Just a few ideas for using your leftover Thanksgiving Turkey. Most of the recipes below call for cooked or shredded chicken, but work just as well with turkey.
My best wishes for a day full of family, friends, faith and gratitude. And lots of leftovers.
Southwest Turkey Vegetable Chowder
Cream of Broccoli Soup with Shredded Turkey
Chinese Vegetable (and Turkey) LoMein
Filed under Main Dishes
No fancy recipes today: just some good old fashioned comfort food. And a great way to use leftover chicken (or turkey) and vegetables. This is a basic recipe for chicken pot pie with two different crusts: the traditional pie crust or refrigerator biscuits topped with thinly sliced onions.
A pot pie is such a versatile meal because you can use whatever vegetables you have on hand. I almost always include some potatoes, carrots and onions, but the other green vegetables vary. Small amounts of leftover veges are perfect, but you can also use frozen vegetables. I do not thaw or cook frozen broccoli, beans or peas before adding them to the casserole dish. They will cook through while the whole thing is baking. Precooking will make them mushy. The potatoes, carrots, and onions do need to be cooked first.
I almost never make this starting with raw chicken, but you certainly can. I prefer to wait until I have leftover chicken or turkey from a roast chicken (or Thanksgiving turkey) or extra shredded chicken from another meal: like these Enchiladas.
You can top your Pot Pie with a traditional Pie Crust (either homemade or refrigerated). I do not use a bottom crust, just a top one. Just be sure to place a sheet of foil or a baking sheet on the oven rack beneath the pot pie to catch any drips.
If you are deciding what to put in your herb garden this spring (assuming the snow stops someday), I loved these two varieties of sage that I planted last year (a variegated silver and purple). Replacing the ground sage in the recipe with fresh chopped sage is really delicious. I can’t wait until I can use my own fresh herbs again!
For a twist on the traditional pot pie filling sauce, try adding ½ to 1 cup of prepared Pesto to your sauce. It makes a great change!
(Don’t use the sage and other herbs if you are using pesto)
My family really likes this biscuit topping on their pot pie. Starting with a can of refrigerator biscuits, divide biscuits in half cross-wise (into 2 thinner round biscuits). Flatten slightly with your hand. Press a slice of very thinly sliced raw onion into the top of each biscuit half.
The filling needs to be cooked partially before putting the biscuits on top, or the underside of the biscuits will be doughy while the tops burn. But if you cook the filling until it just starts to bubble and then lay the onion-topped biscuits over the hot filling in the pan, everything will come out perfect! Most of our family loves the onions on top, but I do leave a couple of biscuits plain for those who object. Any extra biscuits that do not fit on top can be baked separately as directed on the package.
RECIPE:
1 single Pie Crust
—-(or 1 can refrigerator biscuits & thinly sliced onions**see note at bottom)
3-4 cups cooked, cubed chicken (or 3-4 raw chicken breasts)
2-3 medium potatoes, peeled & diced
1 large carrot, peeled & diced
½ zucchini, diced (optional)
1-2 cups frozen broccoli, green beans, and/or corn
½ cup frozen peas
¼ cup butter
1 onion, chopped
2 Tbs flour
2 cups chicken broth
¾ cup milk (or half milk, half cream)
½ tsp marjoram
½ tsp ground sage (or 1 Tbs chopped fresh sage)
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp fresh ground pepper
Preheat oven to 425°F.
If you are starting with raw chicken, boil chicken until tender, remove from broth (do not drain broth) and chop. Place in 3-qt casserole dish. Cook potatoes and carrot in remaining chicken broth (or water if not starting with raw chicken) until potatoes are just tender; drain. Add potatoes and carrots to casserole dish with chicken and chopped zucchini. Add frozen beans, corn, broccoli and/or peas (do not thaw).
Melt butter in the same skillet. Sauté onion until soft. Stir in flour; cook 3-4 minutes until roux is light brown. Using a whisk, stir in marjoram, sage, salt and pepper. Stir in chicken broth and milk. Whisk until smooth. Cook until thickened and bubbly.
Pour over chicken and vegetables in casserole dish. Arrange pie crust over dish, sealing to edge of casserole dish. Flute edges. Cut several slits in top of crust.
Place a cookie sheet or layer of aluminum foil on bottom rack to catch drips. Place pot pie on center rack. Bake at 425°F for about 30 minutes, until filling is bubbly.
FOR CHICKEN-PESTO POT PIE:
Add ½-1 cup prepared Pesto to sauce (eliminate marjoram and sage)
ALTERNATE TOPPING:
Instead of a pie crust, use refrigerator biscuits. Divide biscuits in half cross-wise (into 2 thinner round biscuits). Flatten slightly. Press a thin slice of raw onion into top of each biscuit half.
Cook filling, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes at 425°F, until hot and bubbly. Lay onion-topped biscuits over hot filling in pan. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F and cook for 20 minutes, or until underside of biscuits are cooked through (they will still be soft and have a dumpling consistency on the bottom, but you don’t want raw dough). If top of biscuits brown too quickly, cover with foil.
