I made the Pillsbury Bakeoff winner "Million Dollar Chicken" tonight...

[Banana Brain]

I made it after seeing it on Oprah recently. A cooking mom won a million dollars for coming up with this very simple recipe that used two Pillsbury products. It was pretty good. The waffles in the stuffing were nice and chewy, and had a savory chicken flavor. But I wasn't extatic about the chicken itsself, which had a sweet peach flavor. Almost ironic, isn't it? Maybe it just wasn't as good because I accidently bought skinless chicken breasts. If you make this, try to ONLY use 1/4 cup chicken broth. People posting back to review this recipe on Oprah's website seemed to think the waffles were too soggy, but mine were just right. Thats because I only added the tiny bit of chicken broth needed for flavoring. I think the chicken broth for flavor, not binding or moistening, so you only need to add 1/4 cup! My guess is that most people with soggy stuffing were of the Racheal Ray cooking generation and just "eyeballed" it.

Here's the recipe from pillsbury.com/bakeoff.
INGREDIENTS
Although Pillsbury products are listed here, you can use any brand.

9 Pillsbury® Dunkables® frozen homestyle waffle sticks with 3 syrup cups (from 1 lb.-1.3-oz. box)

2 tablespoons peach preserves

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 bone-in skin-on chicken breasts (1 lb.)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)

1/4 cup chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh sage

1 tablespoon beaten egg white

1 box (9 oz) Green Giant® frozen spinach, thawed and drained, or 1 1/2 cups Green Giant® frozen cut leaf spinach (from 1 lb. bag)

1 tablespoon chopped pecans



Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 9-inch glass pie plate or 8-inch square pan with cooking spray. In small bowl, mix contents of syrup cups from waffles, the preserves and Worcestershire sauce. Place chicken, skin side up, in pie plate; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spoon syrup mixture over chicken.

Bake uncovered 40 to 45 minutes. Meanwhile, toast waffle sticks until golden brown. Cool slightly, about 2 minutes. Cut waffles into 3/4-inch cubes; set aside. Spray 1-quart casserole with cooking spray (or use 9x5-inch nonstick loaf pan; do not spray). In 10-inch nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, cook and stir 2 minutes or until tender. Stir in waffle pieces and broth, breaking up waffle pieces slightly to moisten. Sprinkle with poultry seasoning and sage. Remove from heat, cool about 5 minutes. Stir in egg white and spinach. Spoon stuffing into casserole. Sprinkle pecans over top.

Twenty minutes before chicken is done, place casserole in oven next to chicken in pie plate. Spoon syrup mixture in pie plate over chicken. Bake chicken and stuffing uncovered 20 to 25 minutes longer or until juice of chicken is clear when thickest part is cut to bone (170°F) and stuffing is thoroughly heated. Spoon remaining syrup mixture from pie plate over chicken. Serve chicken with stuffing.

 

[Banana Brain]

Just so you know.

 

[FryBoy]

The Pillsbury Bake-Off just ain't what it used to be. In the olden days, back when I was alive (as my daughter would say), it was sufficient to use Pillsbury flour or Land O' Lakes butter. Now they require that you use two tubs of their prepared foods -- IMHO, it's become nothing more than a scam to sell that stuff!

Here's the list -- you have to use two of these to enter: http://www.pillsbury.com/Bakeoff/products/index.aspx

Oy, vey! A chicken stuffed with WAFFLE STICKS and topped with PANCAKE SYRUP? Bah! Humbug! Who judges this stuff -- 13-year-old boys with bad colds? If you want GOOD recipes, look on eBay or in your local used book store for one of the recipe booklets from the early years of the bake off. I have the 1964 edition, from the 15th contest, and it has some great ideas -- retro, to be sure, but tasty just the same.

 

[Banana Brain]

The Pillsbury Bake-Off just ain't what it used to be. In the olden days, back when I was alive (as my daughter would say), it was sufficient to use Pillsbury flour or Land O' Lakes butter. Now they require that you use two tubs of their prepared foods -- IMHO, it's become nothing more than a scam to sell that stuff!

Here's the list -- you have to use two of these to enter: http://www.pillsbury.com/Bakeoff/products/index.aspx

Oy, vey! A chicken stuffed with WAFFLE STICKS and topped with PANCAKE SYRUP? Bah! Humbug! Who judges this stuff -- 13-year-old boys with bad colds? If you want GOOD recipes, look on eBay or in your local used book store for one of the recipe booklets from the early years of the bake off. I have the 1964 edition, from the 15th contest, and it has some great ideas -- retro, to be sure, but tasty just the same.

Good point. I guess its not really a homemade recipe if you use anything that was prepared weeks ago in a factory. Its more like... have you seen Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee?

 

[licia]

I have several of the first Pillsbury cook off recipes and they were good back then. I don't know how the judges come up with the winners anymore. Lot of the stuff I wouldn't eat, but I suppose tastes have definitely changed.