I do eat a lot of chicken it seems. More often than not it is on the menu. That is probably for a variety of reasons!
One it is reasonably affordable, and two its a pretty versatile protein to prepare. It goes with just about anything and adapts to many flavors and cooking methods!
I never run out of interesting and delicious ways to prepare this healthy source of protein!
I especially love to use Chicken breasts. With their mild flavor they provide a canvas upon which to layer many other textures and flavors.
I love to play with them and come up with delicious ways of preparing them. This is one of my favorite things I have ever done with them.
You end up being able to get in several of your five a day, as well as some tender moist and flavor filled chicken. The cheesy sauce and crispy topping is the icing on a very tasty cake!
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MAKE CHICKEN WITH CHEESE, LEEKS & SPINACH
There is nothing much out of the ordinary here. It might seem like a long list, but its a really simple list.
boneless, skinless chicken breasts (try to get them as evenly sized as possible)
baby spinach leaves
Leeks (you will only need the white and light green parts
butter (I use salted)
flour (all purpose, plain)
salt and pepper
dry mustard powder
milk (I use whole milk, but feel free to use semi-skimmed or 2%)
a good strong cheddar cheese
some stale bread
HOW TO CLEAN LEEKS
Leeks are a hugely versatile and delicious vegetable that is pretty much available to us all year round these days. They can be somewhat gritty however and do require thorough cleaning to get rid of that grit.
Because leeks grow for the most part under ground, much like an onion, they often accumulate sand and sediment in their layers. Some people can find it very troublesome to remove this, but if you follow my instructions that won't be a problem.
First you will need to cut off the root end and the tougher dark green tops. You can easily do this using a sharp chef’s knife. You’ll have the light green and white stalk left.
Slice this lengthwise down the middle to form two long, skinny halves. This will expose all the layers in the middle of the leek.
Soak the stalks in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes or so, then rinse under cold running water in the sink. The long soak allows the water to penetrate the leek’s many layers, clearing out all the bits of debris.
You are now ready to go! Simply slice or dice, etc. as per the recipe requirement. In this case you will be slicing them into half moons.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN WITH CHEESE, LEEKS & SPINACH
It might seem complicated, but really if you break it down into parts you will find that this is really a simple dish that goes together very quickly.
One of the components of this dish is a lush cheese béchamel sauce. This is very similar to make as you would a sauce for macaroni and cheese.
Melt the butter, whisk in the flour and dry mustard powder. Cook for a minute or so to cook out any flour taste and then slowly whisk in the milk, whisking constantly until the mixture bubbles and thickens. You can taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Set aside.
You could always sauté the leeks in some butter to soften them, but I like to soften them in the microwave, which saves on fat and calories.
Just pop them into a glass measure/dish and add a bit of water. Cover with plastic cling film and microwave on high for about a minute, then set aside to cool.
You can melt the butter in the microwave as well, which will be mixed with bread crumbs for the crispy topping. I usually make my own bread crumbs by whirring some stale bread in a food processor, but you can use any bread crumb you like. Panko gives a nice crispy finish.
You can lightly pound your chicken pieces between some cling film to even them out so that they are all one thickness. Once you have done that it is simply a matter of layering things in a baking dish.
The uncooked baby spinach goes on the bottom of the baking dish. Don't worry, it will cook in the heat of the oven to perfection. You place the chicken on top of the spinach.
Spoon the leeks over the chicken and the top with the cheese sauce and buttered crumbs. That's it. Your dish is now ready to bake to perfection!
Half an hour later you are rewarded with some tender and juicy pieces of chicken, bathed in those lovely leeks and that rich cheese sauce, all bubbly and scrumptious, with a crispy, buttery, crumb topping.
What's not to love about that!! This is quite simply delicious!
I served it with some steamed baby potatoes and a mix of frozen grilled Mediterranean style vegetables. They were very easy to warm up in the microwave. You can dress them with a bit of balsamic if you want.
This was one very delicious Mid-week supper!
