Boneless Chicken Breast - a Three Meal Meat.

So...  I've been a slacker on the recipes lately, but I have been thinking a lot more about ways to cut the grocery bill.  So anyway, a pack of chicken breast costs about $6 on sale, and I stretched it into three meals.  Granted, this was just to feed me, RJ and zj a little, so if you're cooking for a family of four or more, you may need to double this.  Still, not too shabby, and since RJ does not eat leftovers much, these meals were different enough that they didn't resemble what we had the night before.  It's like food allusion, sorta.  Here goes.


WHAT YOU START WITH:

One pack boneless, skinless chicken breast. Dice into smallish bite sized pieces.  Saute in olive oil over medium low heat until juices run clear.  Add a little bit of salt and pepper, divide it into thirds, and you're ready.


DAY ONE:

Chicken Pot Pie a la Vilas.

My friend Natalie's Mama, Vilas, gave me this recipe years ago, and it has never failed me.  It's easy, and good, and easy.

WHAT YOU NEED:
1/3 of the sauteed chicken breast
1 2 pack of refrigerated pie crust
1 large can Veg-All Homestyle (drained)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can chicken broth
Whatever herbs you like.  I had some fresh parsley on hand, so I used that.  Poultry seasoning works well, or dried Italian seasoning.  Whatever you have.  Really.  It's ok.  Live a little.

WHAT YOU DO:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Spread one of the two crusts out in a shallow-ish baking dish.  In a bowl, mix the chicken,  the Veg-All, the soup, the broth, and the herbs.  Spoon it into the crust and top with the other crust.  Cut a couple slits in the top crust to vent, and bake it for 25 minutes or so, until the crust is golden and the juices are bubbly.

If the juicy part flows under the bottom crust or over the top one, don't worry.  It will still taste good.  Beautiful food sometimes tastes bad...



DAY TWO:

Barbecue Chicken Pizza

WHAT YOU NEED:

1/3 of the sauteed chicken breast

1 prepared pizza crust, like Boboli

1 small red onion, chopped

Some mushrooms, if you love 'em

1 cup shredded Italian cheese

1/2 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce.  I personally like KC Masterpiece, but I won't really care if you use something else.
Olive oil


WHAT YOU DO:
Saute the onions and mushrooms is a smidge of olive oil.  Chop/shred the chicken into little itty bitty tiny pieces (or not, if you want it chunky), and add it to the onion mixture.  Top the crust with the barbecue sauce, the onion/mushroom/chicken mixture, and then top that with the cheese.  Bake according to the instructions on the crust package.  Yummy.




DAY THREE:

Chicken Pasta Stuff

Cut me a little slack here guys.  I just make it.  You can call it anything you like.

WHAT YOU NEED:

The rest of the sauteed chicken breast

About a cup of mushrooms - I used Portabellos because I had some, but the canned kind would work just fine.

A pat of butter

Some olive oil

A clove of garlic, minced

About 3/4 cup milk or cream

Salt & Pepper

A couple shakes of Parmesan cheese.  I swear by the kind in the green can.  Take that, Rachel Ray.

Some sort of pasta or whatever.  I used egg noodles - about half a bag.

Cook the noodles/pasta according to directions.

In a saucepan, saute the mushrooms, chicken, and garlic in the butter and oil.  When the mushrooms look toasty, add salt and pepper and then add the milk and let it simmer for a while - 10 minutes or so - on low.  When the mild is reduced and thickened, add the Parmesan cheese.  Don't cook it too long after adding the cheese or it will clump up and look icky.  Trust me here - I speak from experience.

Pour the whole mess over the noodles and eat up!  The longer you let this one sit around before eating, the better it tastes.