Category: Soups and Stews

Creamy Chicken and Vegetable Stew

I love chicken stew. Here in the south, at least chicken stew I’ve had all my life, chicken stew is usually just chicken in a milk based broth with seasonings. And, is eaten with hot sauce and saltine crackers. I started to make that (and I will sometime, and will share it when I do!), but I decided I wanted some vegetables – so I came up with something a little different.

I started with shredded chicken. I realize I sound like a broken record, but I will say it again, for anyone that may have missed it – if you ever need shredded chicken, and you own an instant pot, use your instant pot – and cook your chicken (you can even do it from frozen, if you forgot to thaw it out), with some chicken stock – and then shred it with a hand held mixer. You can get more details here.

While my chicken was cooking, I prepped my vegetables. I used 7 potatoes, 4 carrots and 1 onion. I also added a can of whole kernel corn.

I love my Le Creuset and I use it several times a week. Tonight was no exception. It is, truly, one of my favorite things in my kitchen. I had wanted one for quite a while, but never could justify dropping that much money on one – but, I was given the opportunity to get one as my 20 year anniversary gift from the place I work. I didn’t know I would love it as much as I to – but, I digress… that that to say, I cooked the chicken stew in my Le Creuset. I have 6 3/4 oval Dutch oven, in Cerise.

I added the olive oil, onions and carrots and cooked until they started to soften.

I then added in the seasonings (when I can, I like to add seasonings, like thyme, before adding the liquids – I feel like it opens up the flavor more, if you do). and I just stirred it all through.

I then added in 1 cup of the chicken stock and made sure to pull up any of the brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Once that was done, I added in the potatoes, the corn, the chicken (including the stock from the instant pot), the remaining stock and the milk and brought the stew up to a boil. Then, reduced the heat, covered the pot and let it simmer for 45 minutes.

A couple tips:

  • Since the chicken is precooked, you can eat the stew as soon as your vegetables are soft, but the longer you let it simmer, the more the flavors will meld.
  • I didn’t have whole milk, but wanted a creamy soup – so I used some skim milk and some heavy cream. Feel free to adjust which milk to your taste. If I would have had whole milk, I would have just used all whole for the 5 cups the recipe calls for.
  • If you prefer a less ‘creamy’ stew (or just want to make it a little healthier), just adjust the broth to milk ratio, to your liking – but, we definitely prefer the chicken stew with more milk, than broth.
  • If you like a thicker stew, you can certainly add a slurry at the end to thicken.
  • Try it with some hot sauce – that’s how we like it! And, some saltine crackers if you have them – unfortunately, we didn’t tonight.

Chicken and Vegetable Stew

3 large chicken breasts, shredded (with stock from cooking)
4 carrots, chopped
6-8 potatoes, diced
1 onion, diced
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
3 cups chicken stock (one cup comes from cooking the chicken breasts – if you cook in instant pot, like I do)
5 cups milk
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp parsley flakes
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tsp olive oil

  • Cook chicken and shred
  • Prep vegetables
  • In large pot or dutch oven, add olive oil, onions and carrots and cook for 4-5 minutes
  • Add in seasonings and stir through
  • Add in chicken stock, pulling up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot
  • Add the potatoes, then the chicken (including stock from cooking)
  • Finally add in milk – and bring to a boil
  • Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes (or until vegetables are tender)

by Michelle

Hearty Beef Stew

When it starts to get cooler, it’s really hard to beat a good stew. And, beef stew is one of our favorites. It’s warm, filling and feeds a lot – what’s not to love about it?! OH, and it is super easy to make!

I started by chopping my vegetables. Since it was going in a stew, I just rough chopped everything.

The cooking started with, as so many things that I love do, a little bit of olive oil, the onions I chopped and garlic. I cooked the onions and garlic until they started to get soft.

Then I added in the stew meat and browned it – adding in the seasonings, when it started to get browned.

Finally, I added in 4 cups – or one carton – of beef stock, the can of crushed tomatoes and the vegetables.

I let it come to a boil and then reduced the heat and covered the stew.

