Thursday, July 14, 2011

Chicken Pillows with Gravy

I'm trying out some new recipes... desperate to be able to create a rotating menu for this fall. Preferably meals that the kids will eat (insert rolling eyes here).

I found a winner tonight. It's based off a recipe in the Girlfriends On The Go! Cookbook, called Chicken Pockets.

I've re-named them Chicken Pillows (so that my son will not associate them with Hot Pockets). This recipe includes the additional changes I made to the filling. I was in a hurry, so I used my Quick Pizza Crust as a substitute for the dough.

CHICKEN PILLOWS with GRAVY

Dough (2 hour French bread):
1/2 cup warm water
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. yeast
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. salt
1/3 c. oil
2 cups very hot tap water
6 cups flour

Chicken Filling:
8 oz. cream cheese
4 Tbsp. melted butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. chopped green onions
2 cups cooked and cubed chicken
1/2-3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
5-6 slices of Canadian bacon, chopped
1/4 tsp. onion powder with parsley

Chicken Gravy:
1 can cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup milk

Crust:
3 Tbsp. milk
1 - 2 cups Italian bread crumbs

Directions for the Dough: dissolve yeast and sugar in 1/2 cup water. In a large bowl, combine salt, oil, and 2 cups hot water. Mix in 3 cups flour. Add the yeast mixture. Mix in remaining 3 cups of flour. Punch down every 10 minutes for 50 minutes. If making Chicken Pockets, continue on to the next part of the recipe. If making French Bread, shape, and let rise until double. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Directions for the Chicken Pillows: Blend cream cheese and melted butter until smooth. Add the remaining filling ingredients. Roll out bread dough and cut into 3" squares. Place 1/2 cup of chicken mixture in the center of each square. Pull up the corners and seal the edges. Roll in the melt and then in bread crumbs. Let rise until double in size. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with the chicken gravy (heated soup and milk).