Main Dish: Turkey Leftover Ideas: Pot Pies and Casserole

MAIN DISH

dChicken/Turkey Crockpot Pie

When it comes to comfort food it's hard to beat a chicken/turkey pot pie. Make the inside of the pie all day in the crockpot/ At the end of the day the filling is ready to pour into a casserole dish, topped with a crust and baked into to a golden pie. A great way to enjoy that left over turkey from Thanksgiving.

Servings: 4

Ingredients:
Filling Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces or turkey leftovers
1 cup peeled, diced potatoes
1/4 cup peas
1/2 cup corn kernels
1/4 cup chopped carrots
1/4 cup diced onion
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon Paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons milk

Sauce Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 t salt
1/4 t black pepper

Crust Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups flour
1/3 cup oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons milk
Instructions:
To make the sauce, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet. Add 3 tablespoons of flour and brown. Add 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup chicken broth, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Whisk to incorporate and pour into a crock pot.

* The other option is to use a frozen pie crust if you do not want to make your own.

Into the crock pot, add the chicken, potatoes, onion, carrots, spices and 2 tablespoons of milk. Give everything a good stir, cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours. You might want to thicken a bit if it is too runny after cooking with about 2 tablespoons cornstarch stirred into a cold glass of water, making sure all the lumps are out of the mixture, then pour into slower cooker.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. To make the crust, sift the flour and salt together in a medium sized bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk and oil. Add this to the flour until well blended. Form the dough into a ball and place it between 2 pieces of wax paper. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes and then, using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a 9-inch circle. You may have some crust left over. This can be frozen and used later. Or skip this step and simply roll out your frozen pie crust and proceed in the same manner as listed above.

Add the corn and peas to the chicken filling and transfer from the crock pot into an 8-inch round baking dish (I used a small skillet) and then cover the filling with the pie crust. Tuck the excess edges of the crust down between the filling and the sides of the baking dish. Make air vents by slicing the top in a few places.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until the filling bubbles and the crust is golden.

If fresh peas, carrots and corn aren't available or you want to save time, frozen vegetables will work equally well.

You can use also use a can of cream of chicken soup or cream of mushroom in place of the home made sauce.

And here is one for the oven:

Easy Chicken or Turkey Pot Pie

1 sheet of Puff Pastry sheets

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large onions, coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced, you could substitute garlic powder but fresh is better
1 jar Slow Roast Chicken Gravy or use left over gravy from your turkey
1 package (about 9 oz.) frozen mixed vegetables or put in leftover corn, carrots from your meal
thinly sliced red onions
2 cups chopped cooked chicken or turkey

THAW pastry sheet at room temperature 30 min. Preheat oven to 400°F.

HEAT oil in skillet. Add onions and garlic and cook until tender.

ADD gravy, vegetables and chicken. Heat through. Pour into 9" deep-dish pie plate.

UNFOLD pastry sheet and place over chicken mixture. Trim to fit pie plate. Seal edge of pastry with fork. Bake 25 minutes or until golden.

Mini Crescent Chicken/Turkey Pot Pies

If you want to make just single servings then this is a quick fix

1 1/2 cups frozen peas and carrots or any combinations of vegetables
1 cup cubed (1/2 inch) cooked chicken or turkey
1 cup cooked diced potatoes fried with onions, could also be leftovers
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can (4 oz) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 400°F. In 2-quart saucepan, mix peas and carrots, chicken, potatoes, milk, 1/2 teaspoon thyme and the soup. Heat to boiling over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Divide mixture evenly among 4 ungreased 10-oz custard cups.
2. Unroll dough; separate into 4 triangles. Place 1 dough triangle over each custard cup.
3. In small bowl, mix egg and water. Brush mixture over dough. Sprinkle 1/8 teaspoon thyme over dough. Bake 11 to 13 minutes or until crusts are golden brown. Brush with melted butter when out of oven.

Artichoke Turkey Casserole

Ingredients

* 1/2 cup chopped carrot (1 medium)
* 1/2 cup chopped red sweet pepper (1 small)
* 1/4 cup sliced green onion (2)
* 1 tablespoon butter
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* 1 10.75-ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup
* 1 8- to 9-ounce package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and cut up, you could also used canned
* 1-1/2 cups chopped cooked turkey or chicken
* 1 cup cooked long grain rice or wild rice
* 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (2 ounces) or more if you like cheese
* 2/3 cup milk
* 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
* 2 slices bacon, crisp-cooked, drained, and crumbled
* 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese or more

pepper and salt to taste

Directions

1. In a large skillet cook carrot, sweet pepper, and green onion , garlic in hot butter over medium heat until carrot is crisp-tender, . Remove from heat. Stir in soup, artichoke hearts, turkey, rice, mozzarella cheese, milk, thyme, and bacon. Transfer turkey mixture to a 2-quart rectangular baking dish. Sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese.

2. Bake, covered, in a 350° degree oven for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake about 20 minutes more or until bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Makes 6 servings.

3. Make-ahead directions:Prepare as above through step 1. Cover and chill for up to 24 hours. Bake, covered, in a 350° oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake about 20 minutes more or until bubbly.