Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

Notes: if freezing, freeze prior to adding orzo. More/less liquid or orzo pasta can be used based on whether you like a more liquidy or a thicker soup--keep in mind the orzo tends to suck up a lot of the broth. Whole wheat orzo also works well in this recipe. 

From Two Peas & Their Pod.
Serves 6-8.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 celery stalk, diced
8 cups chicken broth
Zest and juice of 2 lemons
1 bay leaf
1 to 1 1/2 cups orzo pasta (depending on)
2 cups cooked shredded chicken
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion, garlic, carrots, and celery until tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the chicken broth, lemon zest, lemon juice, and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Add in chicken, and then the orzo. Cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until orzo is cooked through.

Remove from heat. Discard bay leaf. Stir in the parley. Seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve warm.

White Chicken Chili

Notes: the soup can be frozen completed, but the beans tend to suck up a lot of liquid. When defrosting on the stove, add a little extra chicken broth if necessary. You can also just add the chicken broth in the second step, and freeze it at that point. When defrosting on stove top, you can then add the chicken and beans and simmer until warmed through. 
 
Serves 4. 

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (4-oz) can diced green chili peppers
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8-1/2 teaspoon cayenne (depending on preferred heat level)
2 (14.5-oz) cans chicken broth
3 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
2 cans white beans
Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
Sour Cream

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until it starts to become tender, about 5-10 minutes. Mix in the garlic, green chili peppers, cumin, oregano, and cayenne. Cook until mixture is tender, about another 3 minutes.

Mix in chicken broth, chicken, and beans. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Check seasoning and adjust if necessary. Serve warm topped with cheese and sour cream.

Cranberry Chicken Stew

Notes: the perfect unique fall/winter stew. This tastes like Thanksgiving in a bowl. 

Serves 4.

4 chicken legs, thighs attached
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup flour
About 1/3 cup canola oil (enough to generously coat the bottom of your pan)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
2 celery stalks, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 1/2 pounds red bliss potatoes, washed and quartered
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup Ocean Spray® Fresh or Frozen Cranberries
1 1/2 cups Ocean Spray® Cranberry Juice Cocktail
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cinnamon stick


Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Add oil to a large and deep ovenproof skillet or a dutch oven pot and heat over medium heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides, and thoroughly dredge in flour. When oil is hot, add the chicken to the pan and sear on both sides until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Set the chicken aside and carefully pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil. Return the skillet to the heat and add the onion, carrot, celery, potato, garlic and cranberries. Cook for 3 minutes. Add the cranberry juice cocktail, broth, sugar, cinnamon stick and chicken legs to the pan and bring to a simmer. Check for seasoning and add more salt if needed. Remove from the stove and make sure the chicken legs are submerged in the liquid. Cover tightly with lid or foil and bake in the oven for 1 ½ hours.

Remove from the oven and let rest covered for at least 15 minutes. Serve the chicken legs in bowls with the vegetables and broth.

Quick and Spicy Tomato Soup

Notes: this soup can be made even faster by omitting the onion and garlic so you can skip the saute. It is really good served with a little fresh grated Parmesan and crostini. This soup can easily be doubled to freeze. If freezing, freeze before adding the pasta, as it tends to suck up a lot of the liquid. When re-heating, defrost and bring to a boil, then add pasta.  

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jar marinara sauce
2 (14-oz) cans chicken broth
1 (15-oz) can white beans, drained and rinsed
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more, for a spicier soup)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup ditalini pasta

Heat oil in a saute pan. Add onion and garlic, and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Add marinara, chicken broth, beans, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Add pasta, and cook until pasta is tender, about 8-10 minutes. Serve warm.

Baked Potato Soup

Notes: of all the baked potato soup recipes I have made, this one has been our favorite, and also one of the fastest.

Serves 4-6.

4 medium russet potatoes

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium to large onion, chopped (about 1 generous cup)

2 ½ cups lower-sodium chicken broth

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 cups milk, divided

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Sour cream

Sharp cheddar cheese

Sliced green onions

Pierce potatoes with a knife. Microwave on high or on potato setting until cooked and tender. Cut in half and let cool slightly.

While potatoes cook, heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions, and sauté until onions are translucent, tender, and are just barely getting some color, about 5 minutes.  Add broth. Using an immersion blender, puree onion and broth mixture until smooth. Continue to heat over medium-high until broth mixture is warm and just beginning to boil.