If you have extra biscuits, bake separately as directed on package and serve with the pot pie.
NoEmptyChairs.me
Filed under Main Dishes
I love soup season. I think that soup is a great year-round food, but some in my family don’t like to see it when the weather gets too warm. So I take full advantage of these cold, snowy months to make and freeze as much soup as possible.
This turkey chowder is definitely one of my favorite soups, and is adaptable to whatever vegetables or meat (turkey vs chicken) you have on hand. It is creamy, filling and has a great southwestern flavor from added green chilies and salsa verde (and some pepper jack cheese).
This soup is also a good example of my procrastination. Within a few days of Thanksgiving, the family was getting tired of turkey leftovers, so I put the turkey carcass in the freezer to make soup with soon. Is January still considered soon? The resulting turkey stock made a great base for this chowder, but you could also use canned chicken broth and shredded or diced chicken.
I served the soup with these Cheddar & Herb Drop Biscuits, which were perfect for dipping into all of that creamy goodness.
RECIPE:
6-8 slices bacon, diced
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped**
1-2 cups shredded cabbage
6 cups turkey or chicken broth
1 ½ cups heavy cream
1 cup (8 oz) green salsa (salsa verde)
1 can (4 oz) diced green chilies, undrained
2-3 cups diced or shredded cooked turkey or chicken
1 can corn**
2 large carrots, diced
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup chopped cauliflower (optional)
1 ½ cups shredded pepper jack or cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste (about ½ tsp salt; ¼ tsp pepper)**
In a large stockpot, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon from pan. Drain bacon grease, leaving 2 Tbs drippings in pot. Add onion, celery and red pepper to bacon drippings in the pot. Cook until crisp-tender. Stir in cabbage and cook until cabbage is wilted, but not browned.
Stir in broth, cream and salsa. Bring to a gentle boil. Stir in green chilies, turkey or chicken, corn, and carrots. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add potatoes and cauliflower (or any other desired vegetables). Cook for about 15 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Gradually stir in cheese, stirring until melted. Taste and season with salt** and pepper. Stir in reserved bacon, or sprinkle on top of individual bowls of chowder.
**I used turkey stock made from a brined turkey, so I did not add any salt. How much you need will depend on taste and the saltiness of your broth. In place of the corn and red pepper, you can also substitute a bag of frozen corn with mixed peppers.
NoEmptyChairs.me
Filed under Main Dishes, Soups/Stews/Curries
What to do with leftover turkey on Friday? Try this warm, creamy, cheesy broccoli soup. Perfect for leftover roast chicken or turkey.
2 Tbs butter
1 large bunch broccoli, chopped
or 2 boxes frozen chopped broccoli
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
3 cups cream
1 can broccoli cheese soup
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp. white pepper
1-2 Tbs fresh chopped oregano or ½ tsp dried oregano
2 C cooked, diced chicken or turkey (or 2 cans chicken)
½ cup cheddar cheese
½ cup Parmesan cheese (fresh grated)
Sauté broccoli, onion and garlic in butter (If using frozen broccoli, sauté onion and garlic first until tender; then add thawed broccoli). Add chicken broth and cook until broccoli is crisp/tender. Puree half of mixture in blender. Return to pot. Stir in remaining ingredients and cook until hot and thickened (about 15 minutes). Garnish with additional cheese, if desired.
NoEmptyChairs.me
Filed under Main Dishes, Soups/Stews/Curries
I shredded a crock-pot full of chicken a while ago with the intention of making these enchiladas, but life got the better of me, and I didn’t get around to it until recently. Once you have chicken shredded, these enchiladas go together really quickly. My husband loves these because there are no filler ingredients (rice, beans, etc) just meat and wonderfully creamy cheese.
I cooked the chicken in the crock pot with about 1 cup of salsa. You could also use leftover roast chicken or turkey.
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When the crock pot chicken was tender, I shredded it, using some of the chicken for a chili, some for a soup (details soon), and most of the rest for these enchiladas.
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The filling for the enchiladas uses the chicken, shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, sauteed onions, garlic, some salsa, and cream cheese (this is what makes them so wonderfully creamy!). You can also add cilantro to the filling, but I didn’t this time. I just used it in the sauce.
To make the enchilada sauce, dump all of the sauce ingredients (see recipe below) into a blender, and blend until smooth.
Place a small amount of sauce in the bottom of a 9×13″ pan.
Roll about 1/3 – 1/2 cup of filling in a tortilla. I used flour tortillas, but you could also use softened corn tortillas.
Roll tortillas around filling and place in baking dish. I got 8 filled enchiladas in my pan, plus another 2 that I put in a smaller pan (these 2 extra enchiladas were terribly unappealing, having NO CHEESE in them-how could I possibly end up with a daughter that doesn’t like cheese?)
Cover and bake at 375°F for about 45 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. I love using non-stick foil for covering saucy or cheesy dishes. No sticking! Really.
