Chicken & Vegetable Soup

Homemade Chicken Stock

It is officially FALL! It is my favorite season. Really I love October - December for the weather and all of the festivities and family togetherness. Being outside is actually bearable here in the Fall. Alabama summers are miserable. The humidity kills this California Girl.

I had every intention of making this soup on Sunday, the first day of fall and making cookies to kick off the season. However, as we were standing in the kitchen discussing what kind of cookies we should make, I noticed one of our upper cabinets was nearly falling off the wall. We rushed to clear it out, and it was a race because it was getting worse by the second. It turns out the builders missed the stud on one side when they were screwing it in. So, we spent the evening at the hardware store and repairing and rehanging the cabinet. We had microwave dinner from the frozen aisle of the store. Not my idea of delicious.

However, this stew most definitely IS my idea of delicious.Chock full of veggies and chicken. It warms the soul. I had been feeling a little sick for a few days and this definitely helped. 

Chicken Stew

4 celery ribs, chopped
5 carrots, sliced into coins
1 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 red potatoes, diced
1 cup frozen peas
6 cups of chicken broth. (Here is my recipe for  Homemade Chicken Stock)
1 bay leaf

Salt and pepper

Optional seasonings, I tend to season differently every time, depending on my mood or what I have. Some of my favorites include:

Rosemary, thyme, sage, red pepper flakes, dill

1lb chicken meat

2 TBS oil or fat


Place veggies, bay leaf, desired seasonings, and broth in crockpot. Turn to high.
Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Brown chicken in oil. Add to crockpot. Cook on HIGH for 6 hours or LOW all day. Remove chicken, chop or shred the meat. Add to stew, check for seasoning, and serve.

Screamin' Chicken aka Sriracha Chicken

My husband and I adore Sriracha sauce, only, he doesn't call it that. One of his best friends is Thai, and of course, they always have Sriracha in their house, but my husband could never remember the name, he just remembered that the bottle had a roster on it and the sauce was fairly spicy. Long story short, he calls it Screamin' Chicken Sauce. Whatever you call it, it is delicious, and I love to put it on everything eggs to rice or noodles, I love it in chicken soup.

I had seen a few recipes for Sriracha Chicken on Pinterest. I fully intended to follow one of them, but my toddler started throwing a tantrum as I began to prepare the marinade, so I didn't open the recipe up. I thought I remembered it. When I checked it after the chicken was already marinading, I realized I had followed maybe 2 of the directions, and added ingredients that were not listed. I'd inadvertently created my own Sriracha Chicken recipe. After tasting it, I do not regret a thing. This chicken is delicious and flavorful without being overly spicy. I didn't want to make it too spicy for my 2 year old. This leaves a little heat on the lips, but is still ok for him. Although, he seems to have a higher heat tolerance than most children.

I made this for dinner on a Wednesday, when I talked to my sister on Thursday, it was still on my mind. She asked for the recipe and made it that night. Friday morning she told me she and her husband both LOVED it.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb bone in chicken pieces. Leg quarters or thighs are my favorite.
2 limes, juiced
3 TBS soy sauce
1 TBS oil
1 TBS Sriracha
1 onion, sliced
Parsley, optional, for garnish

Combine marinade ingredients in a large container or bag, add chicken and onions. Marinade 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350, on stove heat 2 TBS of oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken, skin side down and let it crisp up for about 3-5 minutes, flip and cook another 3 minutes.

I think your stainless steel skillets are oven safe, if not, put the chicken in a baking dish, pour marinade and onions over it, and bake 20 minutes. Garnish with parsley if you want. I served it with broccoli and turmeric rice. It would also be awesome with roast veggies.

Crock Pot Beef Dip Sandwiches

The first time I made this was for my son's birthday party at the beginning of August. My entire family loves my Mom's beef dip sandwiches, so I decided to put my own spin on them and create my own recipe. They turned out really good. I used a Crock Pot for this to cut down on my kitchen time on party day, but it could be simmered or baked for a few hours if you don't have a crock pot, or don't feel like using one. My Crock Pot was tied up that day making baked potatoes, so I borrowed my Mom's. Her's is one of those newer ones where the crock can be used on the stove top. I LOVE it! I did everything in one pan, it was so easy. If mine weren't also brand new, I'd go get myself one just like hers.



INGREDIENTS:

3 lb Chuck Roast
1 TBS Olive Oil
1 Sweet Onion, diced
4 Cloves of Garlic, chopped
1 TBS Dried Rosemary
1 TBS Worcestershire Sauce
1 cup Beef Broth
1 cup dry Red Wine
Salt and Pepper

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet, dutch oven, or your fancy stovetop-safe crock. Season beef roast with salt and plenty of pepper. Sear roast on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Try to let it develop a nice crust. Add everything to your crock pot and set it on low for 8 hours.
Serve on buttered, toasted hoagie rolls with the juices for dipping. Enjoy.

This recipe was linked up at the Weekend Potluck hosted by The Country Cook. Check it out for more recipes and inspiration!