Chicken Florentine Soup

Merry New Year, Nummy!

I was thinking of making some sweeping New Year’s Resolution about posting more interesting things than soup in 2012, but then I realized I hate resolutions and I still love soup, so everyone can deal.

Seriously though – I wonder what percentage of people actually follow through with resolutions. Because I’m betting 90% of us just end up hating ourselves for not being able to cut it and the other 10% are overachievers who the rest of us hate.

Anyway, the soup: Not only is this delicious, but it’s also a good alternative when you’re looking to strap on the Italian feedbag but don’t want to pile on the calories. The tastes are the same, but because it’s mainly broth and veggies, it could be construed as mildly good for you. And it has a 2 full servings of veggies! (I made that up, but it could be true.)

Also, because this is not cream- or roux-based, all of you clichés who have resolved to eat more healthily in the new year can keep the dream for one more day.

runningwithtweezers.com

1 rotisserie chicken, meat removed and chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
2 tbsp oil
6 cups (or more) chicken broth
1 cup pasta sauce
2 cans stewed/diced tomatoes with juice (if stewed, chop those suckers)
8 oz baby portabella mushrooms, barely chopped
1 bag spinach, roughly chopped
1 zucchini, chopped evenly
1 package refrigerated tortellini (tri-color for the fun)
1 cup parmesan cheese + extra for garnish

Seasonings to taste:
Italian seasoning + extra basil/oregano/thyme (fresh would be the bomb)
Cavendar’s
Cayenne
Garlic powder

1. Saute garlic and onion in oil until translucent.
2. Add the next four ingredients and all of the herbs and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Bring to a boil. Add chicken, zucchini, and tortellini.
4. Cook under zucchini and tortellini are tender. Stir in parmesan. Serve.

Susu’s Chicken Divan

thekitchn.com

Before Katers learned how to do more in the kitchen than boil water, this was a standard weekly dinner at Morrow Ave.

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While she is clearly now a master chef, it is a testament to the goodness – and easiness – of this recipe that it was always delicious and immediately devoured.

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This recipe is Susu’s version of the quintessential Southern classic, and I must admit I was pretty thrilled to find out you can just cube the cheddar cheese instead of grating it. Bloody knuckles are not appetizing.

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Casserole:

8 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

2 pkgs broccoli, cooked and drained

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Sauce:

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup cubed sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 cup mayo

2-7 tbsp cooking sherry

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1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Mix all sauce ingredients together.
3. Pour over chicken and broccoli in 9×12 casserole dish.
4. Cook 30-35 minutes, or until a little bubbly.

Butternut Squash and Mushroom Chicken Pot Pie

I have not been seasonal in my postings.  Butternut squash has been a theme these past weeks, and let’s be honest it just screams fall.  Here is a very tasty take on chicken pot pie incorporating butternut squash, mushrooms, gravy, biscuits, and bacon.  Do I need to say more?  –ts

1 1/2 cups cubed butternut squash
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup chicken broth (preferably homemade)
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp. smoked paprika
1 tbsp. olive oil
6 slices center-cut bacon
3 portabella mushroom caps, cleaned and diced (about 3 cups)
8 oz. crimini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 cup diced onions
2 lb. chicken breasts and thighs, diced
salt to taste
buttermilk biscuits (make your own if you can, but I can’t bake)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Place the butternut squash, milk, chicken broth and garlic in a small pot and set over medium-low heat. Simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the squash is tender. Remove from heat and blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Stir in the smoked paprika and set aside.
2. While the squash cooks, set a large skillet over medium heat. Once it’s hot, add the oil and the bacon and the onions. Saute until the bacon begins to crisp and the onions turn translucent, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the chicken and cook through, about 10 more minutes. Then add the mushrooms and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
4. Grease a casserole dish. Place the contents of the skillet in the baking dish, then ladle the butternut squash puree evenly over the top. Halve the biscuits and place them in an even layer over the top.
5. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes, or until the biscuits are cooked through and golden. Remove and let stand for 10 minutes before servings.

