Buffalo Chicken Soup

Tonight we tried another recipe from the Crockin' Girls cookbook -- and it's another winner!

If you like chicken wings, you will LOVE. THIS. SOUP.

I love chicken wings, but I'm not a huge fan of hot food.  If you're like me, you'll want to drink a big glass of milk with this meal!  I might experiment with a little less hot sauce next time -- maybe 3/4 of a cup instead of a whole cup.  I use Frank's Red Hot Wing Sauce Buffalo.  It's tangy, and tastes like wings, rather than just a bottle full of hot.

This recipe requires a bit more prep work than other slow cooker recipes, but it is worth it!  One tip about cutting celery.  Take a knife and cut down the entire length of the celery 4 to 5 times, but don't go all the way through to the end so the strips are still attached on one side.  Then slice the strips crosswise to make diced celery.  The strips will stay together nicely as you chop.  Way easier than cutting the rib the other way and trying to cut up each little smiley face piece!

I served it with Awesome and Easy Creamy Corn Casserole.

Buffalo Chicken Soup

1 Tbsp oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, diced
2-3 cups cooked chicken, diced
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups milk
1 tsp garlic salt (I used minced garlic instead)
1 cup bottled Buffalo wing sauce (mild or hot)
4 oz shredded cheddar cheese (I used extra sharp NYS cheddar)

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and celery and saute for about 5 minutes.  Scrape veggies into the slow cooker.  Add cooked chicken to slow cooker.

Melt butter in skillet over medium heat until just foamy.  Whisk in the flour to make a roux, stirring well to incorporate all the flour.*  Cook 1-2 minutes, or until the roux is slightly golden. (This happened in about a minute for me)  Scrape into the slow cooker.

Stir in broth and milk.  Add garlic salt and wing sauce.  Still well.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high 3-4 hours.

Stir in cheese about 20 minutes before serving.

* When making a roux, when you first add the flour you will think, "Oh my God!  I've ruined it!"  Don't panic!  Just keep whisking it and it will smooth out!

Little Meats and Gravy (Beef Tips)

Tonight we tried another great recipe from the Crockin' Girls cookbook!

Little Meats and Gravy is really beef tips.  It's almost like a beef stroganoff, minus the onions and mushrooms.  I could hardly believe the cream of chicken soup turned into a rich, brown gravy.  I served it over egg noodles.

A few tips:

It's much easier to cut up a beef roast if it's partially frozen.  Thaw it overnight in the fridge and it will be more firm to cut.  If it's still too frozen, microwave it for a minute or two.  But DO NOT cook it.

If you want to thicken the gravy, as mentioned in the recipe, mix 1/3 cup of COLD water with 4 Tbsp flour in a container with a tight-fitting lid.  Shake until mixed thoroughly.  Stir it into the beef mixture and turn the crock pot up to high while your noodles cook.

Little Meats and Gravy

Ingredients

• 2 Pounds chuck or stew beef, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 Package onion soup mix
• 2 Cans low sodium cream of chicken soup
• 2 soup Cans water
• 1 Package cooked noodles, rice or potatoes for serving                       

Directions

1. Step One

   Combine all ingredients into 6 quart slow cooker; stir.

2. Step Two

   Cover and cook on LOW for 8–12 hours or on HIGH for 5–6 hours. If you've frozen this recipe you can cook it for 10-12 hours on LOW.

3. Step Three

   Thicken, if desired, and serve over noodles, rice, or potatoes.

Angel Chicken

For Christmas this year my sister got me the Crockin Girls cookbook -- what a fantastic collection of recipes for the slow cooker!

I tried the Angel Chicken last night and it was fabulous!  We got home a little later than expected, and the chicken was still not overcooked.  Next time I think I would double the recipe but leave the chicken the same, just to make more of the delicious sauce!

It's not a very photogenic recipe, so I skipped taking a picture.  I found that the chicken shredded rather than cut nicely as shown in the Crockin' Girls photo!  I shredded the chicken and added it back into the crock pot, which created a creamed chicken sort of texture.

