convenience chicken

Bonus Philadelphia Creme Cooking Party

March 4, 2011 · by Jackie Brown · 4 Comments

This is our last freezer cooking class and we’re going to end it with a big shebang celebrating our hard work. But we have one last casserole or two to put in the freezer for a crazy night. You will use your convenience chicken and your free santa fe cooking creme. We’re making Easy Santa Fe Chicken Enchiladas with minimal ingredients. There’s still room for a couple of more participants. Comment below if you’re coming and we’ll save you a seat. I’m making black bean and corn quesadillas for the class. Feel free to bring in a few sides and we’ll make it a meal. Suggested sides, include salad, tortilla chips, salsa, nine layer dip, mexican rice or a dessert, forks, plates, cups-we’ll be healthy and drink water. Bring whatever you want and we’ll enjoy a night off from cooking. Comment below on the item you’ll bring. Ask hubby to treat himself and the kiddos and kick back and enjoy this class.

You’ll enjoy your coupons, cooking creme mini-cookbook, bamboo spoons, grocery pad and magnet as a take home. I look forward to seeing you one last time before we break. However, I’m looking forward to hearing how you’re keeping up with the freezer cooking process. Just take baby steps and double family favorites and try new ones like the enchiladas below. See you on Thursday.

Santa Fe Chicken Enchiladas Printable Recipe. Plus bring a bowl and can opener, (no spoon needed), maybe a cookie scoop or 1/3 cup measuring cup, cooking spray, sharpie marker, knife and chopping board, unless you slice your green onions at home.

Looking forward to one last class!

Filed Under: Casseroles + Pasta · Tagged: black beans, cheese santa fe cooking creme, convenience chicken, green onions, tomatoes, tortillas

Chicken Braid from homemade brioche dough

March 4, 2011 · by Jackie Brown · 5 Comments

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I’ve discovered the easiest crescent dough ever. It’s made in a plastic shoe box and you don’t even have to knead it. The dough is called brioche and it has all the endless possibilities as regular crescent dough AND it’s freezer friendly. Imagine having this dough available in your fridge at all time, just like Pillsbury crescents. It has a 5 day shelf life unless frozen. I tested the freezer method using 2-1 pound packages. I thawed them the night before I was planning this recipe, chicken braid. It works just like the store-bought seamless crescent roll package.

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I grabbed my bag of convenience chicken and brioche dough from the thawing box in the fridge. I dusted my baking stone and the dough with flour and proceeded to roll it into a flat rectangle. It’s a bit stickier than store-bought, so don’t be afraid to add the flour. Roll with a rolling pin-it’s like play-dough. Have fun.

My filling consisted of 1 1/2 cups of cooked diced chicken, 1 tsp. Italian seasoning, 1 cup of cheddar cheese and a small handful of fresh chopped spinach. Broccoli works too, I’ve made it this way. I also added finely diced bell pepper, but the possibilities are endless. Think hot pocket fillings. Or go fancy and use a Pampered Chef recipe (I’ve used the one with the lemon rind and minced garlic before). Notice one side has the spinach and one side doesn’t. My kids oppose spinach so I made theirs with chicken and cheese and added the veggies to the other half in the bowl. The filling goes right down the middle and I cut strips on both sides with a pizza wheel.

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Next, I alternate the strips, just like I do for stromboli. They crisscross one strip at a time. No worries, if you come up odd on one end.

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Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes, depending how much filling you have inside. You want it to be a golden brown and the filling to be nice and hot. Frozen veggies take longer to warm up.

Printable Brioche recipe. You’re on your own for the filling or use my idea above.

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Extra slices can be cooled and plastic wrapped, frozen for future lunches or quick individual dinners. What you don’t have any extra slices? We didn’t because I didn’t make two braids, but next time, I am definitely doing this. I did double bubble and reheat our twice baked potatoes from the freezer while the braid baked-recipe coming soon.

Enjoy a night off if you’ve baked an extra one of these delicious braids. Thaw 24 hours in the fridge and reheat in foil for 20-30 minutes. Enjoy with a bagged salad or deliver this unique meal to someone. Do you have some filling ideas for a chicken braid? We’d love to hear them.

Filed Under: Poultry and Pork, Quick + Yeast Breads · Tagged: brioche artisan dough, cheese, con, convenience chicken, freezer friendly, Homemade crescent roll dough, homemade Pillsbury crescent rolls

Boiled Covenience Chicken plus Broth

February 9, 2011 · by Jackie Brown · 2 Comments

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Have you ever bought pre-cooked chicken strips to help prepare your meal quicker? When I worked full-time and part-time, I’ve bought these handy bags of chicken. Did you know you can make your own much cheaper and healthier in less than an hour?

Here’s how. You purchase a family pack of boneless chicken breasts on sale, $2 or less per pound is a good price. Bring 5-6 chicken breasts, 2 quarts of water, an onion quartered, 2 celery stalks, 2 carrots (no need to peel), 2 garlic cloves, salt and pepper and a bay leaf if you have one, to a boil. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

I check one of the breasts by cutting in open to see if the meat is white and the juices run clear. You don’t want to overcook it.

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Slice

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with a sharp chef knife in crosswise strips. Use a fork to hold the meat while you slice.

Shred

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using two forks, one holding the meat while the other tears it a part.

Dice

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by slicing strips and cutting the strip in half lengthwise. Proceed to dice the both strips at the same time.

Use a measuring spoon and dip into your broth and pour about a tablespoon or two on top of the meat after it’s cut, to keep it moist. Store in labeled and dated quart size freezer bags. I bag approximately 1 cup portions because they thaw quicker and I can always grab two if I need more. These don’t necessarily have to thaw for 24 hours. You can use these on the whim.

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I use a shallow basket to hold bags that do not lay flat.

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Another alternative to writing diced, sliced or shredded chicken is to designate what your chicken will be used for if you are a real planner. For example, I know I’m planning to make chicken and spinach enchiladas with one bag of the shredded chicken, I could indicate it on the bag so I don’t forget.

Strain your broth like I do when I make sticky chicken and proceed to bag the broth. See the photos here. You can also freeze broth in ice cube trays. Remove broth cubes when frozen and put them in a labeled quart size bag. 2 cubes equals 1/4 cup or 8 cubes is equivalent to 1 cup. You may want to write this on your bag for quick measuring when you add to recipes. It’s very handy.

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Printable recipe for Boiled Chicken Breasts plus broth. Enjoy your quick chicken meals throughout the month. I often make chicken tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas and pizza with my convenience chicken. What kind of chicken entrees/meals would you use your chicken for?