Morg’s Balsamic Chicken & Peppers

This is another offering from the (newly upgraded) kitchen of Morganthony and the new Mrs. Ribeiro herself.

Williams Sonoma

Ever the modern woman, Morg is not only “workin’ that 9 to 5 and stayin’ cute” à la J. Holiday,* but she is also bringing home the bacon and frying it up in a pan. Or the chicken, depending upon the night.

Morg found this recipe on Williams Sonoma, but, as any good chef does, she has tweaked it to her liking. The recipe below uses extra balsamic and higher heat to absorb it, and that’s what gets your chicken kickin’.

1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast halves or thighs
4 tbsp olive oil
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
6 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup minced fresh basil
1 tbsp minced fresh thyme
S&P to taste

1. Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper. In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, warm 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.
2. Add the chicken and cook, turning once, until golden brown, about 7 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.
3. In the same pan over medium-high heat, warm the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the bell peppers and onion and sauté until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
4. Add the vinegar, half of the basil and half of the thyme and stir, scraping up the browned bits from the pan bottom. Return the chicken and any juices from the plate to the pan, spooning the peppers over the chicken.
5. Cook until the chicken is opaque throughout, 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Stir in the remaining basil and thyme, and season with salt and pepper.
7. Divide among 4 plates and serve immediately. Serves 4.

*I realize this reference is beyond random, but that song is catchy as hell. Also, Hunter Mills once convinced me to leave a wedding reception to stand outside his car and listen to this song in order to prove I would like it as much as Apologize by promising he would eat his jacket if I didn’t. Unfortunately, I did, but I still respect that move.

Provencal Chicken

As RipleyPickles mentioned, fall is in the air.  Down here in NOLA that means it is a cool high 80’s/low 90’s, so I think a nice comfort chicken dish is needed.  Provencal Chicken has all the right ingredients- shallots, butter, wine, rosemary, and garlic.  Unless you serve this chicken raw, it is impossible to ruin.  This is easy, delicious, and will impress any dinner guests.   This recipe comes from Pierre Franey’s “Cooking In France.”
Chef’s note:  the secret to making this the perfect chicken dish is cooking the chicken skin-side down for at least ten minutes.  The crispiness is key.  As always, using homemade chicken broth changes a dish completely and is highly recommended. -ts

3-4 pound chicken cut in pieces (ask your butcher to chop it) or use 2 pound chicken pieces
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1/2 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup chicken broth

1. Season chicken pieces on both sides liberally with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat in heavy skillet large enough to hold pieces comfortably until butter foam has subsided. Add chicken pieces skin-side down and cook undisturbed until skin is crisp and golden brown, about 10 minutes.
2. Turn chicken pieces over and add garlic and rosemary to skillet. Continue to cook for 10 more minutes.
3. Remove chicken to rest and carefully remove all but a few tablespoons of fat from skillet. Add shallots and cook for 30 seconds, then add wine and chicken broth. Scrape up pan juices from surface and reduce sauce by half
4. Return chicken pieces to pan skin-side up and cook, covered, until chicken is cooked through. Add remaining tablespoon of butter to skillet to finish sauce. Serve chicken immediately with sauce draped around it.

Chicken Pasta Salad ~ Fourth of July 2K11

It’s that time of year again, lake rats: The 4th of July. And in honor of our upcoming trip to Tims Ford, I’m giving up one of my favorite have-around lake snacks: my version of the Chicken Pasta Salad from Bread & Company. [That stuff is way too expensive to buy by the pound, so I piddled around until I figured out a pretty close imitation. Grommet-style.]

This stuff keeps incredibly well, so you can have it pre-boat, mid-beverage and even post-broken-foot if you are as unlucky around water as I seem to be.
And it makes a great base if you’re, say, drowning your sorrows in Firefly so you can limp down to the driveway to play beer die. Not that that’s ever happened.

