Chicken Pot Pie Pizza

Two comfort foods come together to make one delicious dinner. The magical creamy filling of a pot pie on top of a pizza crust, covered in cheese.  Since winter doesn't seem to want to quit anytime soon, this will surely warm up your kitchen and your belly.

Chicken Pot Pie Pizza
From i am a food blog

Ingredients
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella or cheddar
1/3 cup shredded cooked chicken
1/4 of a small onion, diced
1 smallish potato, diced and cooked
1 carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
salt and pepper to taste
1 pizza dough

1. Preheat oven to 500. In a small pan melt butter, then whisk in flour. Slowly whisk in chicken stock. Stir until slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Stretch out your pizza dough. Spread on the sauce, then top with onion, potato, carrot, celery, chicken, and cheese.
3. Cook about 15 minutes until crust has browned and cheese has melted.

Yes. Yes. Yes. This is absolutely as good as it sounds. Make it to celebrate Pi Day!

Wonton Soup

This is not too hard and too complicated for you.  Really, believe me, it isn't.  Plus, when it comes time to eat, you will be so incredibly impressed with yourself.

Wonton Soup
From Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients
3/4 lb ground chicken
1 tsp soy sauce
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 1/2 tsp fresh ginger or 1/2 tsp ground ginger
3 tbsp chopped scallions
pepper, to taste
50 wonton wrappers
cornstarch, to prevent sticking

8 cups chicken stock or broth
2 cloves garlic, minced
soy sauce or salt to taste
another dash of ginger
3 oz baby spinach, a few handfuls

1. To make the wontons: Mix chicken, soy sauce, salt, sesame oil, ginger, scallions, and pepper. Place 6 wonton wrappers on a cutting board and fill a small bowl with water. Drop teaspoons of chicken filling into the middle of each wonton wrapper. Use your fingers to dampen the edges of the wrapper. Seal edges in a triangle, pushing out all the air. Then pull the 2 corners on the wide side together. Place on a plate dusted with cornstarch. Do this 50 times!
2. Let your broth come to a boil with the garlic, soy sauce/salt, and ginger. Gently drop in your completed wontons and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the spinach and cool until the leaves soften. All done!

The whole time I was preparing this meal I just kept thinking I needed a backup food plan.  What was I going to make when this was a total failure? What if all the wontons opened up in the soup?

But guess what!? It just worked. This soup is perfection.

I could really use a bowl of wonton soup on this blizzard day.

Slow Cooker Creamy Bacon Ranch Chicken

Here is why you should make this recipe:

1. 4 ingredients.

2. Slow cooker.

3. It's delicious.

4. It's versatile.

5. Bacon.

Sound good? Good.

Creamy Bacon Ranch Chicken

Ingredients

1-2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 packet ranch dressing mix

8 oz cream cheese

8 oz bacon, cooked and crumbled

1-2 tbsp hot sauce (optional)

1. Plop the chicken, cream cheese, and ranch dressing in a slow cooker.  Cook 6-8 hours on low or 4 hours on high.

2. Shred chicken using 2 forks, add bacon, and mix until all ingredients are combined.

We had this chicken in a sandwich topped with crispy jalapenos.  It would also go great in a taco or served as a dip with chips or crackers.

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese Calzones

YES! You read that title right! Buffalo chicken! Mac and cheese! Calzones!!

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat! YES! All the things!

I am going to let you guys in on a MAJOR secret here.  You can make pizza dough in about 10 minutes with no resting and waiting for it to rise! And it tastes exactly like it should. This dough recipe is a serious game changer. Make it with whatever toppings you like or mix up some buffalo chicken mac and cheese  calzones like I did.

Quick No-Rise Pizza Dough
From The New York Times

Ingredients
1 package fast rising yeast
1 cup hot water (120-130 degrees)
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt

1. Mix yeast and 1 cup flour in a large bowl. Stir in hot water. Stir in second cup of flour and salt until a dough ball forms.
2. Using some of the last cup of flour, dust your kneading surface. Knead dough for 5 minutes, slowly adding in the remaining flour as needed.
3. THAT'S IT! Can you believe it!?

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

Ingredients
1 box mac and cheese
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
2 cups shredded chicken
2 tbsp hot sauce of your liking (like it hotter? add more as you see fit)
3 scallions, chopped
1 cup blue cheese

1. Boil mac and cheese according to package directions, drain, stir in milk and butter and cheese packet.
2. Mix in chicken, scallions, and blue cheese.

The dough recipe makes enough for 4 calzones.  The mac and cheese recipe gives you plenty of extra for lunch the next day.

Bake the calzones in a 500 degree oven for about 15 minutes.  Serve with extra hot sauce and blue cheese dressing for dipping.