Uncover and top with additional cheese, chopped green onions and sliced olives. Bake for another 10 minutes.
Serve with sour cream and additional salsa. We also like to have Mexican rice or refried beans on the side.
RECIPE:
4 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1 onion, chopped and lightly sauteed
2 cloves garlic, minced or ½ tsp garlic powder
8 oz cream cheese, softened
½ cup salsa
1-2 cups shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
4 Tbs fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)
Sauce:
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup milk
½ cup salsa
3 Tbs ketchup
1 Tbs paprika (hot and/or sweet)
1 tsp chili powder
2-3 Tbs fresh cilantro, chopped
Tortillas
1 cup shredded cheese
Sliced black olives (optional)
Chopped green onions (optional)
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Combine filling ingredients. Blend sauce ingredients in blender until smooth. Place a small amount of sauce in the bottom of a 9×13” pan. Roll filling in tortillas. Place in pan, seam side down. Top with remaining sauce.
Bake, covered, at 375°F for 30-45 minutes, or until cooked through. Uncover.
Sprinkle with cheese, olives, and green onions. Bake, uncovered, 10 minutes longer. Serve with salsa, sour cream, or guacamole, if desired.
Makes 8-10 large enchiladas.
TO FREEZE: Prepare and fill enchiladas. Place on a waxed-paper lined cookie sheet and freeze. Place in freezer bag when enchiladas are completely frozen. Freeze sauce in a separate bag. Freeze cheese in small bag.
TO PREPARE AFTER FREEZING: Thaw sauce and cheese. Place small amount of sauce in a 9×13” pan. Place enchiladas in pan (it is not necessary to thaw enchiladas). Top with sauce. Bake, covered, at 375°F for about 1 hour, or until cooked through. Remove foil and top with cheese, olives and green onion. Bake, uncovered, 10 minutes longer.
NoEmptyChairs.me
Filed under Main Dishes
Friday night I came home with First Prize in a Chili Cook-Off!
Okay, so it was only the annual church Halloween Trunk-or-Treat and Chili Cook-Off, and this was my big prize, but isn’t he cute!
I actually tried a new recipe, created on the fly that same day, so I am glad that it turned out edible!
Earlier in the week I had cooked a bunch of chicken in my crock-pot for some enchiladas that I wanted to make. And if I’m going to go to the trouble to shred chicken, I’m going to shred A LOT of it. Freezer bags are my best friend! So I had lots of extra shredded chicken on hand. (This would also be a great meal for leftover chopped Thanksgiving turkey)
Since I knew I was going to use the chicken in Mexican dishes, I filled my crock pot with trimmed chicken breasts and poured on about one cup of salsa. Then turned it on low and forgot about it for the rest of the day.
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Perfect shredded chicken by early afternoon!
I used several different kinds of hot peppers in this chili: jalapeno, hot banana peppers, and chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. The jalapeno and banana peppers I roasted first. I love the flavor of chipotle peppers, but I never use a full can.
So thanks to my friends the freezer bags, I have more on hand for another day.
Other than that, it is a standard tomato based chili recipe using chicken and black beans (plus some extra flavor items like chocolate, lime juice, and cilantro!).
Hope you like it as well as the hungry trunk-or-treaters!
Little J and Little A
Aren’t my little trunk-or-treaters cute!
_
RECIPE:
2 (15oz) cans diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
10 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 large onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 yellow pepper, chopped
2-3 assorted hot peppers, roasted and chopped
1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped
1 small can mild diced chilies (optional)
1 Tbs adobo sauce (from chipotle pepper can)
2 Tbs chili powder
1 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs dried oregano
2 tsp cocoa powder (or 1 oz dark chocolate)
2 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (use more or less as desired)
Juice of 1 lime (about 2-3 Tbs)
3-4 cups shredded chicken (or leftover chicken/turkey, chopped)
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro (use more if desired)
Shredded cheddar cheese, green onions, and/or sour cream for garnish (optional)
Place diced tomatoes in the bottom of a large (5-6 quart) crock-pot. If desired, use a potato masher to slightly mash tomatoes. Add remaining ingredients (except **chicken, cilantro, and garnishes). Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Taste and adjust spices to desired heat. Stir in chicken. Cook an additional 30 minutes. If the chili is too thick, add a little water or chicken broth. Stir in cilantro just before serving. Garnish with cheese, chopped green onions, and/or sour cream.
**NOTE: Since the chicken is pre-cooked, don’t cook it with the rest of the chili all day. It will make the chicken disintegrate into tiny shreds. Add the chicken at the end of the cooking time, and heat through.
NoEmptyChairs.me
Filed under Main Dishes, Soups/Stews/Curries
Sugar Free Strawberry Cheesecake
Baseball/Softball Cookies
Vietnamese Spring Rolls
Strawberry Lemonade Cake
Vegetable Lo Mein
Chinese Chicken & Eggplant
Strawberries & Cream Roll Cake
Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad
Strawberry Nutella Muffins
Lime Glazed Raspberry Sweet Rolls
No Empty Chairs 