Creamy chicken filo pockets

I gave up working with filo dough several years ago after some very frustrating experiences. Then I lost my mind and decided it couldn't really be that hard to work with and I should try again. It was a terrible, horrible, ugly mess. After wrapping exactly one of these I swore to never use filo again. Somehow I pulled enough torn pieces together to get 5 pockets made. I threw the rest of the dough away, never wanting to set eyes on it again. I cooked the pockets and lo and behold they came out beautiful and delicious. So, yeah, I'm going to make this again. Next time I'll know that it doesn't matter if all the sheets tear and stick together and dry out. It still comes out wonderful :)

2-3 C. cooked chicken, cut up into chunks
1 package of mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, diced
3ish cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 C. chicken stock
2 oz. cream cheese (or a couple spoonfuls of sour cream, or 1/4 C. or so of heavy whipping cream, you get the idea)
1 tsp. vinegar
1 tsp. mustard
salt and pepper to taste
shredded cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, whatever)

Saute the onion and garlic in butter. When about half cooked, add the mushrooms and cook until soft.

Add the chicken stock and cook down about half. Add the cream and mix in.

Remove from heat. When the mixture is nice and creamy, add the vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper.
Add the chicken (crisp bacon, mixed veggies and other things could also be really good in this)

Open one sheet of dough. Spread melted butter all over. Add another sheet on top of the first. Butter again. Place about 1/2 C. of mixture in the middle at the bottom edge. Sprinkle some cheese on top. Fold dough over and around to make a nice, neat pocket (ha, yea right!).

Place on a cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining filling. Butter the tops of all the pockets then bake in 400 degree oven for about 25 minutes, until the pockets are golden and crispy.

Asian BBQ Chicken (and Pork)

I made this as a marinade for my chicken, grilled it up and served it over rice. It was superb! The next day I made the same marinade and tossed it in a crockpot with a pork roast. I served that on pita bread with coleslaw. It also was superb. This is a great sauce!

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2011/05/asian-bbq-chicken/

1/4 C packed brown sugar
1/4 C soy sauce
2 T lime juice (about 1 lime)
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1/4 t curry powder
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 t grated fresh ginger
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Combine everything but the chicken in a small bowl. Whisk to dissolve brown sugar. Place marinade and chicken in a zip-lock bag. Pop that bag in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours, or longer if you have it (even overnight)

Preheat a grill (or an indoor grill pan or broiler). Spray cooking surface with cooking spray and place chicken on it to cook. Cook for 5-10 minutes on each side depending on the thickness.  Optional:  garnish with sliced green onions

Man Pleasing Chicken

• Chicken thighs- 1 package (I like boneless, skinless)
• Dijon mustard- 1/2 cup
• Maple syrup- 1/4 cup
• Rice wine vinegar- 1 tablespoon
• Fresh rosemary

Preheat your oven to 450ºF.

Mix together 1/2 cup of dijon mustard, 1/4 cup of maple syrup, and 1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar. 

Put a 1.5 pound package of chicken thighs into a foil-lined, oven-proof baking dish. Salt and pepper the thighs. Pour your maple mustard mixture over them, turning the thighs in the mixture so they are fully coated. 

Put the chicken thighs into the oven, and let them bake for 40 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 165ºF. Baste the tops of the chicken with more sauce half way through. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving. Plate the chicken, making sure to spoon some extra sauce over the top. Sprinkle over some fresh rosemary. 

Chicken Cattciatore

I didn't make this, but I ate it and it was delish! It comes from Our Best Bites

1 lb. chicken breasts or chicken breasts and thighs, trimmed of fat and cut into bite-sized pieces

1/4 c. white flour
1 tsp. Kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 c. olive oil
1 onion, roughly chopped
5-6 cloves garlic, peeled and either crushed or halved
1 6-oz. can tomato paste
1 c. white wine (you can also use apple or white grape juice mixed with 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar)
1 1/2 c. chicken broth
1/4 tsp. thyme
1/4 tsp. marjoram
1/2 tsp. salt (omit if using cooking wine; you may shrivel up and die if you add the salt in addition to cooking wine because cooking wine is treated with salt to make it undrinkable)
1 bay leaf
1 c. sliced mushrooms (or more if you love them. Mushrooms are divine in this dish!)
1 green bell pepper, chopped

Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot, add onions and garlic and stir frequently until onions are tender and garlic is fragrant. Remove with a slotted spoon (this is why you need to keep the onion and garlic pieces big), shake off excess oil (you don’t have to go crazy here, a little olive oil never killed anyone!), and transfer to your blender. Increase heat to medium-high.

