This is an easy way to make the filling for chicken pot pies. I use about 2 large skinless chicken breasts to make 8 - 10 small individual pies. I have a 3 quart Instant Pot and use this recipe but cut down on the chicken to about half. It is plenty of meat. I also omit the cream, it's great without the extra calories.

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts or  6 chicken thighs
  
• 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter or olive oil
• 1 (230g) large onion , sliced
• 3 cloves (16g) garlic , minced
  
•  2 (0.3g) bay leaves
• ¼ teaspoon (0.4g) dried thyme
• 3 ribs (120g) celery , diced
• 3 (300g) medium carrots , diced
  
• 2 cups (500ml) unsalted chicken stock
• Optional: 1 tablespoon (15ml) fish sauce  Don't omit it adds a lot
  
• 1 potato, or more (317g) bite-size cubes
  
• ½ cup - 1 cup (60g - 120g) frozen green peas
• ¼ cup - ⅓ cup (31g - 41g) flour (11/2 - 1 tsp. guar gum)
• ½ cup (125ml) heavy cream (I omit to cut calories)
• Kosher salt & ground black pepper
  

Instructions 

• Brown Chicken and saute onions and veggies in cast iron skillet. Add in minced garlic cloves, 2 bay leaves, ¼ tsp (0.4g) dried thyme, 120g diced celery, and 300g diced carrots, then saute for another minute.
• De-glaze Instant Pot: Pour in 1 cup (250ml) unsalted chicken stock, then de-glaze by scrubbing all the flavorful brown bits off the bottom with a wooden spoon. Give it a quick mix.
  
• Pressure Cook Chicken Pot Pie Filling: Add in 1 tbsp (15ml) fish sauce and another cup (250ml) of unsalted chicken stock, then give it a quick mix. Drain water from the potato cubes. Add in potato cubes and layer the browned chicken.
  With Venting Knob in Venting Position, close the lid, then turn Venting Knob to Sealing Position. Pressure Cook at
  Boneless Chicken Breast: High Pressure for 3 minutes, then Natural Release 10 min
  Bone-in Chicken Breast: High Pressure for 4 minutes, then Natural Release for 10 minutes
  Boneless Chicken Thighs: High Pressure for 4 minutes, then Natural Release for 10 minutes
  Bone-in Chicken Thighs: High Pressure for 5 minutes, then Natural Release for 10 minutes
• Shred Chicken: And thicken chicken filling - I use guar gum

This freezes very will so you can make chicken pot pies in no time for a quick meal.

There are two dough options here, one requires you make the dough the day before then shape and finish the calzones. The other dough is a direct dough you make it and bake it the same day. 

Here are some recipes that use the crock pot and make great meat fillings. You don't have to use the whole roast but save 3 cups of meat for these meat pies.

Sesame Pork Roast
Savory Beef Sandwiches
Onion Pot Roast
Herb Faux-tisserie Chicken

Yields: 12 Calzones - 95g ea.
Bake: 375 degrees 5 minutes
          350 degrees 10 minutes - Total bake time 15-20 minutes

Direct Dough Recipe
642g Hard White (5 1/3 cup)
3/4 tsp. dried malt powder (you can omit if you like)
8g Salt (3/4 tsp.)
10g Yeast (3 1/2 tsp.)

Liquid
45g Cane Syrup (honey) (2 T. +1 tsp.)
408g Water (1 3/4 cup)

20g Butter (1 1/2 T.)
10g Soy Flour (1 1/2 T.)

Directions

• Develop the gluten, (mix 3 minutes) Remove from the mixer and place the dough on the counter and flatten it out.
• Soften the butter and add the soy flour to form a paste. Spread the paste onto the dough and cut the dough into pieces and add back to the mixer bowl.
• Knead until the butter mixture is incorporated into the dough. The dough will now be softer. If should only take about 2 minutes.
• Bulk proof for 30 minutes
• Shape and fill following the directions below "Prepare your Filling"
  

Another Recipe For The Dough (2 days)
This dough is made the day before you bake and placed into the fridge, but will hold for 3 days in the fridge if needed.

Equipment
Scales - When you weigh out your dough each pie will be uniform.
Tortilla Press - Not a necessity but sure makes rolling perfect circles easier.
French Tapered Rolling Pen - Rolls perfect circles.
Silicon Pastry Rolling Mat- Guide to roll perfect circles.
#12 Baking Scoop - This is 1/3 of a cup, used to portion the meat filling.