Chicken with Cheese, Leeks & Spinach
Yield: 4
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 45 Min
This makes for a delicious supper, midweek. All you need on the side is some rice or potato and a vegetable, or salad. Simple and hassle-free, my kind of cooking. Use good quality chicken breasts for this.
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
- 2 leeks, washed and thinly sliced (White and light green parts only)
- a small bag of baby spinach leaves, washed and dried and de-stemmed (about 4 handfuls)
- 2 TBS butter
- 2 TBS flour
- 1/2 tsp dried mustard powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 cups (300ml) whole milk
- 1 generous cup (125g) grated strong cheddar cheese
To top:
- 2 sliced of stale bread made into crumbs
- 1 TBS melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Butter a shallow baking dish large enough to hold the chicken in one layer. Set aside.
- Make the cheese sauce by melting the butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour and mustard powder. Cook for a minute, whisking constantly, then slowly whisk in the milk.
- Cook, stirring constantly until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cheese to melt. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Put the leeks into a large bowl with 1 TBS of water. Cover with plastic cling film. Microwave on high for 1 minute until well wilted. Set aside to cool.
- Melt the butter and toss with the bread crumbs. Set aside.
- Place the spinach into the baking dish in a single layer. Lay the chicken breasts on top of the spinach.
- Divide the wilted leeks equally between the chicken breasts, laying them on top of the chicken. Pour the cheese sauce evenly over all. Top with the buttered crumbs.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown and the chicken is cooked through. The juices should run clear. Delicious!
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When we were growing up one of our favorite parts of any holiday meal was the inevitable soup we knew that my mother would be making in the days following.
We would have a nice meal on the first day, perhaps leftovers on the second, sandwiches and then on about the third day my mother would put the bones in a pot on the stove and we knew we were in for a real treat!
At Thanksgiving and Christmas it would be a nice pot of turkey soup. Roast Ham at New Years and Easter meant we would be having our favorite French Canadian Pea Soup.
Sometimes if it was a roast beef we would end up with beef and vegetable. We were not picky. My mom made great soup and we were happy to have a bowl of it set before us no matter what kind it was!
My mother was the best soup maker and I learned all that I know about making soup from watching her. As adults when we went home for a visit we knew that mom would always have a big ice cream container of her homemade soup waiting for us in the deep freeze!
Mom has been gone from us for almost three years now and there is not a day goes by but what I don't think of her multiple times. When I am feeling poorly I long for a bowl of her homemade soup.
It was indeed good medicine and made all of your troubles seem smaller and insignificant, and chased away all the sniffles. Homemade soup to me is just like one of my mother's hugs in a bowl.
Having a bunch of leftover turkey bones made me want to make a big pot of homemade turkey soup. Although this recipe makes a lot, that is not a problem. It freezes very well and who can't use a container of homemade soup in the freezer to take out as a pick-me-up or a hug when you need one!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE TURKEY CARCASS SOUP
Nothing too extravagant. Simple ordinary every day ingredients.
- a spent turkey carcass with plenty of meat clinging to the bones (if you don't have a lot of meat left on it add a chicken leg or two)
- a few chicken bullion cubes (not necessary but they add additional flavor)
- onions, celery
- carrots
- cabbage
- rutabaga (swede)
- a can of chopped tomatoes
- Worcestershire Sauce
- a variety of herbs and seasonings
- pearl barley
- split peas (optional but nice)
HOW TO MAKE TURKEY CARCASS SOUP
Its really simple really. If your turkey carcass is rather on the large side, break it up into smaller pieces. Pop it into a saucepan along and cover it with water. Bring to the boil.
Once you have brought it to the boil, reduce to a simmer and add the bullion cubes if using. Leave this to simmer for about an hour or so at which time any meat left on the carcass will be falling off and the broth should be really fragrant.
You need to carefully remove your bones from the broth now. They will be hot. Remove and set aside, then strain the broth in the saucepan into a clean saucepan through a sieve. This will remove any solids that you might have missed.
