Chicken Packets

This recipe is tried and true (slightly modified) from Emily, my sister-in law's mother, Sandy.  Emily, grew up having these Chicken Packets for dinner and introduced me to them a few years ago.  Back when her twin girls, were babies FOUR years ago now, I would visit every Wednesday.  Emily, being the super woman that she is, would make a delicious dinner and we would all hang out while my brother would play basketball.  This recipe is one of the delicious meals she would make.  

Since I am now too a mom, I figured I should probably try my hand at this recipe.  Seems like something a mom should do.  I have been prepping dinner during Addison's second morning nap and then finishing things closer to dinner-time.  It has worked out well and puts less pressure on getting things ready for dinner.  

This recipe is perfect for our schedule.  While the chicken was baking I set the cream cheese out on the counter to soften/come to room temp.  Once the chicken was done, I combined things and popped that concoction in the fridge until I got the call that my husband was on his way home from work.  Then I assembled everything, baked them up and devoured just before the baby needed to have her dinner.  

Here is how I did it...

 I started out by baking the chicken.  This is my go-to method when I need to use cooked chicken.  It is so easy and it doesn't leave any hard bits on the chicken like grilling/sautéing does.  Just season the chicken and pop it in the oven for 30 mins. Easy.

 Done.

 Once the chicken cooled just a bit, I shredded/chopped it up and placed it in a bowl.

 Chopped the celery

 Popped the cream cheese into the bowl over the warm chicken

 Added the celery

 A little onion powder

 Salt

 Pepper

 And combined things.  It does take a little bit of elbow grease to mix things up.  At this point I tasted it, added a little more onion power and salt.  Season it to your liking.

 I then placed the crescent rolls out on a baking sheet like so, keeping two of the rolls together.

 I smooshed the perforation together with my fingers.

 Scooped a good amount of the chicken mixture onto one side of the dough

 Flipped over the other side and sealed the packet edges together, using my fingers.

 Rolled the packet in seasoned bread crumbs and popped them back onto the baking sheet.  Into the oven they went for 17 minutes.

 They came out perfect…just like this.

I LOVE these things.  So flaky and delicious with a creamy texture in the middle.  A few dashes of buffalo sauce on the top and they are perfection.

Just a little side note, when I made these I had quite a bit of left over filling.  This recipe can make 8 packets but there was only two of us eating and we each ate two.  They do not reheat very well so I saved the filling and made a quick pasta with it.  I just cooked some noodles, drained them and then added the remaining chicken mixture over the hot noodles.  Gave it a very good stir, added a bit of milk and had a quick and tasty pasta dish the next day!

I told Emily about my noodle dish the next day and she said that she typically eats the filling on a croissant the following day for lunch.  The possibilities are just endless with this recipe people!

Chicken Packets 
(Makes 8 packets or 4 with leftover filling)

3 chicken breasts
2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
1 8 oz block of celery (1/3 the fat is okay)
2 rolls of refrigerated croissants (or 1 if you are using the filling for left overs also, reduced fat is okay!)
1/8-1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4-1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 cups seasoned bread crumbs
Buffalo sauce for serving, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the chicken breasts in a large baking dish and season with salt and pepper.  Once the oven is preheated, bake chicken for 30 minutes with a cover on the dish.  Take the cream cheese out of the fridge and put it on the counter to come to room temp.  After 30 minutes, cut through the biggest part of the chicken and check that it is no longer pink in the middle.

Once the chicken is cooked, remove from the dish and shred.  It is easier to shred when it is still warm.  Place the chicken in a large bowl and add the cream cheese, celery, onion powder, salt and pepper.  Stir to fully combine.  Once combined, taste for seasoning.  Add more onion power, salt and pepper, if needed.

On a large baking sheet (or two if you are making 8 packets), separate the dough into 4 rectangles (or 8 if you are making a full batch).  Press the perforation together with your fingers.  Scoop a good amount of the chicken mixture onto half of each piece of dough staying away from the edges.  Flip the other side of the dough over the filling and press the dough together to seal and make the packet.

Pour your bread crumbs onto a large plate and flip and gently press each packet into the bread crumbs to coat.  Place the bread crumb coated packets on to the baking sheet and into the oven.

Bake for about 15-18 minutes or until the packets are golden brown.

Serve with a drizzle of buffalo sauce if you would like.

Enjoy!

Recipe very slightly adapted from Sandy :)

Pizza Sloppy Joes

Some of you might not know this about me but I have a "day job." I spend my days working at a large University and as you can imagine this is a very busy time of the year for us.  That means when I get home from work I am exhausted.  Absolutely spent.  So,  quick dinners that take minimal time and effort are essential!  

This recipe fits the bill.  Quick, easy and loaded with veggies with tons of flavor.  I would stick this one in your back pocket for this coming school year. 

Start with chopping your veggies.  I used red onion, green and red peppers.  You could also toss in mushrooms, banana peppers, broccoli whatever you like on your pizza.

Toss a pound of ground beef in a large skillet on medium heat and season with salt and pepper.

