Humdrum to Yum!

Last week I tried a new recipe from my Cooking Light cookbook that I was extremely excited about and had very high hopes for: Chicken with Rosemary Sauce. I had everything on hand except the chicken, so I picked that up Thursday and decided to try it out for Friday's feast.

The recipe was easy, healthy, and didn't call for too make ingredients, a seemingly perfect combo.

But when all was said and done, and it was time to sit down and eat, it left me … unsatisfied. The flavors worked well enough, and the chicken was moist and all, but it just didn't live up to the expectations I had set for myself.

So then I faced a dilemma: throw away perfectly fine leftovers, which is wasteful and ridiculous, or eat them, wishing all the while that I was eating something else.

After a couple days of putting off the inevitable, it struck me. I could use the original recipe, jazz it up with my own flair, and have a delicious meal (hopefully) that was satisfying and avoided waste all at the same time. Chicken pot pie had been sounding good for a while, it started with chicken, was tasty with rosemary, and would suit my purposes just fine. On top of it all, I could use some ramekins we had just bought that reduced cooking time and encouraged portion control.

And so, first I will lost the original recipe as found in my cookbook, and then I'll list the "recipe" as it were to make delicious, hearty, healthy Chicken Pot Pies.

Cooking Light's Chicken with Rosemary Sauce

1 teaspoon olive oil

4 (4-ounce) boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used chicken tenders)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup green onions

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup half-and-half

Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the chicken with the salt and pepper.Add the chicken to the pan and cook for 3 minutes on each side. Add the green onions, wine and rosemary and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the broth; cook for 2 minutes. Reduce the heat and add the half-and-half. Cook for 2 minutes.

Serves 4 (183 calories per serving)

Humdrum to Yum Pot Pie

1/2 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon (about) olive oil

3 or 4 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 Yukon gold potato, finely chopped

Minced fresh rosemary to taste (I used about 1 tablespoon)

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Chicken broth to taste

Splash of half-and-half

1/4 to 1/2 cup frozen peas

Chicken with Rosemary Sauce, chicken chopped and stirred into sauce

1 (10-count) can refrigerator flaky biscuits

Melt the butter with the oil in a skillet. Add the carrots and potato and cook until tender. Stir in the rosemary and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the wine and deglaze the pan, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Combine the cornstarch with a small amount of broth in a cup to make a slurry. Stir into the vegetables. Add broth and half-and-half until of the desired consistency. Stir in the peas, chicken and sauce until heated through. Divide evenly among ramekins. Top each with a biscuit that has been stretched to cover the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes or until the filling is bubbly and the biscuits are golden brown.