Grams Made Crock Pot Creamy Chicken Soup

Grams is in the habit of making a one-pot meal to eat anytine Grandad spends a few days working in Houston. I don't really get bored eating the same thing several meals in a row and I love only having to cook and clean the kitchen one time. Today, I made chicken soup. I had everything on hand except a rotisserie chicken and the frozen peas. We made a quick trip to HEB after church this morning, but they were already sold out of rotisserie chickens. I'm thinking it might have been because of the Super Bowl. Since they were out, we had to make a second trip about an hour later. Fortunately, it's not a long trip.

The recipe is adapted from Sandra Lee's Semi-Homemade Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup. I made it without the noodles. Instead I cooked both rice and noodles separately so I can have either Chicken Noodle Soup or Chicken & Rice Soup. I also changed the herbs, because I wanted to use dried herbs that I had on hand.

Here's my recipe:

1 rotisserie chicken
1 cup onions, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup frozen peas
7 cups low sodium chicken broth (4 cans)
2 (10 ¾ ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup with roasted garlic
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
¼ teaspoon ground sage

Remove skin, debone chicken and chop the meat. Put the chicken into a slow cooker with the onions, celery, carrots and peas. Stir in broth, mushroom soup, and herbs.

Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or low for 8 to 9 hours.

Serve over cooked egg noodles or cooked rice.

Grams Made Greek Chicken & Orzo Soup

It's Monday evening and we're at our son's house in Houston waiting for Grandad's pre-operative testing tomorrow. We have to be at the Texas Heart Institute at 9 a.m.

Nick returned from a week in Canada with his wife Marie where they snowboarded and rang in the new year. He's feeling a little under the weather so I cooked up a big pot of Greek Chicken & Orzo Soup. This is one of my favorite recipes. The first time I had it, Katy made it for us. It's thickened with eggs instead of corn starch or flour, so it's high in protein and low in carbohydrates.

8 cups chicken stock
3/4 cup of orzo
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 eggs
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
Salt and white pepper to taste
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes

Roast chicken breasts in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes until done. Cut crosswise into 1/4-inch thick pieces.

In a large saucepan, bring stock to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and add orzo and parsley.  Cook uncovered about 15 minutes until orzo is done. Five minutes before pasta is done, add chicken.

Place eggs in mixing bowl. Whisk eggs while adding lemon juice. Whisking constantly, slowly pour a ladle of the hot stock into the egg mixture to temper.

Reduce heat to very low. Then, while whisking the soup in pan, slowly pour in the egg mixture. Soup should thicken slightly. Add salt and pepper and garnish with parsley.

Serve with crusty bread.

Grams Made Chicken Spaghetti

When Grams was growing up, my mom used to make a dish she called Chicken Spaghetti.  It's an understatement to say I was not fond of it.  I hated it so much that I pretty much refused to eat it.  Since then, just the mention of Chicken Spaghetti makes my appetite disappear.  I'm 55 years old and I haven't eaten Chicken Spaghetti in at least 40 years.  That's how much I didn't like it. 

Last week at my book club, the hostess announced that she made Chicken Spaghetti.  I was kind of stricken with fear at the thought of eating it.  I really didn't expect to like it, but it was delicious.  I liked it so much that I came home, looked up the recipe, and made it myself just two days later. 

This is a Paula Deen recipe.  Her recipe called for 3 1/2 cups of cooked chicken and a teaspoon of salt.  I used a rotisserie chicken and I omitted the salt.  Be aware that this makes 10-12 generous servings.  This is going to be my new "go to" dish for pot luck dinners. 

2 Tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 (14-ounce) can chicken broth
1 (10.75-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup (reduced sodium)
1 (10.75-ounce) can cream of chicken soup (reduced sodium)
1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chilies, drained
1 (4.25-ounce) can chopped black olives, drained
1 (4-ounce) jar sliced mushrooms, drained
½ cup sour cream
1 rotisserie chicken, de-boned and torn into small pieces
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 (16-ounce) package angel hair pasta, cooked according to package directions
¾ cup Panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
1 tablespoon butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion and celery; cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

If your skillet is big enough add broth, soups, tomatoes, olives, mushrooms and sour cream. Stir in chicken and cheese. Add pasta, tossing gently to coat. Spoon mixture into prepared baking dish.  (If your skillet is not big enough, use a big mixing bowl.)

In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs and melted butter. Sprinkle evenly over casserole. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Serve immediately.