Salsa Chicken Shortcakes

I like this dish because it can be prepared and served in less than 30 minutes, plus it's a very different way to serve chicken.  Also, on a warm day, the oven isn't on long enough to heat the kitchen to the point of being unbearable.

I found this recipe years ago in the Pillsbury 38th BAKE-OFF Contest Cookbook at the market.  I don't make these tasty sandwiches often, but when I do, they are gobbled down as quickly as I can get them to the table.  This recipe gets 8's and 9's on the Melnarik rating scale, plus some more 9's from some of my boy's friends.

As you can see, I almost forgot to take a picture of the first step, which is baking the biscuits according to the package directions.  I always buy the Pillsbury Grands! biscuits so they are large enough to make a decent size sandwich.

For the filling, I began by placing the chicken with the garlic in a large skillet in which I had heated some oil over medium heat.  In this case, I used some already cooked chicken breasts, which I cubed.  The recipe calls for raw chicken breasts that are to be cubed and cooked over high heat with the garlic.  I've done it both ways in the past.  The reason I added the previously cooked chicken to the skillet with the garlic is to allow the chicken to heat as the garlic cooks, which will help meld the flavors.

Once the garlic was cooked and the chicken was heated through, I added the cumin and stirred until the chicken was coated.  The heat of the pan helped sear the seasoning to the chicken.

Then, I added the frozen corn (no need to defrost) and the salsa, mixing thoroughly.  I continued to cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes until the mixture thickened slightly and the corn was heated through.

To assemble, I cut each biscuit in half crosswise.  I put some of the chicken mixture over the bottom halves, topped them with the top half and added a bit more of the chicken mixture.  I cut each slice of Pepper Jack cheese into 4 strips and criss-crossed 2 of them over the top of each sandwich.  The heat of the sandwich melted the cheese a bit over the top.  The easiest way to eat these tasty sandwiches is with a knife and fork.   These are so tasty, it's next to impossible to eat just one!  Enjoy!

Salsa Chicken Shortcakes

1 can (10.8 oz.) Pillsbury Grands Refrigerated Flaky Biscuits

1 tablespoon oil

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound) cut into ¾-inch pieces

1 garlic clove, minced

1 ¾ cups thick and chunky salsa

1 cup frozen corn

1 teaspoon cumin

4 oz. sliced Pepper Jack cheese, cut into 1-inch strips

Heat oven to 350°F.  Prepare and bake biscuits as directed on can.  Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until hot.  Add chicken and garlic; cook and stir 5 to 7 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.  Add salsa, corn, and cumin; mix well.  Reduce heat to medium; cook 10 minutes or until mixture thickens slightly.

To serve, split each warm biscuit.  Place bottom halves on individual serving plates.  Spoon half of chicken mixture over biscuits.  Cover with biscuit tops, remaining chicken mixture; top with cheese.