Rich Chicken Stew

Welcome to Freezer Food Friday. Today’s recipe is a lovely stew that can be served for dinner or prepared ahead for a later dinner. Please share a recipe and link it below.

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Rich Chicken Stew

This is delightful over egg noodles.

8 servings, generous 3/4 cup each
•1 pound mushrooms, stems trimmed, caps wiped clean
•1/2 cup finely chopped shallots, (2 large)
•2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
•1/2 cup water, divided
•4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
•1 cup thinly sliced carrots, (1 large)
•1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
•2 bay leaves
•2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut in 2-inch chunks
•2 1/4-inch-thick lemon slices, (including peel), seeded
•1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
•2 tablespoons cornstarch
•1/4 cup whipping cream
•2 tablespoons lemon juice
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•Freshly ground pepper, to taste
•1 1/2 cups frozen green peas, rinsed under cold water to thaw
•1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1.Combine mushrooms, shallots, oil and 1/4 cup water in a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven. Cover and cook over high heat, stirring often, until mushrooms are juicy, 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms are lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add broth, carrots, thyme and bay leaves; bring to a boil.

2.Place chicken in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker and lay lemon slices on top. Turn heat to high. Carefully pour in the vegetable mixture. Cover and cook until the chicken is very tender, 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

3.With a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken and vegetables to a bowl; discard bay leaves and lemon slices. Skim fat and pour the juices into a large saucepan; add lemon zest. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil until reduced to 2 cups, 15 to 20 minutes.

4.Mix cornstarch with remaining 1/4 cup water in a small bowl. Add to the pan and cook, stirring, until slightly thickened. Add cream and lemon juice; stir until boiling. Return the chicken and vegetables to the sauce and heat through. Season with salt and pepper. Just before serving, stir in peas and parsley.

Simmered Stew variation: Total: 1 1/2 hours In Step 1, use only 1 1/2 cups broth. In Step 2, add chicken, lemon slices and lemon zest to the Dutch oven. Cover and simmer gently over low heat until the chicken is very tender, about 45 minutes. Discard lemon slices and bay leaves. Omit Step 3. Continue with Step 4, cooking everything in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Tips & Notes

•Make Ahead Tip: Prepare through Step 4 up to adding the peas and parsley. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator, if necessary, and reheat on the stovetop, in a microwave or in the oven; just before serving, stir in peas and parsley.

 

 

Rich Chicken Stew

Welcome to Freezer Food Friday!

It may be nearly Spring, but it still feels like winter here. Soup is a favorite food of mine. Here is a recipe that can be prepared ahead.

Rich Chicken Stew

This is delightful over egg noodles.

8 servings, generous 3/4 cup each | hours

Ingredients
•1 pound mushrooms, stems trimmed, caps wiped clean
•1/2 cup finely chopped shallots, (2 large)
•2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
•1/2 cup water, divided
•4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
•1 cup thinly sliced carrots, (1 large)
•1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
•2 bay leaves
•2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut in 2-inch chunks
•2 1/4-inch-thick lemon slices, (including peel), seeded
•1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
•2 tablespoons cornstarch
•1/4 cup whipping cream
•2 tablespoons lemon juice
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•Freshly ground pepper, to taste
•1 1/2 cups frozen green peas, rinsed under cold water to thaw
•1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1. Combine mushrooms, shallots, oil and 1/4 cup water in a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven. Cover and cook over high heat, stirring often, until mushrooms are juicy, 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms are lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add broth, carrots, thyme and bay leaves; bring to a boil.

2. Place chicken in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker and lay lemon slices on top. Turn heat to high. Carefully pour in the vegetable mixture. Cover and cook until the chicken is very tender, 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

3. With a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken and vegetables to a bowl; discard bay leaves and lemon slices. Skim fat and pour the juices into a large saucepan; add lemon zest. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil until reduced to 2 cups, 15 to 20 minutes.

