Chicken Corn Soup

Most people in Lancaster County, PA do not need a recipe for Chicken Corn Soup, but I'm not one of them!  I don't recall my mother making this soup, and didn't know the secret to great flavor.  In fact, when I went to search for a basic recipe, only one of my cookbooks even included a recipe.  Of course, everyone has their own cherished way to make this comforting soup, and this now is mine.  

Source:  Adapted from Mennonite Country-Style Recipes

Cook together until tender, about 20 minutes:

1 qt. corn stock* or chicken stock

3 medium potatoes, diced**

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 stem celery, chopped (or a sprinkle of celery seed)

Add and heat to a good rolling boil:

1 to 1 1/2 c. chopped cooked chicken

2 c. corn

1/2 t. poultry seasoning

1 clove garlic, minced and sauteed in olive oil until fragrant

1 1/4 t. salt

1 T. chopped fresh parsley

additional sea salt and pepper to taste

Yield:  6-8 servings

* The corn stock is perfect for this and gives fabulous flavor!!

**You may substitute 2 c. noodles for the potatoes, but I liked using potatoes to keep the dish local/in-season, not to mention nutritious.

Chicken, Rice and Black-Bean Salad

Ooooh, this was yummy with a freshly roasted chicken, the last of the tomatoes and jalapeno peppers from the garden, and brown rice cooked using the method I just discovered that was featured in the September issue of the Martha Stewart Living magazine.  If I had closed my eyes, I would have thought I was at Chipotle's!!

Source:  adapted from Everyday Food magazine, June 2005

1 c. brown rice

1 cooked chicken (about 2 1/2 lbs.), shredded (about 4 c.)

1 can (15 1/2 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed

6 plum tomatoes, quartered lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced

1 jalapeno chile (seeds and ribs removed for less heat, if desired), minced

4 scallions, thinly sliced

cilantro, chopped

1/4 c. white-wine vinegar

3 T. olive oil

1/2 t. ground cumin

sea salt & ground pepper

Cook rice according to package instructions or Martha Stewart's food editors' "Better Brown Rice" method.  Spread on a baking sheet; refrigerate until cool.

Place cooled rice in a large bowl; add chicken, beans, tomatoes, jalapeno, scallions and cilantro.  Whisk together vinegar, olive oil, cumin, sea salt and pepper and pour over ingredients in bowl.  Toss to combine.

Roasted Chicken Salad with Fresh Peas and Mint

This is a nice salad to serve in the spring when fresh peas are in season and mint is at its best.

Source:  adapted from Martha Stewart Living magazine, May 2012

1 whole roasted chicken, cooled and carved into pieces

1 head butterhead lettuce such as Bibb or Boston, trimmed and separated into leaves

1 c. shelled fresh peas (from 1 lb. in pods)

1/4 c. olive oil

2 1/2 T. lemon juice

1 garlic clove, minced

1 T. minced shallot

1 T. Dijon mustard

1/2 t. sea salt

1/4 c. chopped fresh mint leaves, plus 1/2 c. for salad

Cook peas in boiling water until just tender, 2-3 min.  Drain, and submerge in ice water to stop the cooking and retain color.

Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, shallot, mustard, salt and 1/4 c. chopped mint in a small bowl. 

Arrange lettuce, whole mint leaves and peas on a large serving platter or individual plates.  Toss chicken pieces in dressing and arrange on top of salad.  Pour remaining dressing over salad.

Serves 4-5



Chicken and Vegetable Stir-Fry

My fellow gardening neighbors were heading out of town for a few days, so they rang the door bell this morning and handed over some sugar peas from their garden that needed to be consumed.  I planted sugar SNAP peas this year, but no sugar peas, so this was quite the treat!  This recipe is perfect for spring veggies, including these baby carrots:

Actually, the carrots never got a chance to grow up since I needed to pull them to make space for the yellow squash plant that is starting to sprawl into the carrots' territory! 

Source:  Adapted from allrecipes.com

2 T. cornstarch

1 c. chicken stock

1 T. soy sauce

1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into strips

5 c. cut-up vegetables (such as broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, celery, red or green peppers and green onions)

1/4 t. ground ginger

1 clove garlic, crushed

4 c. hot cooked brown rice

salt and pepper to taste

Mix cornstarch, chicken stock and soy sauce.

In a large non-stick skillet, stir-fry chicken in hot oil until browned.  Remove chicken.

Add vegetables, ginger and garlic powder and stir-fry until crisp-tender.

Stir stock mixture and add.  Cook and stir until mixture boils and thickens.  Return chicken to skillet and heat through.  Serve over rice.

