Butter: Poppy Seed Chicken

Every cook, chef, or foodie subscribes to a certain food philosophy; my philosophy is pretty simple, I like to make or make over traditional recipes while adhering to a mostly whole foods lifestyle, while being sensitive to my son's food allergies (read more about that here). I love comfort food, especially casseroles, but I've always feel a little guilty because there is so much nasty, bad for you, processed food that I can't enjoy it without thinking of what I'm putting into my body.

So after some investigating & inspiration I have decided to take on the task of making over some of the most beloved casseroles, comfort foods, & southern foods (as any southern knows there is a ton of bad for you things in many of the traditional southern dishes) & make them into good for you, whole food versions with just as much or more taste.

Monday, I took on the task of Poppy Seed Chicken. I first had this dish when a family member cooked it for us right after our son was born & I loved it. I was surprised when I learned how easy & quick it was, but when I broke it down I was disappointed with yet another version of casserole/comfort food via cream of whatever soup [seriously have you ever looked at the back of one of those cans the ingredients & nutritional value- or lack there of- is deplorable].

This version is completely made of whole, non-processed foods & doesn't take much more time. Here's your recipe:

- 1.5 cups brown rice [regular cooking, the 10 minute rice has stabilizers that you really don't need to
  be putting into your body- seriously, its as easy as a slow cooker]
- 2 3/4 cups of organic chicken or vegetable stock [you can also use water, but stock gives more
  flavor]
- 2 tble (tablespoons) of olive oil [use a high quality 100% olive oil, the cheap stuff tends to have non-
  olive oil fillers to cut the cost]

*add rice, water, & olive oil to pot, bring to a boil, turn down to simmer, & cover for 40-50 minutes or when the rice is absorbed. After rice is absorbed, leave it covered but remove from the heat & let it sit for 10 minutes.

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- 2 slices of 100% whole grain bread [flip it over & read the back, the less ingredients the better &
  you should be able to pronounce everything without reverting to a phonics lesson]

*toast the bread in 350º oven for 5-7 minutes per side [I like to use the oven to make sure it gets very toasted without getting burned]. Remove & set aside

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- 3 tble of olive oil 

- 3 tble of flour [I used whole wheat flour -use a high quality or it will be super flaky & that's not 

  good- but you can also use white rice flour or sweet rice flour. Don't use all-purpose while flour it is 

  incredibly processed. Rice flour can easily be found at a healthy food store like Whole Foods, Trader 

  Joes, or Earth Fare, some standard grocery stores may even have it in their health food section]

- 2 cups of chicken or vegetable stock

- 1 tble of cornstarch dissolved in 1 tble of water [you may not need this using the rice flours]

- 1 tsp ea. salt & pepper

- 1/2 tsp onion powder [use a higher quality powder. I used the cheap stuff & flipped it over to find it 

   may have traces of milk, soy, & nuts....why? It's onion powder for goodness sakes]

- 16 oz of greek yogurt

*Add olive oil & flour to pot & whisk together, allow it to come to a boil then slowly add in 2 cups of stock. Allow this to come to a boil, if it starts to thicken you won't need the corn starch if the consistency doesn't change after 2 or 3 minutes add the cornstarch & water mixture. Whisk it consistently for about 3-5 minutes until it thickens [whisking will help to ensure it doesn't burn]. Once the sauce thickens, turn off the heat & add the remaining ingredients.

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- 1 tble olive oil

- 1 medium onion, peeled & chopped

- 1 clove garlic, peeled & minced

- 1/2 tsp (teaspoon) of salt

- 3-4 cups of shredded or chopped chicken [I used 1 whole antibiotic, hormone, & steriod-free 

  rotisserie chicken from Earth Fare]

- 2 tble poppy seeds

- 2 cups of frozen peas

*Add onion, garlic, & salt to a skillet of the heated olive oil, saute until onion slightly starts to turn brown. Stir in chicken, poppy seeds, peas, & greek yogurt mixture. Transfer to a 9x13 inch baking dish. In a sandwich bag or food processor, crush up the toasted bread & top the chicken & yogurt mixture to it. Cover with tin foil & bake for 10 minutes in a 400º oven. After 10 minutes remove foil & cook for an additional 10 minutes. Since every oven is different, keep an eye it once you remove the foil to make sure it doesn't burn. Serve over rice.

Leaner version: substitute the whole chicken for chicken breast.
Vegetarian version: substitute the chicken for mushrooms, carrots, broccoli, &/or cauliflower; greek yogurt for unsweetened coconut or soy yogurt [you will have to drain the yogurt- put a mesh strainer over a bowl with a cheese cloth draped over the top, add the yogurt into the cheese cloth & let it sit, covered in the fridge over night].