Chicken Breasts Stuffed With Cream Cheese, Spinach, Artichokes, and Roasted Red Peppers - Yum!
Stuffing chicken breasts is a labor-intensive process. However, you can do most of the work ahead of time. Since I was volunteering at the library in the afternoon, I pounded the chicken, stuffed it, precooked it, and refrigerated it until later. When my sister and brother-in-law arrived I baked the chicken in a very hot oven.
You can run into trouble if you have never pounded poultry before. It is easy to pound too much in one place and punch a hole in the chicken. Flattening thick pieces takes longer than flattening thin ones. Your pounding technique is also important. I put the breasts in a heavy, zipper-type plastic bag. To keep the chicken from sticking to the sides of the bag, I moisten the inside with a little water.
Place the bagged chicken on a surface that can withstand pounding. (I don’t put it on my granite counter top.) Pound the breasts with a tenderizer that has a flat bottom or use a heavy pan. Push your hand towards the edge of the chicken as you pound to achieve an even thickness.
When you spread the stuffing on the chicken, leave a half-inch border so the stuffing has somewhere to go as you roll it up. This dish is fancy enough for company and a special treat for family. I served it with wild rice, a salad of leaf lettuce, sliced pears, toasted walnuts, Roquefort cheese crumbles, and homemade dressing.
My sister-in-law and brother-in-law loved the chicken. I felt the result was worth the work. Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Cream Cheese, Spinach, Artichokes and Roasted Red Peppers is a unique way to serve poultry and a tasty combination of flavors.
Ingredients
8-ounce carton cream cheese with spinach and artichokes
10-ounce package chopped spinach, defrosted
7-ounce jar roasted red peppers (use half and save the rest)
4 chicken breast halves
1 1/2 cups lower salt chicken stock
2 tablespoons Wondra flour
Method
Place room temperature cream cheese in a bowl. Drain spinach in a strainer and add to cream cheese. Take half of the peppers from the jar and drain on paper towels. Chop the peppers and add to spinach-cream cheese mixture. Pound chicken breasts until they are about 1/4-inch thick. Spread each breast with filling, roll up, and secure with tooth picks. Place breasts in an oiled skillet and cook over medium heat until the chicken starts to turn white. Transfer skillet to a 400-degree oven and bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove chicken and tent with foil to keep warm. Add chicken stock to skillet, whisk in flour, and cook over medium heat until sauce thickens. Place chicken breasts on plates and spoon some sauce over each one. Makes four servings.
Copyright 2010 by Harriet Hodgson
Harriet Hodgson has been an independent journalist for 30+ years. She is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, Association of Health Care Journalists, and Association for Death Education and Counseling. Her 24th book, “Smiling Through Your Tears: Anticipating Grief,” written with Lois Krahn, MD is available from Amazon.
Centering Corporation has published her 26th book, “Writing to Recover: The Journey from Loss and Grief to a New Life” and a companion journal with 100 writing jump-starts. Hodgson is a monthly columnist for the new “Caregiving in America” magazine and a contributing writer for the Open to Hope Foundation website. Please visit her website and learn more about this busy author and grandmother.
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Easy French Recipes - How to Make Roast Chicken Provencal
This recipe serves four people and it is ideal if you are having a dinner party and you want to serve something classy but not too fiddly. So, what does Provencal mean exactly? Provence is a region in the south of France and a recipe, which is tagged with the word “Provencal” or “Provencale” means that it is prepared in the style of that region.
Herbes de Provence
You might have heard of Herbes de Provence, which is a combination of fennel, savory, thyme flowers, basil and more. Thyme is usually the strongest flavor but it depends on the manufacturer. Lavender is added to the American mixes but not the traditional French ones. This herb mix has been around since the 1970s and you can use it to flavor grilled meat, fish, or vegetables.
The cuisine from this region of France has always used a lot of herbs but the people living in the area have always added the herbs separately, rather than using Herbes de Provence from a mix.
The Recipe - Step by Step
What you will need:
- 3 lbs chicken
- 2 plum tomatoes
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1 onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 3/4 cup veal stock
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/4 cup Kalamata olives
- Salt and black pepper
How to make it:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Season the chicken with some salt and pepper and put it in a ten inch ovenproof skillet. Roast it in the center of the oven for twenty minutes.
