Chicken and Dumplings Soup

I recently picked up another Taste of Home magazine, and this one was all soups.  One of the first ones I noticed was a Chicken and Dumpling recipe.  I've wanted to make one for a while.  It turns out this magazine has 2 recipes in it, so I took the parts I liked from each one and combined them into my own.  It came out great!

Sorry for the low quality photo.  I seem to have forgotten to take a pic, so I had to use one from my phone!

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, chopped

Olive Oil

1/2 cup flour

10 cups water

1/3 cup chicken bouillon granules

1 16oz package of frozen peas and carrots

1 1/2 to 2 lbs chicken breast, chopped or cubed

1 can Cream of Chicken soup, undiluted

1 can Cream of Mushroom soup, undiluted

Black Pepper to taste

All purpose biscuit/baking mix

Method:

In a stock pot, saute onion in olive oil until tender.  Stir in flour until blended.  Add water (or broth if you decide to go that route, see my recommendations), bouillon, chicken, and pepper.  Bring to a boil and let chicken cook a little bit.  Add in the cans of soup and mix well.  Let this mixture cook for a few minutes at a simmer.  While this is cooking, follow the directions on the back of the biscuit mix box to make dumplings.  I honestly just mixed the baking mix and milk until it looked good enough!  As far as an amount, if you want a lot of dumplings, make a double or triple batch of the portion on the box.  The original recipe I pulled this from used 5 cups of mix with 1 1/3 cup milk, but that seemed like a lot, so I used a little more than half that and it was a pretty good amount. Once the mix is blended, drop rounded tablespoonfuls (or whatever size you prefer) into the simmering soup.  Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in a dumpling comes out clean.  Do not lift the cover while simmering!

My Recommendations:

As I said, I pulled this from 2 different Chicken and Dumpling recipes in the magazine.  Next time I think I will just buy chicken broth instead of going with the bouillon.  It will probably be a lot less salty, and therefore, more healthy.  Also, I kind of guessed on the dumplings but they still turned out great, a little bit doughy, just like I like.  Next time I think I will do a little bit smaller pieces of dumpling, but that's all personal preference.

The Verdict:

Love this one!  I had actually had the Chicken and Dumplings soup by Campbell's Chunky a while back, and thought about trying to make it. I kind of forgot about it until now.  This soup is exactly what I was looking for, but way better than the canned version!  I will definitely be making this again, especially over the winter.  I'm sure it will be great for freezing too.

Simple Peach Barbecue Chicken

I tried this one a few weeks ago.  It's another one out of my big slow cooker magazine and was another Hubby's choice.  As usual, he raved about it :)

Ingredients:

2 ½ to 3 lbs chicken drumsticks, skinned if desired 

1 cup of your favorite barbeque sauce 

1/3 cup peach or apricot preserves 

2 teaspoons yellow mustard

Preparation:

To Prepare Sauce:
In a small bowl, stir together barbecue sauce, preserves, and mustard.

Place chicken in slow cooker. Pour sauce mixture over chicken. Cover and cook a couple hours on high, or 3-4 on low for newer slow cookers. For older slow cookers, 6-8 hours on low or 3-4 on high.

Transfer chicken to serving dish, cover to keep warm. Transfer sauce to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer uncovered about 10 minutes, or until sauce reaches desired consistency. Serve chicken with sauce. Garnish with fresh peach wedges if desired.

The Verdict:

As I said before, the hubby LOVED this one. I served it with cut corn and red skin garlic mashed potatoes. Very yummy!

**One thing I want to clarify from the preparation is about the slow cooker times. I will elaborate more in another post, but it seems that newer slow cookers cook at higher temperatures. I realized I have been overcooking some things, and this would be why. So when you use your slow cooker, you may not have to cook things as long as some of the recipes call for. Refer to the instruction manual for your slow cooker if you have it.

Click Here to download the printable PDF recipe page!

Chicken and Brown Rice Soup

Here's a great easy recipe I based off a recipe I found on the Whole Foods website.  It's easy to prep and fast to cook.  We had it for dinner tonight and it was hubby approved.  It's also very light and low calorie.  Also, don't be confused by the tags for this soup.  A couple easy changes will make this a vegetarian dish.

