I was looking for a good chicken noodle soup recipe. I came across this creamy one from The Girl Who Ate Everything. I liked the soup very much, but it didn't seem like a traditional chicken noodle soup because it does not end up with the clear broth I am used to. Since the soup is thick and creamy and has potatoes, I have renamed this to Cheesy Chicken Chowder. The measurements listed here are halved from the original recipe. Even with the half measurements, this recipe still makes a lot of soup!
3 carrots, peeled and diced
3 potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
6 C. water
6 chicken bouillon cubes
1/2-1 C. shredded chicken
1 stick butter
1/2 C. flour
4 oz. Cheez Whiz
1 C. egg noodles, cooked
Over medium heat in large pan, bring water and bouillon to boil. Add vegetables and partially cook them. In separate pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour to melted butter and cook for one minute until mixture is bubbly. When butter/flour mixture is smooth, add to vegetables. Turn heat to medium-low. Add Cheez Whiz and chicken. Simmer 30 minutes, or until vegetables are cooked. Add egg noodles and serve.
Notes: I used Yukon gold potatoes. I used shredded chicken from three boneless, skinless chicken breasts (not sure how many cups of chicken that is). I had a 15-oz. jar of Cheez Whiz and meant to only use 4 oz. in the soup but miscalculated and used 8 oz. The soup still tasted fine, so adjust the amount of Cheez Whiz as desired. I also used 2 C. egg noodles. The soup was very thick when it was done so I added about 1 C. hot water to the soup at the end to make it less thick and to also cut down on the saltiness (the soup is very salty from the bouillon and Cheez Whiz). Add more or less water as needed until the soup is the desired consistency. I also seasoned the soup with pepper. The recipe didn't specify the size of the bouillon cubes, but they are the small cubes. I picked up a box of Knorr chicken bouillon which contains extra-large cubes. Luckily I noticed before I added all six cubes to the soup. Since the cubes were extra-large cubes, I only used three. When I make the soup again, I will probably only use five regular-sized bouillon cubes or two extra-large cubes to minimize the sodium content.
Chicken Noodle Soup
Slightly adapted from Cooking Classy.
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 qt. (64 oz.) low-sodium chicken broth, divided
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 C. carrots, diced (about 3 medium carrots)
1 C. celery, diced (about 3 stalks celery)
1/2 C. yellow onion, diced (about 1/2 medium onion)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1-1/2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice (juice from about one lemon)
2 C. rotini noodles
Salt and pepper
Finely grated parmesan or Romano cheese, optional
Place chicken and 2 cups chicken broth in a slow cooker and cook on low heat for 4 hours. Remove chicken from slow cooker; set aside. Strain broth from slow cooker through a fine strainer into bowl; set aside. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, onion, and garlic. Saute 3-4 minutes until vegetables are slightly tender. Add remaining broth and reserved chicken broth that was set aside. Stir in parsley, thyme, nutmeg, and lemon juice. Bring soup to a boil over medium-high heat. Once soup reaches a boil, reduce heat slightly and stir in rotini noodles. Cook until noodles reach desired tenderness, about 10-12 minutes. Meanwhile, shred chicken then add to soup once noodles are cooked through. Season soup with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm with cheese.
Notes: The original recipe called for fresh parsley; I substituted parsley flakes. The original recipe also called for 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg. The nutmeg scared me, so I used half that amount. I might be adventurous next time and try the full amount. Next time I make this recipe I will probably cook the noodles separately. By the time the noodles were done cooking the vegetables weren't quite soft enough but I was worried to cook the noodles any longer for fear they would become too mushy. Even though it requires an extra pan, I recommend cooking the noodles separately and then adding the noodles to the soup once the vegetables reach the desired texture.