Pick all of the meat from the bones, dice and return it to the pan with the broth. Bring back to the boil and then add the remaining ingredients.
Reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, for a further hour until all of the vegetables are tender and the barley and spit peas have cooked. Taste and adjust the seasoning as required. Discard the bay leaf.
That's basically it. Your soup is done and ready to eat. We love it with crackers in our house. Mom always let us put butter on our crackers.
There was probably more butter than cracker! That's one thing my mom always used and that was real butter. We never had margarine. It was one of her little extravagances.
And she never minded us spreading it thickly onto our bread or crackers. Dad always used to say to us, "Would you like more bread with that butter?" But we kept slathering it on anyways.
To this day I love butter. It is a weakness of mine and will probably kill me in the end, but I will die with a smile on my buttery lips!! 😄
I really hope that you have saved your turkey carcass and that you will give this tasty soup a go. When I worked at the Manor they always wanted me to make soup with the carcass and also with chicken carcasses after a roast chicken.
They loved my soup. I guess I inherited my mother's talent for making a great pot of soup! (Amongst other things.) Enjoy!!
Turkey Carcass Soup
Yield: 12
Prep time: 45 MinCook time: 2 HourTotal time: 2 H & 45 M
This delicious soup makes a fair amount, but it freezes really well. I enjoy it on the day and then freeze it in two serving sized containers to enjoy at another time.
Ingredients
- 1 turkey carcass
- 4 quarts (4 liters) water
- 3 chicken bullion cubes
- 1 small rutabaga, peeled and diced
- 4 large carrots, peeled and sliced
- 2 stalks celery, trimmed and diced
- 1 large onion, peeled and diced
- 1 ½ cups coarsely shredded cabbage
- 1 14 ounce/400g can diced tomatoes, undrained
- ½ cup (93g) uncooked pearl barley
- 1/4 cup (50g) of split peas
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1 pinch dried thyme
Instructions
- Place the turkey carcass into a large soup pot or stock pot and pour in the water; bring to a boil, add the bullion cubes reduce heat to a simmer, and cook the turkey frame until any meat remaining falls off the bones, about 1 hour.
- Carefully remove the turkey carcass. Remove and chop any remaining meat from the carcass and discard the bones.
- Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer into a clean soup pot. Add the chopped turkey. Bring to the boil.
- Reduce to a simmer and stir in the rutabaga, carrots, split peas, celery, onion, cabbage, tomatoes, barley, Worcestershire sauce, salt, parsley, basil, bay leaf, black pepper, paprika, poultry seasoning, and thyme. Simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 1 more hour.
- Taste and adjust seasoning as required. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Serve hot, ladled into heated soup bowls with some crackers or crusty bread on the side.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
I adore potatoes in any way shape or form. They are quite simply my favorite vegetable! A day without a potato in it is just not a good day for me!
I love them boiled, fried, baked, steamed . . . in the skins, out of the skins . . . plain, buttered, any which way you can prepared them. I have never met a potato that I did not like!
If I could only bring one kind of food with me to a deserted island, it would be the potato. No questions asked!
One of my favorite potato side dishes has to be Classic Potatoes Lyonnaise. This is a classic potato recipe names after the city of Lyon in France.
It is an amazing side dish that goes with just about every kind of protein . . . meat, fish or poultry. I cannot think of a thing that it wouldn't sit nicely beside.
Not only that but it uses relatively few ingredients. You can cook it all on top of the stove, frying the potatoes, or you can bake it in the oven after caramelizing the onions.
It is delicious any way you choose to cook it. I choose to cook it in the onion. Let me say upfront however, if cream is added you don't have Potatoes Lyonnaise.
You have Potatoes Dauphinoise which is an entirely different thing. I see so many people out there confusing the two. They are not the same thing. Not the same thing at all!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CLASSIC POTATOES LYONNAISE
One of the beauties of this dish is that it uses only three simple ingredients not counting the seasoning. Yes, you read that correctly. Only three simple ingredients.
