Poppy Seed Chicken Pot Pie Casserole

Poppy Seed Chicken Pot Pie Casserole

Don’t know what to do with all the leftover chicken you cooked the night before? How about a delicious chicken casserole. This is a great way to use up all the left over chicken especially the dark meat which in my family no one wants to eat. I cook whole chickens because they are more budget friendly but no one in my family wants to eat the leftover dark meat including me so I have to get creative to use it up which how this recipe came about. The amount of chicken, cheese, poppy seeds, and veggies are up to you. You can use a little or a lot. I used leftover lemon rosemary garlic chicken and leftover broccoli, cauliflower, and carrot stir fry veggies from the night before. The casserole has a yummy flaky crescent roll crust but you could substitute biscuits instead. It is a lot like a chicken pot pie so you could also switch the broccoli and cauliflower out for green beans, corn, and or sweet peas. This casserole is delicious way to use up leftover chicken and veggies. The photos are of my finished casserole. (Recipe is below.)

Poppy Seed Chicken Pot Pie Casserole

recipe by Julie Hodges 

Ingredients:

  • 2 cans of crescent rolls
  • chopped or shredded cooked chicken
  • broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower
  • 1 can of cream of chicken soup
  • salt 
  • pepper
  • Parmesan cheese
  • shredded white cheddar cheese
  • 1 can of chicken broth (use the empty soup can to measure)
  • 1 tbsp. butter
  • 2 tsp. poppy seeds

1. In a skillet, combine the cooked chicken, vegetables, salt, pepper, chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes stirring frequently. Cook until combined and veggies are done. (If using frozen vegetables it may take longer.) Stir in the butter and poppy seeds just before removing from the heat. Remove after butter melts.

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and while the filling is cooking open the two cans of crescent rolls but leave them together as a sheet of dough. Spray a 9×13 inch casserole dish with nonstick baking spray and place one sheet of crescent roll dough in the pan stretching it out the full length of the dish. Pinch the steams together to seal the dough into one continuous sheet. Add the filling from the step above to the crescent roll sheet in the casserole dish. Spread it out evenly and then place the second sheet of crescent roll dough on top of the filling. Press the side down and tuck the top crescent roll sheet into the bottom and pinch the two together to create a crust like a pot pie. Sprinkle the top with shredded white cheddar and Parmesan cheeses. 

3. Bake in a 400 degree oven until golden and the crescent roll dough is done. Allow to cool for a minute or two before cutting and serving.

* Green beans, corn, or sweet peas could also be used in place of the broccoli and   cauliflower.

* Biscuits could be used in place of the crescent rolls.

pictures and recipe by Julie Hodges (me)

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

I made these delicious carrot cake cupcakes and cream cheese frosting for my Easter dessert this year although they are good anytime of the year. I used Ellie Krieger’s Carrot Cupcake recipe and combined it with The Cake Boss, Buddy Valastro’s Cream Cheese Frosting recipe. The cupcakes are super moist thanks to the applesauce and pack a lot of delicious flavor especially with the cream cheese frosting. Buddy’s cream cheese frosting recipes makes the best cream cheese frosting I have ever tasted! A little tip if you aren’t a fan of nutmeg then use half of what the recipe calls for. It does have a strong nutmeg flavor. If you want to have cupcakes that have big swirls of frosting like mine use a 1M tip and a piping bag. It is super easy and it looks pretty too! I garnished my carrot cupcake with crushed walnuts it looks pretty and tastes great too!

The pictures are of my finished cream cheese carrot cake cupcakes. (The recipes are below along with step-by-step instructions on how to frost a cupcake with a swirl with a Wilton 1M decorating tip.)

Carrot Cupcakes

recipe by Ellie Krieger,  food network

Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • Pinch ground nutmeg
  • 3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups finely shredded carrots (about 2 medium carrots, peeled)
  • 1/2 cup natural applesauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line 12 standard muffin cups with paper cupcake liners.

Sift together the flours, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. In a large stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the brown sugar, oil and eggs until well combined. Add the carrots, applesauce and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Stir in 1/4 cup of the chopped walnuts.

Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting

recipe by:The Cake Boss, Buddy Valastro, TLC

 yields about 1-1/2 cups icing

Ingredients:

  • 16 ounces of cream cheese
  • 8 tbsp unsalted butter, softened at room temp
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla
  • 2 cups powdered (10x) sugar, sifted

Directions:

Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until smooth, scraping down side of bowl occasionally. Gradually add powdered sugar. Beat at low speed until well blended, scraping down side of bowl occasionally.

 How to Ice a Cupcake Using a 1M tip

From: Wilton.com

Supplies:

1M Swirl

Disposable Decorating Bags

Place a 1M tip in a disposable piping bag and drop the tip to the bottom take a pair of scissors and run the blade around the bag

Instructions:

Step 1

Hold tip 1M approximately ½ in. above cupcake top at a 90° angle to cupcake surface. Squeeze out icing to form a star.

Step 2

Without releasing pressure, raise tip slightly as you drop a line of icing around the star in a tight, complete rotation.

Step 3

After completing the first rotation, move tip toward center and up and around to make a second spiral around the inside edge of the first spiral.

Step 4

Release pressure to end spiral at center of cupcake.

recipes by Ellie Krieger and Buddy Valastro

frosting a cupcake with a 1M tip from wilton.com

cupcake photos by Julie Hodges (me)

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