Mushroom and Chicken Cobbler

 I love this dish. I always make it in the spring when morels are up. But, it is also delicious with button mushrooms that you can buy at the grocery store.

You will need a pan large enough to hold the chicken and that has a lid.

1 pound chicken meat
seasonings for making broth- I use salt, pepper, garlic powder, parsley
1 cup water.


Heat the water to a boil.
Lower to a simmer and cover. Cook for 1-2 hours.
Take out chicken and let cool. Chop.

Measure the water. You want 1 cup so if it is more, add back to pan and cook down until you get a cup.
Set aside.

2 Tablespoons butter
1 small onion
8 oz. sliced button mushrooms. If using morels, use 2 cups halved.
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
salt, pepper and parsley to taste.

Melt the butter in the pan and add the onion and mushrooms.
Stir and cook for a few minutes.
When that is soft, sprinkle over the flour and cook and stir for a minute.
Pour the broth and milk over and stir in and cook until the sauce has thickened.
Add the chicken and taste. Season if you like.
Pour into a baking dish.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit/190 Celsius.

Make the scone dough.

1 cup flour
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3 Tablespoons milk
extra milk for brushing

In a bowl, add the flour and cut in the butter until it is crumbly.
Mix in the cheese.
Add the milk and work it in so it isn't sticky.
Roll out on a floured surface to a height of about an inch and cut out 12 rounds and place the rounds along the edge of the cobbler.
Brush with a little milk.

Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden.
Serves 4.

I don't eat wheat so I used oat flour and it worked well.
When making the scones, the dough stayed sticky even with adding a little extra flour and adding a little flax meal..
To solve this, I divided the dough into 12 pieces and rolled them into balls and flattened.

It saves time and still works to use 1 pound cooked chicken meat and 1 cup of already made broth or broth made from a bouillon cube and water.
The broth is richer and more flavorful if you do have the time to make it from scratch.

Southwestern Black Beans, Chicken and Rice

I love black beans! Add some chicken and rice and you have yourself quite a tasty meal.

Ingredients:

1 cup dried black beans.
water for cooking the beans
1/2 cup white rice
1 chicken breast half or 2 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
salt
pepper
2 Tablespoons dried cilantro or 1/4 cup fresh chopped
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper-optional
Shredded cheese for sprinkling-optional

Rinse and drain your black beans.
You can soak out if you want. If you don't, that's fine.
Put beans in a medium cooking pot and cover with water.
Salt lightly and add the cumin, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, and cayenne powder.
Bring to a boil, turn down, cover, and simmer for about an hour and a half until the beans are tender.
Drain the beans, but keep the liquid.
Set the beans aside.
Measure the bean cooking liquid. Keep 1 cup. If you don't have that much, add water to get that amount.
Put that and the rice back into the pan.
Bring to a boil and turn down, cover and cook until liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
While the rice is cooking, cook your chicken.
Put a small amount of oil in a skillet and add the chicken.
Salt and pepper it and cook til done.
Let cool and cut into cubes.
When the rice is done, add the beans, chicken and cilantro and stir in until everything is heated through.
Serve with cheese sprinkled over the top.
I like a mix of cheddar and Monterey jack.

This will serve 3 to 4 people.

Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken Cheese Sandwich

This sandwich is a meal all by itself. I really love grilled cheese and I am always looking for ways to change it up.

You will need a skillet.
You will also need another skillet or griddle for grilling the sandwiches.

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast half, sliced about 1/2 inch thick
1/2 cup sliced onion
1/2 cup sliced bell pepper(red, green, OR a mix of both)
1-2 Tablespoons cooking oil to coat the skillet
salt, pepper, garlic powder to season
6 slices of your favorite bread
butter for spreading on the bread
Approximately 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Heat a skillet to hot. Add the cooking oil.
Add the chicken, bell pepper, and onion.
Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
Cook, stirring frequently until the chicken is done and the vegetables are tender.
Remove from heat and set aside.
Butter one side of all the slices of bread.
Heat up your griddle or other skillet.
Lay 3 slices of bread butter side down on the griddle.
Divide the chicken mixture among the bread slices.
Sprinkle with the cheese, about 1/4 cup per sandwich.
Lay the remaining slices of bread on top of the chicken- butter side up.
Let cook for a few minutes until the bottom bread slice is golden and than carefully flip over.
Cook for another few minutes until the cheese is melted.
Remove from the heat and serve.

Makes 3 sandwiches.

If the chicken breast half is large, you may have enough left to make a 4th sandwich.

Enjoy!
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Last year's G-  Gravy

Chicken Quesadillas

Quesadillas are so simple and yummy. They are great when it's hot out and you don't feel like slaving over a hot stove.
These come together in a matter of minutes.

You can buy a quesadilla maker or just make them on the stove with a griddle or skillet.