Yield:  4 Servings

My Notes:

For the veggies, I used broccoli, baby carrots and green onions from my garden, some local mushrooms, and my neighbor's sugar peas - so very cool!  :)

For the chicken, I simply used a roasted chicken breast from the freezer.

And, the chicken stock was home canned.  :)

Spring-Vegetable Couscous with Chicken

Easy and yummy!  I had leftover roasted chicken from last night's dinner - just right for this recipe.

Source:  Everyday Food magazine, May 2010

3 T. unsalted butter

4 scallions, whte and green parts and thinly sliced crosswise

2 wide strips lemon zest

1 1/4 c. water

1 lb. asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1/2" pieces

1/2 c. frozen peas

1 c. couscous

leg and thigh meat from 1 rotisserie chicken, torn into bite-size pieces

1 T. lemon juice

2 T. chopped fresh parsley

In medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat.  Add scallion whites and cook, stirring constantly until softened, about 3 min.  Add lemon zest and water; season with salt and pepper.  Cover pan and bring liquid to a boil, then add asparagus and peas.  Return to a boil and stir in couscous.  Add chicken and remove pan from heat; cover and let sit 7 min.  Add lenom juice and parsley and season with salt and pepper.  Fluff couscous with a fork and serve.

Serves 4



Rosemary White Bean Soup

The was the perfect use for some of the chicken stock I made the other week since the stock already had a subtle Rosemary flavor.

Source:  Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

1 pound dried white cannellini beans*

4 c. sliced yellow onions (3 onions)

1/4 c. olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 large branch fresh rosemary (6-7 inches)

2 quarts chicken stock

1 bay leaf

2 t. sea salt (or more, to taste)

1/2 t. freshly ground pepper

In a medium bowl, cover the beans with water by at least 1" and soak in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight.  Drain.

In a large stockpot over low to medium heat, saute the onions with olive oil until onions are translucent, 10-15 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook over low heat for 3 more minutes.  Add the drained white beans, rosemary, chicken stock, and bay leaf.  Cover, bring to a  boil, and simmer 30-40 minutes, until the beans are very soft.  Remove rosemary branch and bay leaf.  Pulse briefly in food processor or blender.  Return soup to the pot to reheat and add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve hot.



*Note:  substitute 4-16 oz. cans, rinsed and drained for the dried beans.

My note:  I added 2 chopped, roasted chicken breasts at the end, as well as some chopped, crispy chicken skin as a garnish - delicious!!

Panzanella Salad (Italian Bread Salad)

I discovered "Chef Tim's Sweet Balsamic Vinaigrette" earlier this year at Root's - Chef Tim has a stand there, and he always has samples of this yummy salad.  Tonight was the first I actually tried his recipe, which is listed on the bottle.  The Country Store also carries this dressing.  Instead of croutons, I used cubes of leftover homemade Italian bread I had in the freezer.

6 cubed roma tomatoes
1 peeled, deseeded cucumber
1 T. minced red onion
16 medium fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips
3 c. cooked, cubed seasoned chicken breast
3 c. croutons
8 oz. Chef Tim's Sweet Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing

Toss all ingredients with dressing and place on a bed of 8 c. lettuce greens.  Drizzle greens with additional dressing.

Serves 4
Note:  This is a perfect use for the roasted chicken breasts that I keep in the freezer.

White Bean and Tuna Salad

Mmm...

I had just enough fresh spinach left in the fridge from my spring harvest for this recipe - otherwise, I would have had to wait until fall or next spring to try it out.  I didn't have any tuna or green olives on hand (and was determined not to run to the grocery store!), so I substituted some left over roasted fresh chicken breast (yum!) for the tuna and sun-dried tomatoes for the olives.  Delish!

Source:  Everyday Food, May 2010

2 cans (15 oz. each) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

3 T. extra-virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

sea salt

ground pepper

5 oz. fresh baby spinach

1 T. plus 1 t. red-wine vinegar

2 cans (5 oz. each) solid white tuna, drained and broken into chunks

1/4 c. green olives, pitted and roughly chopped

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

2 T. chopped fresh parsley

crusty bread, for serving

In a medium saucepan, combine beans, 2 T. oil and garlic; season with salt and pepper.  Cook over medium-high heat, stirring until beans are warm, about 4 min.; remove pan from heat.  In a large bowl, combine spinach, 1 T. oil and 1 t. vinegar; season with salt and pepper and toss to coat.  Divide spinach among four plates.  Transfer beans to bowl and stir in 1 T. vinegar, tuna, olives, onion and parsley.  Season with salt & pepper.  Top spinach with bean and tuna mixture and serve with bread.

Serves 4.

