Thursday, March 21, 2013

Chicken Salad Roll-Ups For 2 People

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I am a big fan of soups (so much that I am working on my "52 Recipes for Soup, Chili and Chowder" series).  But honestly, what's a soup without a sandwich... Well, lunch usually, but Soup and Sandwich is usually my dinner of choice.

This more unusual looking, but FANTASTIC tasting sandwich is one of my favorites.  it comes together fast and easy, especially when you use meat from a single thigh of a pre-cooked, pre-seasoned Rotisserie Chicken.  The bread in the sandwich is refrigerator biscuit.  In the past I have used Crescent Rolls, but these are Pillsbury "Grand" brand biscuits.

That ingredient may sound familiar to you as I used half a can of those biscuits in yesterday's post of Cheesy Savory Chicken Monkey Bread for 2 People.  This is the other half of the can.  I am also using half of a bundle of Green Onions.  Again, I used the first half yesterday.  I also used the first Rotisserie Chicken thigh in the Monkey bread... this recipe uses the other thigh.

Are you sensing a pattern?

In yesterday's post (click the blue letters or the photo of the bread to the right), I gave you my more detailed goals and reasons for the next several days worth of posts... A single Rotisserie Chicken...

  1. Eat Well...
  2. Recipes for 2 people...
  3. See what type of variety I can get from the single bird...
  4. Keep track of costs (and keep them low)
  5. Make my recipes "inexperienced cook" friendly with additional details and photos so that indeed, Anyone Can Cook This!

So, as to this recipe... It is eating well.  Creamy savory spicy chicken salad sandwiches that taste fantastic.  This particular recipe is one that my wife asks for often.  The recipe makes 4 sandwiches.  They are a bit small, so 2 sammys each was perfect to serve along with a bowl of soup.  Yesterday's post was a breakfast.  Today's is a side dish compliment to a soup... variety.  I will break down the costs at the end of the post, but this easily can be made for under $1.40 per serving and that includes the price of the chicken.

And finally, next I will post the recipe (keep scrolling down).  But after that I will have more details that experienced cooks may not need to see, but if you are cooking with a pre-cooked rotisserie bird for the first time, you may want to glance through the extra photos and instructional tips after the recipe.

Oh, the soup I served this with was my New Orleans Soup and Artichoke Soup... Eating Well Indeed!


OK... Here's what I did...


Chicken Goo Roll-Ups
for 2 People


Ingredients
  • Meat 1 Thigh from 1 Rotisserie Chicken about 3/4 Cup
  • 4 OZ (1/2 a Brick) Cream Cheese, Softened
  • 1/2 Cup`Chopped Mushrooms
  • 3 Scallions, (Green Onions), sliced, green and white parts
  • 1 TBS Cajun Spice Mix
  • 1/2 of a can, (4 from Pillsbury Grands brand) Refrigerator Biscuits
  • 2 TBS Melted Butter
  • 1/4 Cup Italian Style Bread Crumbs
Cooking Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Combine chopped chicken, chopped mushroom, green onion, Cajun spices and softened Cream Cheese in a Kitchenaid Mixer (or mix by hand).
  3. Separate each of the refrigerator biscuits. Then peel each individual biscuit in half horizontally, leaving one edge together, like a magazine opened in teh center.
  4. Add a 1/4 cup dollop of the chicken mixture to the center of each of the 4 rectangles. spread the chicken goo evenly and roll up. into a tube.
  5. Line them up on parchment paper or a silicon mat. Drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle with bread crumbs.
  6. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes at 375.
  7. Serve HOT (or room temperature) and ENJOY

OK, the details...

First, be sure to use the meat from the thigh.  It helps to know about a chicken.  The breast meat is sensitive to over cooking.  Too much and it drys out.  While the chicken thigh has more fat, more moisture and is less sensitive to over cooking.  Chicken Breasts go great in salads or added last minute to soups and pastas.  Chicken thighs and leg meat (the dark meat) is best to use in a dish that gets cooked.

