Snowed in with a Chicken Pot Pie

Honestly, there are very few meals I'm willing to eat multiple times in only a few days....one of those is chicken pot pie. Depending on whether I make this meal on a weeknight or a weekend, I make it different ways. The best part of it is that it tastes almost as good using a bunch of shortcuts as it does making everything from scratch, so whatever works that day, and whatever you have on hand. I admit that I've never actually made the pie crust from scratch, but one day, I'll get brave enough to attempt that venture. I'll list the recipe both ways here so that everyone can see the shortcut and the long version....give it a try. It's a very flexible recipe that's nearly impossible to mess up and I think you'll enjoy it!

Shortcut Chicken Pot Pie
Ingredients
1 rotisserie chicken
1 bag frozen peas
1 bag frozen cauliflower, broccoli and carrots
1 can reduced fat cream of chicken soup
1 can reduced fat broccoli cheese soup
1 package of 2 rolled Pillsbury pie crusts (found near the break and bake cookies)
1-2 tsp kosher salt
15 grinds black pepper
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
dash cayenne pepper
1 beaten egg or 1 tbsp melted butter

Pull apart rotisserie chicken and add 2 cups of small pieces to a large bowl. Put the entire bag of cauliflower, broccoli and carrots (minus a few stem pieces) and 2/3 cup of peas in a colander and rinse to thaw slightly. Add to bowl. Open cans of soup and add to bowl. Add all spices to bowl and stir everything thoroughly. Spray cooking spray into a pie pan or round casserole and put bottom crust in pan. Pour in all filling and put the top crust on, crimping around the edge (I usually use my fingers, then a fork). Add a few slits in the pie crust so steam won't build up underneath, and brush top with egg or butter (to enhance browning). Bake at 400 for 35-50 minutes, or until top is fully browned.

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie
Ingredients
2-3 boneless skinless chicken (depending on size)
3/4 cup white wine
4 cups chicken stock (Kitchen Basics, or if you have homemade, so much the better)
1 cup fresh broccoli florets, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup fresh cauliflower florets, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup fresh carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into small half-moons
1 cup fresh peas
1 cup russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 shallot, minced
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
1/4 cup half and half or cream (can use fat free half and half)
1-2 tsp kosher salt
10 grinds black pepper
1/2 tsp white pepper
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
dash cayenne pepper
homemade pie crust or 2 rolled store-bought pie crusts
1 beaten egg or 1 tbsp melted butter

To prepare chicken: Bring 1 cup chicken stock, 1 cup water and 1/2 cup white wine to a simmer. Add a pinch of kosher salt. Poach chicken breasts, whole, until fully cooked through. Remove and cool slightly, then cut into pieces. Add to a large bowl.

To prepare vegetables: Put broccoli and cauliflower in a microwave safe dish, add 1/4 cup water, cover with plastic wrap (with slits in the top), and microwave for 5 minutes to cook through. Bring salted water to boil in a saucepan and boil carrots and peas until soft. Drain all vegetables and add to the large bowl.

To prepare sauce: Melt butter and saute shallot until soft, then add flour, whisking, to make a roux. Let bubble for about 1 minute. Add 1/4 cup of white wine, whisking. Add 2.5 cups chicken stock (the other half cup in the recipe is in case it's too thick and you need more) and whisk, bringing to a bubble, until thickened. Add half and half or cream, whisking. Add all spices and whisk. Add sauce to the bowl until your filling is the consistency you like it (you may not want to use all of the sauce).

Spray cooking spray into a pie pan or round casserole and put bottom crust in pan. Pour in all filling and put the top crust on, crimping around the edge (I usually use my fingers, then a fork). Add a few slits in the pie crust so steam won't build up underneath, and brush top with egg or butter (to enhance browning). Bake at 400 for 35-50 minutes, or until top is fully browned.

"The Rice" and the power of thinking about dinner on the way home

A few years ago, I had a culinary breakthrough in the car on the way home from work. It was perhaps the first time I've ever come up with a recipe by really thinking about which complementary ingredients would go well together. I immediately stopped by the grocery store, came home and proceeded to make the recipe in this post. It became such a staple that my roommate and I started calling it "the rice" (fear not, we also had "the salad" and "the pasta"...speaking of which, I should post those too).

I think the best thing I can say about this recipe is that I enjoy it so much that I've never felt the need to modify the recipe (unlike most other recipes) and I've made it over an over. I hope you enjoy as much as I do. It's a great side dish for chicken or pork, or even with a seafood dish.

Saffron Rice with Almonds (Also known here as "the rice")
Ingredients:
2 cups jasmine rice
4 cups chicken stock (I like actual stock, like Kitchen Basics brand)
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
1/2-3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 tsp saffron
1/2 cup slivered almonds
2/3 cup grated fresh parmesan cheese

Once all vegetables have been chopped, melt butter and olive oil in a saucier or saucepan with a lid. Add vegetables, salt, white pepper and saffron, and saute until vegetables are sauce and juice has come out to join with the butter and oil. Add the dry rice to the pan and stir around, toasting slightly, for about a minute. Add the chicken stock, stir, bring to a boil and cover. Reduce the heat to low or medium low (depending on the heat of your stove) and cook for 20-25 minutes or until rice is soft and liquid is absorbed.

While the rice is boiling, toast the slivered almonds in a 300 degree oven for 7-10 minutes (until you can smell them, and they are browned, but not too dark).

Remove the rice from the heat, stir in almonds and parmesan cheese and serve.