Ok, I need to be done with this post because it is making me want to cook these up again...

Shredded Chicken

A lot of times a recipe will call for already cooked shredded chicken.  It is generally a major disappointment when I'm reading a recipe.  They always the recipe sound so quick and simple.  But if you don't have cooked chicken just laying around your house, it adds extra time and effort.

I'm going to share with you a quick and simple way to make a huge batch of shredded chicken that you can portion and pop in the freezer.  This way you will have chicken on hand for the next time some recipe tricks you into thinking it's a piece of cake.

Shredded Chicken

Ingredients

3 chicken breasts, I have used 5 in the past because that's what comes in the value packs at Stop and Shop

some garlic

maybe an onion

salt and pepper

water

1. Place the chicken in a large pot or dutch oven.  Pour in enough water to cover the chicken in the pot. Season with salt and pepper.  If you are using an onion or garlic plop those in now too.

2. Boil covered for about 20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.  If you have a lot of chicken in the pot it might take longer, less chicken, shorter.  You get the idea this is not an exact science.

3. When the chicken is cooked through I'm going to tell you about a trick to shred it that will change your life.  Get out your stand mixer with paddle attachment.  Plop chicken in the bowl and turn on the mixer.  Voila! Chicken shredded right before your eyes!

I packaged my shredded chicken into 2 cup portions and popped them in the freezer.  Now I have 4 recipes worth of cooked chicken ready and waiting for me.

National Taco Day!

Hey guys word around the street is that it's National Taco Day and taco Tuesday all in one magical 24 hours.

I have collected all of my favorite recipes to ensure you have the tastiest taco day ever. 

You're welcome.

Center: Slow Cooker Carnitas

Top down on the left: Creamy Chicken Tacos, Chipotle Salsa Chicken, Chicken Salsa Verde, Slow Cooker Barbacoa

Top down on the right: Sweet and Spicy Pork Tacos, Taco Burgers, Roasted Heirloom Tomato Salsa, Homemade Corn Tortillas

Wishing you all the most delicious taco day ever!

San-J Sauces

When this packaged arrived from San-J I couldn't contain my excitement. 3 delicious gluten free sauces and a tote bag! and a basting brush! and a cutting board! and the best, a mini USB in the shape of a tamari sauce bottle!  How cool is this company!?

Needless to say I couldn't wait to dive in.  All three of the sauces I cooked with are gluten free certified and non-gmo verified.  They all come with suggestions on the bottle as to what pairs best with each sauce.

I used the Mongolian sauce to make a quick chicken stir-fry with broccoli and green beans over rice. It was so nice to have a sauce waiting for me in the pantry.  It meant I didn't need to get out all the measuring cups and spoons and assemble ingredients which is a total life saver on a weeknight.

The Thai peanut sauce went great with shrimp; the sauce has a little kick to it.  I made shrimp avocado burritos with mixed greens and cilantro lime rice.  I also used this as a dipping sauce later in the week for chicken spring rolls.

I used the orange sauce for a steak and mixed vegetable ramen noodle bowl.  I stir fried the steak and veggies in the orange sauce then tossed in the cooked noodles and topped it all with a hearty shake of sesame seeds.

I am so excited to have these sauces in my condiment stash right now.  I can't wait to continue to use them to add great flavor to more meals.

I received this product for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com), May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meet blogger, I agree to use this product and post my honest opinion on my blog. The opinions posted are my own.

Chicken Kale Grain Bowl with Sun Dried Tomato Sauce

Grain bowls have been taking over my feeds lately so I decided to dip my toe into the world of quinoa and kale.  I don't know how much of a "recipe" this needs to be, but I'll type one up for you and you decide how much of it you want to follow.

Chicken Kale Grain Bowls
From Pinch of Yum

Ingredients
For marinade
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tbp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt

For the bowls
2 cups baby kale, if you use regular kale just chop it and marinate it a little longer
2 cups cooked grain of your choice (I found this fun rice/quinoa blend)
1 avocado
sesame seeds or red pepper flakes
sliced almonds
maybe some feta cheese if the mood should strike you

For the sauce
16 oz jar of sun dried tomatoes, drained
1-2 cloves garlic
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil

1. Mix up that marinade in a measuring cup. Give half of it to the kale and half to the chicken. The chicken should marinate for 30 minutes to 2 hours. The baby kale can go for the same time, if you have regular kale feel free to marinate it all night.
2. Cook your chicken however you desire.  I sauteed it on the stove.
3. Blend that sauce or food process it, all the ingredients just dump 'em in.
4. Cook your grain according to package directions.  Take 1/2 cup of the sauce and stir it in.
5. Assemble the bowls! Top the grains with all that good stuff you just whipped up.