While the bird roasts, chop the garlic and onion. Pit the olives and slice them finely. Chop enough basil to get two tablespoons and cut the remaining basil into thin strips. De-seed the tomatoes and cut them into quarter inch pieces.
Turn the oven temperature down to 350 degrees F and cook the chicken for a further forty minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the center of a thigh reads 170 degrees F and the chicken juices run clear. Put the chicken on a cutting board and make a loose aluminum foil tent over it to keep it warm.
Pour all the fat except two teaspoons of it out of the skillet and saute the onion for half a minute, stirring it all the time. Add the garlic and saute for another half a minute. Add the white wine to de-glaze the pan, scraping the burnt bits off the bottom.
Simmer the mixture until it reduces by half, and then add the stock. Bring it to a simmer and add the olives and tomatoes. Simmer the sauce for three minutes or until it thickens. Stir in the basil strips and take the mixture off the heat. Cut the chicken into four pieces and pour the sauce over it. Sprinkle the chopped basil over the top and serve.
Chicken is versatile and you can cook it in many different ways, such as finger-licking fried chicken or juicy grilled chicken. A classy chicken Provencal is great for a dinner party but a succulent and easy fried chicken recipe is sure to impress your family tonight.
SouthernFriedChickenRecipe.com When it has to be Real Fried Chicken
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How To Make Slow-Cooked Chicken Drumsticks
By KC Kudra
Some recipes will tell you to cook the drumsticks in seasoned flour and then add some liquid and others will tell you to add everything to the slow cooker, perhaps browning the poultry first, and then leave it all to cook. The skin does not go crispy in a crockpot so remove it before you begin.
Barbecue flavor drumsticks are really good and you can make these by combining half a cup of soy sauce with a couple of minced garlic cloves, eight ounces of tomato sauce and quarter of a cup of brown sugar.
Mix this sauce with twelve skinless drumsticks and cook on low for eight hours. This is a really simple recipe and the results are great. You can serve this at a buffet or even as a hot appetizer.
Recipe For Teriyaki Chicken Drumsticks
This recipe gives your poultry an authentic Asian flavor and you can use this sauce for pork instead of chicken if you prefer. These are nice served hot from the slow cooker or chilled. When they finish cooking the meat is falling off the bone so giving them half an hour in the refrigerator might be a good idea if you are serving them as finger food, as the meat will hold on to the bone better when they are cold.
What You Need:
- 25 skinless chicken drumsticks
- 1 bottle thick teriyaki sauce
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3 tablespoons Chinese five spice powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
How To Make It:
Stir the spices together, then roll the chicken in the mixture and add them to the slow cooker. Cook for six hours on low. Add six tablespoons of the teriyaki sauce over the top, then cook for an hour more. Transfer the cooked chicken on to a serving platter and drizzle some more sauce over the top.
Recipe For Slow Cooker Cacciatore Drumsticks
This Italian style recipe serves four people and you will love the combination of tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic, herbs, and other wonderful ingredients. Serve this meal with rice or any kind of potatoes.
What You Need:
- 8 chicken drumsticks
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 chopped onion
- 4 oz sliced mushrooms
- 15 oz Italian style tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 cup cold water
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- 1 chopped green bell pepper
How To Make It:
Sprinkle the flour over the poultry, and then brown it in the olive oil in a skillet for a few minutes. Transfer it to the crockpot. Stir in everything else except the cornstarch and water.
Cover the slow cooker and cook for about seven hours on low. Stir the cornstarch and water together, and then stir this into the crockpot mixture. Cook on high for twenty minutes or until thick.
Chicken features in many of the best crockpot recipes because slow cooking keeps it moist and makes it really succulent. There are hundreds of easy crockpot recipes to choose from, no matter whether you are new to slow cooking or more experienced.
The Best Crockpot Recipes Start With Our Recipes - BestCrockpotRecipes.net
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Grilled Chicken Salad With Olives and Oranges Recipe
Ingredients:
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 4 garlic cloves, minced and 2 whole garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped celery
• black pepper, to taste
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, each 4 ounces
• 8 cups leaf lettuce, washed and dried
• 16 large ripe (black) olives
• 2 navel oranges, peeled and sliced
Cooking the Food:
1. Let us make the dressing first. Prepare a small bowl and mix vinegar, garlic, olive oil, onion, celery and pepper. When you are done mixing the dressing, put it in the refrigerator to cool. This will be used later. Let us now proceed to the next step.
