Recipes suggested for commodity foods

The commodity foods that are distributed monthly by local agencies, such as Douglass Community Services in Hannibal, often include the same type of items, month after month. At DCS the food is distributed on the first Thursday of each month.
In order to add variety to the menus, Lil Keller, RD Ld, a registered and licensed dietician with the Marion County Health Department, has provided several recipes for chicken and other foods that are available as commodities.
Peggy Walley, support services director at DCS, explained that the food commodities vary each month, and may include small whole chickens. Other meats often provided are frozen hot dogs or hamburger. “We have a lot of young parents and  young single mothers,” Walley said. She was pleased that Keller was providing the chicken recipes.
Additional items received as food commodities include peanut butter, dried milk, bags of potatoes, canned vegetables, canned soup and dried fruit.
The following recipes were provided by Keller:
Chicken recipes:
Defrost frozen chicken on bottom shelf of refrigerator overnight. Chicken also may be defrosted safely in cold running water.

Old-fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup
1, 4-5-pound chicken, cut into pieces
6 cups water or broth
½ cup chopped onion (1 medium)
2 teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 ½ cups dried medium noodles*
1 cup chopped carrots (2 medium)
1 cup chopped celery (2 stalks)
2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley (optional)
1. In a large Dutch oven or kettle combine chicken, water or broth, onion, salt, pepper and bay leaf. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about 2 hours or until chicken is tender.
(This is the basic cooking method for cooking chicken. The meat may be used for a variety of recipes calling for cooked chicken.)
2. Remove chicken from broth. When cool enough to handle, remove skin and meat from bones. Discard skin and bones. Cut meat into bite-size pieces; set aside. Discard bay leaf. Skim fat from broth.
3. Bring broth to boiling. Stir in noodles, carrots, and celery. Simmer, covered, about 8 minutes or until noodles are tender but still firm. Stir in chicken pieces and parsley if using. Yield: 8 servings.
*Note:  ½ to ¾ cup uncooked long-grain rice may be substituted for the noodles. Recipe adapted from Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook, 2004 Edition, page 497.

Easy Barbecue Chinese Chicken
1 chicken, cut into pieces
1/4-1/3 cup ketchup
1/4-1/3 cup honey
1/4 -1/3 cup light soy sauce
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. (350 degrees F. for glass dishes)
2. Combine ketchup, honey, and soy sauce; mix thoroughly.  Set aside.
3. Prepare chicken by removing skin and fat and rinsing in cool water. Pat dry. Place chicken in shallow baking dish. Pour sauce over chicken; turn chicken. Cover dish with foil and bake 30 minutes. Uncover, turn chicken over and continue baking, uncovered, until chicken is done (165 degrees F. on instant-read thermometer. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve. Yield: 8 servings

Chicken and
Rice Casserole
1 cup regular long-grain rice
1 package dried onion soup mix
1 chicken, cup and skinned
1 can cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup
1½ cup water
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Prepare a 9-inch x9-inch baking dish by spraying with non-stick spray.
2. Place rice and soup mix in baking dish; mix
3. Rinse chicken with cool water; pat dry and place pieces over rice mixture.
4. Dab chicken with undiluted soup
5. Pour water over all; cover and bake covered 1 to 1 ¼ hour or until rice is done and chicken is tender (165 degrees F. on instant-read thermometer).  Uncover last 15 minutes of baking time. Yield: 8 servings

Bacon-Flaked Chicken
5-6 slices bacon, cut in half
3 whole chicken breasts, halved, skinned, and boned
1 cup milk
2 cups crushed cornflakes
Salt and pepper to taste
Garlic salt, optional
1. Cook bacon on paper towels in the microwave (about 2 ½ - 3 minutes for 3 slices) or cook in skillet. Drain well if cooking in a skillet. Place in shallow microwavable dish.
2. Add salt and pepper to milk. Dip chicken in milk and in cornflakes to coat pieces. Place on top of bacon. Season with garlic salt, if desired. Pour remaining milk around chicken being careful not to disturb crumbs. Cook uncovered on high for 5 minutes. Turn chicken over and cook for another 8 minutes. Let stand for 3 minutes before serving. Yield: 6 servings