** Side note, the recipe is written up to indicate that you should, after lowering the heat cook it for about an hour (which is what I would normally do) – however, tonight, my daughter had volleyball and I was getting the dinner ready prior to leaving for the match, so I deviated slightly. I brought it up to a boil and then simmered for about 30 minutes or so. I had preheated my oven to 450 degrees. When I had to leave, I put the dutch oven (lid on) in the oven, turned off the oven and let it continue to cook in the oven. While this isn’t necessary for this recipe, and isn’t even how I would normally do it, I do mention it in case it is helpful to someone! The Le Creuset dutch oven is so well insulated, that this works perfectly – and kept the beef stew nice and warm for the time that we were away from the house. It was nice to be able to come home, only needing to thicken the stew before eating!

When we got home, I removed the dutch oven from the oven and returned it to the stove, as I wanted to add a quick slurry (just a couple tablespoons of corn starch mixed with about 1/2 cup or so of cold water) to the stew to thicken it a bit. To help it thicken, I brought it back up to a boil prior to adding in the slurry. Point of note – even after being in the oven, which wasn’t on – but, had been preheated to 450 degrees, for a couple hours – the stew was still pretty hot and was up to a boil in a matter of about 2 minutes.

We were hungry and we were cold – we enjoyed our beef stew about 10 – 15 minutes after adding the slurry! Super easy – super filling – super delicious – super perfect for this busy evening.

Hearty Beef Stew

2.5 – 3 lbs stew meat
5 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
6-8 red potatoes, diced
1 large can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
4 cups beef stock
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
3/4 tbsp salt
1/2 tbsp pepper
1 tbsp Umami seasoning

  • Chop vegetables
  • In a large dutch oven, add olive oil and then onions and garlic, cook until soft
  • Add in stew meat and brown, add in seasonings
  • Add in tomatoes and beef stock, bring to a boil – then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for approximately 1 hour (timing may vary depending on the size you cut your veggies)
  • Just before serving, bring back up to a boil – and add in a slurry of cold water and corn starch to thicken

by Michelle

Easy Chili Mac

When I was a little girl, I remember having goulash – and this recipe reminds me of that. While this recipe is not the same as the goulash I ate as a child, it is one that I know we’ll make a lot – as it a comforting, filling and easy recipe.

The recipe contains ground beef, tomatoes, onion, kidney beans, noodles, cheese and seasonings. What could be more comforting than that?

I started by chopping an onion and then cooking it, with some garlic and olive oil, in a large dutch oven.

After the onions and garlic sauteed for about 5 minutes, I added in the ground beef and cooked until it was browned. I added in the seasonings and stirred through.

Once the beef was done, I added in the canned ingredients – tomatoes, tomato paste and kidney beans and stirred through. I added in the beef stock and brought the pot up to a boil.

After a boil was achieved, I lowered the heat to simmer and added in the pasta. I allowed the pasta to cook for approximately 13 minutes (just cook until the pasta is done, refer to the box for cooking times).

While the pasta was cooking, I shredded approximately 1 1/2 cups of cheese. I used moneterey jack cheese, but cheddar would be good too!

Once the pasta is done, you’ll want to add in the cheese and stir through. You can add more cheese, when serving, if you like!

Easy Chili Mac

1 lb lean ground beef
1 1/2 onion, diced
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 16 oz box elbow macaroni pasta
1 large can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 can rotel tomatoes with chilis
1 can dark red kidney beans (drained)
3 cups beef stock
1/2 tbsp chili powder
3/4 tbsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cups grated cheese
1 tsp olive oil

  • Put olive oil in hot dutch oven (or large pot)
  • Add in garlic and onions and saute for about 5 minutes
  • Add ground beef to pot and cook, until browned
  • Add in seasonings and mix through
  • Add in tomatoes, tomato sauce and kidney beans, bring pot to a boil
  • Reduce heat and add in the box of pasta
  • Cook until pasta is done (around 13-15 minutes should be sufficient)
  • Just before serving, stir in the grated cheese
by Michelle

Chicken Taco Soup

We are in the south, so the reality is that it doesn’t really get cold – especially not in October – but, today was definitely a dreary, rainy day with milder temperatures than we’ve been experiencing – the perfect day for chicken taco soup!

The ingredients couldn’t be more simple. In addition to chicken and garnishing touches, this recipe consists of some tomatoes, onion, beans, corn and spices.

