Bacon Cheddar Chicken "Pot Pie"

 

I loved pot pie growing up (and even as an adult!), but it can be time consuming to make. This recipe takes all the ingredient -- plus BACON -- and cooks them all easily in the Instant Pot. Then you just top some biscuits for the "pie" part! I use either frozen or canned biscuits to make it even easier, unless my husband is willing to make his amazing homemade buttermilk biscuits... yum.

1 cup chicken broth
1-1/2 lbs chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces

2 cups peeled, cubed potatoes (about two medium potatoes)

1 cup sliced carrots

1/2 cup diced celery

1/2 tsp each kosher salt, black pepper, poultry seasoning

1 cup frozen peas

1 cup whole milk

3 tbsp flour

1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

6 pieces of bacon, diced and cooked

Add broth, chicken, potatoes, carrots, celery, salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning to the Instant Pot. Secure the lid and make sure valve is set to sealing. Manual cook on high pressure for 4 minutes. Let naturally release for 5 minutes, then move valve to venting. Remove lid. Set on saute and add the peas, stirring to combine.

In a large glass measuring cup add the flour and milk; whisk together. Add in about 1/2 cup of liquid from Instant Pot to temper it, then add mixture and stir well. Cook on sauté for a few minutes then add the cheese and bacon. Salt and pepper to taste.

Creamy White Chicken Chili

 

I can't take credit for this recipe... but it is AMAZING. So full of flavor, creamy, and filling. It is a winter staple in our house now!

1 onion, diced

1 tbsp garlic, minced

2 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp olive oil

2 lbs chicken, cooked and shredded

4 cups chicken broth (GF if needed)

4 cans great northern white beans, drained and rinsed

3 (4-oz) cans diced green chiles

2 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

8 oz cream cheese, cubed

1 cup heavy cream

In a large stockpot saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil and lime juice over medium high heat. Cook until onions are translucent. Add the cooked chicken, chicken broth, beans, chiles, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, stirring often, then reduce to simmer; simmer uncovered 30-45 min. Turn off heat and add cream cheese. Stir until melted and incorporated completely. Stir in the heavy cream.

Recipe from The Cookie Rookie

Chicken Zucchini Casserole

 I saw this recipe from Eating Well and it sounded interesting. I altered it a bit because the ratios were off on the sauce (WAY too thick), and added more seasoning to the chicken as it was cooking. It is delicious served over some rice (or noodles or quinoa).

3 tbsp butter, divided
2 lbs chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 large zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 tbsp flour

1 cup chicken broth*

1 cup whole milk

3 oz cream cheese

1-1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, divided

3/4 tsp black pepper (plus more to taste)

1/2 tsp salt (plus more to taste)

2 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp oregano

Preheat oven to 400. Melt 1 tbsp butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to the pan, seasoning with salt and pepper (to taste), oregano, and minced garlic. Stir occasionally, cooking until well browned. Transfer to a bowl. Add zucchini and pepper to the pan; cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to soften. Transfer to bowl with chicken.

Add remaining 2 tbsp butter to pan. Stir in flour once it melts, stirring until flour starts to brown. Add broth and milk slowly, whisking often. Bring to a boil while whisking. Remove from heat and add cream cheese and 3/4 cup mozzarella; stir until melted. Stir in salt and pepper. Drain liquid from chicken and veggies and add to the cheese sauce. Transfer to a 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.

Bake until the top is brown and the edges are bubbly, about 20-25 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

To freeze: cover with press-n-seal or saran wrap, keeping it close to the top of the food; cover with foil. Thaw in refrigerator before following baking directions above.

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*Use GF chicken broth to make it a gluten free dish

Chicken Veggie Soup

This is a different take on chicken noodle soup, made for my client who is gluten free. Great way to have comfort food loaded with veggies!

4 cups chicken broth (GF if needed)

2 lbs chicken breasts, diced into 1-inch pieces

4 stalks celery, diced

3 carrots, diced

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp turmeric

3 small zucchini, spiralized (or 1 pkg frozen)

salt and pepper to taste

In a large stockpot bring the broth to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and all all ingredients except the zucchini. Simmer 15-20 minutes until chicken is cooked through, then add the zucchini and simmer another 5 minutes. Season to taste.

