Mini Chicken Pot Pies

For Cinco de Mayo I showed you the Chicken Taco Muffins and now I am exploring some different savory muffins and they are pretty delicious. I can see so many different options for these delicious little pies! This is the best of a chicken pot pie in individual serving sizes.



Mini Chicken Pot Pies: Makes 14 Muffins

2/3C Bisquick
2 Eggs
3/4C Milk
1lbs Chicken Breast - boneless / skinless - Chopped
3/4C Carrots - Finely Chopped
1/4C Onions - Finely Chopped
1/2C Celery - Finely Chopped
1/2C Peas
2TB Flour
1C Chicken Stock
1tsp Olive Oil
Rosemary
Thyme
Salt & Pepper

Mix the chicken with approximately 1/4tsp rosemary and 1/4tsp thyme with some salt and pepper. Place 1tsp of olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat and add the chicken in a single layer and cook for approximately 6-8 minutes until fully cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan, add the remaining olive oil with the onions, celery and carrots and another 1/4tsp each of rosemary and thyme and cook over medium heat for 6-8 minutes until the vegetables are tender, remove from the pan and place with the chicken.

Mix together the chicken stock and 1/4C of milk with the flour until the flour is fully incorporated, add a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the sauce to the saute pan over medium heat and stir constantly while it thickens, add back the chicken and veggies and stir to coat in the gravy.

Mix together the Bisquick, eggs and remaining 1/2C of milk and pour half of the batter evenly into 14 greased muffin tins, then split the chicken mixture into the muffin tins and carefully top with the remaining batter. Place in a 375° oven for 25-35 minutes until the bisquick has set and begun to brown.

Remove from the oven and let them sit for a minute then serve and enjoy! Now be aware these aren't going to come out of the pan absolutely beautifully but really when we're talking wonderful chicken pot pie deliciousness does it matter? I found waiting 3-4 minutes after taking them out of the oven helped them come out in 1 piece when I ran a knife around the edge and used a large spoon to scoop under each one.

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WW: 2 Points Plus / muffin

Spicy Shrimp & Scallop Vegetable Pasta

I love when I go to the grocery store and seafood is on sale! Both shrimp and scallops were in the specials and I just could not resist. They even had a half pound container of scallops so I took that as a sign that I was meant to mix it with shrimp and come up with something special. Last year I tried out Shrimp Fra Diavolo and used red pepper flakes to make it spicy but this time around I went with sriracha which gives an even better more sophisticated heat that I absolutely love. To balance it all out and make it a little sinful I added some cream cheese which melts beautifully into it and really enriches the flavors.

This would be a wonderful date night meal for anyone looking to impress someone else!



Spicy Shrimp & Scallop Vegetable Pasta: Serves 4

8oz Pasta
1/2lbs Shrimp - Peeled & Deveined
1/2lbs Sea Scallops
1 Pint Cherry Tomatoes - Halved
1 Onion - Chopped
1 Zucchini - Chopped (2C worth)
2 Garlic Cloves - Minced
8oz Tomato Sauce
1TB Sriracha
1TB Olive Oil
2TB Fresh Basil (2tsp dried)
1TB Fresh Oregano (1tsp dried)
2TB Cream Cheese (I use 1/3 less fat)

Place the shrimp and scallops in a bowl and add 1tsp of olive oil and 1.5tsp of sriracha with some salt and pepper, toss to coat and set to the side. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta until al dente. Once you add the pasta to the water put a large saute pan over medium heat with a teaspoon of olive oil and the garlic, let it cook for 45-60 seconds then add the onions, zucchini and tomatoes to the pan with the remaining sriracha and some salt and pepper. Toss to evenly coat and cook for 8-10 minutes until the vegetables are cooked through. Put the drained pasta and vegetables together in the empty pasta pot and add the tomato sauce, basil and oregano and cook over low heat for 2-3 minutes allowing the sauce to cook into the noodles.

While the noodles and vegetables are soaking into one another add the remaining teaspoon of olive oil to the saute pan over medium heat and add the shrimp and scallops to the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes until both are completely cooked through. Add the seafood to the pasta with the cream cheese and stir to melt it in, serve and enjoy!

