Chicken and Spinach Quiche

Chicken and Spinach Quiche
by Mary Makowski

Pie Crust:

Make a single pie crust.  This is not something I’ve actually done before with any success, so I used Ina Garten’s recipe, which is prefaced by the words “perfect” and “easy,” probably because those are the search terms I used.  Anyway, I pre-baked it at 400 degrees for 15 minutes after pricking it with a fork and that worked fine and saved my bag of beans for another day.

Filling:

1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
½ baked chicken, deboned and chopped (about 2 cups)
4 slices of bacon
¾ cup chopped mushrooms
¾ cup chopped sweet white onions
1 fresh jalapeno, seeded and diced (optional for those outside of Texas)
Leaves of two thyme sprigs
5 ounces of fresh spinach (use frozen if you must, one of the small boxes)
8 eggs
½ cup milk
Salt and pepper

Directions:

When the pie crust comes out of the oven, cover the bottom with one cup shredded Gruyere while still hot, then cool completely before filling.  This helps to “seal” the bottom crust and gives it a nice cheesy texture.

In a large saute pan, fry the bacon until crisp and remove to drain.  Add the chopped mushrooms, onions, jalapeno and leaves of two thyme sprigs to the bacon drippings and saute until the onions are translucent.  Add the fresh spinach to the vegetables and stir until completely wilted.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Whisk 8 eggs with ½ cup of milk and salt and pepper to taste.

Finely chop the bacon and mix in with the diced chicken.  Scatter the chicken and bacon in the bottom of the pie crust, atop the Gruyere.  Using a slotted spoon to leave all liquid behind, spoon the vegetables on top of the chicken.  Pour the egg mixture evenly over the pie filling.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until eggs are set and puffed.  Let sit for 10 minutes before cutting.