4. Mix cornstarch with remaining 1/4 cup water in a small bowl. Add to the pan and cook, stirring, until slightly thickened. Add cream and lemon juice; stir until boiling. Return the chicken and vegetables to the sauce and heat through. Season with salt and pepper. Just before serving, stir in peas and parsley. Simmered Stew variation: Total: 1 1/2 hours In Step 1, use only 1 1/2 cups broth. In Step 2, add chicken, lemon slices and lemon zest to the Dutch oven. Cover and simmer gently over low heat until the chicken is very tender, about 45 minutes. Discard lemon slices and bay leaves. Omit Step 3. Continue with Step 4, cooking everything in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Tips & Notes

•Make Ahead Tip: Prepare through Step 4 up to adding the peas and parsley. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator, if necessary, and reheat on the stovetop, in a microwave or in the oven; just before serving, stir in peas and parsley.

Hearty Beef Soup

Welcome to Freezer Food Friday.

Today I have a simple soup that can be made for dinner and the leftovers frozen OR freeze individual servings for later use.

Share your recipe and link it below.

 

Hearty Beef Soup

1 can Rotel tomatoes
2 cans Ranch beans
3 cans minestrone soup
3 cans water (use minestrone soup can)
1 pound ground beef or ground turkey
1 medium onion

Sauté onion and ground beef in large pot. Add Rotel tomatoes, Ranch beans, minestrone soup and water. Simmer for about 30 minutes or until hot on medium heat.

Makes enough for eight. You can also freeze the soup in individual containers to reheat later.

“Homemade” Mexican Soup

I am using leftover Thanksgiving turkey and tossing this in the crockpot:  

 ”Homemade” Mexican Soup

1. Pour two 32-oz. cartons of chicken broth into a pot.

2. Buy one of those roasted chickens at the supermarket, take all the meat off, and dump it into the pot.

3. Add two cans of cannellini beans, a big jar of salsa verde, and some cumin.  Let it sit on the stove for an hour.

Bacon Corn Chowder

Here is a recipe that can be prepared and the leftovers frozen ( or prepare a batch just for the freezer ). Share your freezer recipe and link it below!

 

Bacon Corn Chowder

Prep: 10 min.
Cook: 25 min.

6 bacon strips, diced
3/4 cup diced celery
1 small onion, diced
1 cup diced uncooked potato
1 cup water
1 can (14-3/4 ounces) cream-style corn
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon pepper

In a saucepan, cook bacon, celery and onion over medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until bacon is cooked; drain. Add potato and water.

Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until potato is tender. Stir in remaining ingredients; heat through (do not boil).

Refrigerate or freeze leftovers.

Yield: 4 servings

Butternut and Ham Bisque

Butternut and Ham Bisque

This soup features one of fall’s most distinctive flavors, sweet winter squash. To give the bisque its due, be sure you use sweet onions such as Vidalias.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 very large sweet onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups peeled, diced butternut squash
1 cup peeled, diced all-purpose potatoes
5 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt
Black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup light or heavy cream
1 1/2 cups diced cooked ham

Melt the butter in a medium soup pot or a large saucepan. Stir in the onion and rosemary. Partially cover the pan and cook the onion over moderate heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic and cook another minute.

Mexican Beef & Black Bean Soup

Mexican Beef & Black Bean Soup

8 oz lean ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1 15 oz can corn
1 15 oz can chicken broth
1 cn diced tomatoes with green chiles
15 oz black beans, rinsed
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Put ground beef, onion, oregano and cumin in a 2- to 3-qt saucepan. Cook, breaking up clumps of beef with a spoon, 3 minutes or until beef is browned. Add corn, chicken broth, diced tomatoes with green chiles, and rinsed black beans; bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer 5 to 10 minutes for flavors to blend. Stir in 1/2 cup chopped cilantro and serve with crushed corn tortilla chips.

Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup

Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup

•2 stalks of celery
•3 large carrots
•1 medium onion
•2 tsp. salt
•1/2 tsp. pepper
•3 lb. whole or cut up broiler/fryer chicken
•1 tsp. dried basil
•3 c. water
•16 oz. noodles, uncooked

Prepare the vegetables by washing the celery and peeling the carrots. Then cut them into slices, keeping them consistent in size.

Place the carrots and celery in the bottom of a 5 quart slow cooker. Cut the onion into slices and lay them on top of the carrots and celery.

If a whole chicken was purchased, cut it up into pieces. For information on how to cut up a whole chicken, see RecipeTips.com – Cutting Up Chicken .

Clean the chicken and remove the skin and excess fat. Place the pieces of chicken on top of the vegetables.

Sprinkle the salt, pepper and basil over all of the chicken.

Pour the water over all the ingredients in the slow cooker.

Cover and turn the slow cooker on high and cook for an hour. After an hour turn the cooker down to low and cook for an additional 6 to 8 hours. Or, cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.

Check for doneness after 8 to 10 hours. Vegetables should be tender when poked with a fork and the chicken should be done.

Check chicken doneness with an instant read thermometer. Internal temperature should be 180°F for the dark meat and 175°F for the white meat. Or, if pierced with a fork the juices should run clear.

If chicken is done, carefully remove it from the slow cooker so it does not come off the bones.

Add the uncooked noodles to the slow cooker with the vegetables and broth. Cover and cook an additional 15 minutes on high.

While the noodles are cooking, remove the meat from the bones and cut into bite size pieces.

When the noodles are done, add the chicken pieces back in the slow cooker. This is a fairly dense soup, so if more liquid is preferred, just add some hot broth to the slow cooker.

Cover and cook until meat is thoroughly heated and then serve.

Note: Watch the doneness of the noodles carefully. It is best to cook them a little underdone because after adding the meat back in, the noodles will continue to cook as the chicken is being reheated. If the noodles get overcooked they will become mushy and fall apart in the soup. The noodles could also be boiled in the traditional manner on the stovetop and then added to the soup along with the chicken after it has been removed from the bones.

Makeover Hash Brown Soup from Taste of Home

 

Today is  Cooking Thursday! Post your favorite recipe on your blog and go visit Sandra at Diary of a SAHM and add your link and title. Don’t forget to comment!

Please come back and join me for Freezer Food Friday!

Makeover Hash Brown Soup from Taste of Home

2 green onions, chopped
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 (28-ounce) package frozen hash browns, thawed
2 cups milk
1 (10.75-ounce) can reduced-fat reduced-sodium condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
6 turkey bacon strips, diced and cooked
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a small skillet, sauté onions in oil until tender. In a 5-quart slow cooker, combine the potatoes, milk, soup and onion mixture. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours or until heated through. Top each serving with 2 tablespoons bacon and 1 tablespoon cheese.

Cheesy Spinach Lasagna Soup

Cheesy Spinach Lasagna Soup

Serves 8

1 pound Italian sausage, squeezed from casing

1 large onion, chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons dried organic basil (or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil)

2 teaspoons organic oregano

1 teaspoon organic anise seed

4 cups chicken broth

1 14 ½-ounce can petite diced tomatoes

1 8-ounce can tomato sauce

1 cup mini farfalle pasta

2 cups fresh spinach, chopped

8 ounces fresh mozzarella, diced

½ cup fresh Parmesan cheese, shredded

1. Brown the sausage in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until crumbly. Remove the sausage from the pan and drain all but 1 tablespoon of the fat. Add the onion to the pan and saute over medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes.

2. Return the sausage to the pan, stir in the garlic, basil, oregano and anise seed, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth, diced tomatoes and tomato sauce, and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the pasta and cook, according to the manufacturer’s recommended cook time, until the pasta is al dente.

3. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the spinach and mozzarella. Serve the soup immediately, topped with Parmesan cheese.

Per serving: 303 calories, 17 g fat, 8 g saturated fat, 18 g protein, 19 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 43 mg cholesterol, 1,109 mg sodium.