Quiche with Chicken - Two Ways

I love rotisserie chickens. The kind you find in those plastic containers in the grocery store. Their siren song calls to me as soon as I pull into the parking lot. I also love roasting my own chickens. Both are delicious, in their own special ways. 

But, once you've had your initial fill of wonderful roasted chicken goodness, what do you do with the rest of it? 

May I suggest quiche? Eggy, sumptuous quiche. The perfect breakfast/brunch/lunch dish. Quiche is quite adaptable. You can go many different directions. I suggest French ('cause that's where it came from) and Greek ('cause I happened to have feta cheese in the fridge).

In both cases, we start off with onions, garlic and butter.

Then the chicken. Chop it up in bite size pieces. 

Next up, some spinach. Let the spinach sit in the hot pan (the one that you sauteed those onions in) and wilt a little. 

 

Here's where the two diverge - 

For the French version, you need to brown up some bacon.

Then combine the bacon, chicken, and garlic/onions.

Add in a cup of grated swiss cheese, a tablespoon of Herbs De Provence, and some salt and pepper. 

Mix that up, and toss in the wilted spinach.

Dump it into your crust-lined deep dish pie plate. 

Mix up your eggs, milk, and cream, and gently pour over the mixture. Sprinkle a bit of swiss over the top.

It's ready for the oven!

Now, on to the Greek.

It begins the same, with a mix of chicken, onions, and garlic. But then you add feta.

Next, chop up some olives and roasted red peppers.

Mix those into the bowl with the chicken and onions. Add the spinach. Then toss in some oregano, dill, and smoked paprika. 

 

I've only got one deep dish pie plate, so I had to MacGyver up another. If you rip off strips of parchment paper and rim a regular sized pie plate with them, it gets taller. 

I had to use 3 strips to fit all the way around. But it held! Even after I dumped everything in and added some grape tomatoes!

After a trip to the oven, they both came out beautifully. 

I preferred the French one, and Mr. S liked the Greek. Of course. 

French Chicken Quiche

Makes 1 deep dish quiche

1/2 large onion, diced

1 large clove garlic, diced

1 tbsp butter

1 c. leftover rotisserie or roasted chicken, cubed

3 strips bacon, chopped

1 1/2 c. fresh baby spinach

1 c. grated swiss cheese, 2 tbsp reserved for sprinkling on top

1 tbsp Herbes De Provence

Salt and pepper to taste

1 pie crust (store-bought or homemade, I don't judge)

4 eggs

3/4 c. milk (I used 1%)

1/2 c. heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a medium skillet, sautee onion, garlic and butter over medium heat until the onion is translucent. In a large bowl, mix the chicken and onions. Using the same skillet, brown up the bacon. When the bacon is crispy, add to the bowl. Remove some of the bacon grease, and add the spinach to the pan. Allow the spinach to wilt slightly. Add it to the bowl along with the grated swiss, Herbes De Provence, and salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.

Place your pie crust into a deep dish pie plate. Dump in the chicken mixture and even it out.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and cream. Gently pour the egg mixture into the pie plate. Sprinkle the reserved cheese over the top. Put in the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until browned on top and just set. Remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes before serving. 

Greek Chicken Quiche

Makes 1 deep dish quiche

1/2 large onion, diced

1 large clove garlic, diced

1 tbsp butter

1 c. leftover rotisserie or roasted chicken, cubed'

1 c. feta cheese, crumbled

1 1/2 c. fresh baby spinach

3 tbsp roasted red pepper, chopped

6 kalamata olives, quartered

1 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp dill

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1 pie crust (store-bought or homemade, I don't judge)

4 eggs

3/4 c. milk (I used 1%)

1/2 c. heavy cream

1/4 c. grape tomatoes

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a medium skillet, sautee onion, garlic and butter over medium heat until the onion is translucent. In a large bowl, mix the chicken and onions. Add the feta to the bowl and mix. Place the spinach into the warm skillet. Allow the spinach to wilt slightly. Add it to the bowl along with the red peppers and olives. Add in the oregano, dill, and smoked paprika. Mix thoroughly.

Place your pie crust into a deep dish pie plate. Dump in the chicken mixture and even it out.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and cream. Gently pour the egg mixture into the pie plate. Place the grape tomatoes on the top, nicely spread out. Put the quiche in the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until browned on top and just set. Remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes before serving.