Super Easy Chicken Pot Pie - egg and dairy free

This recipe I improvised one cold Fall day. 

I wanted something easy, something in one dish, and something that the whole family - including my son with dairy and egg allergies - could eat. 

We didn't have a lot of groceries, but my standard frozen chicken breasts, frozen veggies, and four meant I could make this happen.

It turned out well and all my kids liked it - good, warm comfort food on a cold autumn night.

I hope you like it, too! 

Filling
Ingredients
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Tbsp oil
2 12oz bags of frozen mixed veggies
salt and pepper
3 Tbsp flour
1 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp onion powder

Directions:
Heat oil in a large pan.
Cut chicken breasts into 1 inch cubes. Season well with salt and pepper and add to pan.
Once the chicken is cooked add the frozen veggies.
Sprinkle flour, parsley, and onion powder on top and then mix to coat the veggies and chicken.
As the veggies heat you may need to add water or more flour to adjust the gravy coating to your preference - more flour for a thicker gravy, more water for a thinner one.
Season with salt and pepper as needed, according to preference.

While this cooks preheat oven to 400 and make pie crust.

Pie Crust

Ingredients:

1 C + 2 Tbsp flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 C vegetable oil

2-3 Tbsp cold water

Directions:

Mix flour, salt, and oil.

Add water until it forms a ball - it's better to add too much water than too little.

Roll out between two pieces of wax paper or cling wrap.

Makes one crust

Pour chicken and veggies in a greased deep dish pie pan. I used a 1.5 quart Corningware dish. Cover with the pie crust, making slits on the top to vent.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the crust is a nice golden brown.

home made cream chicken and toast

Mom gave me this recipe.  She told me it was good.  She was right. 

 Ingredients:

2 Tbsp butter

4 Tbsp flour

2 C milk

2 chicken breasts, cubed

salt and pepper to taste

6 slices of bread

Directions:

Place slices of bread into muffin pan, pushing them into cups.

Place pan into oven and begin preheating to 350, once it reaches temperature turn oven off.

Meanwhile, cook chicken.  Set aside.

In the same skillet, melt butter over medium low heat. 

Stir in flour until smooth.

Slowly add the milk, stirring the whole time.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

When gravy is desired consistency remove from heat and add chicken back in.

Take the toast out of the oven, and fill the cups with the creamed chicken.

Comfort food tastes sooooo good.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup


3 chicken breasts
Olive oil, a couple of glugs
3 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 bag frozen corn
1 medium onion, chopped
Lemon juice, few glugs
1 jar good chunky salsa
1 can rinsed black beans
2 cans chicken broth
Cumin to taste
Chili powder to taste
Red pepper flakes to taste

1 bag shredded cheddar cheese
1 bag tortilla chips

Directions:
Cook the chicken breasts.

Chop or shred into small pieces. (If you boil them it will be easy to shred them and you can then use that water instead of buying broth.)

Add all ingredients to crock pot except cheese and chips.

When thoroughly warm, serve with cheese sprinkled on top and chip in the side of bowl or crumbled on top.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Thank you, Amanda, for introducing Lisa to this recipe, and thank you, Lisa, for introducing it to me.  I have a new love.  This was perfect for our little football watching party.  Soda, home made pizza, veggies and dip, and this dip served with tostitos.  It was like having hot wings, but better!  (no bones, no frying)

Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Chicken Dip

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup blue cheese salad dressing
1/2 cup Frank's® RedHot® Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce or Frank's® RedHot® Buffalo Wing Sauce
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese or shredded mozzarella cheese
2 (9.75 ounce) cans Swanson® Premium Chunk Chicken Breast in Water, drained

grilled chicken breasts and cauliflower

This was the celebratory meal honoring the 2nd anniversary of Lydia's Baptism.  (yay!)

grilled chicken breasts

lettuce salad

broccoli and cauliflower, smothered in butter, wrapped in foil and cooked on the grill

smashed cauliflower and potatoes

smashed cauliflower and potatoes:

fresh cauliflower florets and quartered, peeled potatoes were boiled til tender.

I reserved some of the water for the nutrients (does that work?) and mashed them with that.

seasoned with salt, pepper, butter and a handful of shredded cheese.

I thought the smashed c & p were delicious, but I was the only one who had seconds (and thirds).

corny chicken wraps

Recipe from Taste of Home Busy Family Cookbook.

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked, cubed chicken (I used 3 small chicken breasts)

1 can whole kernel corn, drained

1 c salsa

1 c shredded cheese

8 flour tortillas

In a large saucepan, combine the chicken, corn, salsa and cook over med heat until warmed through.

Sprinkle cheese on tortillas, place about 1/2 c chicken mixture down center.  Roll and serve.

In order to stay within my budget I made the tortillas.  They definitely taste better than any store-bought tortilla I've ever had, maybe even better than any tortilla I've ever had.  Because I have to cook them one at a time they seem a little labor intensive, but they're really not that bad.  And they make Travis really happy.  (Maybe I should use my griddle...)

tortillas:

2 c flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

2 Tbsp shorting, such as Crisco

3/4 c warm water

Mix ingredients. 

 Finish by kneading dough into one smooth ball. 

Pinch off pieces (I made 5 large tortillas for this supper) and roll dough out - the thinner the better. 

Place in heated, ungreased skillet over med high heat. 

When the tortilla begins to bubble flip it.

Thoughts:  These were simple and okay.  They'd be good for a "bare cupboard meal" since I almost always have corn, salsa and chicken on hand.

grilled chicken breast

don't heat the house - make your hubby grill on the hottest day of spring.

chicken breast:  seasoned with salt, pepper, and italian dressing, expertly grilled by dh.

side:  baked potato, topped with cottage cheese, pepper and green onion

salad:  fresh from the garden, seasoned to taste

the best part of the dinner for me was the apple and gorgonzola cheese on the salad.  yum. 

second best, not having to wash a bunch of dishes.

cheddar chicken spirals

a good casserole, also from the Taste of Home Busy Family Cookbook.

cheddar chicken spirals:

1 1/2 C spiral pasta, cooked according to package

1/2 C mayo

1/3 C milk

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp dried basil

2 C frozen mixed veggies, thawed

1 1/2 C cubed, cooked chicken

1 1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese, divided

mix mayo, milk, salt and basil in a large bowl. 

stir in 1 c cheese. 

add cooked chicken and veggies. 

drain pasta, then stir it into the bowl.

transfer to greased 1 1/2 qt. microwave safe dish.

sprinkle with remaining cheese.

cover and microwave on high for 4-5 mins.

let stand 5 mins before serving.

thoughts:

I doubled almost everything in this recipe, using a whole box of pasta, 3 chicken breasts and 2 packages of frozen veggies.  it was awesome.  I will be making this again, many times.

Chicken Stir Fry

Totally simple and very easy.

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are cubed, seasoned with salt and pepper, and browned.

Meanwhile instant brown rice is steaming.

Two bags of frozen stir fry veggies ($1 a bag when on sale at Kroger) cook in a little bit of veg oil.

Seasoned to taste at the table with soy sauce and parm for me, hot sauce and parm for Trav.  I know, we're weird, we put parm cheese on stir fry.

Also, I decided to use these cheap wine glasses as water goblets at dinner.  Because, why not?  It makes the meal feel special, which I need at the end of a long day in the trenches.