If you have nice equipment you will be a better cook and it certainly will be
more enjoyable. The holiday season is coming and many of these tools are
not expensive and make great gifts for the cooks in your life.

Dough Recipe - For Calzones or Meat Pies
Yields: 8 Calzones or Meat Pies
Oven: 350 degrees
Bake: 20-30 minutes

3 c. Hard Red or Hard White (bread flour) (340g)
2 tsp. Instant Yeast (5g)
1 1/4 tsp. Salt (9g)
2 T. Olive Oil (28g)
2 T. Honey (40g)
3/4 c. + 2 T. Water (195g)

Directions:

• The day before the bake you will put together the dough and place it     into the fridge. I can stay there for up to 3 days if needed.
• Weigh or measure out the flour, yeast and salt and mix them together.
• Combine all the liquid ingredients, the water, oil and honey in another container.
• Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and mix until combined.
• Place in a container with a lid and put into the fridge overnight.

Prepare Your Filling
Start with 3 cups or so of cooked meat
There are a few rules when making meat pies the first is the filling need to be dry or it will leak out. The second is don't over stuff the pies, use 1/3 cup         filling per pie. Now you can add anything you would like to the 3 cups of meat, like onions, vegetables, dried herbs. The filling needs to be well spiced because when you cover it with the bread it tends to mellow down the flavor.
So I always add more flavor than if I was just eating the meat alone.

For these I added caramelized onions and mushrooms. I also added a good amount of chili peppers. The meat I chose was the Sesame Pork Roast       which has a nice flavor. I cooked everything to make sure the mixture was     fairly dry. I could of also added cheese, when making the pies. If you choose to add grated cheese add only 1T. per pie on top of the meat mixture before you fold it over.

• Make a small hole in the top of each pie for the steam to escape.
  
• Let them raise about 20 minutes while you are pre-heating the oven to 350 degrees.
• Bake for 20-30 minutes until golden brown
• Cool and freeze for extra meals in the future.

I hope you enjoy these, they are easy to make and handy to have in the         freezer for lunches and dinners.

Chicken Fajitas are a 10 minute dinner option at my house. If you have a stash of flour tortillas, and left over chicken it's easy. 

Equipment:
Large Pan: A cast iron skillet will work or any 10 inch or larger heavy pan you can use on the stove top.

Chicken Fajita Recipe
There are no set rules, amounts or ingredients, it will depend on the number of fajitas you are making. To give you an idea, we usually have 2 fajitas each with a side and that is plenty for us at dinner.

• 1 Chicken Breast (will make 3-4 fajitas) You can use any type of chicken meat the dark or white. I buy the 10 pound bags of chicken legs at 64 cents a pound and steam them. Once I pull off all the meat, there is plenty to freeze and make other dishes with. It also provides homemade chicken stock that I use for soups and other dishes.
  
• Onion - few slices of onions
• Bell Peppers - about 1/2 of a large one or 2 small ones
• Cheese - 1-2 slices per fajita,  any type of cheese (cheddar is nice)
• Picante Sauce - Recipe for making your own...Click Here
• Spice Mix - I use in everything, it's not that hot but, has no salt and easy to mix up and keep on hand. Scroll down to the bottom of the Picante Sauce recipe ...Recipe
  

I love grilled cheese sandwiches and these are just over the top good!






Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon sour cream
  
• 1½ teaspoon dry ranch dressing (Homemade Recipe)
  
• 2 slices bacon, crushed
• 1 chicken breast, cooked and cubed
• 1 oz shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 slice of extra cheddar cheese
• 2 slices of Bread

Instructions:

1. Preparation: Heat medium size skillet over low heat.
2. In a small bowl, combine sour cream and ranch dressing. Add bacon, chicken and cheese.
3. Spread equal amounts of butter between both sides of bread. Place one buttered slice of bread down into warm pan, layer with sliced cheese and mixture.
4. Place second slice of bread buttered side facing up. Turn heat to medium and cook until bread is browned and crispy, about 2-4 minutes.
5. Flip sandwich and cook until second slice of bread is just slight browned, then place bowl on top sandwich for an additional minute or so to melt cheese. Serve immediately.

Recipe from Dave's Breads
realfoodbydad.com

This recipe is good as a side dish but you could add some chicken or beef and make this a main course. Why go out for dinner when you can cook great food at home.