Brown it up

Then add the pepperoni.  Let this cook for a few minutes

Pour in a jar of pizza sauce 

And let it bubble away for a few minutes while you work on the garlic toast

Place the frozen garlic toast in a large skillet on medium high heat.  Cook them for a few minutes on each side.  PS.  did you know you could cook garlic bread this way!? Me either until I lived with my friend Sam.  She always made garlic toast like this, genius!

Then add in the veggies

Give it a quick stir.  You might ask why I did this so late…well I wanted it to be like a real pizza where the veggies are still a bit crisp.

Anyway, spoon this delicious mixture onto each piece of the garlic toast

And top with a bunch of cheese and sprinkle with a little pizza seasoning.

Pop these in the oven under the broiler for just a few minutes

And there you have it!

Serve with a nice green salad

Pizza Sloppy Joes 

(serves 4--2 each) 

1/4 red onion, chopped

1/2 green pepper, chopped

1/2 red pepper, chopped

1 pound ground beef

salt and pepper for seasoning

1 cup chopped pepperoni

1 jar pizza sauce  

8 pieces of frozen garlic bread

2 cups shredded mozzarella

Pizza seasoning 

Start by placing the ground beef in a medium skillet on medium high heat.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook until no longer pink.  Then add the pepperoni and cook for about 3 minutes or so.  If there is a lot of grease, at this point, drain the grease and discard.  Pour the pizza sauce into the skillet with the meat, stir to combine.  Add the veggies to the skillet and let simmer while you work on the garlic toast.  

Place a large skillet on medium high heat.  Add the frozen garlic toast to the pan and cook on each side for about two minutes.  

Once the garlic toast is cooked, spoon the veggie and meat mixture onto the toast.  Sprinkle with cheese and a little bit of the pizza seasoning.  

Place under the broiler to melt the cheese.  

Remove from the pan and enjoy!!! 

Recipe by: Mrs. Schwartz 

Taco Pizza

I'd like you to think that I was organized enough to make this on Sunday for Cinco de Mayo.  You just think that while in fact, I actually made coconut chicken fingers.  So festive of me, right?  Well they were delish too and the recipe is to come.  But, I made this Taco Pizza earlier in the week and we gobbled it down.

Mr. Schwartz could eat tacos every day of the week if I let him.  I'm not kidding.  Every.single.day.of.the.week.  While I love tacos, I don't love them quite as much as Mr. Schwartz does.  A girl has got to have some variety.  So, in the sake of pleasing the Hus and myself with a little variety, I came up with this Taco Pizza.  It is super quick, just about as easy as regular tacos and very, very tasty.

Start with chopping an onion and tossing it in a pan with some canola oil.

Add your meat of choice.  I used lean ground turkey.

Once browned and crumbled, add your favorite taco seasoning.  You can make your own, and I have, but the packaged stuff works just fine as well.

Add a little water and let it simmer for a few minutes.

That's when you can work on the dough.  I used my favorite fool proof pizza dough from Lauren's Latest.  It seriously does not fail.  If you are in a pinch, you could always use store bought pizza dough.  I hear most pizza joints sell their dough as well.  I know for a fact that Trader Joe's does and it's fab.

Whatever dough you have, spread it out as evenly as you can on a jelly roll pan that is inverted and dusted with cornmeal.  Clearly I like to make a big mess.  I probably should have cut this amount in half and gone with a thinner crust.  I will next time...

Take a fork and poke a bunch of holes in the dough.  Pop it in a 415 degree oven for about 4 minutes to "pre-bake" it.

Boom. Pre-baked.

Take your taco meat and add it to the crust

Along with a bunch of cheese.  Like a BUNCH of cheese. Back into the oven it goes for about another 5-7 minutes or until the crust becomes golden brown and the cheese is all melted.

Like this.

That's the cheese I was talking about....

Then top with your favorite taco toppings.  Here I have a simple taco sauce...

But then things get wild.  My mother-in-law's pickled jalapenos....

And lettuce.  Mr. Schwartz added sour cream too.  He's crazy like that.

A new twist on an old favorite.  We fell in love.

Taco Pizza

1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 pound ground turkey, chicken or beef
1 packet taco seasoning + 1 tablespoon more
2/3 cup water
1/2 recipe for pizza dough or a store bought variety
1/8 cup cornmeal
2 cups shredded cheddar, pepper jack, Monterey jack or a combination of all cheese

For topping:
Taco/hot sauce
Pickled jalapenos
Shredded lettuce
Sour cream

Start by preheating the oven to 415 degrees.

In a medium skillet, add the canola oil and chopped onion.  Let cook for about 3-4 minutes and add the meat.  Cook until no longer pink and add the taco seasoning and water.  Turn the heat down and let simmer while you work on the dough.

Flip a jelly roll pan upside down and dust the bottom of it with cornmeal.  Spread the pizza dough out evenly on the pan and prick all over with a fork.  Pop it in the oven for about 4 minutes to "pre-bake" the crust.

Remove the crust from the oven and spread the meat out evenly on top.  Sprinkle with cheese and put it back in the oven for an additional 5-7 minutes or until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted.

Cut pizza into pieces and garnish with toppings.

Enjoy!

Recipe by: Mrs. Schwartz