Buffalo Chicken Pasta Bake

My family LOVES buffalo chicken - wings, dip, tacos, etc. This dish is like taking the buffalo chicken dip that I make and mixing it with pasta... then baking with more cheese. Delicious!

16 oz penne pasta
12oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup ranch dressing
1/2 cup Frank's RedHot sauce
2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded
1-1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 375. Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with nonstick spray.

Cook the pasta, al dente, according to directions.

Stir together the cream cheese, ranch, and hot sauce until creamy. Add the chicken, then combine with the cooked pasta. Stir in 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. Put into casserole dish, and top with remaining cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until cheese on top is melted.


For a freezer meal, cover with plastic wrap and then foil and do not bake. Thaw in refrigerator and bake as directed.

Creamy Chicken and Noodles

This was such an easy meal to make but had great flavor. I love meals that remind me of family dinners from growing up! My kids gobbled this up. It would have been delicious served over some mashed potatoes, but we ate it with some bread and butter because it was already so creamy. This is to serve my large family of 6 with some leftovers, so halve it if you need.

12 oz wide egg noodles
8 cups chicken stock
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or diced
10 oz bag frozen peas and carrots
1 cup cream or milk
1/2 cup water
4 tbsp flour

Place noodles in large pot. Add stock and olive oil; stir. Add peas and carrots. Cover and heat over medium heat until noodles are soft, 10-15 minutes. Add the chicken and stir in cream/milk.

Mix water and flour so there are no lumps. Add gradually to the noodle mixture, stirring constantly. Heat to boiling and simmer for 5 minutes.

(This could also be frozen after it is cooked -- let cool and put into large freezer bag. Freeze flat, then thaw and reheat on stovetop.)

Honey Sriracha Chicken Thighs

When I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it. My family loves food with Asian flavors. Although we like spicy and the recipe as is was fine, my 8-yr old daughter thought hers was a little too spicy once the glaze was on it so halve the sriracha sauce if you want to cut it back a bit. When it's done, feel free to serve either chopped cilantro or green onion on top for some extra flavor.

2-3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (8-10)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
2 tbsp sriracha sauce
1.5 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp corn starch

Put chicken into large ziploc bag. Add all the ingredients except corn starch to a bowl. Stir to combine. Add the corn starch and whisk until dissolved. Pour half the marinade into the bag with the chicken and save the other half. Refrigerate chicken for at least 30 minutes (or if freezing, you can freeze both the chicken and extra marinade at this point).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add chicken and its marinade into a 9x13 baking dish (thaw if frozen first), keeping it all single level. Bake for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

While chicken is baking, add reserved marinade to a small saucepan. Bring it to a simmer over medium heat while stirring. It will thicken to a glaze. When chicken is finished baking, spread the glaze over each piece of chicken.

Creamy Chicken Tetrazzini

This was a favorite of my almost 2-yr old. She had three helpings! You do have to do a little cooking, but then the crockpot takes care of the rest.

3 cups chicken broth
1 lb cooked, chopped chicken
1 lb spaghetti
1 med onion, chopped
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1/2 lb mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 cup dry sherry
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup parmesan

Cook pasta according to package directions, leaving al dente. Drain and put in bottom of crockpot. In a large pan over medium heat, saute onions and mushrooms in 1/4 cup butter. Add other 1/4 cup butter and dust with 1/2 cup flour to create a roux. Gradually stir in chicken, chicken broth, sherry, paprika, and heavy cream. Simmer for 10 minutes to thicken. Pour chicken mixture over pasta and top with parmesan cheese. Cook in crockpot for 3-4 hours on low.

Santa Fe Grilled Chicken

This chicken is delicious to use for fajitas or just eat on its own. The marinade was also good on steak, which we used for fajitas.