Anywho, this recipe uses roasted red peppers rather than raw because I ain’t much for the crunch, so tinker with this as you must. Freedom of choice is American as hell.

3 chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1 package thin angel hair, cooked*
1 can artichokes, drained and coarsely chopped
1 jar roasted red peppers, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped (just the green parts)
2 cups mayo (plus as much as you need for your desired level of moisture. Eww. Hate that word.)
splash of Italian dressing (optional)
salt and pepper to taste (or Cavender’s if you’re Akin through-and-through)

1. Season chicken and cook in skillet with olive oil. (Taco seasoning + Tony’s is a winning combination for me.)
2. While pasta is still warm, add mayo and all other ingredients.
3. Cover and chill at least one hour (but this is even better after it sits overnight). Season to taste.

Eat on it. It’s the yum.

*I always undercook the pasta when I know I’m making this a day or two in advance because the pasta will soften as it sits in the fridge. Adjust your level of al dente accordingly.

Besh (Best) Jambalaya

We cooked this on one of our last dinner parties at our apartment in NYC.  It was amazing.  We made a huge pot of it, and I am pretty sure there were no leftovers.  People were stuffing their face and going for third helpings.  Chef John and I love “My New Orleans” cookbook.  Other then the obvious fact that his recipe’s are amazing, I also love this cookbook because John Besh describes the cooking process and why it is important to do certain things while you are cooking.   -ts

Chef John says: If you don’t have John Besh’s book, “My New Orleans,” than you need to have your head examined, go buy it. In my opinion, he’s easily one of the most talented and innovative chefs out there and best of all he likes to use pork… a lot. I’m trying to eat my way through his book at the moment but wanted to share with you his Jambalaya recipe. Prior to this, I’ve never tried to make it on my own and I was really surprised by how easy it was.  This is one of my favorite comfort foods and provides a great base for a long night out.

2 pounds bacon, diced
3 pounds andouille sausage, diced
1/2 cup lard (OPTIONAL- we did not use bc there is enough pork fat)
2 pounds fresh pork sausage, removed from casings
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, roughly cut into 1-inch pieces
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
6 large onions, diced
4 bell peppers, seeded and diced
10 stalks celery, diced
12 cloves garlic, minced
9 cups converted Louisiana white rice
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 dried bay leaves
3 tablespoons pimention de la Vera or smoked paprika
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon celery salt
6 cups canned crushed tomatoes
6 cups chicken stock
5 pounds Louisiana white shrimp or other wild American shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 bunches green onions, chopped

1. First, you’ll need to heat a very large pot 3-5 gallons) over high heat until it is hot, then reduce the heat to moderate.  This will allow the heat to be uniform all over, preventing those little hot spots that are likely to burn.
2. Render the bacon with the sausages and the lard in the hot pot, stirring slowly with a long wooden spoon or a spade.  While the pork is rendering, go ahead and season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper.  Add the chicken to the pot, stirring, and cook until the chicken becomes golden brown, about 5 minutes.
3. After the chicken as browned, add the onions to the pot and all them to caramelize, about 15 minutes.  Add the bell peppers, celery, and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes.  Continue stirring from time to time so that everything in the pot cooks evenly.
4. Next add the rice, thyme, bay leaves, pimention, cayenne, 2 tablespoons salt, 1 tablespoons black pepper, and the celery salt to the pot and cook, stirring often for 3 minutes.
5. Increase the heat to high and add the tomatoes and chicken stock to the pot,  Bring the stock to a boil.  Reduce the heat do medium low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
6. While the rice is cooking in the covered pot, season the shrimp with salt and pepper and save them, along with the green onions, to be added at the last minutes.
7. After the rice as simmered for 15 minutes, go ahead and remove the lid from the pot and fold int he shrimp and green onions.  Turn off the heat and let everything continue to to cook in the hot covered pot for an additional 10 minutes.  Remove the lid, fluff the jambalaya and serve.