Ingredients:

8 cups chicken broth, (or vegetable broth for vegetarian) divided

1 medium onion, chopped 

3 medium carrots, chopped 

2 stalks celery, chopped 

2 cups water 

1 cup long grain brown rice 

½ lb chicken breast, diced into 1/2 inch cubes (tofu or quartered button mushrooms for vegetarian) 

1 bay leaf 

1 bunch kale, thick stems removed and leaves thinly sliced 

salt and pepper to taste 

oregano to taste 

Method:

In a large pot over medium-high heat, bring ½ cup broth to a simmer. Add onion, carrots and celery and cook until onion is translucent, stirring occasionally. Add remaining broth, water, rice, chicken and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook about 35 minutes or until rice is tender and chicken is cooked through. Remove bay leaf and stir in kale. Continue cooking just until kale is wilted and tender.

The Verdict:

As I said above, this was hubby approved and very easy to make.  It made a pretty decent amount so we should get a few days of meals out of it.  You can also make 2 easy changes to make this a vegetarian meal.  The original recipe didn't call for the salt, pepper, or oregano.  I added the oregano, but I would like a little more flavor, so I will add a tiny bit of salt and some pepper next time.  Over all, it was very tasty and light and I look forward to the left overs!

Click here to download the PDF page for this recipe!

Dad's Jambalaya!

This recipe comes to you courtesy of my Dad, Phil Morris.  He's made it many times and I finally got him to give it to me so I could share it on my blog.  It's a delicious, easy, and quick one pot, stovetop recipe.  There weren't exact measurements on most of the ingredients, so bear with me, I'm guessing.  This will give you a chance to eye it yourself and put in the amounts you want!

Ingredients:

1 lb or so Chicken breasts or tenders diced into small pieces

1 package Andouille Sausage (or Kielbasa, a cheaper alternative)

1 Large or 2 Medium Green Bell Peppers

1 Medium-Large Onion

2 cups chopped Celery

Fresh Garlic (optional)

28 oz. can Diced Tomatoes with the juice

2 32 oz. cartons Chicken Stock

1- 1.5 cups Long Grain White Rice (not instant)

Tobasco/Hot Sauce to taste

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

Olive Oil

1-2 dried Bay Leaves

Cajun or Creole seasoning

Preparation and Cooking:

Dice the chicken (raw) and slice up the sausage or kielbasa.  Put in a large mixing bowl and coat well and evenly with the cajun or creole seasoning.  Set aside.  Chop up the peppers, onion, celery.  Mince garlic if you're using it.  Heat the oil on medium in the stock pot.  Add the vegetables and simmer until they are tender, and the onions are transparent.  Add tomatoes with their juice.  Add in Tobasco and Worcestershire sauces, bay leaves, and rice and stir.  Slowly add the broth a bit at a time, allowing it to warm in the pot each time.  Bring the soup mix to a simmer, then add the meat.  Bring back to a simmer and cook until the meat and rice are done.  Remove Bay leaves if you can find them.

My Recommendations:

I don't really have any changes for this one.  I don't feel I used enough of the meat so I'll definitely use more next time.  I only used one pepper, and I should have used the second one I bought.  I also used a bit more than one cup of rice, because as usual, I felt like 1 cup wasn't enough, and I wanted to get rid of the few remnants in the bag that I had.  It came out a little thick but it's still tasty.  I'd rather fill it out with more veggies and meat, so I'll plan accordingly next time.  My Dad recommended buying chicken tenders because they cut up a lot quicker than trying to dice raw chicken breasts.  I will fully agree with him on that one, and will now use tenders in any recipe I do involving diced chicken.  You can also add shrimp to the recipe if you like, probably in place of the chicken.  I don't like seafood, so there won't be any shrimp in my recipe.


As I said above, the recipe usually calls for Andouille sausage, which is usually more expensive.  I found Johnsonville's New Orleans Spicy Andouille Sausage for a good price.  You can also use your  choice of kielbasa if you like.  I also used Zatarain's Creole Seasoning in place of the Cajun mix my Dad usually uses, because I ran out of our favorite Bayou Cajun that we had.  I couldn't find Cajun at the grocery store I was in, and the Creole was actually fairly cheap and perfect for this recipe.

The Verdict:

The Hubby loved this recipe when he had it at my Dad's house, so there was no question he would like it when I made it.  He did give me his approval anyway, so that makes me happy.  This one makes a lot and my Dad says it freezes well too.  It's also a one pot recipe, so it's fast and easy.  The veggies and meat take a little prep work, but that's about it.

Click here to download a printable page for this recipe! (PDF)

Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

This is a recipe I came up with on my own, although it's really not too difficult!  I cooked everything but the noodles in the slow cooker, because it's all I had until I recently bought a stock pot.  I cooked the noodles separately, as directed, and then added them in afterwards.  I decided to do this, because last time I made the mistake of adding them to the slow cooker, and they turned the whole soup into a slimy mess.  This batch was a lot more successful!

