Green Chile Chicken Soup

Much to many people's dismay, the weather is still adding 

enjoyment to a delicious bowl of soup.

I live in Arkansas and we are still having those days. 

For me....I can eat soup any time in any weather.

I made this Green Chile Chicken Soup last night.

I'ts kind of the middle ground between soup and stew. Chunky with veggys and just a slight thickness, not to mention the great flavor from adding a little masa corn flour.

Hearty, flavorful and low in fat. Just a great bowl of soup...or stew! 

Linked with Weekend Potluck and Foodie Friday.

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Green Chile Chicken Soup

2 cups chicken, cooked and chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 large bay leaves
Salt and Pepper
4 cups chicken stock
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp adobo seasoning
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp oregano
10 oz can tomatoes and green chilies, I used mild
7 oz can green chilies, chopped
15 oz can of white beans, drained & rinsed, I used Great Northern
1 cup frozen or fresh corn
2 tbsp masa corn flour
1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped

Heat up oil over medium heat in a large pot. Saute onion, celery, carrot, garlic and bay leaf with a pinch of salt and pepper until it starts to soften. Add stock and simmer until vegetables are tender. Stir in all remaining ingredients (including chicken) except masa and parsley. Bring to a simmer; stir in masa and simmer 3-4 minutes. Check for seasoning, adding salt/pepper if desired. Stir in parsley, turn off heat and cover. Let sit 10 minutes or until ready to serve.

Serve with toppings of your choice. Avocado, cheddar cheese and sour cream was amazing.

Chicken Artichoke & Broccoli Orzo Skillet

I never get tired of recipes like this Chicken Artichoke & Broccoli Skillet.

Fast to throw together with easy clean up.

It is delicious!

I was going to call it Cheesy Chicken Artichoke & Broccoli, but 

I didn't want to give the wrong impression.

It has just enough cheese to pull it all together and add another level of flavor, 

but not enough to add a lot of extra fat and calories.

It was pretty perfect.

Linked with Weekend Potluck & Foodie Friday.

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Chicken Artichoke & Broccoli Orzo Skillet

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
Pinch of red pepper flakes
3 cloves garlic, chopped
Salt and Pepper
1 cup Orzo, uncooked
2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
7.5 oz marinated artichoke hearts, drained & rough chop
2 cups broccoli florets
2 oz cream cheese, reduced fat if desired
3 tbsp feta, crumbled
1 cup chicken, cooked and chopped or shredded
Parmesan Cheese, fresh grated

Heat olive oil over med. heat in a large skillet; saute onion and pepper flakes until softened, 4-5 minutes. Add garlic with pinch of salt and pepper, continue to cook 2-3 minutes. Stir in orzo and cook, stirring often another 2-3 minutes.

Add broth, tomatoes, artichoke hearts and broccoli. Bring to a simmer; cover and cook 4-5 minutes. Stir in cream cheese, feta and chicken until cheese is melted and combined. Bring back to a simmer, cover, turn off heat and allow to sit 15 minutes or until orzo is al dente. Serve with fresh grated parmesan cheese.

Chicken, Turkey Sausage & Shrimp Jambalaya

I got up close and personal with this Jambalaya the other evening.

It was a totally satisfying event and took minimal effort. One pot and done! 

I think everyone should give it a try.

Linked with Weekend Potluck.

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Chicken, Turkey Sausage & Shrimp Jambalaya

2 chicken breast, boneless and skinless, cut into bite size pieces
Spice mix
7 oz smoked turkey sausage, cut into bite size pieces
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 green or red pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp onion powder
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 10 oz can of tomatoes & green chilies, (Ro-tel)
Several splashes of favorite hot sauce, I like Frank's
1 1/4 cup long grain rice
1/2 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Handful of fresh parsley, chopped

Spice Mix:
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
Seasoning salt and Pepper

Stir together spice mix; sprinkle over chicken pieces and stir to coat.

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat in a large heavy bottom pot with fitted lid. Add chicken pieces and brown. Your just trying to get a little color on it, no need to cook through. You may need to do this in 2 batches. Remove chicken with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add sausage to same pot, with more oil if needed, and brown. Remove to the same bowl as the chicken.