Roast Chicken

Photo Credit: Melissa Binder


You may ask, "What's 'In Season' about chicken?"  Well, believe it or not, summer is the best time to eat fresh, pasture-raised chicken because the chickens are out and about the fields these days, eating grass and all kinds of tasty bugs.  We benefit from their diet!  (If you're interested in more details about the benefits of eating grass-fed meat, check out this link.)  I'm fortunate enough to have a farm just three miles away that sells this type of chicken.  I've arranged to purchase a fresh whole broiler chicken or two every three weeks as they "harvest" them, then plan to buy a few extra at the end of the season to stash in the freezer.  I have to admit, I did feel a bit like a chicken-killer - a freshly-dressed chicken straight from the farm looks and feels a bit too alive for me compared to buying them wrapped in plastic from a sterile grocery store that is nowhere in sight of their happy home .... (And I even grew up on a farm and have plenty of experience plucking chickens!)  I had never roasted a chicken before, but have been practicing and think I've gotten the method down now (except for the part about setting off the smoke alarm....).  I usually eat the legs/thighs right away, then freeze the breasts for another time; the breasts are so moist and tender prepared this way!  I've also been freezing the leftover carcasses for making a big pot of chicken stock at a later date.

Enjoy!! 

Source: adapted from  The Zuni Cafe Cookbook by Judy Rodgers

one small chicken, 2-3/4 to 3-1/2 pounds
4 tender sprigs of fresh thyme, marjoram, rosemary or sage, about 1/2" long
2-3 t. sea salt (3/4 t. per pound of chicken)
1 t. freshly ground black pepper

One to three days prior to cooking (at least two days for 3+ pounds chickens):
Rinse chicken and pat dry thoroughly.  Snip skin and shove an herb sprig under each breast and thigh.  Season chicken liberally all over with salt and pepper.  Twist and tuck the wing tips behind the shoulders.  Cover loosely and refrigerate. 

To roast chicken:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Preheat an oven-proof 10" skillet over medium heat.  Wipe chicken dry and set it breast side up in pan.  (It should sizzle).
Place in center of oven and watch for it to start browning within 20 min.  If it doesn't, raise the temperature progressively until it does.  The skin should blister, but if the chicken begins to char, or the fat is smoking, reduce the temperature by 25 degrees.  After about 30 min., turn bird over.  Roast for another 10-20 min., depending on size, then flip back over to re crisp the breast skin, another 5-10 min.  Total oven time will be 45 min. to an hour.
Remove chicken from oven.  Lift chicken from skillet and set on a plate; place in a warm spot to rest.  (The meat will become more tender and uniformly succulent as it cools.)
Cut chicken into pieces and serve!

Note:  Salting the bird at least 24 hours in advance is the secret - it improves flavor, keeps it moist, and makes it tender. 

Update - 8/20/10
Rosemary Roast Chicken
I roasted 4 chickens last night for my "August in Tuscany" dinner.  I followed the above directions, but instead of tucking an herb sprig under the skin, I simply put 1/4 c. chopped rosemary and 1 small onion, quartered inside the cavity of each chicken just before roasting - even easier and tastier!

Another update - 10/14/12
I typically eat the wings, legs and thighs, then remove the white breast meat from the carcass and chop and freeze it for later use in recipes calling for chopped, cooked chicken.  But more recently, I've been been shredding the breast meat, then pouring the clear drippings over it to keep it moist before freezing it.  The drippings give it great flavor, and I like the texture of the shredded chicken vs. chopped.

Chicken Caesar Salad

Source:  adapted from Taste of Home

Dressing:

2 anchovy fillets, finely chopped, optional

1/2 c. mayonnaise

1 T. grated Parmesan cheese

1 T. red wine vinegar

1 t. Worcestershire sauce

1 t. Dijon mustard

1 garlic clove, minced

plenty of sea salt to taste if not using anchovies

Salad ingredients:
1/2 large bunch Romaine lettuce, torn

1 small red onion, sliced into rings

2 c. cooked chicken strips

croutons

In large bowl, combine dressing ingredients.  Just before serving, toss with lettuce, onion, chicken and croutons.

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Source: Kristy Y.

 Maybe it's a no brainer, but don't forget to put plenty of lettuce on your sandwiches while lettuce is in season. I like to pile as many leaves on as possible - it's like eating a sandwich and a salad with half the effort!

2 c. cooked chicken breast
½ c. finely chopped celery
¼ c. onion, finely chopped
½ c. Miracle Whip
½ t. salt
Pepper to taste
Fresh parsley, optional

Cook chicken breasts 20-30 minutes in water. Pulse with food processor. Add remaining ingredients.