This was totally delicious and it really was fun to assemble it all in the end.

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wrap Salad

Hi, it's summer and it's hot.  Here is a salad to solve those "it's too darn hot to cook" woes that are surely coming your way.

A little bit of hot and a little bit of cold. It is summer dinner perfection.

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wrap Salad
Adapted From Skinny Taste

Ingredients
1 head of romaine lettuce, chopped
2 carrots, shredded with a vegetable peeler
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp honey
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 tsp salt and pepper
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp Sriracha sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
cooking spray
1 lb ground chicken
8 oz water chestnuts, diced
1/4 cup sliced almonds
3 scallions, sliced

1. Get your lettuce and carrots set up in a salad bowl. Mix vinegar, oils, honey, ginger, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl and set aside to dress the salad with  later.
2. Mix hoisin, vinegar, sriracha, soy sauce, and ginger in a bowl.  Heat a large skillet coated with cooking spray over medium high heat.  Add chicken and cook until browned, about 10 minutes. Add almonds, water chestnuts, and hoisin sauce mixture.  Cook until heated through.  Top with scallions.
3.  To serve, you can dress the whole salad or allow everyone to to do their own bowl.  Top with the chicken mixture and enjoy!

This is exactly what you need as the temperature starts rising. 

One Pot BBQ Chicken Pasta - With homemade BBQ Sauce!

I'll just start off by saying you totally don't need to make this specific bbq sauce for this pasta recipe.  You can just use your favorite bottled version, but this recipe really is tasty.  Plus, it makes a lot so you'll have plenty left over to use all summer long!

BBQ Sauce

Ingredients

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 small onion, diced

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp paprika

1 tsp crushed red pepper

2 cups ketchup

2 cups water

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1/4 cup molasses

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tbsp salt

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp mustard
1 tsp black pepper

1. Heat the oil in a sauce pan over medium heat.  Add onion and cook until softened.  Add garlic, tomato paste, chili powder, paprika, and red pepper. Stir until paste is a dark brick red. Add in remaining ingredients. Cook at a gentle simmer for 30 minutes.
2. This last step is optional:  Use an immersion blender to smooth the consistency of the bbq sauce.

One Pot BBQ Chicken Pasta

Ingredients
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 lb rotini pasta
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup bbq sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded chicken
1 cup corn
1 tbsp dried cilantro, or a nice bunch of fresh
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
crispy onions, for serving

1. Heat oil, broth, and bbq sauce in a large pot. Add pasta, chicken, corn, and cilantro.  Cook at a low simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Top with cheddar cheese and let sit while the cheese melts on top of the pasta. Serve topped with crispy onions.

This whole cooking pasta in one pot and not draining it has really captured my heart. 

You cook it all in one pot, you probably have all the ingredients already, and it's ready in less than 30 minutes! Doesn't get much better than that!

Quesadilla Pie

Here ya go friends, this dinner comes together in less than 30 minutes.  As long as you have some cooked chicken on hand...

Quesadilla Pie
From The Girl Who Ate Everything

Ingredients
1 10 inch tortilla
2 cups shredded chicken*
1/3 cup diced jalapenos, I bought a lil' can and used about half of it
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
salt and pepper
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
salsa, for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 450. Soften your tortilla in the microwave for a few seconds and place it in a greased 9 inch pie plate.
2. Mix chicken, jalapenos, cilantro, 1 cup cheese, salt and pepper in a bowl.  Place in pie plate.
3. Mix eggs, milk, flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl (use the one you just had the chicken in). Pour over filling. Sprinkle with remaining cup of cheese. Bake 15-20 minutes until cheese is browned and melted.
4. Let cool 5 minutes.  Cut into wedges and serve with salsa on the side.

*I despise when recipes have cooked chicken as an ingredient.  Who has cooked chicken just laying around the house?!  I do...  I cooked up 5 chicken breasts, shredded them and bagged them up for times like this.  I highly recommend you do the same on a lazy Sunday. Each breast is about 2 cups of chicken.

You are definitely going to want to have some salsa with your slice of the pie.  It needs a bit of flavor punching, guacamole would be nice too.  I think next time I will put some salsa into the pie as well.

One Pan Chicken Parmesan Pasta

This recipe is perfection.  Absolute perfection.

Here are all the things it has going for it:
1. one pot
2. pasta
3. crunchy topping
4. cheeeeeeese!!

