Thursday, February 19, 2015

Cranberry-Pecan Chicken Salad Biscuit Sandwiches - Low Carb

This evening I wasn't particularly hungry. I had a pot of cooked chicken breasts that I prepared yesterday for our dog Spike. I cook plain boneless chicken breasts and freeze them every week to pull out and chop up to add to his food every day. 

Since I already had a big pot of cooked chicken breasts that I hadn't put away yet, I pulled out a large chicken breast to chop up and make chicken salad biscuit sandwiches with for dinner. I also had a bowl of fresh cranberry sauce in the fridge and a tray of buttermilk biscuits that I made last night. I popped a handful of pecans in the oven for about 10 minutes to roast at 325 degrees F while I diced up the chicken, chopped the celery and green onions and then mixed it all together with a little mayonnaise and cranberry sauce. I seasoned it with a pinch of sea salt and a few shakes of chipotle and roasted garlic seasoning and then stirred in the chopped toasted pecans. 

I split one of the biscuits in half and then piled it high with a big scoop of chicken salad...and "Voila"...I had a quick, delicious and easy dinner. I love adding cranberry sauce and roasted pecans to chicken salad. I snapped a few photos below. Also, I experimented a bit with my Southern Style Buttermilk Biscuit recipe when I made them last night to see if I could keep them "biscuity" but also make them a little more sturdy to hold up better for sandwiches. I think my little tweak made them better for slicing and making sandwiches with. I'm going to post my regular buttermilk biscuit recipe below with my little tweaks added. If you try my tweaked version, let me know what you think. Enjoy!  






Southern Style Buttermilk Biscuits #3
(Sturdier Sandwich Version)

Ingredients:


3 cups blanched almond flour

3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda (increased from original recipe)
1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon Kosher or Celtic sea salt
3 tablespoons chilled butter, small diced
3 ounces very cold brick style cream cheese, diced
2 large eggs, beaten (increased from original recipe)
1/4 to 1/2 cup cold buttermilk (*see note below; modified from original recipe)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly greased non-stick foil.


In a medium mixing bowl, add flour, baking powder, soda and salt; whisk to mix well.  Add diced chilled butter and cream cheese.  Using a pastry/dough blender, quickly cut butter and cream cheese into dry ingredients until it appears crumbly and moistened.  

Crack both eggs into glass measuring cup; fill with buttermilk to the 3/4 cup mark. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture; add buttermilk and egg mixture and mix until it pulls together into a soft sticky dough. The dough will be light, airy and fluffy.  

Scoop dough onto prepared baking sheet using a 3-tablespoon size retractable scoop, spacing evenly apart to make approximately 15 equal sized mounds. Lightly tamp down tops to barely flatten top only (do not flatten biscuit). Bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool approximately 5 to 10 minutes for easier slicing. Makes approximately 15 biscuits.

*Note: Total liquid mixture should equal 3/4 cup. Eggs vary in size and volume, so add them to the glass measuring cup first and then fill with buttermilk to the 3/4 cup mark (buttermilk used will be between 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup, depending on the volume of eggs used).   



         


23 comments:

Charlotte Moore said...

These look the most like a regular buttermilk biscuit I have ever seen. I really need to try these for our granddaughter in law. She loves bread,

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Thanks Charlotte. If you wanted to make a test batch first to see if she likes them, you could make half of a batch the first time. :-)

Ditamac FL/MI said...

#3 Revised Southern Biscuits --
I assume the instruction to "let the biscuits sit in pan for about 15 minutes before baking" is deleted?? Thanks for all your wonderful recipes.

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Ditamac,

Yes, that was deleted in this version. I added an extra egg, a bit more baking soda as well as slightly decreased the buttermilk (to compensate for the additional egg). I think the extra egg helps bind these a little better for slicing and using as sandwiches while still keeping the biscuit texture. I didn't want to make sandwich buns out of them but just a bit sturdier biscuit.

You are so very welcome. So happy that you enjoy them. :-)

Nicole said...

These were perfect! The family declared that these were the best LC biscuits we've tried yet, and we've tried a lot. They remained tall after baking (while others tend to go flat), held up to slicing in half and had great texture and flavor. Used them for bacon-egg-cheese sandwiches this morning too. Definitely a keeper! Made the chicken salad last night and love the cranberry in it. Love your blog--everything we've made has been wonderful!

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Nicole,

I'm so happy they worked out so well for you and am honored your family declared them the best LC biscuits!

