (to work as a private chef) leaving the cafe in the capable hands of chef Thomas Martinez. At 22, Martinez is quite possibly San Francisco's youngest head chef. His food, however, tastes like something only a seasoned professional could make. While his dishes are classic, they're not without surprising flavors or interesting ingredients.

A mixed green salad expertly combines creamy avocado, sweet mango, and tangy feta cheese - components that I would never think to put together in the same dish. Instead of chicken, Martinez elevates his pot pie to the next level with rabbit. The oozing rich sauce is entirely encased in a flaky melt in your mouth pastry that's so flavorful I'm still dreaming about it. A burger is beyond gourmet with aged gouda and truffle dusted, thick-cut fries. With its laid back elegance, relaxed atmosphere, and intensely divine food, the cafe has quickly become one of my favorite spots in the city. Has anyone else dined there? What's your favorite cafe like?

To take a closer look at Martinez's food, click on one of the images below.

View 14 Photos ›

Rick Camargo Photography

Must Read: The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever

partysugar — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 07:45:08 -0800

Due to the difficult economic climate, in the past couple of months, the casserole - a one-pot dish that feeds a crowd and often consists of budget-friendly ingredients - has made a strong comeback. To fully embrace the trend, I recently obtained a copy of The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever ($24.95) by Beatrice Ojakangas. It's filled with over 500 casserole recipes, and to find out what I thought of this cookbook, read more.

Pros:

The book takes a healthy approach to casseroles by encouraging home cooks to make their own sauces to replace the "cream of" soups.
There's a loose interpretation of the word "casserole." According to the author, casserole can "refer either to the dish that the food is cooked in or to the food itself." So, while there are plenty of classic casserole recipes, there are also tons of recipes for one-pot, baked dishes.
The book covers every type of cuisine and cooking procedure, from classic breakfast dishes to Moroccan-influenced dinners to casseroles for two.

Cons:

Some of the recipes lack important details. For example, step two in the chili con queso recipe says to "melt butter in a small skillet and add the green onions and poblano peppers. Saute for 5 minutes." The recipe fails to mention the temperature of the stove.
The ingredient lists have too many options, leaving it up to the home cook to decide what to include in the casserole. A recipe will say "heavy cream or sour cream" "4 slices of bacon or 1/2 cup cooked ham." Surely the casserole tastes different depending on which ingredient is used. I prefer for the cookbook author to tell me which one tastes better.
There are virtually no color photographs. In fact, there are almost no photos at all.

Recipes: The focus of this book is clearly the recipes and there is definitely something for everyone. Here are the casserole recipes I would like to make:

All of the hot cheese slather spreads in the appetizer section
Cheese and sausage breakfast pie
Chicken Marengo
Chicken, polenta, and morel casserole
Beer-baked Irish beef
Fiesta casserole
Casserole-braised lamb shanks
Crab melt casserole
Corn and chive pudding
Peaches and cream dessert casserole

Imagery: There are about 16 color photographs in the entire book. Although these images are mouthwatering and professional, some seem a little too stylized.

Overall Rating: If you love casseroles or use the oven to do most of your cooking, you will love this book. The insane quantity of recipes guarantees that you'll be using it in the years to come.

Fast & Easy Dinner: Skillet Chicken-and-Mushroom Potpie

partysugar — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 09:15:26 -0800

Classic chicken pot pie gets a modern makeover in this delicious, uncomplicated dish. If you have a hard time working with difficult-to-roll-out pastry dough, you're in luck; this recipe eliminates the dough, instead topping the filling with white country bread.

Rotisserie chicken, pre-sliced mushrooms, and frozen peas are time-saving ingredients that make this variation a cinch. It's a comforting way to start the weekend - especially when served with a glass of vino. Get the recipe now and read more.

Skillet Chicken-and-Mushroom Potpie
From Food and Wine

Ingredients

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps thinly sliced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth
2 tablespoons Madeira
2 cups whole milk
3 cups shredded chicken (from a rotisserie chicken)
1/2 cup frozen baby peas
Eight 1-inch-thick slices of bakery white country bread (about 1 pound), crusts removed

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425°.
In a large ovenproof nonstick skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add the onion, mushrooms and carrots and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cover and cook over high heat, stirring once, until the vegetables are just softened, about 1 minute.
Uncover and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the flour and paprika and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
Add the stock and Madeira and cook, stirring, until blended. Add the milk and bring to a gentle boil.
Stir in the chicken and peas and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.
Arrange the bread over the chicken mixture, trimming it to fit snugly in a single layer. Brush the bread with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.
Bake for about 20 minutes, until the filling is bubbling and the bread is golden. Serve right away.

Serves 6.

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NYC Trans Fat Ban in Full Effect Today

FitSugar — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 03:00:00 -0700

If you live in the Big Apple or plan to visit there in the near future, you'll be happy to know that the trans fat ban will be in full effect by today, July 1. Exactly a year ago, all restaurants were required to eliminate trans fat from their cooking oils, margarines, and shortenings. This second deadline states that all prepared foods from restaurants, bakeries, cafeterias, salad bars, and food carts must contain less than .5 grams of trans fat per serving. Yep, by some FDA loophole, foods containing .5 grams can be labeled trans fat free. These various eateries do have a three-month grace period to comply with the trans fat ban; after that they can expect some hefty fines. Unfortunately, prepackaged foods sold in the manufacturer's original packaging at these restaurants, bakeries, etc. (like outsourced prepackaged salad dressing) are exempt from the ban. If so you'll still need to check labels on those foods.

If you frequent a fast food joint, here's what you can expect:

Dunkin' Donuts: Switched to a blend of palm, soybean, and cottonseed oil.
McDonald's: Eliminated cooking in trans fat oil last year. Now their cookies and apple pies are trans fat free too.
Burger King: In NYC chains, their fries, apple pies, and biscuits are trans fat free.

What can you expect from other chains? To find out read more.

KFC: Ditched trans fat and recently removed it from their pot pie and biscuits.
Pizza Hut: Removed trans fat from the one style on pizza that contained it.
Boston Market: In NYC, they're testing a trans fat free version of their chicken pot pie.

I'm really psyched for NYC (actually jealous), that this ban has taken into effect, but I wish these chains would ditch trans fat in other cities as well. Don't you?

Source