- Butter (I always use salted butter for cooking, unless otherwise specified)
- Onions (A simple brown skinned cooking onion)
- Potatoes
WHAT KIND OF POTATOES SHOULD YOU USE
The recipe requires the use of a "floury" potato. You may not be familiar with that term. A floury potato is simply a potato that breaks down when cooking and becomes somewhat fluffy.
They are great for mashing, roasting, baking, chipping, etc. unlike their "waxy" counterpart, which are ideal for salads or dishes in which you want your potato to maintain it's shape.
Ideally you will want to use a russet type of potato in North America or in the UK a Maris Piper or a King Edward. You don't want to be using new potatoes either. They tend to be on the waxy side.
HOW TO MAKE CLASSIC POTATOES LYONNAISE
As mentioned this can be cooked completely on top of the stove, frying the potatoes as well as the onions, or it can be cooked in the oven.
In both instances you need to fry/caramelize the onions first.
You need to peel one onion for this small batch version. (If you are making a larger version, double the butter and use a large onion.)
I cut my onion into slices about 1/3 of an inch thick. You don't want to cut them so thin that they disappear. You also don't want to chop them.
Peel, cut in half lengthwise and then cut crosswise into half moons. You will be frying these in a quantity of butter. Some people choose not to let them brown. I am very naughty, I want them to caramelize a bit because I adore caramelized onions.
You can peel or not peel your potato. I leave the peels on. I like the peel of a potato. But if they bother you, by all means peel. If your potatoes are overly large, cut them also in half lengthwise and then crosswise into half moons.
If you are cooking a larger amount, double the butter and the amount of potatoes as well.
These then get layered in a baking dish. For this smaller amount I used a 9 inch Pyrex deep dish pie plate which gets buttered first. If you are making more use a larger dish.
You want to layer in a layer of potatoes, onion, potatoes, onion and finish with potatoes. Season each layer lightly with salt and pepper as you go.
Once you have them all layered in the dish, pour any residual butter from the skillet over top. Easy peasy. Bang into a hot oven and let them bake until golden brown and the tip of a sharp knife inserts easily.
Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately!
These are so delicious and quite simply one of my favorite ways to cook potatoes, but then again . . . . potato glutton here that I am, there is no bad way to cook them.
Not that I have met yet anyways! Classic Potatoes Lyonnaise. A very good thing. Enjoy!
Classic Potatoes Lyonnaise
Yield: 2 - 3
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 1 H & 45 MTotal time: 2 H & 5 M
I downsized one of my favorite potato recipes to feed the smaller family. These are easy to make, use only a few simple ingredients and are incredibly delicious!
Ingredients
- 3 TBS butter, plus extra for greasing
- 1 medium onion, peeled and sliced
- 1 pound (1/2 KG) floury type of potatoes, sliced (use a russet or a King Edward/Maris Piper)
- salt and black pepper to taste
- parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375*F/190*C/ gas mark 5.
- Lightly butter a 9 inch deep glass pie dish. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a skillet. Add the onions. Cook gently over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes, until the onions just start to caramelize a tiny bit.
- Layer the potatoes and onions in the buttered pie dish, seasoning each layer with salt and pepper. You should finish with a layer of potato.
- Pour any butter left in the skillet over top of the potatoes. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours until the potatoes are tender and golden brown. (The tip of a knife should pierce them easily.)
- Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately. Delicious!
A lot of my American readers have refrigerators bulging with turkey leftovers this morning, and in just a short month my British and Canadian readers will be in the same position.
Some of you will be scratching your heads and trying to come up with new and interesting things to do with them. One thing I have never had a problem with and that is using up leftovers!
My mother always called me the Queen of Leftovers. But really I learned everything that I know from her. She always made the most of everything she was given.
Every time we had a roast dinner of any kind we would be looking forward to the leftovers most of all. Well almost most of all I guess. We still really enjoyed the roast dinner!
This Turkey, Broccoli & Stuffing Casserole is one of my favorite things to do with my leftovers. It uses up some of the meat, gravy and some of the stuffing.