Chicken Potpie
½ cup (1 stick) margarine, melted
1/3 cup or more finely minced onion
½ cup finely chopped celery
½ cup all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken broth
1, 28-ounce package frozen mixed vegetables or 2, 16-ounce cans mixed vegetables
1 large chicken cooked, skinned, deboned, and cut into cubes (about 4 cups cubed chicken)
Salt and pepper to taste
Piecrust for 2-crust pie (purchased or home-made) or 1 biscuit recipe (homemade or 1 can purchased)
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. (350 degrees F. for a glass dish) for pie crust or 425 degrees F. (400 degrees F. for a glass dish) for biscuits. Grease a 9-x13-inch baking dish with non-stick spray or small amount of margarine.
2. Melt margarine; add onions and celery and cook until slightly soft. Stir in flour and cook a few minutes until bubbly.
3. Remove from heat. Gradually add chicken broth, stirring constantly. If necessary, use wire whisk to remove lumps. Return to stove; stir constantly and cook until thick. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in frozen vegetables or canned, drained vegetables and cubed chicken. Place in baking dish. Cover mixture with piecrust rolled between waxed paper to fit the size of the pan. If using biscuit dough instead of pie crust, dab dough over chicken mixture.
4. Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour for pie crust version or 30-35 minutes for biscuit topped version. Yield: 8 servings

Pie Crust
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
¾ cup shortening
4-5 tablespoons ice water
1. In a medium bowl, stir salt into flour. With a fork or pastry blender, cut shortening into flour until the mixture looks like coarse cornmeal. Lightly stir in 4 tablespoons of ice water adding an additional tablespoon if necessary. Mix until dough forms a ball. Divide in two; roll each ball between lightly floured waxed paper. Yield: 2 single pie crusts or 1 double pie crust.
2. For baked pie crust (before adding filling), line pie pan with crust. Flute edges and prick bottom and sides with a fork. Cover crust with waxed paper and dried beans or pie weights; bake about 5 minutes in a 425 degree F. oven. Remove waxed paper and beans or weights; continue baking about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool before filling.
3. Follow recipe directions for baking when filling is added before baking.

Homemade Biscuit
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup shortening or margarine
¾ to 1 cup milk
½ cup (2 ounces) grated sharp Cheddar cheese, optional
1 tablespoon minced parsley or chives, optional
1. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.  Cut in shortening or margarine until mixture is crumbly.  Add enough milk to make a soft dough.  Add Cheddar cheese and parsley and chives, if using.  Drop by even spoonfuls over pot pie mixture. Proceed as directed above. 
2. May be dropped on greased baking sheet and baked at 425 degrees F. for about 20 minutes.

Homemade Mashed Potatoes
6-8 medium-sized potatoes
Water
Milk, dried, evaporated, or liquid
Margarine
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Wash, peel, and cut potatoes into even-sized pieces. Place in cooking pot and add water just until potatoes are covered. Add salt (about ½ to 1 teaspoon). Bring potatoes to boil; reduce heat and cook gently until potatoes pierce easily with a fork (about 20 minutes). Remove from heat and pour water into another pan or large measuring cup. Return pan to heat briefly to dry pan.
2. Mash potatoes with potato masher or place potatoes in bowl of electric mixer and beat with beaters. Add 1/3 cup dried milk powder and enough cooking water to get desired consistency. If using evaporated or regular milk, warm and add enough to get desired consistency. Using dried milk powder and left-over cooking liquid preserves more of the nutrients from the potatoes and creates a fluffy mashed potato. Add margarine, salt and pepper to taste. Yield: 6-8 servings