Ingredients:

8 cups (48 oz) chicken stock or broth

5-6 cups cooked or boiled chicken, diced

Desired amount of cut up carrots or baby carrots, and cut up celery

1 onion, finely chopped

1 cup or so finely chopped parsley

desired amount of egg noodles, cooked, drained, and rinsed in cold water

Slow Cooker Method:

Cook or boil the chicken, and dice into small pieces.  Combine all ingredients except noodles in slow cooker.  Cook on High for 4 hours.  Cook about half the bag of noodles as directed.  Drain and rinse with cold water.  When soup mixture is finished, add in noodles until you get your desired amount.  Serve or store for later!

The Verdict:

This one was another hit with the husband and co-workers as well.  It's simple, and was very easy and cheap to make.  I've learned to take my extra left overs into work.  They always get eaten!  Next time I make this, I will make it in the new stock pot I just bought since it would probably take less time and I could just add the noodles and chicken in raw and let them cook in the pot instead of separately.  I'll make sure to update when I try it that way!

Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings

No weekend is complete around our house without a yummy Sunday dinner.  On this week's menu, it was Campbell's Kitchen's Chicken and Dumplings.  I have been wanting to try this one for a while, and finally got around to it.  I was under time constraints so I feel like I need to try it again to really get it just right, but it came out great, and I can't wait to eat my leftovers for dinner after I finish this post!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 - 2 lbs boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 medium Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 2 cups)

2 cups baby-cut carrots

2 stalks celery, sliced (about 1 cup)

2 cans (10 3/4 ounces each) Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup

1 cup water or chicken broth

1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 cups all-purpose baking mix

2/3 cup milk

Preparation and Method:

Stir the chicken, potatoes, carrots and celery in a 6-quart slow cooker.  Stir the soup, water, thyme and black pepper in a medium bowl. Pour the soup mixture over the chicken and vegetables. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours (or high 4 to 5 hours), or until the chicken is cooked through. Stir the baking mix and milk in a medium bowl. Drop the batter by spoonfuls onto the chicken mixture. Increase the heat to HIGH (if not already cooking on high). Tilt the lid to vent and cook for 30 minutes or until the dumplings are cooked in the center.

My Recommendations:

I didn't vary much from the recipe on this one.  I think I misread and used too much Thyme, but not the end of the world.  I added a tiny bit of Cumin, but probably could have added some more.  It definitely needs a little bit more spice and flavor, so feel free to add a little salt and pepper, and your other favorite spices or seasonings.  I also made the spoonfuls of dumpling batter pretty large and they didn't want to cook in the center of the pot, so I would make them smaller.  They kind of turn into biscuits on top instead of dough-balls in the batter, but they are still good.  I just think mine were too big.  Like I said, it was a little rushed so I probably could have let them sit a little longer.  Other than that, I'd say feel free to add other veggies if you like.  I may add peas next time.  From reading the reviews, one of the people added chicken broth instead of water, hence why I added it in the ingredient list.  I had bought some to do this, but I forgot.  The amount of food is good, but if you need more, you can definitely make 1/2 recipe extra if you have the 6 qt slow cooker.  There was plenty of room.  

The Verdict:

Me, my husband, and his brother all loved it.  I will keep this one in my arsenal, and try a few more additions to vary it up a little bit.  What I really liked about this recipe is that I didn't have to pre-cook the chicken.  It's kind of gross and difficult cutting up raw chicken, but once it was done, I threw everything else in the pot and called it good.  I think it also helped the chicken soak up more of the flavor.  Finally I am done, and now I can go enjoy my left overs!

Click here to download a printable recipe page for this recipe!

Chicken and White Bean Soup

Hello All, I hope you had a good Christmas!  I was on vacation, and therefore, not motivated to do much of anything computer related, aside from playing the Sims.  But that doesn't mean I wasn't cooking!

I adapted this recipe from a couple I had, and it turned out fabulous!  It was originally supposed to be a white chicken chili, but ended up as a soup, and I was not disappointed.  I've learned if I want something to thicken, I need to get a good stock pot and cook on the stove.

I had all the ingredients, and kind of winged it as far as amounts go, so I will try to guestimate, but use your judgement depending on pot size and amount you actually want to make.  This filled a 6 qt slow cooker nearly to the brim, and it took a while, and me bringing some to work for my coworkers for us to get rid of it all!