Ingredients:

1 chicken breast half
salt
pepper
cumin
1/4- 1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/4 - 1/2 cup green chili pepper OR bell pepper
6 -8 ( 7 " ) flour tortillas, depending on how much you want to stuff in them
2 cups shredded cheddar-jack OR cheddar cheese

Cook the chicken breast half and season with salt, pepper, and cumin.
Cool slightly and chop into small pieces.
On each flour tortilla, add some chicken, onion, pepper, and cheese to one half.
Fold the tortillas in half.
Heat the griddle or skillet.
Cook the quesadillas 2 at a time, unless you have a large griddle and can do more
Lay  tortillas on it and cook for a couple minutes until cheese has started to melt and the bottom is crisped or lightly browned..
With a wide spatula, carefully turn over the quesadilla and cook for another 2 minutes.
Keep the quesadillas warm in a 300 degree Fahrenheit while you cook the remaining ones.

Serves 3-4 people as a meal.
Serves 6 as an appetizer.

Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken enchiladas are so yummy. I first made these years ago when my husband asked for enchiladas. He actually wanted beef, but I could only find this recipe for the chicken variety.
Now, he would just as soon have these.
This makes a big pan so it is great for a big family or even leftovers later on.

Bake it at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Grease a 3 quart baking pan.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup chopped onion
2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 an Anaheim chili pepper or a 4 oz. can chopped chili pepper,drained
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1 Tablespoon milk
1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground cumin, depending on preference
2 cups cooked chopped chicken

12 taco or fajita size flour tortillas

10-3/4 oz can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 cup milk
3/4 cup shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese

In a small saucepan, cook the onion in the butter until the onion is soft.
Stir in 1 Tablespoon of the chili pepper.
In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, 1 Tablespoon milk, and the cumin.
Add the chicken and onion mixture.
To assemble:
Put about 3 Tablespoons chicken mixture along the edge of a flour tortilla.
Roll up and lay in a greased 3 quart baking dish.
A 9"x13" cake pan will work. The enchiladas will fit very snugly together.
Continue until all are made and put in pan.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Make the sauce:
Mix the 1 cup milk, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and the rest of the chili pepper.
Spread over the enchiladas.
Cover the pan with lid or aluminum foil.
Bake for 35 minutes.
Uncover.
Sprinkle with cheese and bake another 5 minutes until cheese is melted.

Makes 6 servings.

Chicken Bacon Alfredo Pizza

I love this pizza. I first had this variety as a frozen pizza. I decided to see if I could make my own version and this is it.
Just as the name says it has chicken, bacon, and Alfredo sauce.

You will need a greased 11"x15" baking pan.
Bake in a preheated 425 degree Fahrenheit oven.


Ingredients:

Pizza crust

Topping-

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1-1/2 cups cooked and cubed chicken breast
2 or 3 slices cooked and crumbled bacon
dried basil

Alfredo sauce-

1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
dash of pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook your chicken and bacon and set aside.
Make your pizza crust and pat it out into your greased pan.
Set aside.
To make the sauce, you need a small saucepan.
Melt the butter and add the garlic powder, salt, pepper, and flour.
Stir and cook until bubbly.
Quickly add the milk and stir constantly until the sauce thickens and bubbles.
Cook and stir for a minute.
Turn off heat and add the Parmesan cheese.
Blend in well til as smooth as you can get it.
Spread the sauce over the crust.
Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the sauce.
Add the chicken and bacon.
Sprinkle basil over everything.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15- 20 minutes until the crust is just starting to brown and the cheese is melted.

Serves 4.

Chili Chicken and Cilantro Dumplings

This is so good! My daughter says it tastes like eating chicken fajitas.
It's a great dish to warm you up and fill you up.

You will need a large pan. Like a dutch oven. It needs a lid.

Ingredients:

Chicken-

4 chicken breast halves
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 Tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
4 cups water


Dumplings-

2 cups flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 to 1-1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/3 cup shortening
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro(1/4 cup dried if you can't find fresh)
1 serrano or jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped finely
3/4 cup milk


Combine the chicken breasts, water, chili powder, salt, and onion in your pot.
Bring to a boil, cover, and turn the heat down to medium low.
Once in a while turn the chicken.
Simmer for about an hour.
Take out the chicken breast halves, let cool slightly, and chop.
Return to pan.

While the chicken is simmering, make the dumpling dough.
In a large bowl mix the flour, cumin, salt, and baking powder.
Cut in the shortening.
Stir in the cilantro and pepper.
Pour in the milk and stir until just moist.
Work the dough with you hands until it is like biscuit dough.

When you have added the chicken back to the pot, bring back to a boil.
With your hands, break off handfuls of dough.
You will get about 12.
Smooth the dough slightly into a ball shape and drop gently into the pot.
Cook uncovered 10 minutes.
Cover and cook another 10 minutes.
Dumplings are done when you poke them with a toothpick and the toothpick comes out clean.

Serves 4-6.

Turkey/Chicken Pot Pie

If you have never had a homemade pot pie, you are in for a treat. It is comfort food that warms you up on a cold day.

This is a good way to use up leftover turkey or chicken. You can also use cubed chicken breasts or cook 2-3 chicken hindquarters, take it off the bone and chop.