In a large Ziploc bag, combine flour, 1 tsp. salt, and 1 tsp. black pepper. Add chicken pieces, seal bag, and shake to coat pieces with flour. Dump the entire bag into the hot pan and stir quickly to prevent pieces from sticking together. Saute until chicken is golden. Remove chicken with slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.

While chicken is draining, add wine, chicken broth, tomato paste, thyme, and marjoram to the onions and garlic in the blender. Blend until smooth. Place chicken and bay leaf in your slow cooker and then pour the sauce over the chicken. Place lid on slow cooker and cook on high for 3.5-4 hours. When you have about 1/2 hour to go, add the mushrooms and the chopped green pepper. Cook until mushrooms and pepper are tender. Remove bay leaf and serve over pasta.

Thai Chicken Tacos

This was a good way to use up some cabbage. It comes from Better Homes & Gardens. For the most part, it was well received by the family.

1 lime halved (about 1 Tbsp. lime juice)
1 lb. boneless, skinless Chicken breast cut into 1/2-3/4 inch pieces
1/4 C. chopped cilantro
1 large shallot finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. fish sauce (I used oyster sauce. Hoisin sauce would work too)
2 tsp. soy sauce
1/2-1 tsp. crushed red pepper. (I used less than 1/2 because of the kid factor, but there was no heat in the end.)
1/2 tsp. hot chili sauce (I used sweet chili sauce)
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
corn tortillas (flour would be easier to get down my kids)
1 recipe cabbage slaw.

Toss together:
2 C. shredded napa cabbage
1/2 C. shredded carrot
1/2 C. sliced green onions
1/4 C. chopped cilantro
1/4 C. chopped peanuts (optional)
1/4 C. rice vinegar -- not allowed by my family :(

Combine lime juice with chicken, cilantro, shallot, garlic, fish sauce, soy sauce, pepper and chili sauce in a bowl or bag. Marinate at least 1 hour.

In large skillet cook chicken mixture in hot oil until cooked, about 5 min.

To serve, layer two tortillas. Top with chicken and cabbage slaw.

We liked sour cream on top. I think tomatoes would also be a nice addition.

Coconut Chicken Fingers

This one was a big winner at our house. We served it with roated red potatoes. Delish!

Recipe by Our Best Bites

12 chicken tenders (ya know, more or less...)
1-2 eggs (start with one and crack another if it runs out)
1/2 C flour
1 C sweetened coconut flakes
1 C panko bread crumbs
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp table salt
3/4 tsp curry powder (didn't have any, but ginger took it's place wonderfully)
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (you can leave this out if you want to skip the spice for the kiddos)

preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Give coconut a rough chop so it's about the same size as the panko pieces


Combine it with Panko and spices in a shallow dish. Mix well to distribute all of the spices.


Place the flour in another shallow dish, and the egg in another. Give the egg a quick beating.

Working with one chicken tender at a time, dredge in flour...


then dip in egg...


And then finally coat in the coconut Panko mixture. Press in with your fingers to make sure the entire thing is well coated.


Place chicken tenders on a foil-lined baking sheet (for easy clean up!) that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Bake in your 450 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until juices run clear. Try not to overcook them because chicken tenders go from perfect to overcooked really fast! If your tenders are on the small side, they could even be done in about 15 minutes so keep an eye on them. If they're big they can take more like 25. The coconut will be nice and golden and the panko crisp, but light in color still.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken Sweet Potato

I tried to re-create a yummy dish from a restaurant that I liked, and this is what I came up with. It was good to the adults. The young 'uns weren't fans, but they don't like sweet potatoes (yet), which was a fatal flaw for them with this dish.

6 sweet potatoes
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast
Jamaican Jerk or Carribbean Jerk marinade
1-2 tomatoes
bunch of cilantro
onion (green would probably be best, but I used white)
papaya (I didn't use this, but I believe the restaurant did. Mango might make a good replacemet for it too.)
lime juice
honey

Put the chicken in your slow cooker, top with some of the marinade, and cook for about 5 hours, until done. Shred it and keep it warm.