So happy you liked the chicken salad w/ cranberries too. Thanks so much for letting me know you are enjoying my blog. I put a lot of time into it and it's nice to know others are enjoying it! Thank you. :-)

Jammie said...

Do you think it would be possible to freeze these? If so, how would you recommend doing it? We are leaving for a week long trip soon and I would like to take these with me to use for breakfast. Thank you so much in advance and I look forward to trying these! I've loved all of your recipes so far :-)

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Anonymous,

I don't know what I did but your comment disappeared...adding cheese and chives next time sounds delicious! So happy you enjoyed them! :-)

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Jammie,

I know others that freeze my biscuits regularly. I have frozen them before by wrapping individually in parchment paper and placing in a large Ziploc bag in the freezer so I can take them out one at a time. Thanks for the kinds words...I hope you enjoy them! :-)

Cammie said...

Ooooh, freezing is a good idea! I will try that on my next trip. So I have made this version several times, and it does hold up as well as slice more easily, although slicing isn't always necessary - we just put butter on top! My husband says this biscuit is easier to eat. I found in my oven it was a little more tender baked a few minutes less, 18 instead of 22. However, I confess I like the taste of the previous recipe, I believe it's #2, better. It has a stronger buttermilk flavor, which I enjoy so much. But it is crumbly. Sigh. What to do? Guess I will just have to alternate, depending on what use I have planned for the leftovers. It's a dilemma I am very happy to have! Thanks for all your creativity and hard work, and I hope you are feeling better these days.

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Cammie,

Thanks so much...I'm much better and almost completely well. I agree with you about liking the taste of the version #2 a little better but these do hold up a little better, especially when using for sandwiches, etc.

So happy both you and your husband are enjoying them. :-)

Unknown said...

Loved this version the best! I was out of buttermilk and tried using yogurt, these too turned out great! Thanks so much, your recipes are awesome and such a help to this lifestyle.

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Elizabeth,

So happy you liked these! Yogurt is a great sub for buttermilk.

You also can use regular milk, half and half or cream by placing 1-1/2 teaspoons white vinegar or lemon juice in a glass measuring cup and then filling to the 1/2 cup line and allowing it to sit for 5 to 10 minutes.

You might already know that but just in case, it's another substitute if you are out of buttermilk again. You can use coconut milk or almond milk as well for a dairy free option. So happy you enjoyed these! :-)

Marianne said...

Has anybody tried adding a scoop of unflavored whey protein powder to Biscuit #2 to combat the crumblies?

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Marianne,

I haven't heard anyone trying that yet. I think the extra egg helps quite a bit which is the modification I made to version #2. I still prefer #2 though and like the texture. If you try it, let me know how it turns out. :-)

Marianne said...

I made Biscuit #2 with one scoop of unflavored whey protein powder and it helped! I was able to slice them lengthwise without them falling apart. I don't know if they would hold up to sandwiches, but they were much more sturdy.

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Marianne,

That's good to know. If you ever try my version #3 with the extra egg added for sturdiness, let me know what you think about them and how they compare sturdiness wise. Thanks for the tip! :-)

Anonymous said...

Holy Moley, these were some good biscuits ! My husband has been picky about LC stuff, especially bread, rolls, pizza crust. He liked these as soon as they hit his mouth !! So delicious ! Can't wait to try these for an egg muffin for breakfast. Thanks for a great recipe !!

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Anonymous,

So happy that you and especially your husband enjoyed the biscuits. Makes it easier when we find something that they enjoy too doesn't it? ;-)

Anonymous said...

Love these ! Do you think they could be frozen or would they get too crumbly upon thawing ? Trying to plan ahead... Thanks, Barbara

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Barbara,

So happy you love them! I have not specifically frozen this version, but I've found with other biscuit versions that if wrapped individually before freezing (like folded in parchment paper), if I unwrap and pop into a hot oven to lightly toast before slicing and using, they work fine. You might just want to do a "test freeze" on one of them just in case it doesn't work to your liking. :-)

Unknown said...

I thought the days of eating anything this good was behind me. Oh My these are wonderful! Ate 2 warm with butter last night. Today it was breakfast sandwiches with egg and ham! When we travel I always take a few of the 'hamburger buns.' Now there will be a baggie with these as well. Thank you for all these recipes. It has made my GF days so much more interesting! I did freeze 6 of these but they won't last long.

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Vianne,

I am so happy you liked the biscuits. I assume you are also referring to my sesame sandwich buns as the hamburger buns. These are both some of my favorites, too. It makes GF eating feel like "normal" doesn't it! Thanks so much for letting me know you're enjoying them. :-)