2. Clean your grill, and prepare it for heating. You can use either the coal grill, electric grill or the gas grill. You can choose any grill you want. Once you are done heating the grill rack, take it away from the heat source and lightly coat it with cooking spray. Once you are done, put the grill rack from the heat source 4 to 6 inches away.
3. Prepare the chicken breasts, rub it with garlic. Once you are done with the rubbing, discard the garlic. Put the chicken on the grill and cook it until it turns brown and cooked enough; preferably 5 to 10 minutes on each side. When you are done, transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let it stay there for 5 minutes, cooling off so you won’t burn your hands before you slice it into strips.
4. In a bowl or plate, arrange the vegetables for the salad. Put the lettuce, olives and oranges. When done, top with the chicken strips and add with dressing.
You have cooked a wonderful dish that can help you on your diet and at the same time tastes good. You can serve this with nice cold water; you could even try serving this to your family members and let them enjoy its taste. It is good to eat proper foods every day.
Sherry Haynie is a health and fitness enthusiast who is fond of writing about food and diet, and also topics such as barbeque vegetables and chicken grilled.
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Spice Up Dinner With a Spicy Fried Chicken Recipe
By KC Kudra
Spicy fried chicken is a wonderful treat on so many levels. First of all, fried chicken is always comforting and delicious, no matter whether it is pan fried, deep fried or even oven fried. It is a fact of life that fried chicken is one of the most popular meals of all time and that applies in almost every country, not just the United States.
There are so many recipes for fried chicken and so many ways to make it. Some people like to use a very basic batter recipe or simply dip their chicken in seasoned flour and fry it.
Chicken has a soft flavor which goes well with this type of coating. It also suits stronger flavors or spicy coatings. If you want to spice things up, why not use cayenne pepper and chili powder in the flour for a piquant kick?
Using Marinades Before Frying Chicken
Another way of spicing up your fried chicken is to marinate it overnight in a spicy marinade, perhaps using garlic, onion, chili, cumin, hot sauce and anything else you fancy. Marinating chicken tenderizes it as well as flavoring it.
You might even like to marinate your chicken and then use a spicy coating if you want a really fiery dinner. In that case, perhaps choose a creamy side dish to contrast with the spicy chicken recipe. Coleslaw would be ideal.
Recipe for Indonesian Style Fried Chicken
The following recipe makes enough spicy Indonesian fried chicken to serve eight people. Serve it with sesame noodles or rice. This recipe uses a very aromatic blend of spices so, rather than being fiery hot, the chicken is carefully spiced so it is full of flavor and really delicious.
If you want to oven fry the chicken instead of deep frying it, you can broil it for twenty minutes in an oven heated to 350 degrees F. If you cannot find fresh turmeric, you can use half a teaspoon of ground turmeric instead. Visit an Asian grocery store for the other spices.
You will need:
- 1 roasting chicken
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 inches fresh turmeric
- 2 inches fresh ginger
- 5 candle nuts or macadamia nuts
- 1 cup hot water
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 3 inches galangal
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 lemongrass stem
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- Canola oil, for frying
How to make it:
Cut the chicken into 8 pieces. Crush the white part only of the lemongrass stem. Combine the garlic, nuts, coriander, turmeric, white pepper, galangal and white pepper in a food processor and puree the mixture to a paste. Marinate the chicken pieces overnight in this mixture, in the refrigerator.
Transfer the chicken and marinade sauce into a pot over a low heat. Stir in the water, bay leaves, salt and lemon grass. Keep cooking until the water is absorbed. Take the pot off the stove and let the mixture cool down.
Heat enough canola oil in a deep pan for deep frying, then deep fry the chicken until it is golden brown and cooked through. Drain off excess oil on brown paper or paper towels.
There are hundreds of ways to make fried chicken so you can try different recipes to discover your favorite blend of seasonings and spices. You might prefer an aromatic spiced fried chicken recipe or a classic and traditional southern chicken recipe. Either way, fried chicken makes an enjoyable and satisfying meal every time.