In the last 1-2 hours, place the sweet potatoes in a glass baking dish, poke with fork, cover with foil, and cook at 375 until nice and soft.

Chop tomatoes, onion and cilantro into bits. Combine. Add a splash of lime juice. It should look like a fresh salsa.

To assemble, take a sweet potato, peel it and mash it onto your plate. Top with chicken, then salsa, then a little drizzled honey.

Yum!

Lazy Italian Chicken

balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast. Slice to about 1/2-1 inch thickness.
2 Tbstp. oil
2 med. potatoes, sliced thin
1 med.onion, halved and sliced thin
Montreal Steak Seasoning
1/2 C. chicken broth
1 sm. zucchini
basil
oregano
cheese (mozzarella, provolone, parmesan)
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

Rub a splash of vinegar into each side of each chicken piece. Heat 1 Tbs. oil in deep skillet over medium-high heat. Brown chicken for 2 min. on each side. Remove chicken to a plate.

Add other Tbsp. oil to pan and layer the potatoes an onions in the pan. Sprinkle with steak seasoning and let cook, turning occasionally until they begin to brown all over.

Add a little broth to the pan. Layer the zucchini over the top of thep potatoes and onion and sprinkle with more steak seasoning. Top with chicken breast. Dump the crushed tomatoes evenly over the top, sprinkle with herbs and cover and cook until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender (10-12 min.)

Sprinkle the pan with shredded cheese and cover when it's almost done to melt the cheese.

This goes great with garlic bread.

Chicken Pot Pie

The gist of this comes from Betty Crocker.


1 pkg (10oz) frozen peas and carrots or mixed veggies
1/3 C. butter or stick margarine
1/3 C. flour
1 small onion chopped
2-3 stalks celery chopped (optional)
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1-2 tsp. rosemary
1 3/4 C. chicken broth
2/3 C. milk
1 1/2-3 cups cut-up cooked chicken or turkey (canned turkey works great)
Crust for a two inch pie (I actually prefer it better with just a top crust, and it's easier to make that way, but some people like a bottom one too.)

********
Melt butter in 2-qt saucepan over med heat. Stir in flour, onion, rosemary, celery, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixtrue is bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in broth and milk. Heat to boling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 min. Stir in chicken and veggies; remove from heat.

Heat oven to 425.

Roll one pastry out and place into 9" baking dish (I really like the corningware casserole dishes for this, or you can use individual dishes, which is really fun.) Pour chicken mixture into pastry lined pan. Roll out remaining crust and make cut-outs in the center. Place crust over chicken filling; arrange cut-outs on top. Turn edges of pastry under and flute...(pinch edges together)

Bake about 35 min or until golden brown.

Creamy Chicken Artichoke Crimini Mushroom Soup with Gnocchi

1 rotisserie chicken cut up OR 2 cans of canned chicken
1 jar/can artichoke hearts, finely chopped (not the Costco size jar)
1 pound crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 onion
3-4 C. chicken broth
pepper
butter/olive oil

1 package of gnocchi

handful or two of kale, chopped

1-2 C. cream
1-2 C. parmesan cheese


Saute onion in butter or olive oil until cooked through. Add chicken and artichokes and cook together until heated through. In separate pan, cook mushrooms in butter/oil and saute until brown and delicious looking. Add mushrooms to chicken mixture along with a few cups of chicken broth, enough to make a soup-like consistency. Add pepper to taste and bring to boil. 

Once it's boiling, add the gnocchi and the kale. This only needs a minute or two to cook. Then add cream and parmesan cheese. Adjust liquids according to your taste.

Southwestern Egg Rolls

1 C. chopped chicken
1/2 Tbsp. parsley
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
dash cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp. chopped red bell pepper

Combine those ingredients and cook. When chicken is fully cooked, add:

2Tbsp. gren onion, chopped
1/2 C. corn
1/4 C. black beans
2 Tbsp. chopped spinach
1 Tbsp. jalapeno, chopped

Cook until warm, then add:

3/4 C. cheese


Cut a raw flour tortilla in half. Place a spoonful of filling near the straight cut. Fold in the sides and roll it closed. Repeat until chicken mixture is gone.
Place rolls on baking sheet sprayed with Pam

Bake at 350 for 20-30 min. Turn them over halfway through the baking time.

Dressing:
Favorite ranch dressing
A couple tomatillos
small bunch of cilantro
lime juice

Blend together and dip rolls in. Yum!

