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Creamy Chicken & Rice Soup

September 25, 2011 By Kate 2 Comments

I am so not a photographer. I might play one here on this little blog, but considering I have to take a least twenty shots to find one I’m even remotely happy with, I’d say I most certainly fall into that amateur-wannabe category. And that’s okay. For the most, I’m fortunate enough to get some decent shots of most of my recipes.

Unfortunately, the one thing that I consistently have the hardest time photographing is soup. Considering I could live on soup, this is not a good thing. In fact, I’ve been holding off posting this delicious recipe because I’m just not happy with the photos of it. But in the end, the taste won out. So, here you go…a creamy, flavorful, fulfilling soup paired with a not-so-lovely image. Please look past that and just trust me on this one.

Creamy Chicken & Rice Soup

  • 1 T. olive oil
  • 1 T. butter
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 lb. sliced mushrooms
  • 1 red pepper, diced
  • 1 t. salt
  • 1/2 t. pepper
  • 1/2 t. paprika
  • 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 8 c. chicken stock
  • 1 c. rice
  • 3/4 c. milk or cream
  • 1 bunch green onions, sliced
  • Additional salt and pepper, to taste

1. Heat olive oil and butter in a large stock pot. Add onion, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes and cook for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and red pepper and cook until mushrooms are browned. Season with salt, pepper and paprika.

2. Add chicken breasts and pour in chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for at least 45 minutes, until chicken is fully cooked. (This can simmer all day if you want.) Remove chicken and set aside.

3. Return soup to a boil and stir in rice. Remove heat and simmer until rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, shred or dice chicken.

4. After rice is cooked, stir chicken back into the pot. Add milk or cream and green onions. Season with additional salt and pepper, to taste.

Note – If you want your soup a little thicker, combine 1 T. corn starch with 1/4 c. water . Bring the soup to a boil, stir in cornstarch mix and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.

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Creamy Chicken Marinara

September 15, 2011 By Kate 2 Comments

For some reason, any time I’m trying to come up with a quick dinner idea my mind always instantly goes to something that involves tomato sauce. Maybe it’s because I know that’s one flavor that will always be a hit with the kids. Who knows? But whatever the reason, one thing I know for sure is that tomato sauce and diced tomatoes are probably two of the most common ingredients on this blog.

This dish evolved as it cooked. I originally was just planning to slow cook some chicken in a basic marinara sauce to serve over spaghetti. That’s a stand-by in our house on busy days. As dinner time was getting closer though, I knew I wanted to mix things up a little bit. So I improvised and tossed in a few extra ingredients that sounded good and ended up with something much better than the original. I just love it when that happens!

Creamy Chicken Marinara

  • 1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
  • 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 t. Italian seasoning
  • 1 t. sugar
  • 1 t. salt
  • 1/2 t. black pepper
  • 1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 4 oz. cream cheese, cut into cubes
  • 1 12 oz. bag frozen spinach
  • Spaghetti, cooked and drained
  • Garnish: Grated Parmesan cheese, optional

1. Combine tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, garlic and seasonings in a bowl and stir until mixed.

2. Place the chicken breasts in a crockpot or casserole dish. Pour sauce on top. Cook on high for 3 hours in a crockpot or bake at 250 degrees for 3 hours.

3. Add the cream cheese and spinach. Continue cooking using preferred method for another hour.

4. Remove chicken and bay leaf. Stir sauce until creamy. Shred chicken and add back into the sauce. Serve over spaghetti. Garnish with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

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Crock Pot Country Chicken

August 24, 2011 By Kate 10 Comments

I think my crock pot is the most under-used appliance in my kitchen, which always baffles me. Not only do I love crock pot meals but using the crock pot fits perfectly with my stolen moments method. So it’s beyond me why I don’t use it more. I’m hoping to use it more often over the next few months. We’ll just see if I remember though.

There’s a funny story behind the name of this recipe. Actually, it’s the same story that’s behind many of the recipe names that I post here. My tendency is to call whatever I’m making “skillet stuff” or “chicken casserole” (no matter what else is in it) or “noodles with sauce” or even, when I’m really desperate, “I don’t know, just stuff!” Yeah, my creativity kind of ends once I decide on all of the ingredients. Fortunately, the kids are never satisfied with those names. So they spend many a night around the dinner table coming up with recipe titles. The winning name is the one that you see here.

With this meal, we went back and forth between Country Chicken and Chicken Soup Casserole. You can see the name we settled on, but they are both equally appropriate. The flavors are really reminiscent of an old-fashioned, homemade chicken soup, which also gives it that country flavor. The slow cooking just infuses everything with fantastic flavor that is not at all boring or bland.

Crock Pot Country Chicken

  • 6-8 Yukon gold potatoes, halved or quartered
  • 4 carrots, peeled, cut in half lengthwise and cut into large pieces
  • 4 celery ribs, cut in half lengthwise and cut into large pieces
  • 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, seasoned to taste with salt and pepper
  • 3 T. corn starch
  • 1 1/4 c. chicken stock
  • 2 t. dijon mustard
  • 1 1/2 t. dill
  • 1 t. salt
  • 1/2 t. black pepper
  • 1 1/2 c. frozen peas

1. Place potatoes, carrots and celery in the bottom of a crock pot. Place seasoned chicken breasts on top.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and chicken stock. Stir in the dijon mustard, dill, salt and pepper until well combined. Pour into the crock pot.

3. Cover the crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Add the peas during the last 30 minutes of cooking time.

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