Angel Chicken

Ingredients

• 4 to 6 Chicken Breasts
• 1/4 Cup Butter (I just cut it up in cubes and mixed it in)                      
• 1/2 Package Dry Italian salad dressing mix
• 1 Can Cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 Cup Dry white wine
• 4 Ounces Cream cheese with onions and chives
• 1 Box penne pasta
• Chives, for garnish                       

Directions

1. Step One

   Put all ingredients in the slow cooker except pasta

2. Step Two

   Cook on low for 7-8 hours

3. Step Three

   When the chicken mixture is done, prepare penne pasta according to package directions; drain

4. Step Four

   Mix pasta with chicken. Serve in a large bowl with chives sprinkled on top

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

We ate for the first time at P.F. Chang's on Monday,   and had their chicken lettuce wraps.  The boyfriend really enjoyed them and found a few versions online.  I attempted one of them tonight.  The filling came out well, but even though the recipe says that Boston lettuce works, we found that it couldn't hold the filling very well, just not strong enough.  Also, I couldn't find the Asian chili pepper sauce, so I followed the note and used the cayenne pepper.

ingredients:

16 Boston, bibb or butter lettuce leaves
1 pound ground chicken breast
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar or red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Asian chili pepper sauce (see Note)
1 can (8 ounce size) sliced water chestnuts, drained, finely chopped
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil

directions:

Rinse lettuce leaves, keeping them whole. Set aside to drain. 

Cook chicken in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring often to break up the meat. Add onion, garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, vinegar and chili sauce. Cook until the meat is crumbled and brown. Add water chestnuts and green onions. Cook until onions begin to wilt, about 2 minutes. 

Stir in sesame oil. Arrange lettuce leaves on the outer edge of a platter. Spoon meat mixture in center. Allow diners to spoon meat mixture into lettuce leaves and eat like a taco. 

cook's notes:

Asian chili pepper sauce can be found in the Asian section of most supermarkets. Some brands contain garlic, which is fine. You can use 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper or 1/2 teaspoon dried red chili flakes instead.

Turkey or Chicken Tetrazzini

I had intended to make this with our leftover Thanksgiving turkey.  But we ate it all.  So I cooked some chicken breasts to shred instead!

This recipe comes from The Repository, our local newspaper.  What I loved most about it is the delicious sauce.  And by not cooking the linguine all the way, it doesn't get mushy when you bake the casserole itself.  I love mushrooms, but Chris does not.  I didn't have any, so I skipped it.

Also, this makes A LOT.  I halved the recipe and we still had lots of leftovers.  If you have a big family, leave it as is!  It serves 8.


Turkey Tetrazzini

6 tablespoons butter
1 pound mushrooms, sliced 1 inch thick
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 cup flour
3 cups milk
1 can (14 1/2-ounce) chicken broth
3/4 cup dry white wine
3 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1 clove garlic, sliced
1 pound linguine, broken in half
4 cups cooked turkey meat, shredded (about 4 cups)
1 package (10-ounces) frozen peas, thawed

Preheat oven to 400.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter, add mushrooms and onions, season with salt and pepper. Sauté until tender. Remove.

For sauce:
In same saucepan, melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour, about 1 minute. Whisking constantly, gradually add milk, broth, and wine. Bring to a near boil, reduce to medium and simmer 10 minutes, whisking often. Add 2 cups Parmesan and the thyme and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook pasta half the time on package. Drain and return to pot. Fold in sauce, turkey, peas, and mushrooms. Divide between two shallow two-quart baking dishes, sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Bake until browned on top and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Notes: Top with cheddar or provolone cheese last 10 minutes or butter Italian bread, dice and spread on top.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Pizza

This is super easy and really tasty!  I don't normally make recipes that use so many pre-made ingredients, but sometimes you just want something quick and simple.  And yummy!

