Manic Monday Meals ~ Chicken by Two Awesome Bloggers

Happy Monday everyone it was a nutty weekend around here and I'm finally getting on the computer so forgive me for not stopping by until I get off work this evening. I promise to catch up!

I have two awesome food bloggers that I go to often for recipes and these two are fabulous ways to use chicken and of course get some veggies in :).

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First off is Chicken Divine by Ma What's for Dinner

10 ounces steamed broccoli

3 large boneless chicken breasts

1 T olive oil

1 10 ounce can cream of mushroom soup

8 ounces button mushrooms, halved

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup light mayonnaise

1/2 cup light sour cream

2 t. fresh lemon juice

1/2 t. curry powder

1 can sliced water chestnuts

S&P

1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup french fried onions

4 strips bacon chopped

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Season your chicken breasts with olive oil and salt and pepper. Bake for 25 minutes. Meanwhile heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add your chopped bacon and sauté until crisp. Remove and allow to drain on a paper towel.

While your chicken cooks, assemble your casserole. In a 13×9 pan arrange your broccoli on the bottom. In a large bowl combine soup, milk, mayo, sour cream, mushrooms, lemon juice, curry powder, water chestnuts. Stir to mix well and season with salt and pepper.

Once your chicken has finished cooking remove it from the oven and slice it into thin strips. Arrange the chicken over the broccoli. Pour the soup mixture over the top of the chicken and broccoli. Top with cheddar cheese and fried onions. Cover with foil and bake on 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle with bacon and cook uncovered for an additional 10 minutes. Serve with brown or white rice and enjoy!

ALEXIS NOTES: I skipped the mushrooms, and turkey bacon of course the whole pack but still :). I grew up with a curry cheesy broccoli my mom made so this was like comfort food to me. Rick of course picky eater boy didn't like it but whatever I loved it!

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Second was a favorite from One Crazy Cookie the recipe called for refrigerator pie crust but I wanted to make my own with whole wheat :) of course.

INGREDIENTS

All Butter Crust for Sweet and Savory Pies (Pâte Brisée)

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
• 1 cup (2 sticks or 8 ounces) unsalted butter, very-cold, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 6 to 8 Tbsp ice water

METHOD

1 Cut the sticks of butter into 1/2-inch cubes and place in the freezer for 15 minutes to an hour (the longer the better) so that they become thoroughly chilled.

2 Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor; pulse to mix. Add butter and pulse 6 to 8 times, until mixture resembles coarse meal, with pea size pieces of butter. Add ice water 1 Tbsp at a time, pulsing until mixture just begins to clump together. If you pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds together, it's ready. If the dough doesn't hold together, add a little more water and pulse again.

3 Remove dough from machine and place in a mound on a clean surface. Gently shape into 2 discs. Knead the dough just enough to form the discs, do not over-knead. You should be able to see little bits of butter in the dough. These small chunks of butter are what will allow the resulting crust to be flaky. Sprinkle a little flour around the discs. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour, and up to 2 days.

4 Remove one crust disk from the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes in order to soften just enough to make rolling out a bit easier. Roll out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a 12-inch circle; about 1/8 of an inch thick. As you roll out the dough, check if the dough is sticking to the surface below. If necessary, add a few sprinkles of flour under the dough to keep the dough from sticking. Carefully place onto a 9-inch pie plate. Gently press the pie dough down so that it lines the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Use a pair of kitchen scissors to trim the dough to within 1/2 inch of the edge of the pie dish.

5 Add filling to the pie.

6 Roll out second disk of dough, as before. Gently place onto the top of the filling in the pie. Pinch top and bottom of dough rounds firmly together. Trim excess dough with kitchen shears, leaving a 3/4 inch overhang. Fold the edge of the top piece of dough over and under the edge of the bottom piece of dough, pressing together. Flute edges using thumb and forefinger or press with a fork. Score the top of the pie with four 2-inch long cuts, so that steam from the cooking pie can escape.

ALEXIS NOTES: I used half whole wheat and white flour, I just love the texture!

Old Fashion Chicken Pot Pie by One Crazy Cookie

1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 cups water
2/3 cup milk
2 tsp. chicken bouillon granules or 2 cubes.
1 cup chicken, cooked and diced
2 cups cooked diced vegetables (I use potatoes, carrots and peas. You can also use frozen mixed veggies)
2 pie crusts

Cook vegetables until tender. Set aside. In a saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until well blended. Gradually stir in water, milk and bouillon. Bring to a boil stirring constantly and boil for 2 minutes. (It should be like gravy). Remove from heat. Stir in chicken and vegetables. Put bottom crust into pie pan. Pour filling into crust. Place 2nd crust over filling. Trim, seal and flute edges. Cut slits in the top of the crust. Bake at 425 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. You may want to shield the edges after the first 15 minutes to avoid over browning.

ALEXIS NOTES: I again switched out the whole wheat flour. I used green pepper, carrots and red potatoes. I used a rather large amount so it wasn't soupy like it should be but I still loved it and Cole at 2 helpings and Rick didn't complain so hey :)