Servings 4 to 6 servings




Ingredients
2/3 c. creamy peanut butter
1 T. sesame oil
1/3 c. rice or red wind vinegar
1 T. red chili flakes ( you could use less if you like)
1 T. sugar
1 T. Dijon mustard
1 T. ground coriander
2 T. soy sauce
1/2 c. canola oil ( you can use other oils also reduce the oil if you like)
1 pound spaghetti, cooked ( I use 100% whole grain spaghetti)
1 cucumber halved and sliced into 1/8 inch slices
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 bunch scallions diced
1/2 c. roasted peanuts

Directions:
In a small bowl mix the peanut butter, sesame oil, vinegar, chile, sugar, Dijon, coriander and soy until smooth. Then whisk in the canola oil taste it to make sure the seasoning is to your liking. In a large bowl, toss the dressing with the pasta, cucumbers, bell pepper and scallions. You could use different vegetables like celery, or carrots if you like.

Garnish with the peanuts on top.

This will keep in the fridge for a long time so you could have it for a lunch with chicken on it later in the week.

This extra step is worth the effort. We never have turkey unless we brine it before cooking. Even turkey breasts are so much more moist and flavorful when you brine them before cooking. You will need a frozen turkey, it does not have to be an expensive brand, the brine will add all the additional moisture and flavor.

One year we were invited to a friends for Thanksgiving and I said I would bring the turkey. My friend informed me her husband was very particular and would only eat Butterball turkeys, I said, "no problem". We bought a generic turkey and soaked it in a brine overnight before cooking it. When we brought the turkey her husband raved over the flavor. He said, "it was the best turkey he had ever eaten". I did not have the heart to tell him it's all in the preparation of the bird.

Supplies
Clean 5 gallon bucket, or cooler

Ingredients
1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey

For the brine:
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger
1 gallon heavily iced water

For the aromatics during cooking:
1 red apple, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
4 sprigs rosemary
6 leaves sage
Canola oil

Directions
2 to 3 days before roasting:

Begin thawing the turkey in the fridge or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.

Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.

Early on the day or the night before you'd like to eat:
Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.

Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.

Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.

Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.

Recipe courtesy of Alton Brown, also featured in Food Network Magazine

This recipes is from Taste of Home Feb/March 2008. It's a great recipe to make in the summer because you can use your crock pot. I also add a variety of vegetables if they need to be used. The recipe allows for variations, I use different types of meat depending on what I have available. It makes a very large pot so freeze what you don't use for later.

Cook: Crock Pot
Yields: About 11 servings

Ingredients:
1 can (14-1/2 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (14-1/2 oz) beef or chicken broth
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
2 medium green peppers, copped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 celery ribs, copped
5 garlic cloves, minced
3 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 pound smoked sausage, halved and cut into ¼ inch slices
½ pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Put over whole grain noodles, quinoa, or brown rice

Directions:
In a 5 qt slow cooker, combine the tomatoes, broth and tomato paste. Stir in the green peppers, onion, celery, garlic and seasonings. Stir in chicken and sausage.

Cover and cook on low for 4 hours or until chicken is tender. Stir in shrimp. Cover and cook 15-30 minutes longer or until shrimp turn pink. Serve with rice

Freeze option: Place individual portions of cooled stew in freezer containers and freeze. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a saucepan, stirring occasionally and adding a little water if necessary.
Yield 11 servings

This is a fabulous recipe from Bon Appetite many years ago courtesy or Susanna Loketti.
Most folks buy the pre-skinned chicken breasts but I'm always looking for a way to save some money. I buy the bone in chicken breasts when they are on sale and de-bone them myself. There are many advantages to this, the cost, you have the bones for soup stock and you get the chicken tenders. The chicken tenders are the little strips of breast meat that are usually just hanging off the breast. I remove them and this is a great recipe for using these extra little strips of chicken for an additional meal.

Yields: 4 servings
Cook time: about 30 minutes....pretty quick

Noodles: 8 oz. whole grain linguine noodles (any type will work)
Start the water for the noodles it will take a while to boil and follow the directions for cooking.

Coconut Curry Sauce:
1 (13.5 oz) can light coconut milk
1 T. Thai curry paste
2 T. curry powder
2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
Dash cayenne pepper
Dash of salt and freshly ground black pepper

Sauce Instructions:
In a medium bowl, combine all of the above ingredients, whisk until thoroughly combined and set aside.