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 qt. (64 oz.) low-sodium chicken broth, divided
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 C. carrots, diced (about 3 medium carrots)
1 C. celery, diced (about 3 stalks celery)
1/2 C. yellow onion, diced (about 1/2 medium onion)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1-1/2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice (juice from about one lemon)
2 C. rotini noodles
Salt and pepper
Finely grated parmesan or Romano cheese, optional
Place chicken and 2 cups chicken broth in a slow cooker and cook on low heat for 4 hours. Remove chicken from slow cooker; set aside. Strain broth from slow cooker through a fine strainer into bowl; set aside. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, onion, and garlic. Saute 3-4 minutes until vegetables are slightly tender. Add remaining broth and reserved chicken broth that was set aside. Stir in parsley, thyme, nutmeg, and lemon juice. Bring soup to a boil over medium-high heat. Once soup reaches a boil, reduce heat slightly and stir in rotini noodles. Cook until noodles reach desired tenderness, about 10-12 minutes. Meanwhile, shred chicken then add to soup once noodles are cooked through. Season soup with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm with cheese.
Notes: The original recipe called for fresh parsley; I substituted parsley flakes. The original recipe also called for 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg. The nutmeg scared me, so I used half that amount. I might be adventurous next time and try the full amount. Next time I make this recipe I will probably cook the noodles separately. By the time the noodles were done cooking the vegetables weren't quite soft enough but I was worried to cook the noodles any longer for fear they would become too mushy. Even though it requires an extra pan, I recommend cooking the noodles separately and then adding the noodles to the soup once the vegetables reach the desired texture.
Shredded Chicken
From the Cooking Classy blog. This recipe is part of the instructions for making Chicken Noodle soup, but I wanted to give it its own post because I think it would be helpful to cook chicken in this manner for lots of different recipes.
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 C. low-sodium chicken broth
Place chicken and broth in a slow cooker and cook on low heat for 4 hours. Remove chicken from slow cooker. When cool, shred chicken with two forks.
Note: To double recipe, place 2-5 chicken breasts in 4 C. low-sodium chicken broth. Make sure the chicken is covered with liquid or it will dry out.
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 C. low-sodium chicken broth
Place chicken and broth in a slow cooker and cook on low heat for 4 hours. Remove chicken from slow cooker. When cool, shred chicken with two forks.
Note: To double recipe, place 2-5 chicken breasts in 4 C. low-sodium chicken broth. Make sure the chicken is covered with liquid or it will dry out.
Chicken Cordon Bleu
This recipe is from Cook's Country. We had this for dinner on Christmas Eve. I was surprised the Ritz crackers stayed crunchy. There is no sauce with this recipe.
25 Ritz crackers (about 3/4 sleeve)
4 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into pieces
6 Tbsp. butter, melted
8 thin slices deli ham
2 C. shredded Swiss cheese
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 8 oz. each)
salt and pepper
3 eggs
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard (like Grey Poupon)
1 C. all-purpose flour
1. Make Crumbs: Adjust the oven racks to the lowest and middle positions and heat oven to 450 degrees. Pulse crackers and bread in food processor until coarsely ground. Drizzle in butter; pulse to incorporate. Bake crumbs on rimmed baking sheet on middle rack, stirring occasionally, until light brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a shallow dish. Leave oven on.
2. Stuff Chicken: Top each ham slice with 1/4 cup cheese and roll tightly; set aside. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Cut pocket in thickest part of chicken, and stuff each breast with two ham/cheese rolls. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Transfer chicken to plate and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 20 minutes.
3. Coat and Bake: Beat eggs and mustard in second shallow dish. Place flour in third shallow dish. One at a time, coat stuffed chicken lightly with flour, dip into egg mixture, and dredge in crumbs, pressing to adhere. Transfer chicken to clean baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees on lowest rack until bottom of chicken is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Move baking sheet to middle rack and reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees. Bake until chicken is golden brown and chicken registers 160 degrees, about 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer chicken to cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest 5 minutes. Serve.
Notes: I found that the ham/cheese rolls were sometimes too big to fit into the chicken. When that happened, I just cut the rolls in half. After the chicken is stuffed use your hands to try to close the pocket. The refrigeration helps the chicken stay closed. To save time, I prepared the chicken ahead and refrigerated it overnight. The next day I seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper and then followed the instructions in Step 3. The recipe recommends Black Forest ham, but any variety will probably work.
25 Ritz crackers (about 3/4 sleeve)
4 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into pieces
6 Tbsp. butter, melted
8 thin slices deli ham
2 C. shredded Swiss cheese
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 8 oz. each)
salt and pepper
3 eggs
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard (like Grey Poupon)
1 C. all-purpose flour
1. Make Crumbs: Adjust the oven racks to the lowest and middle positions and heat oven to 450 degrees. Pulse crackers and bread in food processor until coarsely ground. Drizzle in butter; pulse to incorporate. Bake crumbs on rimmed baking sheet on middle rack, stirring occasionally, until light brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a shallow dish. Leave oven on.