SouthernFriedChickenRecipe.com When it has to be Real Fried Chicken
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Rotisserie Chicken Pasta Salad With Red Apple and Fresh Watercress
By Tom Lingle
Slow roasted chicken is combined with red delicious apple and fresh watercress. The chicken salad mixture is paired with Cappellini pasta and tossed with an apple and honey mustard vinaigrette. The dish is similar in style to a Waldorf salad. Pasta salad is summer salad, but this recipe is perfect year round. The chicken pasta salad is a perfect starter, side dish or entree. A pretty salad, it can be elegantly served on individual leaf lettuce.
Rotisserie chicken has become a very popular item in grocery stores and specialty food stores. The chicken is slow cooked over low heat until it is tender and juicy. Individually packaged, the roasted birds can be purchased warm from the oven, or chilled for heating up later. Pre-cooked chicken is a real time saver. An oven or barbecue roasted whole chicken is a perfect substitute, as is your favorite type of red or green apple.
Rotisserie Chicken Pasta Salad with Red Apple and Fresh Watercress
Ingredients:
1 Rotisserie Chicken
1 Red Delicious Apple, peeled if desired, and diced
1 bunch Fresh Watercress
8 ounces Cappellini Pasta, broken into thirds
Dressing:
1/3 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
2 tablespoons Fresh Honey
1 tablespoon Honey Dijon Mustard
1 teaspoon chopped Fresh Thyme
1/8 teaspoon Coarse Salt
1/8 teaspoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper
2/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Garnish:
3/4 cup Glazed Sesame Walnuts
Preparation:
Dressing:
1. Add apple cider vinegar, fresh honey, honey Dijon mustard, chopped fresh thyme, coarse salt and fresh ground black pepper to small mixing bowl.
2. Gradually whisk in extra virgin olive oil. Set aside.
Pasta Salad:
1. Shred the rotisserie chicken into a large serving bowl.
2. Add the diced red apple and fresh watercress. Toss to combine.
3. Cook pasta al dente. Drain pasta into colander, rinse with cold water.
4. Add pasta to chicken mixture.
5. Add glazed sesame walnuts to pasta salad.
6. Toss salad with dressing.
The best, taste tested pasta salad recipes in the world are available at http://www.GourmetPastaSalad.com. Select from dozens of the best recipes for pasta salad, and create something new and delicious in the comfort of your own kitchen.
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Easy Chicken Cacciatore Meal With Whole Wheat Spaghetti Menu and Recipes
This menu features a quick and easy recipe for chicken cacciatore, a warm spinach salad and a sugar-free white cake with various topping options, to finish off the meal. Quick, easy, and healthy, too. Try this meal. You’ll be glad you did.
EASY CHICKEN CACCIATORE
2 tbsp olive oil
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts and/or thighs
1 cup thinly sliced onion
1 cup thinly cut strips of green bell pepper
1/2 cup diced celery
2 tbsp Tomato Basil Garlic blend (such as Mrs. Dash)
1 - 14 1/2 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup red cooking wine
Cooked whole-wheat thin spaghetti for 4 to 6 servings.
Heat oil in large skillet. Add chicken and cook over medium heat on both sides until lightly browned. This should take about 5 minutes per side. Remove from pan and set aside. Add onion, bell pepper, celery and spices to skillet. Cook over medium heat 3 to 4 minutes until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomatoes and red wine. Return chicken to skillet with vegetables and cook over medium heat 6 to 8 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center. Serve over cooked spaghetti.
WARM SPINACH SALAD
1 bag (approx. 7 oz) baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup salad croutons (non-fat preferred)
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
3 tbsp SPLENDA Granular
5 slices bacon
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
Wash spinach leaves well, remove stems and drain in a colander. Place in a salad serving bowl and add croutons. In a small mixing bowl, blend together water, vinegar, mustard and SPLENDA. Set aside.
Over medium-high heat, fry bacon in saucepan until crispy. Drain well on paper toweling. In same pan, put onion and garlic; cook 1 to 2 minutes. Add vinegar mixture, return bacon to pan and simmer another 1 - 2 minutes. Pour over spinach and croutons and mix well. Serve immediately while still warm.