Ingredients:

6-8 cups Chicken stock or broth

2-3 16 oz cans of White Kidney (Cannellini) Beans (I used 3)

5-6 cups diced cooked (or boiled) chicken

2 cans Cream of Chicken condensed soup

1-2 cups Salsa of your choice

1 cup water

1-1.5 cups chopped onion (I use sweet onions in everything)

1-2 Tablespoons Chili Powder

1-2 Tablespoons Oregano

2-3 Garlic cloves, minced

1/4-1/2 teaspoon Cayenne powder

1-2 tablespoons Cumin (my new favorite spice!)

If you like other spices, or some salt and pepper, feel free to add those in if you like

Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese - for serving on top of soup (optional)

Preparation:

There's really not much to it.  I boiled a few large chicken breasts and diced them up.  Then everything went into the crock pot and was mixed well.  Set the crock pot for 6-8 hours on low and you're done!  You oculd also cook on high 3-4 hours.  When it's done, stir, and serve topped with the shredded cheese or even a little sour cream, or let cool and store/refrigerate!

The Verdict:

No modifications for this one since it was somewhat my own.  Like I said, this was a combo of two recipes, and it came out way better than I ever expected!  We definitely ended up with a lot so if you don't want or need a whole lot, cut the recipe in half, or you can make the whole batch, then freeze the rest.  It was very flavorful and tasty.  Hubby and I both had quite a bit over the week our portion lasted, and 2 of my coworkers had some that I brought to work, and all I heard was rave reviews, especially since one of them ate 3 or 4 bowls over 2 days, then handed me the empty container with a big smile on his face.  It helps to have a husband and guy coworkers that are garbage disposals I suppose :)

Edited to Add:
I have also cooked this in the soup pot on top of the stove.  If you need it more quickly than in the slow cooker, go this route.  You can just toss everything in, and since it will be boiling, you can put the chicken in raw after you dice!

Click here to download a printable page for this recipe!

Savory Herb-Crusted Chicken (or Turkey) Pot Pie

Ok faithful readers, here is yet another trial from the Campbell's Kitchen website.  The recipe originally says Turkey pot pie, but you can substitute chicken if you prefer, or in my case, that's what's in the fridge. I'm currently eating this for dinner while I type, and so far so good!

Ingredients:

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

6 cups diced cooked turkey or chicken

5 cups frozen mixed vegetables or your favorite frozen vegetable blend

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups Chicken Broth or Chicken Stock

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 package Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet), thawed according to package directions

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh herbs (parsley, thyme and/or oregano)

Preparation:

Heat the oven to 400°F. Mix the turkey/chicken and vegetables in a 3-quart shallow baking dish. Heat the butter in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook and stir for 3 minutes. Gradually stir the broth into the saucepan. Cook and stir for 5 minutes or until the mixture boils and thickens. Stir in the black pepper. Pour the broth mixture over the turkey mixture.Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 13x9-inch rectangle. Place the pastry over the filling. Press the pastry to the rim to seal. Beat the egg and water in a small bowl with a fork. Brush the pastry with the egg mixture and sprinkle with the herbs. Bake for 25 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is hot and bubbling.

My Recommendations:

I followed this one to the letter except for the fresh herbs part. I love fresh herbs, but could not find oregano at the store, and figured it would taste just as fine with dried parsley and oregano that I already had in house. I didn't use Thyme. I also didn't have the full size dish, or a rectangular one for that matter, since my 3 qt spontaneously combusted in the sink one day (no it was not hot! At least according to my hubby :) ). My options were to go .75 qt smaller or 1.5 qt bigger, so until I get another dish, I opted for the smaller of the two. To save time, I just boiled the chicken breasts and then diced them. I didn't use the full amount, since my dish was a little smaller. Having the oval dish made the crust part a little awkward as well, but it worked out alright. I think I'm going to add more chicken broth to the broth mixture. The butter evaporated pretty quickly, and the flour kind of congealed when I added the broth, so I used a whisk to break it up while it was cooking. I think the extra broth will also help add some extra flavor, which I think is needed. I usually don't salt things but I put a little salt on my meal tonight, so I'll be adding a little of that as well, along with a few other spices to kick the flavor up a little bit. Other than that, it's fabulous! Hubby likes it too, so another plus in the recipe book!

The Verdict:

Overall, I really like this recipe.  I've been looking for an easy pot pie after the one I kind of put together myself didn't really work out too well.  As I said, I'll be adding a few more things to kick the flavor up a bit, possibly trying cream of chicken soup instead of the broth/flour mixture.  The only thing about this recipe is that it isn't as quick as some of my others, but if you have the time and don't mind making a bit of a mess, go for it!

I'm trying two more new recipes for next week, so stay tuned!

Click here to download a printable page for this recipe!