4 boneless chicken breasts, ~2 lbs
1 cup water
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp white vinegar
1.5 tsp chipotle chili powder
1 tsp liquid smoke
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp black pepper

Combine the chicken with all the marinade ingredients into a gallon ziploc bag. Marinate for at least two hours (this also freezes well). Remove the chicken and grill on an indoor or outdoor grill until no longer pink in the center. If using for fajitas, let rest then slice thinly.

Spinach & Provolone Chicken Pinwheels

These were so easy to make and SO good! A little cheese oozes out and browns up, yum. The garlic butter sauce is delicious over top -- I made rice to go along with it, and topped it with the sauce as well. This would be easy to freeze too, either by placing in a foil pan or flash freezing the pinwheels and putting in a ziploc after.

6 thin cut chicken breasts (I used 3 large breasts, slicing them thinly into thirds while on their side)
salt and pepper
6 slices provolone cheese, cut in half
1-1/2 cups fresh baby spinach
1/2 stick butter
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley

Lay the chicken flat and season with salt and pepper. Place two half-slices of provolone onto each chicken. Top with about 1/4 cup spinach. Roll up chicken and secure with toothpick.

Bake in 350 oven for 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Make garlic butter sauce by melting butter over low heat in a saucepan. Add the garlic and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add parsley and remove from heat. Top cooked chicken with the sauce before serving.

Five Spice Cream Cheese Chicken

This was another dish I received via freezer meal swap - thanks, Elizabeth! My whole family devoured it and my husband and I fought over leftovers the next day!

2 lbs chicken thighs, boneless/skinless
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp adobo seasoning
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp mustard seed, ground
4 tbsp heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup cream cheese
1/2 cup whole milk
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil

Season chicken with spices and salt. Combine the cream, milk, and cream cheese.

Heat the butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to the pan and cook for 3-5 minutes on each side. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the cream sauce. Stir occasionally and let the sauce thicken for three minutes or so. Serve the chicken with the sauce over the top.

To freeze: Combine chicken with spices and salt in a freezer bag. Combine cream, milk, and cream cheese in a quart bag. Thaw in fridge before following cooking directions above. (Note: The cream sauce may seem a little curdled, but just whisk it.)

Chicken in Sun-dried Tomato Cream Sauce

This is a meal that looks like it took a lot of effort but it's pretty easy to put together. The flavor of this sauce is incredible. I served mashed red potatoes with it and used them to sop up extra sauce on my plate! I used boneless, skinless thighs but you could easily use bone-in. Mine crisped up enough without the skin and made it easy to devour, HA!

8-10 chicken thighs
salt and pepper, to taste
3 tbsp butter, divided
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and diced
1/4 cup parmesan
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried basil (I used fresh, just chopped a few leaves)

Preheat the oven to 400. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, skin-side down if it has skin, and sear both sides until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side; set aside.

Melt remaining 1 tbsp butter and add garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring frequently, for about a minute. Stir in chicken broth, heavy cream, sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan, and herbs. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 3-5 minutes. Return chicken to the skillet.

Place in oven and roast until completely cooked through, about 20-25 minutes for boneless chicken, 25-30 for bone-in.

Chicken Club Casserole

This was delicious and you could easily change it to suit your family's tastes (a couple of my kids grumbled at the tomatoes and spinach!). This would be wonderful with ham, broccoli, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes... so much! It completely fills a 9x13 baking dish, so if you have a smaller family you could divide it into two 8x8 pans.

1 lb rotini pasta, cooked a little less than al dente
2 lbs chicken breast, cubed and cooked
2 cans condensed cheddar cheese soup
1/2 cup real bacon pieces
1 cup milk
1 cup mayonnaise
4 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
3 cups fresh baby spinach, chopped
2 cups colby-jack cheese

Preheat the oven to 375. In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients except the shredded cheese. Pour into a 9x13 greased baking dish. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake for 35-40 minutes.

To freeze: Once in baking dish freeze. Thaw, or mostly thaw, before following baking instructions above. You will probably have to add 15-20 minutes to baking time.