One Pan Chicken Parmesan Pasta
From Yellow Bliss Road

Ingredients
1/4 cup oil, plus 2 tbsp
1 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken, cut into bite sized pieces
1 small onion, diced
16 oz marinara sauce
2 1/2 cups dried pasta
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp Italian seasoning

1. Coat chicken with flour, salt, pepper, Italian seasonings, and garlic powder.
2. Heat a large skillet or Dutch oven with 1/4 cup oil. Add chicken and cook until browned on both sides.
3. Remove chicken and wipe out skillet.  Add 2 tbsp oil and saute onions until translucent. Add garlic, pasta, broth, sauce, and salt and pepper to taste.   Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 15 minutes, until pasta is cooked. Stir in 1 cup mozzarella cheese and cubed chicken.
4. Top with remaining mozzarella, parmesan cheese, Italian seasonings, and bread crumbs. Place under the broiler for about 5 minutes, until cheese is melted and bread crumbs are browned.
5. EAT UP!

I just don't know why I haven't made this again.  This is the stuff dreams are made of.

Baked Potato Bar

Last night was our 3rd annual scary movie night!  As per tradition we went with another customize-able dinner.

2014: mac and cheese bar
2013: taco bar

This year baked potatoes were the blank canvas.

I used this recipe for making baked potatoes in a slow cooker by the Kitchn.  It's not much different than preparing baked potatoes for the oven.

Our toppings bar included:

butter

parsley-garlic-butter 

salsa

sour cream

sriracha

caramelized onions

chili

cheese sauce

bbq pulled chicken

Fritos

scallions

broccoli

jalapenos

bacon

cheddar cheese

The possibilities were endless!

I also made a very tasty cocktail, caramel apple cider sangria.

I hope you all have a great Halloween!

Grilled Tandoori Chicken

This marinade is a great way to change up your usual grilled chicken routine.  It comes together in a flash, perfect for any night of the week.

Grilled Tandoori Chicken

From Le Creme De La Crumb

Ingredients

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tbsp cilantro
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1. In a small bowl mix ingredients from yogurt to cayenne.  Place in a Ziplock bag with the chicken.  Smush it around a bit so the chicken gets evenly coated.  Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.
2.  Remove chicken from bag and grill it!  That's it!

Sprinkle the chicken with some more chopped cilantro when it's finished.  I served this with a cucumber riata and cilantro lime rice (recipe to come!).

I'm not ready to put my grill away just yet!

Buffalo Chicken with Bacon Blue Cheese Waffles

Buffalo chicken with bacon blue cheese waffles. Do you really need me to say anymore?  

Ok, I'll say 1 more thing. It's a total piece of cake to prepare! Yay!

Buffalo Chicken with Bacon Blue Cheese Waffles

Adapted from Pillsbury

Ingredients

buffalo chicken fingers, I used Tyson and made 2 pieces for each of us

1 can crescent rolls

1/2 cup cooked chopped bacon

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

1/4 cup apricot preserves

2 tbsp dijon mustard

1. Prepare chicken as per package directions.

2. Unroll crescent rolls. Press bacon and blue cheese on to 4 triangles.  Top with the other triangle dough pieces and press to seal.  Bake in a waffle iron for about 3 minutes, until golden brown.

3. In a small bowl mix jam and mustard.  Heat in the microwave until warm, stir to combine.

4. Serve waffles topped with sauce and alongside chicken fingers.  Do yourself a favor and cook up a vegetable too.  I sauteed some garlic-y spinach.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh my god this was a great night! I want to travel back in time!

Don't skimp on that waffle drizzle, it is really everything.

The perfect bite!

Chow Mein

Would you like to have dinner ready in 15 minutes? OK! DONE!

These chow mein noodles can be cooked up way faster than waiting for take out to be delivered.

Chow Mein
Adapted from Kevin and Amanda

Ingredients
4 packages ramen noodles
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 package cole slaw mix
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil

1. Boil a large pot of water.  Cook ramen 4 minutes, drain.
2. Heat vegetable oil in a large pan. Cook cole slaw mix until carrots soften. Add in ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant.  Add in cooked ramen noodles, soy sauce, and sesame oil.  Stir to combine.

I had about 2 cups of cooked chicken in the fridge that I threw in to make it a little heartier.

YUM!

Balsamic Watermelon Feta Chicken Salad

I know you don't come here to look at salads, but I made and ate this one and it was glorious.

Sometimes it's ok to take a break from your bacon and cheese covered carbohydrate stuffed carbohydrates and eat something nutritious.

Balsamic Watermelon Feta Chicken Salad
Adapted from Pinch of Yum

Ingredients
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
1 bag baby spinach
2 cups chopped watermelon
1/2 cup feta cheese crumbles

1. Pour vinegar into a small saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until it becomes syrupy.
2. In a salad bowl layer spinach, chicken, watermelon, and feta cheese. Drizzle with balsamic reduction.

How often does a memory of a salad make you drool?

This is summer salad perfection and you need it because it's too damn hot to cook, Oh, and it's delicious.