Recipe Chicken Pot Pies - Freezer Friendly

Here is our Chicken Pot Pie recipe. It's for one 9 x 13 pan.

Chicken Pot Pie Freezer Cooking recipe
2 packages (16oz) of frozen mixed veggies
4-4.5 cups cooked cubed chicken
2 cups frozen pearl onions (or 1 cup fresh onion chopped)
1/2 cup butter/marg.
1/2 cup flour
2 cans (14 1/2 oz) chicken broth or enough bouillon and water to make 29 oz broth
2 prepared pie crusts (pinched together to make larger pie crust…could get by with 1.5 prepared crusts)

In a greased 9 x 13 pan, layer the vegetables, chicken, and onions; set aside. In a small saucepan, melt butter. Stir in the flour until smooth. Gradually add broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 2 minutes or until thickened. Pour over vegetable mixture. Roll out pastry to fit top of dish. Place over filling; trim and flute edges. Cut slits in top.

Cool and freeze until ready to eat.

When ready to eat it: Thaw and bake at 450 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting.
Yield: 6-8 servings.

Here are some pics of Heidi layering the goodies in the 9 x 13 pan. We like to make 4 - 9x13 pans of Chicken Pot Pie (so you'd have to quadruple the recipe above). And as we learned...boiling the sauce makes it ggrRROOWW! So, choose your pot more carefully than we did.

"Fresh from the Freezer" Cooking Class

In about 36 hours, Kay and I will do our first-ever cooking class. We'll be sampling-out and demonstrating our taco soup, turkey meatloaf and chicken divan. We'll also be sending each participant home with a pan of chicken divan and a ready-to-go freezer cooking plan. Should be a great class! Still want to sign up? Contact The Chef's Center at 715.675.2341 and join in the fun. We'll post pics after the class, so check back later this week.

Chicken Tortellini Soup

A friend brought us a steaming crockpot full of this chicken noodle goodness after we had Emily (our 2nd child). Complete with homebaked bread (just the frozen kind you thaw and bake) and a yummy apple crisp dessert. Talk about comfort food!

Anyway, here's her "secret" recipe. Enjoy!

Chicken Tortellini Soup
1.5 lbs boneless/skinless chicken cubed and raw(3 chicken breasts)
10-12 cups water and enough bouillon to make broth
2 TBS. basil
1 bag froz mixed veggies
1 12-16 oz. pkg cheese tortellini
2 TBS. minced garlic

Simmer on low in crockpot 8 hrs. At the 7th hour, turn to high and add tortellinis.

OR

Boil all ingredients except tortellinis for 20-25 min or until chicken is cooked through. Add tortellinis and cook until tender 5-10 min.

"The little dog laughed, to see such sport..."

Freezer cooking in the tundra on January 16 was successful. The preparation seemed a lot harder this time, for some reason. Perhaps it's because we tried a new menu! We added a chicken pot pie, chicken cordon bleu (modified) and a cheesy hashbrown casserole this time.

With a new menu, you never know what might fall through the cracks. But, thankfully, nothing was forgotten on the grocery list or the chopping list. [However, we did lose a gallon bag of chili to the wandering neighbor dog. Note to self: Do NOT put food outside in the snow to cool, if neighborhood dog is on the loose.]

Check out our photos and try this new chicken recipe for a 9 x 13 pan. Make one for yourself and another in an aluminum pan for a neighbor or new mom in need. Here it is...


Chicken Cordon Bleu

4 chicken breast, boned, skinned and halved (or boneless things)
4 large slices of thicker deli ham (or turkey ham)
4 slices of Swiss cheese
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 cups low sodium stuffing mix or seasoned croutons
1 can low sodium cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup water

Melt butter and mix with breading. Set aside. Mix soup with water. Set aside. In a 9 x 13 pan layer chicken, ham, cheese. Pour soup mix over top. Sprinkle with stuffing mix. Bake @ 350 for about 1 hour (longer if using dark meat). Serve with boiled potatoes or brown rice.

And here are some photos to go with it! (I'll post a cooked one soon...it's a nice company meal.) The Swiss cheese mellows as it cooks. So, don't fear the cheese!

Happy cooking and remember to watch out for the neighborhood dogs.

Freezer Cooking in the Tundra

It's nearly 20 degrees below zero and I'm planning my next 6 weeks of freezer cooking menus. Everything is so cold, my mind is drifting to steaming crockpot delights, homemade soups and freshly baked bread with lots of melting butter. Ahhh....winter has officially arrived in the tundra and the freezer will be sporting bags of meat and potatoes.

Kay and I will be doing our team cooking again in a couple of weeks. We'll modify our fall menu to include some new crockpot creations, easy soups (sans lots of chopping and dicing) and will post some of those new recipes for your inspiration.

We'll also be exchanging with our freezer cooking group "Dinner Divas" on January 11. It's a crockpot theme (surprise!). We look forward to sharing some of those new recipes with you as well.

Stay warm at heart, even if you live in a cold weather climate and it's t-minus-negative-infinity outside.