Buffalo Chicken Pockets

These buffalo chicken pockets turned out so good!  I've made homemade pizza pockets before  and they were awesome.  I wanted to change things up and these buffalo chicken pockets definitely give a kick.  I basically made a buffalo chicken dip filling, which you could use just as a dip minus the pizza dough.  These will be great for a quick lunch or dinner.  I did freeze most of them to have on hand for a quick meal.  When I made these, I didn't close the seal the pockets well with a fork but for the second batch, I just pinched the seams with my fingers and it turned out much better.  Don't worry too much if the filling oozes out some, it will still be delicious even if it doesn't look pretty.

Buffalo Chicken Pockets

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 batch homemade pizza dough (recipe here - http://sophieinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2012/05/pizza-dough.html)

2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken

½ cup hot sauce (I used Frank’s hot sauce.)

½ cup ranch dressing (I used Hidden Valley Light.)

8 ounces cream cheese (I used 1 package of low fat cream cheese.)

1 cup shredded cheese (I used an Italian mix.)

olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Grease baking sheet with olive oil.

In a bowl, combine chicken, hot sauce, ranch dressing and cream cheese.  Stir in ½ cup shredded cheese.  

Divide dough into at least 8 pieces.   Roll dough pieces into balls.  Next, flatten dough balls with a rolling pin.  Spoon about 2 tablespoons of filling onto one side of the dough circle.  Sprinkle with shredded cheese.  Fold dough over and seal tightly with fingers or a fork.  

Bake on a greased baking sheet for about 20-25 minutes until lightly browned.

Serve immediately.   If you have leftovers, you can freeze them!

After they cool completely, store in a freezer bag for up to 2-3 months.  To reheat frozen buffalo chicken pockets, microwave for about 2 minutes or warm in the oven for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees F.  Check to make sure they are heated through before serving.  Enjoy!

Creamy Piquillo Pepper and Chickpea Soup with Chicken

I am super excited to be a part of The Bitten Word's Cover-to-Cover Challenge and I was placed on Team Food and Wine.  My assigned recipe was the Creamy Piquillo Pepper and Chickpea Soup with Chicken.  I didn't know what piquillo peppers were but I was able to find a jar of roasted piquillo peppers in the international section of my local grocery store.  They are sweet red peppers originally from Spain.  According to the recipe, the total time to make the soup should be 7 minutes.   This is a simple recipe if you have all the ingredients already.  Of course I end up taking more time than that since I actually made my own hummus (click here for the recipe).  Also, it took me an extra 10 minutes to shred the rotisserie chicken.  I really enjoyed this soup, it is flavorful and delicious.  If you like roasted red pepper hummus, then you will like this soup.  This soup will pair nicely with a side salad if you want a light lunch or dinner.  Enjoy!

Creamy Piquillo Pepper and Chickpea Soup with Chicken

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup drained piquillo peppers (reserve ¼ cup cut into thin strips)

¾ cup hummus

2 cups chicken stock (or beef stock)

½ cup cooked white rice

1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken

salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon parsley, dried (or 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leave parsley)

olive oil and hot sauce, for serving (optional)

Directions

In a food processor, combine the whole piquillos, hummus, and stock.  Puree until smooth.

In a medium saucepan, over medium-high heat, add soup, rice, and chicken.  Season with salt and pepper.  Bring soup to a boil.  

Garnish soup with parsley, sliced piquillos, olive oil and hot sauce if desired.

Serves 4.

Gazpacho

Gazpacho is a cold, tomato-based, vegetable soup originally from Spain.  It is a refreshing and great summertime dish.  I had bought the onion, cucumber, and tomato from the Crystal City Farmers Market.  I love being able to get so many fresh vegetables every week at this farmers market.  You can make this ahead of time since it tastes even better after its been chilled.  Serve this gazpacho with some crusty bread and you have a simple, delicious meal.  

Gazpacho

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups tomato juice

1 large tomato, diced

1 red onion, diced

1 cucumber, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

½ teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon lemon juice

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon hot sauce (optional)

Directions

In a food processer, add in garlic, diced onion, cucumber and tomato.  Pulse a few times, do not over process. 

Next, add in tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, cumin, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and hot sauce.  Pulse.

Chill for a few hours at least before serving.  Serve cold.