So, grab the leg and thigh and pull them all in one piece from the bird. They all come apart very easily, just takes a little effort to pop the joint.

Once you have the leg/thigh quarter you need to pop the leg from the leg/thigh quarter. Just grab each and bend down. You will feel the joint give way and the meat tears apart easily.

Next task is to de-bone the thigh. This is easiest to be done my hand. BTW, IMPORTANT... save all the bones. You will be making Chicken Stock from the bird later this week. Be sure to feel around the edges and slice away any bone chips or gristle.

Dice small, all the pieces same size.  This makes it easy to mix with the other ingredients.  the mushrooms and onions should be cut about the same size as the chicken.

And mix well.  It is best to mix with your hands.  This makes it easier to find any stray bones or gristle that might have slipped through your initial de-boning of the chicken.

Your next step is to lay out the biscuits.

Again, as said in the recipe you are taking a single biscuit and opening it up like a book or magazine.  The Pillsbury Grand brands are easily pulled apart.  Just be sure to leave the last edge attached.

The Chicken goo then gets laid out.  Cream Cheese is perfect for this.  It melts and mixes into the chicken/onion/mushroomS.  But it holds together even when baked.  When you eat this fresh out of the oven, the goo is warm and melty like a toasted cheese sandwich.  But the goo does not fall out.  The perfect filling!

As to rolling up, just like it sounds.  Start at one edge and roll up.  Do not press hard, but once you reach the end, tuck the goo inside and press the edges.  You will bake this side up.

The butter that is brushed on will help to seal this edge so that it does not break open while cooking and the biscuits expand.

As with all things baking, your oven may vary from the heat settings. Be sure to cook these by eye. I baked them for a full 2 minutes beyond the minimum cooking time. I wanted that golden brown and delicious coloring. I always check the look at the minimum time and cook accordingly.

Guaranteed success!

As to the cost...

Now this is a little difficult as how much does a couple of TBS of bread crumbs cost? So, instead of figuring pennies, let's just agree that pantry items (like butter, flour, sugar, spices) will not be included. Also, I am cheap and I almost always buy things on sale. Case in point, this recipe calls for refrigerator biscuits. If I were going to the store to buy them for a recipe I was going to make today, I would probably buy a generic brand to save money. BUT if you watch the sales like I do and buy extras when I see a good price, you can get a can of Pillsbury "Grands" biscuits, not at the normal $2.50 a can but for $0.99 cents a can.  Same with the Cream Cheese... Every couple of months it goes on sale for $1 a brick.  The prices I am listing are real, but are on the low side as I am cheap and I shop sales and buy extras when i see a good price.

Pantry items, parchment paper (I use a Silipat), Butter, and Cajun Spice Mix.  I make bread crumbs from stale bread so no charge/pantry item.

1/5th of the chicken......... @... $1.00
1/2 a can of Biscuits... ......@...$0.50
3 Green onions.................@...$0.30
4 Ounces Cream Cheese..@...$0.50
Mushrooms......................@...$0.50


Total Cost...................@,,,$2.80 or less than $1.40 a serving.

So, so far I have only used two chicken thighs for a breakfast and a fancy tasty sandwich with plenty of meat left to go.

Very easy, DELICIOUS and ... certainly fits well with my goals.

Stay tuned, come on back tomorrow and see what else I make from the single bird!

******************************************************

This recipe has been added to my growing list of "52 Uses For a Rotisserie Chicken"  (Now close to 100!)...I am so confused... $5.49 for a fully cooked, fully seasoned Oven Roasted, Rotisserie Chicken. Yet shop in the raw meat department and most raw chickens are at best $8 each and usually far closer to $10. Anyone have an answer??? Me either. So, I can either rail against the machine, or learn to embrace the beauty that is the $5 chicken! In this pin are recipes I have made, and recommend. MORE than 52 (I just can't stop)..
You get the idea.  From Scratch Pizza to Chinese Take Out recipes, Lots of Soups and Chili... Appetizers to Main Courses (Still can't find a dessert, but I am looking).  More than enough ideas for that store nought bird to shine with just a little extra work

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