Bready or Not Original: Chicken and Rice Soup
Chicken and Rice Soup is the ultimate classic, home-cooking, feel-better-soon kind of meal. I’m stunned I haven’t featured it on Bready or Not before, but here it is now: my take on the old favorite.
I’ve tweaked this over the years to get the balance of liquids and seasonings just right. I make this a couple times a year. It’s my stand-by if my husband is sick–it’s hearty, hot, sits well in the stomach, and the sheer amount made means the leftovers can last for days (which is nice if I come down sick next, too).
Bready or Not Original: Chicken and Rice Soup
Equipment
- stock pot or other large pot with lid
Ingredients
- 1 cup baby carrots chopped
- 2 Tablespoons dried celery flakes
- 1 Tablespoon dried onion flakes
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 64 oz reduced sodium chicken broth 2 boxes or 4 cans
- 3 Tablespoons flour
- 1/2 cup short grain white rice such as sushi rice
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary or 1 freshly-cut sprig
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 to 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken or cooked turkey
- 1 1/2 cups half & half
Instructions
- Place carrots, celery flakes, dried onion, and garlic powder in a large pot along with 1 can of chicken broth (if using a box of broth, just pour in about 1/2 of one; no need to be exact). Sauté on medium heat for 10 minutes, until carrots are tender. Sprinkle in flour and stir for another few minutes.
- Add rest of broth along with the rice, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf. Bring pot to boil.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and cover pot. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes. When the rice is tender, add the chicken or turkey. Cook for 10 minutes. Stir in half & half and cook for another 10 minutes.
- Remove both bay leaves. Add salt and pepper to preference. Serve hot. Leftovers can keep in the fridge or days or can be frozen.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Maple BBQ Chicken Tenders
It has come to my attention that I haven’t featured a maple recipe since March. So let’s remedy that with a meaty recipe for from-scratch Maple Barbecue Chicken.
Yep, you create your own BBQ sauce for this recipe! It’s full of maple goodness with just the right balance of savory-sweet. You divvy up the sauce, using some to marinate the meat and reserving the rest for eating time.
Use this base recipe to cook the chicken however you want. Grill it. Roast it in your oven. Whatever gets the meat cooked and chewed and in your belly.
Maple makes everything better, right?
Modified from A Dash of Sanity.
Bready or Not: Maple BBQ Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
- 3 - 4 pounds chicken tenders
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoon Worchester sauce
- 2 teaspoons ground mustard
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Place the chicken tenders in a sturdy gallon sealable bag. In a bowl, mix together all of the other ingredients. Pour enough of the sauce into the bag to coat the chicken; reserve the rest of the sauce for serving later. (If the sauce gets contaminated by the raw meat, boil it to make sure it's safe to eat.)
- Let the chicken marinate in the fridge for anywhere from 2 hours to a day.
- Heat up your grill [or, alternatively, bake it in your oven]. Grill the chicken at medium heat for 4 minutes, then turn to cook another 4 minutes, and longer as needed. Check for doneness by testing the temperature in a thick section; it should be at least 170-degrees.
- Serve immediately. Chicken is fantastic hot or cold, and can be frozen with sauce for later enjoyment, too.
- OM NOM NOM!
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Bready or Not: Maple Chicken Thighs
You know I love maple-flavored sweets. Maple works in a savory way, too–and creates meaty magic in this recipe for Maple Chicken Thighs.
This is some seriously good chicken. It marinates for up to a day in the fridge, resulting in tender, lightly-sweetened chicken. It does not create a heavy glaze and it’s not like teriyaki. It is… just plain delicious.
Honestly, I think the leftovers are even better. This chicken is phenomenal cut up in a salad or used with a touch of dressing in a wrap.
This is yet another recipe inspired from the cookbook Maple by Katie Webster. (Seriously, if you love maple, get this book.) The original version of this recipe included shallots (which I never buy) and apples and pears (which I knew my husband wouldn’t want with his supper).
Give this chicken recipe a try, and discover a new way to love maple!
Bready or Not: Maple Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup apple cider or apple juice
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 3 green onions white parts only, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 1/2 - 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs each thigh cut into thirds
Instructions
The day or night before serving
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the apple cider/juice, maple syrup, vinegar, white portions of green onions, ginger, thyme, salt, and pepper. In a gallon-size re-sealable bag, place the cut-up chicken. Pour in the marinade and seal the bag.
- Refrigerate the bag for 12-24 hours, turning the bag every so often.
To cook
- Preheat oven at 425-degrees. Place the chicken in a 13x9 baking dish with all or some of the marinade; the chicken shouldn't be fully covered.
- Bake for about 40 minutes, turning chicken once at the halfway point.
- Chicken is fabulous fresh and as leftovers! Cooked chicken can also be portioned and frozen.
OM NOM NOM!
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Bready or Not: Crock Pot Green Chile Chicken
My slow cooker is my friend, and in this case my friend heats up some fantastically flavorful chicken that’s good in all sorts of dishes!
This recipe is a cousin to my Verde Pork Loin one. Both make a great protein for salads (my preference), tacos, burritos, casseroles, and likely all other sorts of stuff.