This delicious recipe is sized for two to three people.
If you have leftover vegetables, you can use that in place of the broccoli, or you can simply reheat them and serve them on the side. Today that was brussels sprouts and carrots.
If you don't have any leftover gravy you can use a can of condensed cream of chicken soup, or make a gravy from scratch using my recipe here, which doesn't require the use of drippings.
You can leave out the sour cream altogether and just use the equivalent in gravy, which is what I did today. You can also use a can of gravy if you have it.
Turkey, Broccoli & Stuffing Casserole
Yield: 2 - 3
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 35 Min
Turkey, Broccoli & Stuffing Casserole is the ultimate dish when it comes to Thanksgiving leftovers. Quick and easy to put together it gives the cook a well earned rest the day after the big meal!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (250g) leftover cooked turkey, cubed (can use chicken also)
- 1/2 cup (60g) full fat sour cream
- 1 cup (120g) leftover gravy
- 1 small broccoli crown, chopped and steamed for 5 minutes
- 1 1/2 cups leftover stuffing
- 3 slices of processed cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a small casserole dish.
- Mix the cooked turkey, gravy and sour cream together in a bowl. Spread this in the casserole dish. Top with the steamed broccoli in a single layer. Crumble the stuffing on top.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, top with the cheese and return the casserole to the oven for a further 5 minutes to melt the cheese.
- Serve hot.
Here are some more tasty ideas this morning to help you use up some of those scrumptious leftovers. Of course you could just have a reheat of the leftovers, but
it's also nice to dress them up in a few different ways too!
You Brits and Canucks might want to bookmark this page as Christmas is less than a month away and you 'll be wanting to figure out what to do with your Christmas Turkey leftovers then!
Hot Turkey Poutine. It's
your favourite sandwich, but it's not a sandwich. It's poutine!
Chips, cheese, gravy, stuffing and turkey! This is soooo good, I often
just buy a small turkey breast roast to cook just so we can have it. You don't get much better than this!
Turkey Hash. This dish is something I like to do with leftover turkey. It's really simple to make and quite delicious.
With both sweet and regular potatoes, celery, carrots, spring onions and plenty of cheese! Pass the lefover gravy! Yum yum!
Turkey & Stuffing Casserole. A hearty casserole that is healthy and deliciously low in fat and calories, served with it's own gravy.
This is one of my favourite things to do with leftovers.
Turkey & Ham Pie. How to turn a little bit of leftover cooked ham and cooked turkey into a delicious new creation that the whole family will love.
Creamy and rich. If it is in a pastry I am all over it. I adore pot pies and this is fabulously tasty!
Stacked Turkey Mexi Melts. These are surprisingly hearty and delicious. Serve with a salad on the side for a complete meal.
Although the recipe does use ground turkey, you can just replace that with chopped cooked turkey and they will be just as delicious!
Green Chili Turkey Enchiladas. Rich, creamy, spicy and delicious. A great way to use up some of your leftover holiday turkey! Fabulously tasty!
I just adore these!!
Bombay Turkey. Who fancies a curry? Something deliciously different to do with your turkey leftovers!
This always goes down a real treat with everyone. A bit of rice, some naan bread on the side and nobody minds in the least that it is leftovers!
Cheesy Cornbread Turkey Pot Pie. You are going to love this delicious version of a Turkey Pot that I am sharing. Whether you are in the UK and looking at this after Christmas, or in North America, it is sure to please everyone!
Leftovers from your holiday meal, put together in a very delicious way.
Of course you can have a plain old turkey sandwich, but why not dress it up a bit and serve it open faced on a rustic piece of bread, topped with some leftover cranberry sauce.
Add some of the leftover stuffing heated
and crumbled on top of the cranberry, then the heated sliced turkey and
some heated leftover gravy ladled over top. Delicious with a few sliced
pickles and some potato crisps on the side!
And there you have it! A multitude of ways to use up some of your temptingly tasty turkey leftovers! I am sure some of these will come in handy!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
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