QUICK WHITE CAKE
1 2/3 cups sifted cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup Equal Sugar-Lite
1/2 cup solid shortening
2 egg whites
3/4 cup 2% milk
1 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and Equal. Blend together well. Add shortening and egg whites. Using an electric mixer, at low speed, mix into flour mixture. Add milk and vanilla and beat at medium speed for 3 minutes or until smooth. Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Pour batter into pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Topping suggestions:
Cut into squares and top each square with a dollop of sugar-free whipped topping, and fresh berries of your choice.
Mix a small package of your favorite flavored gelatin mix according to package conditions. As cake begins to cool, poke holes in cake with a large fork. Pour 1/2 of the gelatin mixture over cake. Refrigerate. Refrigerate the remaining gelatin until lightly set. Using mixer, mix gelatin into one small carton sugar-free whipped topping. Spread over cake. Keep in refrigerator until serving time.
Enjoy!
For more of Linda’s recipes and diabetic information go to http://www.diabeticenjoyingfood.squarespace.com She also has a Vintage Recipe Blog called http://www.grandmasvintagerecipes.blogspot.com
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How to Cook Shoyu Chicken - The Hawaiian Treat
Last year, my husband and I took a dream vacation to Hawaii. We got to tour most of the islands and saw all sides of Hawaii, from Honolulu and the glitzy beach resorts to little towns well off the main tourist track.
Everywhere we went, we could count on finding an ubiquitous dish called shoyu chicken. Sometimes it came served with exotic garnishes, usually in the fancier restaurants, and sometimes it came straight out of the cooker and served on paper plates from some roadside stand, but it was always delicious.
When we got home, I knew I had to try cooking some shoyu in my own kitchen.
There must be thousands of different recipes for this dish. The differences are mainly in the ingredients for the sauce, but even the chicken itself can be cooked any way you like, from boiling in a pot to baking in the oven to grilling on the barbecue.
No matter the recipe, one ingredient you’ll always find is soy sauce. That’s because that’s what shoyu means–soy sauce. If you want, you can just call this dish soy sauce chicken. But I prefer to use the word “shoyu” in tribute to its native home in Hawaii.
If you would like to cook shoyu chicken, why not go all the way and make it the food centerpiece of a Hawaiian-themed party? Break out the leis, put on some ukulele or Don Ho music, and have some tropical fun.
This shoyu chicken recipe serves 12 people. If you want to make it just for your family instead of for a party, cut back the recipe portions accordingly.
Ingredients
12 pounds of chicken thighs
3 cups brown sugar
4 cups soy sauce
4 cans chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
6 cups pineapple juice
1 cup vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
chopped green onion tops
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons ground ginger
2 cans pineapple rings
Directions
1. Wash and drain the chicken thighs.
2. Combine the sauce ingredients (everything listed above except the pineapple rings).
3. Combine the chicken and the sauce in a large pot. Bring to a boil, cooking 30 minutes or until the chicken is tender.
4. Place chicken thighs on serving platter; decorate with pineapple rings and serve.
Sarah Sandori is the food and entertaining columnist for the Solid Gold Info Writers Consortium. Have you ever wanted to be able to exactly duplicate a favorite dish from a favorite restaurant? Check out Sarah’s article where she reveals her source for the most mouth-watering secret restaurant recipes in America: www.solid-gold.info/most-wanted-recipes.html
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Chicken Cordon Bleu - The Easy, Healthy Way
By Kim Steele
Despite its nice French name, no one is entirely sure that chicken cordon bleu originated in France. It is however a very popular dish in France and one you can make yourself with little fuss, following the easy method given here. And since it has a French name, of course it has a French story to enjoy along with it.
A Little History
Before we start cooking, I thought you might like to know what the cordon bleu was all about. You’ve probably heard of the cooking school by that name, but the actual cordon bleu had been around for centuries before the cooking school was started in the late 1800’s.
During the religious wars that shook Europe for much of the 16th century, King Henry III initiated a special order of knights, known as L’Ordre du Saint-Esprit, to fight for Catholicism. To distinguish themselves the knights wore a Maltese cross hanging from a blue cord around their neck.
In later years, this same order of knights would gather for huge feasts, some of them cooked by accomplished chefs. Hence the blue cord become associated with excellence in cooking (as well as excellence in general) and this was reinforced when the Cordon Bleu cooking school opened it’s doors in Paris.
