Chicken Pot Pie, The Remix

An old school recipe that is not for the faint-hearted or time crunched. Chicken pot pie, even with store bought pie crust, is an involved recipe. However, the payoff is immeasurable! Eating this pot pie right out of the oven makes all the chopping, waiting, and baking worth it. This recipe adds a bit of heat to the classic recipe, with touches of red pepper flakes and Sriracha.


One way to cut down on prep time is to buy a frozen vegetable mix. Be careful not to overdo it with too many vegetable varieties. This recipe's charm lies in its simplicity.


Quick note: if using frozen pie crust, don't forget to defrost it the night before. Also, don't worry if the crust breaks. Most store-bought crust can be put back together just by re-rolling the crust.


Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes


Ingredients:

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons Sriracha
• 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
• 2/3 cup milk

2 unbaked pie crusts

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, and celery. 
3. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.
4. In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, red pepper. 
5. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk, creating a roux. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Set aside.
6. Line a nine-inch pie plate with one of the crusts. Place the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid, onion mixture over. 
7. Cover with top crust, making sure you have a tight seal. Cut away excess dough. Make about four slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
8. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Broiled Tilapia with Parmesan

This recipe may be my new favorite fish recipe. Tilapia is a very light, white fish, that does not have a very strong taste. The Parmesan coating adds a nice crust, while the broiling method makes this recipe a good fit for a quick mid-week meal. I found this recipe on AllRecipes.com, but modified it to suit a spicier, less savory taste bud.

Be sure to adhere to the very short broiling time, because it is very easy to overcook the fish.

On a thrifty note,tilapia is one of the most inexpensive fish, especially if bought frozen. If using frozen fillets for this recipe, be sure to defrost them overnight.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 9 minutes

Ingredients: 

• • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (freshly grated or ready made)
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 2.5 tablespoons mayonnaise (regular, not light)
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
  • 1/2 tablespoon sriracha
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 6 tilapia fillets

Directions

1. Preheat your oven's broiler and take butter out of the fridge to bring to room temperature
2. Line broiler pan with aluminum foil
3. Mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise, red pepper flakes, sriracha  and lemon juice.
4. Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Place the pan on the top rack and broil for 3 minutes. 
5. Flip the fillets over and broil for 3 minutes. 
6. Remove the fillets from the oven. Cover the top and sides with the cheese mixture.
7. Broil for 3 more minutes or browned and the fillet flakes easily. Serve with vegetables and mashed potatoes.