I have three boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I have onions, potatoes, a tub of already-mashed potatoes, various frozen vegetables, canned, diced tomatoes, and unimaginative spices like oregano, basil, garlic…you know, standard stuff.
What can I make that is easy-to-moderate to prepare?
Chicken pot pie with mashed potato crust.
(This is a brainstorm, and not a real recipe, so it may need some tweaking).
Cook one or more of the chicken breasts. Then chop the chicken meat into 1 inch cubes, maybe a little smaller. Mix with chopped onions and various frozen vegetables. Put in casserole. Spread already-mashed potatoes on top. Bake in moderately hot oven for 30-45 minutes, or until the potatoes start to brown a little and the rest is hot and bubbly. May add spices at any appropriate point in the cooking process.
Ooooh…that sounds like just the kind of “Man Food” Mr. K enjoys. Do I need to come up with some kind of gravy substance?
I don’t know. I’ve not actually cooked anything like this.
Checking with Betty Crocker (in the form of a cookbook on my shelf), looking at her recipe for Chicken Pot Pie, she fixes a sort of gravy substance out of 1/3 cup margarine or butter, 1/3 cup flour, 1/3 cup onion, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. peper, 1 3/4 cups chicken broth and 2/3 cup milk.
(directions: melt margarine in 2 quart saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour, onion, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in broth and ilk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in chicken and peas and carrots; remove from heat). (The peas and carrots were frozen, but rinsed in cold water to separate. 10 oz. package. 2 1/2 to 3 cups cut up cooked chicken or turkey. Bake at 425 for 35 minutes or until golden brown. 'Course, that’s using pastry for a two crust pie. But, as long as I have the cookbook open, might as well give you all the info I have. You know, this sounds really tasty to me. But I don’t have any of the ingredients, so it won’t be what I eat for dinner.)
Sounds like the makings of stew, with mashed potatoes on the side 
Tell me about the ‘tub of already mashed potatoes’, please.
Because you made too many yesterday and have leftovers?
Or you bought them that way from some magical supermarket?
Mom’s house?
Do tell!
At my house that is dinner. Just heat the chicken until the pink is gone, heat the potatoes.
A little salt, pepper and butter, and skip the other spices.
Mmm. Real chicken. Beats the regular can of chili.
They actually sell this miracle product at the grocery store. Country Crock makes one, but the one I’m hooked on is Diner’s Choice. They come in flavors, too! Two lbs. OMYGOD do they rock.
We eat a lot of chicken. I usually bread it (and I put a little yellow mustard in the egg mixture), fry it just to get it brown and then pop it in the oven for 50 minutes (the chickens I get these breasts from are built like brick shithouses). But I’m so freekin’ sick of the same ol’ same ol’. I need some variety!!! But without much effort.
Do you have any Italian dressing? It makes a great marinade for boneless chicken breasts. Serve with the mashed potatoes and veggies.