Chicken · Daily Thoughts · Soups · Uncategorized

Italian Chicken Vegetable Soup

Isn’t it so much fun to create something that turns out really good from just things you already have in your house? This soup turned out to be a winner. I had half of a chicken breast left over and decided to try something different.

This made 4 bowls of soup.

1/2 large chicken breasts, cut into very small pieces
2 slices of bacon,cut into tiny pieces
Fry the chicken pieces with the bacon pieces (sprinkle garlic powder (about 1/2 teas) and oregano (about 1/4 teas) over the chicken as it cooks) in a small skillet until chicken is browned and almost done and bacon is crisp. Set aside.
In the crockpot, add the following:
1/2 chopped onion
2 stalks celery, chopped in small pieces (I like to use the inside of the celery stalk which has the leafy pieces as they add so much flavor)
2 carrots, sliced
1 ear of fresh corn, sliced off the cob
2 cups chopped fresh spinach
2 small russet potatoes, cut into small cubes
1 zucchini or mexican squash (I had mexican squash so I used that. Also, I cut out the very inside of the squash, as I like the outer portion with the skin as it doesn’t get squishy like the meat of the squash does when cooked for long periods of time)
1 (14.5 oz) can of diced tomatoes with oregano and garlic (if you can’t find this, buy either just plain diced tomatoes or italian flavored diced tomatoes)
1 can of chicken broth
1 can of water
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 envelope of McCormick Italian Spaghetti seasoning packet
If this is not enough liquid to cover the ingredients, add either another can of chicken broth or water until all ingredients are covered and there is plenty of juice

Add all ingredients to crockpot and then pour the meat mixture over the top. Stir and set temperature to low and about 6 hours, Check the veggies after about 4 hours and if still need to cook, I changed the setting to high for the last couple of hours. The soup was delicious. Served it with grilled french bread made with butter and garlic.

Chicken · Daily Thoughts · Soups · Uncategorized

Crock Pot Green Chile Enchilada Soup

Yes, these are recipes that I have posted before but if you are like so many others right now, you might not have time to go scrolling through to look at recipes from years back. Because it is story and very overcast today, I thought this soup sounded like something that would taste good tonight.

4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (or a rotisserie chicken)
2 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth
2 ((15 oz) cans mild green enchilada sauce
2 (4 oz) cans of diced green chiles
2/3 cup water
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chile powder
1 teas onion powder (or diced onion, frozen or fresh)
1 teas garlic powder (I use 2 because we love garlic and we have heard that it helps ward off infections, don’t have a clue if that’s true, but it gives me an excuse to use a lot of it)
2/3 cup corn (if frozen, thaw out before putting in in crockpot)
1 (8 oz) bar cream cheese, cubed
Salt and Pepper to your liking
Monterrey jack Cheese

Place all ingredients into crock pot, except the Monterrey jack. Stir the ingredients until they have combine. Cover the crockpot and then ook on high for 3 1/2 hours. When ready to serve, sprinkle some of the Monterrey Jack over each serving bowl. (Actually I like to put it in the serving bowls first and pour the soup over it, allowing it to melt into the soup)