Super Chicken Casserole

Here is another Campbell’s Kitchen recipe I tried over the weekend, which got rave reviews.  It’s an easy chicken casserole with noodles and veggies.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Pepperidge Farm® Herb Seasoned Stuffing, crushed

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Condensed Cream of Broccoli Soup

1 cup milk

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 cup elbow pasta, cooked and drained

2 cups cubed cooked chicken or turkey

1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas and carrots, cooked and drained

Preparation/Cooking:

Heat the oven to 400°F.  Stir the stuffing, Parmesan cheese and butter in a medium bowl.

Stir the soup, milk, mozzarella cheese, garlic powder and black pepper in a 2-quart baking dish.  Stir in the pasta, chicken and peas and carrots.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the chicken mixture is hot and bubbling.  Stir the chicken mixture.  Sprinkle with the stuffing mixture.

Bake for 5 minutes or until the stuffing mixture is golden brown.

  

My Recommendations:

I didn’t change anything except for adding more noodles to the amount of my personal liking.  I think one cup was way too sparse, unless it meant one cup of uncooked pasta at first.  I can never tell!

 So as I said before, the hubby LOVED this one, possibly more than the pork roast.  He had two heaping plates, and the leftovers lasted one day, when I had expected them to last a little longer!


Click here to download a printable page for this recipe!

Spicy Corn and Chicken Chili

I'm adding another recipe from last week because I'm really excited about getting this blog going, and it's already getting a lot of attention!

This is another recipe off the Whole Foods website, but this one I did modify a little more than the pea soup.  It's not originally a slow cooker recipe, but I made it into one.  Because it's made with ground chicken (or turkey), it's a lot lighter and healthier.  If you prefer beef, then use that, I'm sure it would be a fine substitute. Once again, I'll post the actual recipe, and then my modifications.  

This image courtesy of the Whole Foods website.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
Cayenne powder to taste
1 pound ground chicken breast (ground turkey may also be used)
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 cup mild or medium salsa
1 (16-ounce) bag frozen corn kernels, or 3 cups fresh corn kernels
Salt to taste
1/3 cup chopped cilantro

Stovetop Method:

In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently until onions are translucent. Stir in chili powder, oregano, cumin, coriander and cayenne and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Add chicken. Stir to break up and brown for 3 minutes. Add tomato sauce, 1 cup water, salsa and corn. Season with salt, then bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20 minutes, stirring often, until flavors have melded and chili is thick. Stir in cilantro and serve.

My Modifications:

As I said earlier, I prefer my slow cooker so I just put all the ingredients in there (minus the olive oil since I wasn't cooking on the stove), stirred, covered the pot, and put it on high for a few hours, and just kept an eye on it, stirring occasionally when it looked like it needed it. I did cook the chicken in a skillet first, broke it up into smaller pieces as it cooked, drained off any fat and then put it in the mix.  Everything else was raw/uncooked.  I wanted a bigger batch so I doubled everything except the corn.  I added black beans, and gauged the amount of beans and corn by eye instead.  I used most of a small can of beans (16. oz I believe, Goya Brand), but just add each to your liking.  I went too heavy on the corn on another recipe by mistake and the hubby politely requested I use less for future recipes.  Gotta keep him happy :)  As far as the chili and cayenne powder, I would say keep it on the lower side if you don't like a lot of heat or add more if you want a lot.  I pretty much stuck to the listed amount of chili powder, but I didn't keep track of how much cayenne I used, but it wasn't a lot.  My husband liked the amount of spice, but it was the kind that would kind of surprise you after you had the bite in your mouth for a second.  You could probably also use a milder salsa.  You can mix up the flavor by trying some different kinds of salsa.  I used a southwestern variety.  Comments on the original website show people substituting the salsa with different fresh peppers and diced tomatoes, so that's also an option.

The Verdict:

Again, another one we loved.  The double batch ended up being quite a bit, but a single batch would have been silly in the large crock pot, and probably wouldn't have made enough for us for a week.  I ended up bringing some to work to share with the boys I work with and they loved it too.  I really liked the use of ground chicken.  It made it a lighter chili, as weird as that sounds.  This one also lasted us through the entire week, and we still had a little left, even after I took some to share.  So if you have a big party to go to and need a chili recipe or need to make something to last a few days or more for work meals, this one doubled makes plenty for everyone!  If you're just doing it at home as a one or two night meal, the single batch would probably be just enough. 

Nutritional Info:

Again, per the Whole Foods website. Per serving (about 13oz/357g-wt.): 330 calories (70 from fat), 8g total fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 65mg cholesterol, 810mg sodium, 39g total carbohydrate (6g dietary fiber, 11g sugar), 29g protein.

Click here to download a printable page for this recipe!