With more oil if necessary, add celery, pepper and onion to the pot. Cook until softened; add bay leaves, oregano, thyme, onion powder and garlic. Stir to combine and continue cooking 2-3 minutes.

Stir in chicken broth, tomatoes and chilies, and Frank's (if using). Bring to a boil. Add rice, cover, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Add chicken and sausage (with any juices); return cover and continue to simmer for 15-20 minutes or until rice is tender. Turn off the heat; add the shrimp and parsley, stirring to combine. Replace cover and let sit 10 minutes to allow shrimp to cook.

Serve with more hot sauce and fresh parsley, if desired.

Crockpot Chipotle BBQ Chicken

This chicken turned out so good.

I was craving some kind of pulled meat sandwich that would be good with some 

coleslaw on top of it. I had some chicken breasts thawed out and ended up 

throwing them in the slow cooker with a super simple chipotle bbq sauce. 

The chicken cooked on a bed of onions, carrots and garlic, which I ended up straining 

out of the sauce. The carrots had the most amazing flavor that 
I was thinking, if a person wanted to, they could leave the veggy's in the sauce 
and just puree it until smooth before you reduce it. Just a thought.

For the coleslaw I just made a simple dressing out of red wine vinegar, 
mayonnaise, honey, celery seed, and a little salt and pepper. 

You could also go with this Creamy Jalapeno Coleslaw if you wanted to. 

Linked with: 
Weekend Potluck
Meal Plan Monday

Crockpot Chipotle BBQ Chicken

1 large onion, quartered
2 large carrots, cut into 2 inches pieces
4 cloves of garlic, smashed
3 large or 4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts
Salt and Pepper
1/4 cup chicken stock
2 tsp chipotle puree*
1/4 cup bottled bbq sauce
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
Juice of 1 lime
2 bay leaves
4 Buns
Your favorite coleslaw

Place onion, carrots and garlic in the bottom of your crockpot. Lay chicken breasts on top and season with salt and pepper.

Mix together stock, chipotle, bbq sauce, cumin, paprika and lime juice. Gently pour over chicken and throw in the bay leaves.

Cook covered on low heat 4-5 hours or until chicken is cooked through. I actually took a spoon and basted the top of the chicken once or twice with the sauce. I also turned the chicken over about 3 hours into cooking time.

Once chicken is cooked remove it to a plate. Strain sauce into a saucepan, bring to a simmer and reduce by half. Remove 1/4 cup of sauce and reserve. Shred chicken and stir into remaining sauce.

Use the reserved sauce to stir into your favorite bbq sauce to desired consistency. It adds great flavor and a hint of heat.

Cut buns in halve and drizzle insides with olive oil; toast in a hot skillet. Pile on some chicken, drizzle on additional bbq sauce and top with some creamy coleslaw. Fabulous!

*As for the chipotle puree, I keep a covered glass dish in the fridge containing a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce that I puree up in my food processor. ALWAYS...I use it all the time.

Best Margarita Ever

For the Super Bowl this year, we decided to enjoy a few margaritas.

Since both me and the hubby DO NOT like the mixes (too salty), we decided to come 

up with something on our own.

I happened to have some Grand Marnier left over 

from a previous party, so with that and some fresh citrus, we made it happen.

So good! Hubby said it was the best margarita he's ever had.

Linked with Weekend Potluck, Food on Friday and Foodie Friday.

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Margaritas

1/2 cup fresh squeezed juice (4 limes, 1 orange, 1 lemon)
1 cup silver tequila
1/4 cup triple sec
1/4 cup Grand Marnier
6 tbsp simple syrup

Make the simple syrup first by combining 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water in a small sauce pan. Heat over low heat, stirring occasionally until sugar is completely melted. Let cool.

Juice the limes, orange and lemon into a bowl. This will make just over a 1/2 cup.

Put all ingredients into a blender with a handful of ice and blend until smooth. Pour over crushed ice and enjoy.