MIRACLE DOUGH CHICKEN BAKES - TASTIER THAN THE REAL THING!

MIRACLE DOUGH CHICKEN BAKES

I think I finally made a Chicken Bake that trumps Costco Chicken Bake! At least my husband and I think so. The crispy, cheesy chicken bakes with the familiar rich, creamy filling with ham (I prefer this over bacon) and green onions were so good - even warmed up in a nonstick pan greased with a little light-tasting olive oil (actually first warm them slightly in the microwave and then pan fry both sides until crispy once again): Ian said he preferred these over the original Costco Chicken Bake. That says a LOT! He also liked them sliced...chilled out of the refrigerator.

Ingredients:

2 cups chopped, cooked chicken (500 mL)

(rotisserie chicken is fine)

1¹/₂cups grated Mozzarella cheese, divided (375 mL)

²/₃cup chopped, thick deli ham (150 mL)

¹/₄cup chopped green onions (60 mL)

¹/₂cup mayonnaise (125 mL)

1 tbsp Parmesan cheese (15 mL)

(the kind in a can)

2 tsp lemon juice (10 mL)

1 tsp crushed garlic (5 mL)

(the bottled kind or cook first)

¹/₂tsp Dijon mustard (2 mL)

¹/₄tsp black pepper (1 mL)

¹/₈tsp salt (0.5 mL)

Light-tasting olive oil for the frying pan

Miracle Dough (click for recipe) - For grain-free, see alternatives in Helpful Hints below

Instructions:

In medium bowl, combine chicken, 1 cup (250 mL) Mozzarella cheese, ham and green onions. In small bowl, combine mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, black pepper and salt. Stir into the chicken mixture.

Prepare Miracle Dough. Divide the dough into 4 almost equal balls (weigh them on a kitchen scale). On a piece of wax paper flatten a ball. Using a rolling pin (a smaller one for pie dishes works well), roll out to an 8 x 8 inch (20 x 20 cm) square more or less. If ever the dough becomes resistant to rolling, nuke 10 seconds in the microwave oven and it should roll out with ease again. This typically should not be a problem if you work and get them all rolled out and filled within about 8 minutes.

Roughly divide the chicken mixture into 4 servings. Place one serving down the center of the rolled out dough, leaving spaces at the top and bottom. Fold the top and bottom ends up first and then fold over the sides and pinch closed gently with your fingers (this works with ease). Repeat the whole procedure with each of the 3 remaining balls of dough.

Grease a nonstick frying pan with olive oil and place 2 of the Chicken Bakes in the pan at a time. Fry on both sides, over medium heat, until golden on both sides. Be careful not to cook until the dough is too dark. Set aside and cook the remaining 2 Chicken Bakes in a similar manner. Now take one of the first two cooked Chicken Bakes and carefully hold it in such a way that the ends and sides are cooked on the hot pan (I used 2 spatulas). You don’t have to do this step, but I like to do it, so that the sides are just a little less doughy (somewhat doughy is fine as it contrasts nicely with the crispy top and bottom of the Chicken Bake). Repeat with the remaining Chicken Bakes. You can keep them warm in a warm 200°F (93°C) oven or better yet, serve them right away. I served mine with sliced, fresh Beefsteak tomatoes. Excellent! I also mixed mayonnaise and sugar-free ketchup for a nice condiment with these Chicken bakes, and, of course, a diet coke or diet ginger ale just completes the meal. Enjoy!

Helpful Hints: For a Grain-Free version, use a bake mix made up of 2 cups (500 mL) almond flour and 2/3 cup (150 mL) coconut flour. Use ³/₄cup (175 mL) of the mixture. Or, simply use 2/3 cup (150 mL) almond flour and 2 tbsp (30 mL) coconut flour for each batch of Miracle Dough (I have not tested this smaller version, but the Grain-Free Bake mix - yes!). Also, you may use my Keto Bake Mix. Lots of alternatives to my favorite bake mix, Splendid Gluten-Free Bake Mix 2.

Yield: 8 servings

1 serving

443.4 calories

27.9 g protein

34.0 g fat

0.1 g fiber

5.0 g net carbs

or DOUBLE THE ANALYSIS if you want to eat the whole thing - ONE whole envelope! It's not too far off from the real one in calories, but a lot less in carbohydrates.) I think half is not really enough...even although it is very filling...so keep it for a day when you think you can have that many calories in one meal. I served it with a few plain tomato slices. It was so over-the-top good and better than the original, my husband said. I didn't gain any weight from it, nor did I have any cravings as I normally do with regular Chicken Bakes.

Here is the analysis of a REAL Costco Chicken Bake:

Calories 769	(3219 kJ)
Calories from fat 225
% Daily Value 1
Total Fat	25g	38%
Sat. Fat	9g	45%
Trans Fat	0.5g
Cholesterol	115mg	38%
Sodium	2310mg	96%
Total Carbs.	78g	26%
Dietary Fiber	2g	8%
Sugars	6g
Protein	61g
Calcium	400mg

MIRACLE DOUGH TIPS: - Please note:- USE BOB'S RED MILL COCONUT FLOUR FOR ALL MY RECIPES AND ESPECIALLY FOR THIS MIRACLE DOUGH - COCONUT FLOURS DIFFER GREATLY IN THEIR ABILITY TO ABSORB MOISTURE! There are several variations of this kind of dough on the internet, but mine is different to all the others out there. I am getting very adept with this dough. Use a fork to make it come together. At first it looks impossible (might even have strings of cheese in it), but keep mixing and then turn out on a cutting board. Knead for a couple of minutes, adding a bit of coconut flour as needed to make a lovely elastic dough. The more coconut flour one can add (usually about 1 tbsp or a bit more), the more bread-like the dough becomes (more substantial). Since coconut flour is mostly fiber, you're not really adding much in the way of carbs, spread over several servings. I put the dough ball on parchment paper and cover the dough with plastic wrap and using a rolling pin (sometimes I use my special small one for pie dough), roll it out with ease. If at any time the dough becomes resistant to rolling, nuke it approximately 10 to 20 seconds and away you go again!

Here is a pic of the dough ball - lovely, soft and malleable!!

Mozzarella cheeses that I have successfully used with the Miracle Dough and The Sweet Miracle Pastry Dough as well. I get mine from Price Smart in South America, which is the same as Costco in the United States.

I used this one many times

I used to grate my own cheese using my 20-year old Braun food processor, which has a ton of gadgets - this is the cheese I used most often. CLICK ON THE PHOTO TO SEE A BIGGER IMAGE.

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