Chicken Picatta

I have been neglecting m’boy Wikipedia for a while now, and that stops here. The ‘pedia tells me that “picatta” just means “to be pounded flat” in Italian. And I like that.

Not only because these little suckers will fry up right nice because they are flat and even all over but also because you get to use that tiny little mallet to work out some of your aggression. That little hammer is somehow adorable and violent all at once, and I always imagine a furious little Leprechaun-lumberjack using it. And that clearly makes me happy.

4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
2 oz of olive oil
seasoned flour
2 teaspoons shallots, minced
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
4 oz white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tsp of chopped parsley
2 tbsp capers
1 oz of lemon juice
2 tbsp butter

1. Lightly pound chicken breast and then dredge in seasoned flour.
2. Heat the oil in a saute pan. Cook the chicken until golden brown.
3. Remove from pan, add shallots and garlic and cook until translucent.
4. De-glaze pan with wine. Add chicken stock, parsley, capers, and lemon juice.
5. Let it reduce for 2 minutes and then finish the sauce with butter. Salt and pepper it to taste and serve with your favorite pasta.

Sticky Lemon Chicken

In keeping with the questionable titles of our recipes this week, (“Lava poop,” Nads? If that doesn’t whet your appetite, I guess nothing will.) we present you with a sticky sauce that is well worth the extra napkins.

I have not had the pleasure of trying this yet, but I’m a big fan of dark meat and cooking chicken on the bone because they both make the meat more flavorful. And the mixture of vinegar, soy sauce, honey and garlic sounds like a great riff on Asian food without requiring you to go full-Pet Store.

4-5 chicken thighs
sea salt and black pepper
3-4 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, halved
thyme, a few sprigs
sherry or red wine vinegar, splash
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
3 tbsp honey
1 lemon, finely sliced
splash of water or stock

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper.  Heat a saute pan to high heat. Add oil and brown chicken in skillet. Once browned, remove to plate.
2. Add garlic and cook for 2 mintues over medium high heat.
3. Add vinegar and cook down until reduced by half.
4. Add soy sauce, honey, thyme, and water. Return chicken to pan, turning to coat with sauce.  Add lemon slices, Cook until the sauce is syrupy, about 10 minutes.
5. Once  chicken is fully cooked, pull it out of the pan, plate and drizzle with sauce.

Serve up with some roasted red potatoes or Bacon Potato salad and some wet wipes. Because I’m sure this is much more fun if you eat it with your hands. Medieval Times anyone? Holla at the White Knight!

Chicken Pesto Pasta ~ Nummy Goes Green for St. Patty’s

Top ‘o the afternoon to ya, Nummy, and a Happy St. Patty’s Day to all!

Did you think we at NNN had forsaken you on the most sacred of all holidays? Well, to be honest, we almost did. Between broken feet and bachelorette parties, green beer has been very low on the list of priorities today, and for that we are appropriately ashamed.

However, in the spirit of going green in the good way (you know, the way that doesn’t require you to start caring about the environment or driving around in a toy car and all that hippie nonsense), here is a recipe that is both simple and green. Jayne Thompson used to make this all the time when we were in middle school, and we would argue over LT’s lunch leftovers because this stuff is just as good cold as hot.

1 jar pesto sauce*
1 jar Italian dressing
2 lbs chicken breast, cut into 2-inch long strips
1 packages angel hair pasta (or any pasta of your choosing)
salt & pepper

1. Marinate chicken breast in dressing overnight. (If you don’t have enough time for this step, just marinate as long as you can.)
2. Saute chicken in the Italian dressing and drain. Set aside.
3. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and add pesto, chicken, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm with salad and crusty bread.
   (Or refrigerate overnight and pack some in your lunchbox. It’s even better the next day, and you will definitely be the envy of everyone in the caf. Salty goodness.)

*If you are a purist, do not fret – we have a great pesto recipe coming soon. Ina Garten represent!