recipe wednesday - chicken pockets & egg rolls

i haven't done a recipe wednesday in a while, so here are some for you.

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i use poached chicken in both of these recipes, but you could use any cooked chicken you like.

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poached chicken

put chicken in a pan, cover with water (at least an inch) and season to taste (salt and pepper, etc.) Cover pan and boil. When it comes to a boil, turn off the flame, leave lid on and don't touch it for 45 mins.

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this makes the most moist and juicy chicken. i do it in large batches and freeze it, or use it that day. i generally freeze it by cubing it, and put the equivalent of 2 cooked chicken breasts in 1 ziplock freezer bag. when i'm ready to cook with it i defrost it in the microwave and add it to whatever i'm cooking.

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chicken pockets

makes: 8 pockets

ready in: 30 mins (if you pre-cook the chicken)

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ingredients:

2 chicken breasts - cooked and cubed

1 tsp lemon pepper

1 8 oz. package of cream cheese

2 Tbsp butter

1/2 cup mushrooms (optional)

2 package crescent rolls

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directions:

combine cream cheese and butter (you can soften in the microwave, although i find that if i add the chicken thats been defrosted and is still warm it softens it). stir in chicken and muchrooms. roll out cresent rolls and cut into 4ths. (i generally pull off one square - 2 triangles, and pinch the triangle seams together, roll it just a little - you don't want to work the dough too much, just enough to widen it a little) Put 1/4 cup chicken mix on and seal edges (i put the mix on one side and fold the other side over to make a rectangle and pinch the edges - like a hot pocket). place on ungreased cooking sheet. brush with melted butter to make golden brown (i generally just spray with some butter cooking spray). bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes. can be frozen and reheated at 375 degrees for 5-7 mins - the toaster oven is perfect for this.

this is a fun recipe to play around with, change the seasonings, add some shredded cheddar, chopped green onion, or some spinach. have fun and play around. the pockets pictured above were made with 16oz frozen spinach -- i would not recommend that much spinach to only 1 8oz package of cream cheese -- YUCK! just thought you should know that

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egg rolls

makes: 20 rolls

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ingredients:

3 carrots - shredded

1/3 head of cabbage - shredded

or you could do the shortcut way and use a 1 pound (16 oz) bag of cole slaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots)

2 chicken breasts - cooked and cubed

1 1/2 tsp micnced garlic

1 tbsp seasame oil

once around the bowl with soy sauce

season to your taste: ginger, salt and pepper, red pepper flakes (if you like them spicy)

1 package pasta wrappers/egg roll wrappers (not wonton wrappers, they are too small)

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directions:

in a medium bowl mix together the carrots, cabbage, chicken, and seasonings. taste and add more seasonings if needed. place 1 heaping tablespoon of mixture in the center of the wrapper, roll wrapper and seal edges by brushing with water or beaten egg whites.

shallow fry in oil over medium-high heat on each side. drain on paper towels to absorb excess oil. or for a healthier alternative, arrange rolls on a baking sheet and brush with oil (or spray with cooking spray) and bake for 20 minutes at 425 degrees. turn after 10 minutes and brush or spray again. eat and enjoy! these can be frozen and reheated in the toaster oven - but we never have any that stick around for long.