Slow Cooker Chicken Gyros

We love gyros, but lamb can be expensive so I thought I'd give chicken gyros a try. This smelled amazing as it cooked!! I suggest topping them with tzatziki sauce, crumbled feta, and tomato. This will make 10-12 pitas, depending on how much chicken you like on yours.

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 large onion, thinly sliced
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp oregano
1/2 tsp allspice
1 tbsp lemon pepper seasoning
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Place chicken in slow cooker. Top with remaining ingredients. Cook on low 5-6 hours. Before serving, shred and let sit in juice for 10 minutes or so.

To freeze: Put all ingredients in freezer bag and squish to mix. Lay flat to freeze. Thaw in refrigerator then empty bag into slow cooker.

Cranberry BBQ Chicken Legs

This combination intrigued me and my family loves chicken legs. So easy to prep and cook, and such an easy freezer meal. My family devoured it! You can really use any amount of chicken that suits your family - I used 12 legs for my large family (I did have to add to the cooking time with that amount, so just be aware of that). I'd say if using 6 legs or less, make two batches at the same time -- meaning put 6 legs in each meal and divide the other ingredients in half, half in each meal.

chicken drumsticks (see note above about amount)
1/2 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
16-oz can whole-berry cranberry sauce
1 cup BBQ sauce
salt/pepper

Place drumsticks in a baking dish. Season with salt and pepper. In a bowl, combine onion, celery, cranberry sauce, and BBQ sauce. Mix well and pour over chicken. Bake, uncovered, for 40-50 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

To freeze: Place all ingredients in large freezer bag. Lay flat to freeze. Thaw in refrigerator then pour into baking dish and follow directions above.

Citrus Herb Chicken Thighs

Super easy to throw together and very family friendly. I used about 4 lbs of chicken thighs and didn't need to make more marinade -- one thing I love about marinades/dump freezer meal recipes! I suggest removing some of the skin to maximize the flavor, but the skin that is left crisps up so nicely in the oven.

2.5 lbs chicken thighs, bone-in with skin
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste

With a sharp knife, pierce a small hole in the chicken skin so marinade can soak through. Place the chicken in a gallon freezer bag. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix around. Allow chicken to marinade for 2 hours, then place in baking dish with marinade. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes or until juices run clear.


To freeze: Once chicken is in marinade, lay flat to freeze. Thaw in refrigerator and bake as directed above.

Curried Coconut Chicken Soup

I love curries and love soups in the winter. I thought I'd give this one a try and it was delicious! I served it over basmati rice, which really just added rice to the soup. ;) Next time, I might omit some of the chicken broth to make it a creamier soup, but it is delicious as is.

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
4 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 tbsp curry powder
4 cups chicken broth
3 stalks lemongrass, crushed**
1 tsp salt
2 lbs diced, cooked chicken
14-oz can coconut milk
2 tbsp creamy peanut butter
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp sriracha
1 tsp brown sugar
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Heat olive oil over med-high heat. Add and saute onions, carrots and pepper until they begin to soften. Add garlic, ginger, and curry powder and cook a minute more until fragrant. Pour in the broth and add salt and lemongrass. Bring to a boil then add to the crockpot with the chicken. Cook for 3-4 hours on low. At the end of cooking time remove the lemongrass, then mix coconut milk, peanut butter, soy sauce, sriracha, and brown sugar in a small bowl and add to the soup. Cook for 15-30 more minutes. Stir in the cilantro just before serving.


To freeze: Cook as directed above, reserve cilantro for serving day.Cool soup and store in freezer bags. Thaw and reheat soup; stir in cilantro leaves.


**This was my first time working with lemongrass so I'll pass on the info I learned. These are long stalks, and inexpensive from my normal grocery store. You'll want to trim off the bulb end and the majority of the stalk, leaving you with only a 4-5" stalk left. Peel off the outer leaves (they come off easily) then crush with a knife or rolling pin, like you would a clove of garlic. Throw in whole like this when making a soup. (You can mince or chop for other dishes).


Just a note: If making gluten free, be sure to get gf soy sauce and chicken broth.