Chicken Pillows

I made this and EVERYONE asked for seconds, so I think it's worth sharing.

1-2 cans chicken or 1 rotisserie chicken, meat pulled off and chopped
1 can green chilis
1 can sliced olives
1 8 oz. block cream cheese, softened
2 cans of refrigerated crescent rolls
breadcrumbs
couple Tbsp. butter/margarine
Cream of mushroom soup (optional)

Mix the first four ingredients. Open the rolls and roll out individual rolls with a rolling pin to make them a little bigger. Place spoonful of chicken mixture in center of each roll, then roll it up, trying to seal all the edges.

You can brush on melted butter and roll around in breadcrumbs if you want, but I often skip that.

Cook according to roll directions, until golden brown.

Some people like to serve it with cream of mushroom soup on top, but I don't. You could also add green onions or mushrooms to the chicken mixture if you want.

Grilled Bruschetta Chicken

This is by far my favorite recipe discovery of 2008. SO GOOD!







4 boneless skinless chicken breasts.
4 T. Italian dressing, divided
2 small tomatoes, finely chopped
Bunch of fresh basil. (Recipe calls for 1 tsp dried basil, but fresh is sooooo much better!)
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese (I didn't have any on hand, so I chopped up a string cheese stick)

Marinade the chicken with 2T. Italian dressing for 10 minutes. Cover 1/2 of grill with heavy duty foil. Heat grill and place chicken on the uncovered side of the grill. Throw away the marinade. Cook for 6 minutes. In the meantime, mix the tomatoes, remaining dressing, basil, and cheese. Turn chicken over and place on foil. Top with tomato mixture and grill for 8 minutes, until chicken is done and cheese is melted.

Creamy tortilla soup

1/3 C. butter/margarine
1/3 C. flour
1 small onion chopped
2 large carrots sliced
1 can chicken or a bunch of chicken pieces
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 can chicken broth
About 1 C. milk
salt and pepper to taste
Tortilla chips
Cheese
Cilantro

This is a creation of my own brain that is still in the works. I don't measure, so I'm not sure how much liquid you actually add, but just play it by ear and see what looks right.

Place flour, butter and onion in medium-sized saucepan. Heat until butter is melted and it makes a bubbly mixture. Add chicken broth and milk and heat while stirring with wisk, allowing the mixture to thicken up. Add carrots, chicken and taco seasoning. Heat and cook until carrots are tender. You can add salt, pepper, or more spice as desired.

Serve with chips, cheese, cilantro or whatever else you want on top.

Indonesian Chicken (in the crockpot)

This one is super easy and yummy too! Sometimes I skip adding the peanut butter at the end, shred the chicken and just eat it on a salad or in a tortilla.


INGREDIENTS: (Serves 4)
8 skinless chicken thighs (I used Chicken Breast and Tenderlion)
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, pressed
1 tablespoon grated fresh gingerroot
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or less depending on your heat index)
1/2 cup peanut butter


***Note, the PB doesn't go in until the very end!***

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS: In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and cayenne pepper. Place chicken in a slow cooker. Spoon sauce mixture over the top of the chicken. Cover and cook on low heat setting about 6 1/2 to 7 hours, or until chicken is tender and fully cooked. Remove chicken from crock pot and stir peanut butter into juices until smooth. Spoon sauce over chicken to serve.

Carbonara

My whole family loves this recipe. Even the kids ask for seconds of this one

1 lb. pasta (bowtie or something fun)
1 lb. bacon
1 onion chopped
4-5 cloves pressed garlic
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 C. chicken stock/broth
2 egg yolks
1 C. parmesan cheese
1/2 C. cream, I used milk and thought it was fine
1-2 tsp. parsley
pepper to taste

The recipe doesn't call for it, but I think pieces of chicken or sliced mushrooms would also be great with this.

Get pasta boiling

Cut bacon into small pieces, 1/2 - 1" squares. Saute bacon, onion and garlic. Just before bacon is crispy, add red pepper flakes and cook until bacon is crisp.

Add chicken stock and simmer until it's reduced by half.

Beat yolks, 2/3 parmesan cheese, cream, parsley, and pepper together. Slowly add a ladel-full of pasta water to it.

Add cream mixture to bacon mixture and heat through. Let simmer a couple minutes until it thickens. Add to pasta and enjoy!