You need pastry for 9" two crust pie.
You also will need a 9" square pan.
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

For the filling:
a heaping half cup of frozen peas and a heaping half cup of frozen carrots
you can also use a 10oz. bag of mixed peas and carrots.
3 Tablespoons butter
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1-3/4 cup chicken or turkey broth-canned, homemade, or use water and bouillon granules
2/3 cup milk
2-1/2 to 3 cups chopped turkey or chicken

Roll the pie dough out into a big enough square so you can just put it into the pan, add the filling and fold the top over. It might have a couple uncovered spots near the middle. But you need to slash holes in the top crust anyway so this works out well.

To make the filling,
Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the onion and cook til tender. Add the flour, salt and pepper.
Let it get bubbly and take off the heat. Add the milk and broth and put back on heat.
Bring to a boil. Let it boil 1 minute and keep stirring.
Stir in the turkey and carrots and peas.
Pour the filling into the crust and flip the crust over the filling.
Make air holes if you need.

Bake for about 35 minutes.

Let it sit for about 5 to 10 minutes before cutting into so the filling won't all run all over.

It serves 6 good size servings.

White Chicken Chili

This is a somewhat unconventional chili. It is made with chicken, white beans, and cheese.
It is great on a cold day and it makes a ton so it is perfect for gatherings or leftovers.
You make it in the crockpot.

You will need a large crockpot.

Ingredients:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves.
6 cups water
1 large chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tablespoon oil
2-4(4 oz. can) chopped green chilies OR seed and chop 1 whole green chili pepper
1-2 diced jalapeno OR Serrano peppers
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1-1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 1b. can navy beans OR cook and season 3 cups of dry navy beans
2 cups shredded cheddar or Monterey jack cheese

Add the chicken and water to the crockpot and let it cook on low for 3-4 hours.
Remove chicken from the water, cube and set to the side.
While the chicken is cooking saute the onion and garlic in the oil.
Add the chili and jalapeno peppers, cumin, oregano, cayenne, and salt. Cook and stir two minutes.
After removing chicken from the crockpot add the onion/pepper mixture.
Add the beans. If you are using canned pour straight in, if you are using beans you cooked drain before adding to the crockpot.
Cook on low for an hour.
Add the chicken.
Stir in the cheese until it is melted in.
Serve.

This makes about 10-12 servings.

Great served with sour cream.

Brocolli, Chicken, Cheesy Rice Casserole

This is a really great casserole.
It has chicken and cheese. It has the healthy broccoli in it. And it is quick to put together.
I always use long grain white rice, but feel free to use whatever kind you prefer.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
You will need a 2 quart greased casserole dish, preferably with a lid.

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked white rice
1(10-1/4 oz) can condensed cream of chicken OR cream of mushroom soup
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1-2 cups fresh or frozen cut up broccoli
1/4 cup chopped onion, optional
2 cups chopped up cooked chicken
4 slices American cheese, optional

If you are using fresh broccoli, you may want to partially cook it first before adding it. Otherwise it may stay somewhat crunchy.
In a large bowl, mix the soup and the rice.
Add the cheddar cheese, chicken, broccoli, and optional onion.
Pour into the prepared casserole dish.
If using, lay the slices of cheese over the rice mixture. Using the cheese slices will add a little more creaminess to the finished meal.
Cover the casserole and bake for about 30 - 40 minutes until bubbly and or cheese slices are melted.
Remove from the oven.
Take off lid and stir in the melted cheese.

Serves 6.

Cheesy Chicken Breast with Onions and Peppers

This reminds me of food you can get when out to eat. It is very simple and very delicious.I came up with this one year when I had so many bell peppers I didn't know what to do with them all.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F

Ingredients:

4 chicken breast halves
1/2 cup cheddar or Monterey jack cheese or a mix of the two
1 bell pepper, sliced into strips
1 medium size onion, halved and sliced
garlic powder
salt
pepper

In a bowl mix the peppers and onion strips and set to the side. On a baking sheet, lay out the chicken breasts and season lightly with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and put the bell pepper and onion strips on the tops of the chicken breasts. Do the same with the cheese. Return to oven for 5 minutes. Take out and serve.

Serves 4.

Works best with flatter chicken breasts.

Chicken Enchilada Dip

This dip is to die for. Serve it with tortilla chips and it tastes just like you are eating chicken enchiladas.
It is a hot dip. I hope you enjoy.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/ 175 C.

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken meat
1-8oz package softened cream cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese OR cheddar/jack cheese
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1- 4 oz can diced green chili pepper- you can also use half of a fresh Anaheim chili
1 Jalapeno OR Serrano pepper, finely chopped- optional

Bake chicken in oven for about 20 minutes or until done. Take out, cool and shred or cube.
In a mixing bowl add all of the ingredients and blend well.
Transfer the mixture to a baking dish. A 2 quart casserole works really well.
Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. It will be bubbly and the edges will be golden.