Alabama White BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

This a delicious swap for the traditional BBQ chicken sandwiches. My 10-yr old loved them so much he had two large sandwiches! I'm not a fan of horseradish, so it can easily be left out of the sauce and it still fantastic. Thanks, Tori, for introducing me to these! (Original recipe here)

2.5 lbs bone-in chicken breasts, or 2 lbs boneless
14.5 oz can chicken broth
1 tbsp liquid smoke
1 tsp seasoned salt

White Sauce:
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1.5 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp jarred horseradish
1 tbsp water
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp salt

Place chicken breasts in slow cooker. Pour in chicken broth and liquid smoke. Cover and cook on low 5 hours. Remove chicken, pull off skin, remove bones, then shred the meat. Sprinkle seasoned salt over the meat and mix it in using your hands.

In a medium bowl, whisk together sauce ingredients. Pour half the sauce on the chicken and toss. Put the chicken on toasted rolls and top with more sauce. Top with pickles, if desired.


To freeze: Put chicken, broth, and liquid smoke in large freezer bag. Mix sauce together and put in small bowl or small freezer bag. Thaw and follow directions above.

Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Taquitos

This is another meal I received as part of a monthly meal-swap. They were fantastic! My whole family scarfed them down. Serve them with the pineapple salsa and ranch dressing, or just eat plain. Thanks for bringing these into my recipe rotation, Bobbi! (Recipe from here)

3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup barbecue sauce
1 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1 tbsp liquid smoke
16 taco-sized soft tortillas (corn or flour)
1-1.5 cups shredded mexican-style cheese

Pineapple Salsa:
1 cup diced pineapple
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
juice of 1 lime
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder

In a small bowl, whisk together bbq sauce, garlic powder, pineapple juice, and liquid smoke until smooth. Place chicken breasts in bottom of your crockpot. Pour bbq sauce mixture over chicken. Cook on high 3 hours or low 6 hours. About 20-30 minutes before serving, shred chicken in crockpot and stir so chicken soaks up remaining juices.

Preheat oven to broil and grease a baking sheet with cooking spray. Lay tortillas on a flat surface. Sprinkle 2-3 tbsp of shredded cheese in a line down the middle of each tortilla. Top cheese with 3-4 tbsp shredded chicken. Tightly roll up tortillas and place them on prepared baking sheet 1" apart. Spray rolled taquitos heavily with cooking spray. Cook in the oven (on high broil) for 5- minutes or until cheese is melty and tortillas are crisp.

Combine all the salsa ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine.


To freeze: Make and roll taquitos. Flash freeze on cookie sheets and place in large freezer bag. Bake at 400 for ~20-30 minutes (do not thaw completely or they will lose shape) Make and freeze salsa in small freezer bag.

Chicken Cordon Bleu with Parmesan-Dijon Sauce

There are a few variations of cordon bleu on here already, but this was seriously easy... and seriously delicious. My family gobbled it up!

3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into three fillets each
18 thin slices deli ham
9 slices Swiss cheese
1 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tbsp butter, melted

Sauce:
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
3/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper, to taste

Coat a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350.

Cut each chicken breast into thirds by first cutting in half crosswise, then set the thinner (bottom, pointy) half aside. Slice the thicker part in half horizontally (parallel to the cutting board). Lay the chicken in a single layer in the baking dish. Top each with two slices of ham (folded if need be) and one slice of cheese.

In a medium bowl, combine the bread crumbs and melted butter. Sprinkle over the chicken.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until chicken is cooked through, cheese is bubbly, and bread crumbs are golden brown.

While chicken bakes, melt butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour to form a roux, cook for 1-2 minutes. Slowly pour in the milk and broth while whisking constantly, make sure there are no clumps. Cook while whisking until mixture begins to thicken, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in mustard, Worcestershire, and Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon over chicken before serving.


To freeze: Make as directed - do not bake. Cover with saran wrap and foil; freeze. Thaw in refrigerator overnight and bake as directed. Make the sauce the day of (I have not tested whether it freezes/reheats well after being made).