chicken

Chicken, Broccoli, and Brown Rice Bake

Chicken and broccoli casserole — rice, creamy sauce, chicken, broccoli, cheese, croutons — has always been one of my favorites. The cream of chicken soup that’s used to make the sauce is not. So I’ve recreated the casserole from scratch, and I think it’s even better the the original. 

Chicken, Broccoli, and Brown Rice Bake
Serves 4
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Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
25 min
Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
25 min
Ingredients
  1. 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  2. 1 cup finely diced onion
  3. 3 cloves minced garlic
  4. 2 cups milk
  5. 1 cup chicken broth
  6. 1 dried bay leaf
  7. 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  8. 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  9. 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  10. 1 cup dry brown rice, cooked according to package directions
  11. 3 cups cooked chicken, shredded or chopped
  12. 3 cups frozen broccoli florets, cut into smaller pieces
  13. 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
  14. 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Melt butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds.
  3. Stir in the flour and cook for about 1 minute, until lightly browned.
  4. Add the bay leaf, broth, and milk, and cook over medium to medium-high heat, stirring constantly until thickened, about 10 minutes.
  5. Remove the bay leaf. Stir in the dried thyme, salt, and pepper.
  6. Spray a 21/2 quart baking dish with cooking spray. Add the cooked rice and all but about 1 cup of the sauce. Stir to combine.
  7. Add an even layer of the broccoli, and then add the chicken evenly on top.
  8. Pour the remaining sauce over the top.
  9. In a small bowl, combine the Panko breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese. Sprinkle on top of casserole and spray lightly with cooking spray.
  10. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown.
Seasoned to Impress https://seasonedtoimpress.com/

Bruschetta Chicken

I have a love/hate relationship with chicken, especially boneless chicken breasts. If they aren’t marinaded with strong flavors or covered with sauce and cooked just right, I can barely swallow a bite. This recipe meets those standards — coated with basil pesto, topped with diced tomatoes, red onion, basil, and parmesan cheese, and baked until perfectly juicy. 

Bruschetta Chicken
Serves 4
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
25 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
25 min
Ingredients
  1. 3 (about 1 pound) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied and cut in half
  2. 3 tablespoons prepared basil pesto
  3. 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
  4. 1 cup diced tomatoes
  5. 1/4 cup diced red onion
  6. 1 clove garlic, minced
  7. 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
  8. 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  9. 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  10. Ground black pepper
  11. 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese.
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Place pieces in a large ziploc bag and add pesto and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Toss around in bag to coat chicken. Remove chicken from bag and place in a greased baking dish.
  3. In a large bowl, add the tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, and salt and pepper. Stir gently to combine.
  4. Top the chicken pieces with the tomato mixture.
  5. Cover and bake for 20 minutes or until juices run clear.
  6. Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese, return to oven uncovered, and allow cheese to melt, about 3 minutes.
Seasoned to Impress https://seasonedtoimpress.com/

Southwestern Chicken Pot Pie

In celebration of my first ever blog post and winter’s (hopefully) last hurrah, I decided to make one of my favorite comfort foods for dinner: southwestern chicken pot pie. I first saw this recipe from Sunny Anderson on an episode of The Best Thing I Ever Made, and it looked so good, I made it the next day. Minus the Sazon seasoning, which comes in a small box and can be found in the Mexican/Spanish aisle of most grocery stores, the rest of the ingredients are pretty basic. I’ve slightly adapted the original recipe ingredients based on what I typical have on hand.

The recipe involves quite a few steps, but it is so worth it.

Southwestern Chicken Pot Pie
Serves 6
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Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
50 min
Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
50 min
Dough
  1. 1 teaspoon (1 packet) Sazon seasoning blend
  2. 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
  3. 1 stick butter, cut into pieces and frozen
  4. Pinch salt
Filling
  1. 1 pound chicken thighs (about 4)
  2. 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
  3. 6 cloves garlic, minced (4 for chicken, 2 for filling)
  4. Salt
  5. 2 tablespoons butter
  6. 2 tablespoons olive oil
  7. 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  8. 1 teaspoon (1 packet) Sazon seasoning blend
  9. 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  10. Freshly ground black pepper
  11. 1/2 cup frozen corn
  12. 1/2 cup diced onion
  13. 1/2 cup diced red or green pepper
  14. 1/2 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
  15. 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  16. 1 1/2 cups milk
  17. 1/2 cup sour cream
  18. 1 egg
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
For the dough
  1. In a cup, add 1/4 cup cold water and 1 packet of Sazon seasoning. Stir to dissolve and set aside.
  2. In a food processor, add the flour, butter, and salt. Then pulse until the butter is in small pebbles throughout the flour.
  3. Slowly add the seasoned water in a stream while pulsing until dough comes together.
  4. Remove the dough from the processor, form in to a ball and flatten it into a disk. Wrap it in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator while you make the filling.
For the filling
  1. In a pot, add the chicken, 1 teaspoon of dried thyme, 4 minced garlic cloves and fill the pot with enough water to cover the chicken by an inch. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Then lower to a simmer and cook until the chicken reaches internal temperature of 165 degrees F, or juices run clear when punctured, 20 to 25 minutes.
  2. Remove the chicken parts from the water and rest on a plate to cool.
  3. Reserve 1/4 cup of the poaching liquid.
  4. Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, add the butter, oil, 2 minced garlic cloves, cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon of dried thyme, Sazon, and cumin and season with a pinch of salt and few grinds of pepper. Saute while stirring until the pan is fragrant, about 1 minute.
  5. Add the vegetables, beans, and reserved poaching liquid. Turn up the heat to create steam and continue stirring until the vegetables are cooked, 6 to 8 minutes.
  6. Sprinkle in the flour and stir to combine. Then add the milk. Allow to simmer and thicken about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
  7. Meanwhile, remove the dough from the refrigerator and sprinkle a flat surface with flour.
  8. Divide the dough into two equal pieces.
  9. Flour a rolling pin and roll the dough into two circles about 1/8-inch thick.
  10. Center one circle of dough in a 8 or 9-inch pie dish, allowing any excess dough to drape over the edges.
  11. Remove the skin from the poached chicken, pull the meat from the bones and shred or chop.
  12. Stir the chicken and sour cream into the pot along.
  13. Pour the filling into the dough.
  14. Add the second circle of dough on top and pinch around the edge to seal the dough.
  15. Use a knife to trim any extra dough off of the edge of the pie plate.
  16. In a small bowl, whisk the egg and a splash of water. Brush the egg wash gently on the top of the pie dough.
  17. Use a knife to cut several small slits in the top layer of dough to allow steam to vent.
  18. Place on a baking sheet and bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes.
Adapted from Sunny Anderson
Adapted from Sunny Anderson
Seasoned to Impress https://seasonedtoimpress.com/