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WW: 9 Points Plus / serving

Creamy Polenta

We all know I love Grits, I'm always trying new ways to make shrimp and grits but one thing I don't make as often is polenta. I'm not really sure why, maybe because I keep the corn meal in a container that isn't right in my face when I open the cupboard. I was reaching for the grits the other day to have as a side dish to some of my mom's pork bbq and I said to myself "why don't you do the polenta, the yellow color will look pretty on your plate" - yes I really did decide to make polenta just because I liked the thought of the color! Well I decided to make it like I've been making my grits, with milk, and well I've already made it twice since then because it was so good I needed to have it again.



Creamy Polenta: Serves 2-3

1/2C Water
1-1/2C Milk
1/2C Cornmeal
2tsp Butter
Salt & Pepper

Place the water and milk in a sauce pot and over medium heat bring up to a boil, reduce the heat to low and whisk in the cornmeal making sure to keep stirring so no clumps form, add salt and pepper. Bring the heat back up slightly until lightly simmering. Stir every other minute or so as it thickens, taste occasionally and add more salt and pepper as needed. In about 10-15 minutes it will have thickened to a beautiful super thick consistency. Remove from the heat, stir in the butter, serve and enjoy!

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WW: 6 Points Plus / serving @ 2 servings
4 Points Plus / serving @ 3 servings

Salmon Spinach Goat Cheese Pasta

Boy am I glad I found the frozen salmon fillets in the grocery store! Many thanks to my friend Shannon who told me to keep an eye out for them. It was so nice to come home, throw the individually shrink wrapped fillets into a bowl of water to thaw for 30 minutes then to make dinner. While I will always love the fresh fillets I don't love having to use them immediately so the frozen fillets are great for me. This pasta dish is pretty tasty, the salmon is nicely roasted in the oven and the spinach is fresh wilted and tender such a good mix of ingredients. If you aren't a spinach fan I know this would also be great with asparagus.



Salmon Spinach Goat Cheese Pasta: Serves 4

8oz Pasta
8oz Salmon Fillet
12oz Fresh Spinach
2 Garlic Cloves - Minced
1/4C Onion - Chopped
4oz Goat Cheese
1/3C Milk
1/4C Chicken Stock
1TB Flour
1/2tsp Old Bay
1/2tsp Basil - Dried
1tsp Olive Oil

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta to al dente, drain and set to the side. While the pasta is cooking preheat your oven to 350°, rub your salmon fillets with the garlic cloves and 1/4tsp Old Bay & 1/4tsp Basil. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes until cooked through. Once fully cooked remove from the oven, let it sit for 5 minutes then flake and mix with the cooked and drained pasta.

Okay, pasta & salmon cooking...now it is time for the spinach! In a large saute pan heat the olive oil and onions over medium heat for 5-6 minutes until the onions turn translucent. Add the spinach with some salt and pepper and about 1/4C of water from the pasta and cover with a lid and let the spinach wilt down. Give it a toss after a minute or two and recover and let it finish wilting. Once the spinach is done place it in a colander and push out as much liquid as you can with a spoon. Add the spinach to the pasta and salmon.

Alright, almost done. Now mix the milk, chicken stock, flour and remaining 1/4tsp Old Bay & 1/4tsp of bail together and add to the pasta, spinach and salmon. Turn the heat on medium and stir until the mixture thickens, remove from the heat, crumble in the goat cheese, stir to melt it then serve and enjoy.

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WW: 11 Points Plus / serving

Dijon Maple Roasted Chicken

I love when chicken is on sale at the grocery store! This past week the special was $0.99/pound for chicken quarters (the leg and thigh together on the bone). I bought a big pack of four and decided to roast these up in my dutch oven. I was trying to figure out what I was going to put on them, my teriyaki mixture? rosemary? thyme? cajun seasoning? and I really wanted to try something new. I had just bought a new container of Dijon Mustard and I decided to focus on that! I love how this turned out and just know it will be delicious as leftovers (even cold on a sandwich!) Feel free to try this on chicken quarters, chicken thighs or legs!



Dijon Maple Roasted Chicken: Serves 4

4 Chicken Quarters (or 8-12 Chicken Thighs or Drumsticks)
1/4C Maple Syrup
1/4C Dijon Mustard
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Salt & Pepper

First Step...and my least favorite...remove the skin from the chicken, leaving the bone in. Discard the skin and place the chicken in a single layer in a large greased casserole dish or dutch oven (preferably with a lid, don't worry if you don't have a lid for your container you can always use aluminum foil). Once all the skin is removed give a healthy shake of salt, pepper, onion powder & garlic powder on all sides. Rub in the seasoning, cover with the lid and place in a 425 oven for 25 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook for another 20-25 minutes.