2. Stuff Chicken: Top each ham slice with 1/4 cup cheese and roll tightly; set aside. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Cut pocket in thickest part of chicken, and stuff each breast with two ham/cheese rolls. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Transfer chicken to plate and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 20 minutes.
3. Coat and Bake: Beat eggs and mustard in second shallow dish. Place flour in third shallow dish. One at a time, coat stuffed chicken lightly with flour, dip into egg mixture, and dredge in crumbs, pressing to adhere. Transfer chicken to clean baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees on lowest rack until bottom of chicken is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Move baking sheet to middle rack and reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees. Bake until chicken is golden brown and chicken registers 160 degrees, about 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer chicken to cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest 5 minutes. Serve.
Notes: I found that the ham/cheese rolls were sometimes too big to fit into the chicken. When that happened, I just cut the rolls in half. After the chicken is stuffed use your hands to try to close the pocket. The refrigeration helps the chicken stay closed. To save time, I prepared the chicken ahead and refrigerated it overnight. The next day I seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper and then followed the instructions in Step 3. The recipe recommends Black Forest ham, but any variety will probably work.
Cadbury Mini Egg Cookies
From Natalie. The tricky part of this recipe is that you can only find the Cadbury Mini Eggs at Easter and Christmas.
1 C. sugar
1 C. brown sugar
1 C. butter, softened
2 eggs
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
3 C. flour
1 10-oz. package of Cadbury Mini Eggs, crushed
Cream sugars and butter together until mixture is light and fluffy. Stir in eggs one at a time. Stir in vanilla, salt, and baking soda. Gradually add flour until well mixed. Stir in chopped candy. Drop by teaspoonful onto baking sheet two inches apart. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until cookies start to crack (they may not look done). Let cookies cool on baking sheet for a few minutes until firm and then transfer to a cooling rack.
Note: The Cadbury Mini Eggs are pretty hard to crush. You could probably use a blender or food processor, but I prefer putting them in a Ziploc bag and gently using a hammer! Don't worry about having a uniform size.
1 C. sugar
1 C. brown sugar
1 C. butter, softened
2 eggs
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
3 C. flour
1 10-oz. package of Cadbury Mini Eggs, crushed
Cream sugars and butter together until mixture is light and fluffy. Stir in eggs one at a time. Stir in vanilla, salt, and baking soda. Gradually add flour until well mixed. Stir in chopped candy. Drop by teaspoonful onto baking sheet two inches apart. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until cookies start to crack (they may not look done). Let cookies cool on baking sheet for a few minutes until firm and then transfer to a cooling rack.
Note: The Cadbury Mini Eggs are pretty hard to crush. You could probably use a blender or food processor, but I prefer putting them in a Ziploc bag and gently using a hammer! Don't worry about having a uniform size.
Soft Caramel Puffed Corn
Adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything. Perfect for holiday gifts!
8 oz. bag puffed corn (I find Clover Club or Barrel O' Fun brands at Macey's)
1/2 C. (1 stick) butter
1 C. light brown sugar
1 C. light corn syrup
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
Place puffed corn in a VERY large bowl. In a large saucepan melt together the butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium and add the can of sweetened condensed milk. With a rubber spatula, stir mixture constantly for about five minutes, making sure to scrape the sides and especially the bottom of the pan to prevent any burning. The longer the mixture is cooked, the firmer the caramel will be. I followed the recommended time of 4 minutes and 30 seconds. Pour caramel over popcorn and stir until coated.