I started by cooking the chicken. I had approximately 2 pounds of chicken tenders that I cooked in the instant pot. As I have said before, I discovered that the easiest way to do shredded chicken (and I’ve even done pork this way) is to cook it in some stock in the instant pot and shred it with a hand held mixer. You can find more about that, on this post.

While the chicken was cooking, I rough chopped one onion.

In a dutch oven, I added oil and brought up the heat. I then added the onion and sauteed until soft. I added in all the seasonings (except salt) to the onions and stirred it around in the pan to let the seasonings kind of ‘toast’.

Next, I added the chicken into the dutch oven and mixed the onions (and seasonings) in with the chicken. As I used my instant pot to cook the chicken, there was stock still in the pot – I added it all into the dutch oven. The stock helped to pull up any stuck on bits on the bottom of the pan – be sure to stir everything well, to pick up that extra flavor.

After the chicken has been added – it’s time to add in the other items. Dump all the cans into the pot (no need to drain). Add in your salt and bring the pot up to a boil.

Once a boil is achieved, lower the heat to simmer, cover and let simmer for at least 30 minutes (longer is fine too!).

Serve with garnishments of your choice! A perfect meal for a cold(ish) and dreary day!

Chicken Taco Soup

2 lbs chicken breast, shredded
1 onion, rough chopped
1 large can crushed tomatoes
2 cans tomatoes and chilis
1 can light red kidney beans
1 can dark red kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 can whole kernel corn
1 packet taco seasoning
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder
2/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil

Garnish:
Sliced avocado
Sour cream
Grated cheese
Chopped cilantro
Pickled Jalapenos
Tortilla chips

  • Cook chicken and shred
  • In large pot or dutch oven, add olive oil and onions – saute onions until tender
  • Add in cumin, chili powder and taco seasoning and stir well (allowing seasonings to ‘toast’)
  • Add in shredded chicken (I cooked my chicken in the instant pot, with approx 1 cup of chicken stock – I added it all into the dutch oven, including the stock) and stir
  • Add in the cans of vegetables and mix through
  • Add in salt
  • Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and cook for at least 30 minutes (longer is fine)
  • Top with garnishments of choice

by Michelle

Easy Chicken and Dumplins (that’s right, there is no ‘g’ where I’m from)

One of the South’s most popular comfort foods has got to be chicken and dumplins. At least it has always been one of my favorites. I have been known to, truly, have had a bad day and craved chicken and dumplins as a ‘pick me up’.

While I’ve seen recipes that have vegetables in them (and I do love vegetables), I would – personally – never call that chicken and dumplins. For me, chicken and dumplins is just that – chicken and dumplins, no veggies needed.

Certainly, you could make homemade dumplins, but I’ve always made mine with canned biscuits – couldn’t be easier! I use 2 cans, generally, and just cut each biscuit in 6-9 pieces. I find that if you use butter flavored biscuits, like these, it adds a lot of depth to the chicken and dumplins.

For the chicken – while I love chicken breasts – chicken thighs are the only way to go for chicken and dumplins. I cooked 5 chicken thighs in my instant pot and shredded them. I’ve blogged about how I do shredded chicken before – you can check it out on this post.

Once I have the chicken shredded, I added it to a large dutch oven, along with 4 1/2 cups of chicken stock, 2 cups of milk, 3/4 tsp of salt and 3/4 tsp pepper – and bring it up to a boil. I then add in the ‘dumplins’, stir through, reduce the heat, cover and let it cook for about 30 minutes (that is about the time needed if you cut the biscuits into 6-8 pieces each).

While this does reheat well, if you’re feeding a family, good luck with leftovers!

Chicken and Dumplins

5 chicken thighs, shredded
4 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 cups milk
2 cans butter flavored flaky biscuits
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper

  • Cook and shred chicken thighs
  • Cut biscuits into 6-9 pieces, per biscuit
  • Add shredded chicken, chicken stock, milk, salt and pepper into dutch oven – bring to boil
  • Reduce heat and add in ‘dumplins’
  • Let simmer for about 30 minutes, until dumplins are done (I actually kept the heat on for 15 minutes, then turned it off and let the dumplins sit, covered, for another 15 minutes)
by Michelle