Mix the maple syrup & dijon mustard together and set to the side. Next carefully, and I mean carefully, drain the chicken drippings from the pan. Now brush the glaze on all sides of the chicken and pour any extra all over the top. Leave the lid off and cook for 10 more minutes. Remove from the oven and cover for 5 minutes, then serve and enjoy.

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WW: ~ 6 Points Plus / serving - this will vary depending how the size of the chicken used.

Chicken Taco Muffins

I saw a great idea on Pinterest to use a bisquick base to make any mini muffin of your choice: Taco, Pot Pie, Chicken and Broccoli, the options are endless. The idea comes from Betty Crocker and I used their base for the bisquick, however I chose what to put in my taco muffins and you can add what you want in yours! I love when I get to make a dish that has built in servings and can also easily be adapted to make only 2-3 servings or 20-30 (that's right think how great something like this would be at a BBQ this summer!)

And I have to say I am proud of myself for remembering tomorrow is Cinco De Mayo and to post this recipe so you would have it for the Holiday!



Chicken Taco Muffins: Makes 16 Muffins

1/2C Bisquick
1/2C Milk
2 Eggs
1lbs Chicken Breast
1C Onion - Chopped
1 Can Summer Crisp Corn
2C Salsa
2oz Cheddar - Shredded
2tsp Olive Oil
Taco Seasoning

Mix together the Bisquick, milk and eggs and set to the side, it is okay that this is completely runny (I added about 1/4tsp of taco seasoning to the mix too for an extra punch)!

Place the chicken in a sauce pot and cover with chicken stock, bring to a boil and cook until completely cooked through. Once cooked take two forks and shred the chicken, or place in a stand mixer and turn on medium until it breaks up into even shredded pieces. Put the onions and olive oil in a pan over medium heat and cook through until browned. Mix the chicken with the salsa, cheese, onions and corn and approximately 2-3 TB of taco seasoning.

Now for the fun part. Grease a muffin tin, pour approximately 1TB of the Bisquick mixture into each muffin tin, then separate the chicken mixture into each tin and place in a 375° oven for approximately 25-35 minutes until the Bisquick has set and browned in the pans, as all of the other ingredients are cooked you are just waiting for the Bisquick to set.

Remove from the pans, serve with your favorite taco toppings: salsa, guacamole, sour cream, lettuce, etc. and enjoy!!

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WW: 2 Points Plus / muffin (does not include PP for toppings: guac, sour cream, etc)
5 Points Plus / 2 muffins (does not include PP for toppings: salsa, guac, sour cream, etc)
7 Points Plus / 3 muffins (does not include PP for toppings: salsa, guac, sour cream, etc)
9 Points Plus / 4 muffins (does not include PP for toppings: salsa, guac, sour cream, etc)

Chicken Cordon Blue Pasta

After making the French Onion Soup I had left over Swiss Cheese and needed to use it up and one of the first recipes that popped into my head was Chicken Cordon Blue! Now I could of just stuffed my chicken with ham and the cheese and been done with it but I also had asparagus in the fridge and decided I would make a pasta dish out of it instead. I love any chance to have melty cheese on pasta and this was no exception.



Chicken Cordon Blue Pasta: Serves 4

1/2lbs Chicken Breast - Chopped
2oz Swiss Cheese - Shredded
5 Slices Canadian Bacon - Chopped
1lbs Asparagus
8oz Pasta
1/2C Milk
1/4C Chicken Stock
1TB Flour
1TB Dijon Mustard
1tsp Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
1/4tsp Garlic Powder


Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and set to the side. While the pasta is cooking toss the chicken pieces with salt, pepper and the dijon mustard and set to the side. Place the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat then add the Canadian bacon and asparagus with some salt and pepper, give it a stir then cook until the asparagus is cooked through but still has a bit of a crunch to it. Remove the asparagus and bacon to a bowl and set to the side. Add the chicken to the pan and let it cook for 4 minutes on one side, flip and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through on the other side. Remove to a bowl and set to the side. Mix the milk, chicken stock, garlic powder and flour together and get ready to make this dish come together!

Add the milk mixture to the cooked and drained pasta and place over medium heat and stir stir stir because it should start to thicken pretty quickly, once it does thicken toss in the chicken, bacon and asparagus and stir to break it all up. Add the shredded swiss to the pasta, give it another toss and let it melt through. Remove from the heat, cover and let it sit for a minute then serve and enjoy!

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WW: 10 Points Plus / serving