Notes: This recipe makes a little too much caramel for the amount of puffed corn. You could probably get away with two 8-oz. bags of puffed corn (I think the puffed corn is also sold in a 16-oz. size), but I haven't tried it yet. The original recipe used popcorn, but I like the puffed corn because it has the same taste without the annoying kernels getting stuck in your teeth. It also saves time from having to pick out the unpopped kernels from the popcorn. The original recipe indicates you can add M&Ms, nuts, or drizzled chocolate to the mixture. Either salted or unsalted butter works. I don't usually notice the difference, but I can definitely taste the salt from the salted butter in this recipe. However, it complements the sweet caramel nicely. If you're not a fan of salty, make sure to use unsalted butter. Finally, the recipe didn't mention this, but if I have time I like to lay out the mixture on a sheet pan lined with wax paper until the mixture cools. This helps prevent big clumps from forming and allows any excess caramel to drip on the wax paper rather than in the bottom of the bowl which is a little harder to clean.
8 oz. bag puffed corn (I find Clover Club or Barrel O' Fun brands at Macey's)
1/2 C. (1 stick) butter
1 C. light brown sugar
1 C. light corn syrup
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
Place puffed corn in a VERY large bowl. In a large saucepan melt together the butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium and add the can of sweetened condensed milk. With a rubber spatula, stir mixture constantly for about five minutes, making sure to scrape the sides and especially the bottom of the pan to prevent any burning. The longer the mixture is cooked, the firmer the caramel will be. I followed the recommended time of 4 minutes and 30 seconds. Pour caramel over popcorn and stir until coated.
Notes: This recipe makes a little too much caramel for the amount of puffed corn. You could probably get away with two 8-oz. bags of puffed corn (I think the puffed corn is also sold in a 16-oz. size), but I haven't tried it yet. The original recipe used popcorn, but I like the puffed corn because it has the same taste without the annoying kernels getting stuck in your teeth. It also saves time from having to pick out the unpopped kernels from the popcorn. The original recipe indicates you can add M&Ms, nuts, or drizzled chocolate to the mixture. Either salted or unsalted butter works. I don't usually notice the difference, but I can definitely taste the salt from the salted butter in this recipe. However, it complements the sweet caramel nicely. If you're not a fan of salty, make sure to use unsalted butter. Finally, the recipe didn't mention this, but if I have time I like to lay out the mixture on a sheet pan lined with wax paper until the mixture cools. This helps prevent big clumps from forming and allows any excess caramel to drip on the wax paper rather than in the bottom of the bowl which is a little harder to clean.
Lemon Drop Cookies
From See Jane Cook.
2 C. sugar
1-1/2 C. butter-flavored shortening
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. lemon extract
4 C. flour
1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
finely chopped zest from one lemon
1 (6 oz.) pkg. lemon drops
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Finely crush lemon drops in blender or food processor. In mixing bowl, cream sugar and shortening. Add eggs and mix well. Stir in vanilla and lemon extract. Stir in flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add lemon zest and finely crushed lemon drops and mix well.
Roll into balls, place on parchment-lined baking sheet, and slightly flatten. You must use parchment paper; otherwise, the cookies will stick to the pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cookies cool on pan for a few minutes to set. Transfer cookies to cooling rack and brush glaze over cookie tops. Let cookies cool completely. Cookies freeze well.
Makes about 4 dozen cookies.
Note: I baked the cookies until I could see they were brown on the bottom but looked like they weren't quite done on the top (soft set). For crunchier cookies, bake until the tops are lightly browned.
Glaze
2 C. powdered sugar
4-5 Tbsp. lemon juice (from juice of about two lemons)
Stir together until smooth.
2 C. sugar
1-1/2 C. butter-flavored shortening
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. lemon extract
4 C. flour
1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
finely chopped zest from one lemon
1 (6 oz.) pkg. lemon drops
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Finely crush lemon drops in blender or food processor. In mixing bowl, cream sugar and shortening. Add eggs and mix well. Stir in vanilla and lemon extract. Stir in flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add lemon zest and finely crushed lemon drops and mix well.
Roll into balls, place on parchment-lined baking sheet, and slightly flatten. You must use parchment paper; otherwise, the cookies will stick to the pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cookies cool on pan for a few minutes to set. Transfer cookies to cooling rack and brush glaze over cookie tops. Let cookies cool completely. Cookies freeze well.
Makes about 4 dozen cookies.
Note: I baked the cookies until I could see they were brown on the bottom but looked like they weren't quite done on the top (soft set). For crunchier cookies, bake until the tops are lightly browned.
Glaze
2 C. powdered sugar
4-5 Tbsp. lemon juice (from juice of about two lemons)
Stir together until smooth.