Combine flour and 1 cup milk in a measuring cup, whisking to combine. Add to broth mixture. Whisk and cook until mixture thickens, about 1 or 2 minutes. Lower heat to medium, add remaining milk, and bring to a boil, stirring often. Turn heat to low.

Scoop out potato flesh from skins and roughly chop/mash. Add into milk mixture, stirring to combine. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with bacon, sour cream, and cheese, and green onions.

Roasted Poblano and White Cheddar Soup

The recipe for this roasted poblano and white cheddar soup has been moved to my new food blog. Please click here to find the recipe for it, as well as many others!

Tortellini, Tomato, and Spinach Soup

Serves 4.

Adapted from Kathleen Daelemans, Foodtv.com.

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ cup minced onion (about ½ small onion)

1 clove garlic, minced

6 cups chicken broth

1 (14 ounce) can whole tomatoes with juices, crushed through your fingers

1 (9 ounce) package fresh tortellini

Salt and fresh ground pepper

10 ounces fresh or frozen spinach, defrosted and chopped

¼ cup or more freshly grated Parmesan

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Saute the onion and garlic, stirring until the onions are translucent but not browned, about 5-7 minutes. Add broth and tomatoes, season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Add the tortellini and cook according to the time indicated of the package. When the tortellini is about done, add spinach. Adjust seasoning as needed. Once spinach is wilted and warm, serve. Garnish with a sprinkling of Parmesan.

*Also really good with Parmesan crisps as a garnish

Chicken Chili

*Notes: Chopped cooked chicken can be used to make this recipe faster. If using pre-cooked chicken, use 2-3 cooked breasts. Substitute chicken stock for water, omitting chicken base. Skip the first step, and just add the lemon pepper, cumin, cooked chicken, and stock in with all the other ingredients. 

½ tsp. lemon pepper

½ tsp. cumin

10-12 chicken tenders or 2-3 large chicken breasts

1 ½ T. chicken base

4 ½ c. water

Bring to boil and simmer for about 20-30 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.  Cut up chicken and add back to base along with the following:

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 Tbsp onion powder

¼ c. corn starch (stir into beans)

2 15oz cans great northern beans

2 15oz cans black beans 

1 14oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies (Rotel)

1 14oz can V-8 juice (if using spicy kind, omit Tabasco)

1 15oz can sweet white corn (drained)

½ tsp ground cumin

2 shakes Tabasco

Salt and pepper to taste

Simmer for 30 minutes, until soup thickens slightly and flavors meld. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with tortilla chips, sour cream, salsa, green onions, and cheese.

Smokey Tomato Soup with Gruyere Crostini

Adapted from Melissa Rubel Jacobson, Foodandwine.com

Makes 4 Servings.

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 ¾ teaspoons sweet smoked paprika

3 ½ lbs tomatoes, quartered (if using canned, add only 2/3 cup of juices and omit water below)

2/3 cup water

1 thyme sprig

1 bay leaf

1/3 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon sugar, or more to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

10 baguette slices, cut on the bias about ½ inch thick

1 cup gruyere cheese, coarsely grated (about 3 ounces)

In a soup pot, heat the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the paprika and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, water (or tomato juices), thyme sprig, and bay leaf. Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover and simmer over moderate heat until the tomatoes break down. This should take about 15-20 minutes. Discard the thyme sprig and bay leaf.

Preheat the broiler.

In a blender, puree the soup until smooth. Strain the soup back into the pot. Press on the solids to get out as much soup as possible. Stir in the cream. Add sugar, salt, and pepper to taste. If necessary, reheat the soup over low heat.

Place the baguette slices on a baking sheet. Spray or brush each side lightly with olive oil. Broil until toasted and beginning to brown on one side, turn slices over, then broil until toasted and beginning to brown on the other side. This should take about 4 minutes or so total. Top each crostini with some grated gruyere, then broil until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 30 seconds. Ladle the soup inot bowls and serve with the gruyere toasts.

Zucchini Soup

Makes 4 Servings. 

1 cup chopped onions

2 tablespoons butter

3 cups sliced zucchini

2 cups chicken broth

¼ teaspoon salt

1/3 teaspoon pepper

½ cup half and half

1 cup cheese

½ cup sour cream

4 slices cooked, crumbled bacon

Cook onions in melted butter until tender. Add zucchini and broth, bring to boil. Simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Cool slightly. Puree in blender. Return to saucepan. Stir in half and half. Reheat. Garnish with cheese, sour cream, and bacon.