An Easy Recipe
So now that you know a little story to entertain your diners with, let’s get cooking.
Lots of Chicken Cordon Bleu recipes ask that you deep fat fry the rolled meat and cheese bundles, but that can be messy and add a lot of unnecessary calories. The dish is actually quite satisfying and delicious when baked. For those of you who miss the extra calories, you can make the shallot cream sauce to serve alongside it.
Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu
- 4 chicken breast filets, skinned
- salt and pepper
- 4 slices ham
- 4 slices of cheese, such as Swiss
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- 4 tablespoons butter
Using a wooden meat hammer, pound the chicken breasts to about 1/4 inch thick. Or place the breasts between pieces of wax paper or in a heavy plastic bag and use your rolling pin to flatten them.
Lay out the chicken breasts and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Top each with a slice of cheese and a slice of ham. Roll the chicken up tightly.
Dredge the rolls in the beaten egg and then in the bread crumbs, coating them well. Use toothpicks to hold them together if you wish. Place the rolls in a greased baking pan, seam side down. Place 1 tablespoon of butter on top of each roll.
Bake at 350°F for about 30 to 35 minutes.
Serves 4.
Chicken Cordon Bleu Sauce
- 2 shallots, chopped finely
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
Melt the butter in a small saucepan on low heat and add the shallots. Cook the shallots for 7 or 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the cream and warm through. That’s it, ready to serve.
Makes about 1/2 cup.
If you like these recipes, you’ll find many more French chicken recipes on Easy French Food. Chicken Fricassee is another popular method for cooking poultry and this Moroccan Chicken Recipe, although not exactly French, is served so often in France, you might think it was. Enjoy.
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Grandma’s Homemade Chicken Soup
There is nothing quite like a hot, soothing bowl of homemade chicken soup, especially when your sick or when the weather starts getting cold. I am sure many of us have fond memories of Mom or Grandma fixing up a hot bowl of chicken soup when we were younger. Remember how comforting it was and how good it made you feel? I sure do and I look forward to making chicken soup at least once a month during the cold days of winter. I am going to share with you one of the most delicious recipes for chicken soup, passed down to me from my Grandmother. It is quite easy to make and I promise you will enjoy this again and again…
I rarely follow exact measurements while cooking, so the ingredients below are approximated. Please forgive me in advance..
INGREDIENTS
2 Large Chicken Breasts on the Bone, Skin on
3 Large Celery Stalks Sliced (Reserve Leaves)
3 Large Carrots Sliced
1 Medium Onion Chopped
3 Cloves of Garlic Crushed
2 Medium Russet Potatoes Cubed
1 Cup of Small Pasta for Soup (Orzo, Ditalini)
Water
Chicken Stock
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Grated Italian Cheese (Optional)
Bouquet garni of Thyme, Sage and Rosemary (Instructions Below)
DIRECTIONS
Step 1 - Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the chicken breasts skin side down and brown.
Step 2 - Add water and chicken stock to the pot. Add a 50/50 mixture of water and chicken stock. The chicken stock gives the soup a boost in flavor. Add enough liquid so that the chicken is completely submerged, plus a little more.
Step 3 - Add celery leaves, garlic and Bouquet Garni (instructions follow). Bring liquid to a boil, then cover and simmer. Cook chicken on a low simmer until you can easily pull the chicken off the bone. One chicken is done, remove it from the pot and place it on a large plate. Remove the garlic and bouquet from pot and discard.
Bouquet Garni Instructions/Description
A bouquet Garni is just a fancy French name for a bundle of herbs that can be added to stocks, soups and stews. When translated to English it means: “garnished bouquet”. It is very easy to make. You can either tie the bundle together using strings or you can wrap it in cheesecloth. I like to use the cheesecloth as it keeps the herbs contained so that they do not fall off and become part of the soup. If you don’t mind the herbs in the final soup, you can wrap it with string. This bundle of herbs will impart a deliciously rich flavor to the broth.
Step 4 - Add the onion, potatoes, celery and carrots to the pot. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender.
Step 5 - Add your pasta and cook along with vegetables until pasta is al dente.
Step 6 - While the pasta is cooking, pull chicken from the bone and shred into bite size pieces. Add the chicken to the pot and stir.
Step 7 - Serve. Top with grated cheese if desired. Enjoy!