This comes from the April/May 2010 issue of Taste of Home.  I don't have a picture, but I'll get one next time I make it!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Pizza

1 tube refrigerated pizza crust (13.8 oz)
1/2 cup Alfredo sauce
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1 cup (4 oz) shredded Swiss cheese
1 1/2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
10 breaded chicken nuggets, thawed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces*
1 cup (4 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese

Unroll dough into a greased 15 x 10 x 1 inch baking pan (or whatever you would normally make pizza in!).  Flatten dough and build up edges slightly.  Bake at 425 for 8-10 minutes or until edges are light browned.

Spread with Alfredo sauce.  Sprinkle with garlic salt and Swiss cheese.  Top with ham, chicken nuggets and mozzarella.  Bake for 8-10 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted.

* When making chicken nuggets, I sometimes find that they get soggy if you let them just sit out to "thaw."  You might want to cook them first to keep the coating crunchy instead.

Margarita Chicken Quesadillas

I made these last summer, but never blogged the recipe OR took a picture of it!  I'm trying to clean up my To Blog Magazine Pile, so here you are!

This comes from the April/May 2012 issue of Taste of Home.

Margarita Chicken Quesadillas

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (5 oz each)
3/4 cup thawed frozen limeade concentrate
1 large onion, sliced
1 each orange and yellow sweet pepper, julienned
2 Tbsp canola oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4 flour tortillas (10 in)
1 cup (4 oz) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup (4 oz) shredded cheddar cheese (I used 2 cups cheddar and no Mont. Jack)
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
lime wedges, optional

Place chicken in large resealable plastic bag.  Add limeade concentrate.  Seal bag and turn to coat.  Refrigerate 6 hours or overnight.

In skillet, saute onion and peppers and oil until tender, season with salt and pepper.  Set aside.

Moisten a paper towel with cooking oil; use long-handled tongs to coat grill rack.  Drain and discard marinade.  Grill chicken, covered, over medium heat, or broil 4 inches from heat for 5-8 minutes on each side or until a thermometer reads 170 degrees.  Cut into 1/4 inch strips, set aside.

One one half of each tortilla, layer MJ cheese, chicken, pepper and onions, and cheddar.  Fold over.  Place quesadillas on a baking sheet.  Combine butter and lime juice and brush over the tortillas.  Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Cut each quesadilla into 4 wedges.  Sprinkle with cilantro.  Serve with lime wedges, if desired.

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

This is one of the best soup recipes I have ever made.  EVER.  Try it.  You will thank me.

I'm normally disgusted by anything crumbled up in my soup.  But the pie crust stands up to the broth and really makes this soup taste like a pot pie.  Even still, I only crumble a little bit at a time, just in case. :-)

This recipe comes from the December 2012 issue of Food Network Magazine.  Their recipes are often complicated, but this one is simple and yummy!  There's a fair amount of chopping, but that's never really bothered me.

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

1 disk refrigerated pie dough
freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp plus a pinch of poultry seasoning
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
salt
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup flour
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth (I usually buy regular)
1 cup half-and-half
3 medium Yukon gold potatoes, chopped
1 10-oz package frozen peas and carrots

1.  Preheat the oven to 425.  Unroll the pie dough onto a baking sheet and sprinkle with pepper and a pinch (I used a little more than that!) of poultry seasoning.  Cut into wedges.  Bake until puffed and golden, about 10 minutes (mine were better at around 8 minutes).

2.  Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken and 1/2 tsp salt and cook, undisturbed (this makes the chicken golden on the outside), 2 minutes, then cook, stirring, 1 more minute.  Transfer to a bowl.

3.  Add the celery, onion, flour, 1/2 tsp salt, and the remaining 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning to the pot and cook, stirring, 1 minute.  Stir in 2 cups water, the broth, the half-and-half, and potatoes; cover and bring to a simmer.  Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, partially covered, 10 minutes.  Add the peas and carrots and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 6 minutes.  Return the chicken to the pot and simmer until cooked through, about 1 minute.  Serve with the crust wedges.

Serves 4