Chicken:
1 Vidalia or other sweet onion, chopped
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into small pieces
2 T. curry powder
2 T. peanut butter
1 c. thinly sliced roasted red peppers (any vegetable will work)
1 c. thin sliced water chestnuts (any vegetable will work..think color)
1 c. scallions

Chicken Instructions:

• In a large skillet with a bit of olive oil add the onion and cook until translucent and beginning to brown, about 5 - 10 minutes.
• Add the chicken, season with salt and pepper and stir in curry powder. Saute the chicken until lightly brown.
• Add the peanut butter and allow to melt to coat the chicken.  
• Add the roasted red peppers, water chestnuts and scallions and season with a bit of salt and pepper for a few minutes.
• Pour the coconut milk sauce over the chicken and vegetable and stir gently. Cook just until warmed through and thickened a bit, about 3-5 minutes.

Tips:
You can use any vegetables, cauliflower, carrots, green bell peppers ...think color and what you have in the garden. I never have the roasted red peppers or the water chestnuts and have used many different vegetables and it's just perfect.

Serve over the whole grain noodles and enjoy!

I have always been a fan of roasted chicken, but have never been able to duplicate it at home. This recipe comes close and is easy a great plus. If you don't have fresh herbs dried will work fine but use half the amount as called for in the recipe. You can also vary the herbs according to your taste.  

Use this recipe when cooking turkey breast, what a treat it really kicks up plain turkey breast.

Recipe is from Bon Appetite March 2014
Servings: 4
Oven: 300 degrees
Time: 3 hours

Recipe:
herb mixture
2 tsp. fennel seeds
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh marjoram;plus 4 springs, divided
2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh thyme; plus 4 sprigs, divided
1 Tbsp. kosher salt, plus more
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus more
6 Tbsp. olive oil, divided

1 31/2 - 4 lb. chicken
1 lemon, quartered
I head of garlic, halved crosswise

2 lb. potatoes, scrubbed halved or quartered if large.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees
Coarsely grind fennel seeds and red pepper flakes in a spice mill or with a mortar and pestle. Combine spice mixture with chopped marjoram, chopped thyme, 1 Tbsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, and 3 Tbsp oil in a small bowl.

Rub the chicken inside and out with the spice mixture. Stuff the chicken with the lemon quarters, garlic, 2 marjoram sprigs, and 2 thyme springs. Tie the legs together with twine.

Toss potatoes with the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Push the potatoes to the edges of the baking sheet.

In the center of the baking sheet place the remaining 2 marjoram and thyme sprigs, then place the chicken on the herbs.

Roast, turning the potatoes and basting the chicken every hour until the skin is browned, and the meat is extremely tender, and potatoes are golden brown and soft, about 3 hours,

Let the chicken rest 10 minutes before carving.

We usually eat the breast meat and pick the remaining meat from the bones to use in other dishes. I used some of the meat for chicken calzones they were very good. The roasted chicken is also perfect on a bed of lettuce for lunch.

Here's a chicken recipe that's great for a quick weekday meal but is elegant enough for company.  The sauce can be used over veal, and even fish.





Yields: 4 servings
Cooking Time: 30 min Start to finish: 30 min

Ingredients:

• 4 (1/3-inch-thick) chicken cutlets (1 1/2 lb)
• 1 tablespoon (13 g) olive oil
• 1 tablespoon  (14 g) unsalted butter
• 1 medium shallot, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup (119 g) dry white wine or dry vermouth
• 3/4 cup (182 g) heavy cream or (evaporated caned milk)
  
• 4 or 5 plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh tarragon
• 1/2 extra-large chicken-bouillon cube, crumbled

• Garnish: finely chopped fresh chives

• Accompaniment: rice or mashed potatoes

Directions:
Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper.
Heat oil and butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides. Brown chicken on both sides in 2 batches, about 3 minutes per batch. Transfer chicken to a plate and keep warm.

Add shallot to skillet and cook, stirring, until tender, about 1 minute. Add wine and deglaze by boiling over high heat, scraping up brown bits, until reduced by half. Stir in cream, tomatoes, tarragon, and bouillon cube, then simmer, stirring, until tomatoes are softened and sauce begins to thicken, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Return chicken, with any juices accumulated on plate, to skillet and simmer until cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes.

Serve immediately.