Don’t be afraid of the chiles here, either. I was for years. A standard can of green chiles is pretty mild and adds a punch of flavor. If you’re feeding people who can take the heat, by all means, use the hot version! We favor the Hatch brand because my husband used to live in Las Cruces, near the Hatch Valley; it’s good to support New Mexico products, in any case.
And yes, you can make this with chicken breasts or tenders, but there’s greater risk of the meat drying out. I much prefer to use boneless thighs in the crock pot.
Modified from The Perfect Pantry.
Bready or Not: Crock Pot Green Chile Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 16 ounces verde salsa
- 2 cloves garlic smashed
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 4 ounces Hatch green chiles canned, mild or hot
Instructions
- Cut the chicken thighs into thirds and place in a 4 to 6 quart slow cooker. Pour the salsa over them, followed by the garlic, cumin, and canned chiles. Give it a stir then pop the lid on.
- Cook on low for 4 to 5 hours; if the chicken was still a little frozen, cook on high for an hour or so to speed the process. Use a slotted spoon to remove chicken pieces, and shred or cut them into chunks. Place back in crock pot to soak in juice for another 20 minutes.
- Serve chicken on a plate, or in burritos, tacos, salads, or just about anything. Freezes fantastically for later dining.
- OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings
There are a lot of slow cooker chicken and dumpling recipes out there, but I sought out one that makes everything from scratch. I made it, tweaked it, and loved it… so here it is!
There is just something about chicken and dumplings on a cold winter’s day. It is soul food. The recipe I made for years required me to basically camp by the stove for two hours. I wanted something a lot more convenient.
Most of the slow cooker recipes for this use lots of canned stuff and grocery store biscuits. I found a from-scratch recipe on How Sweet Eats and have tweaked it to use less broth, more seasoning, and boneless thighs. I find thighs work a lot better to the crock pot since they are less likely to dry out over the long cooking period.
If you’re in need of something to warm your gullet and your soul, make this. The leftovers are darn good for the next few days, too, with or without the dumplings.
Modified from How Sweet Eats.
Bready or Not: Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings
Ingredients
- 1/2 sweet onion diced
- 1 cup baby carrots whole and halved
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 1/2 - 3 pounds boneless chicken thighs cut into halves
- salt and pepper
- 40 ounces low-sodium chicken stock or broth
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup half & half or milk
dumplings
- 1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
- herbs to taste parsley, basil, etc
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter cold, cut into small pieces
- 1/2 cup half & half or milk
Instructions
Start the chicken
- In the bottom of a 5 or 6 quart crockpot, layer the diced onion half, carrots, and garlic. Lay the chicken thighs on top and season them with salt and pepper.
- Heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once it's melted, whisk in flour and cook for 2-3 minutes to create a roux. Once it's golden in color, add 2 cups of chicken broth. Mix it well as it rises to a boil; it'll thicken considerably.
- After about 4-5 minutes, pour the sauce over the chicken and vegetables. Add the remaining chicken broth/stock. Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 4 hours.
Add the dumplings
- Change the slow cooker to high heat. Shred or cut up the chicken; it's okay if it's not fully cooked since it has more time to cook. Stir the half & half into the crock pot, and put the cover on again as you make the dumplings.
- In a mixing bowl, combine flour, herbs, sugar, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Use a fork or fingers to crumble in the butter until it's evenly dispersed. Add in the half and half or milk until a sticky dough forms.
- Use a tablespoon to dollop the dough into the crock pot. Cover and cook for another 1 to 1 1/2 hours. The dumplings will expand to cover the top. The dumplings are cooked when they are soft and no longer raw and sticky in the middle.
- Serve immediately. Leftovers are fantastic heated in the microwave. If you need to make more dumplings, use the same recipe again and heat the leftovers and fresh dough on the stovetop.
- OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Honey Roasted Chicken and Carrots
When bone-in chicken breasts go on sale, I’m really happy for the chance to make this family favorite: Honey Roasted Chicken with Carrots.
This is a fairly healthy recipe. It relies on the chicken skin and a touch of olive oil to keep the chicken tender and moist, with a little more butter added at the end. You can use however many baby carrots you want, though you might not be able to squeeze more than 12 ounces worth into a dish. The carrots end up tender and the slightest bit sweet and caramelized.
I have fresh oregano and rosemary handy, so I like to use one or both of those in this, but you can season this however you want. Dry herbs will rehydrate nicely.
One of the things I love most about this is that the breast pieces are meaty and we’re bound to have leftovers the next day. This tender chicken is delicious in salads, wraps, or sandwiches!
Modified from a recipe published in the Arizona Republic, October 4th 2007.
Bready or Not: Honey Roasted Chicken and Carrots
Ingredients
- 2 - 3 chicken breast halves with bone and skin
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 8 - 12 ounces baby carrots
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 2 - 3 Tablespoons fresh oregano or rosemary, or a few teaspoons dry herbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425-degrees. Set out a large casserole dish. Rub the chicken with enough oil to coat it on both sides, then season with salt and pepper. Place the breasts skin side down in the dish.
- Bake for 25 minutes. Turn the chicken over--watch out, it will sizzle and pop! Add as many carrots as desired to the pan.
- Bake for another 25 minutes. As the chicken bakes, in a bowl combine the butter, honey, and herbs.
- Turn the chicken over to be skin-side up again. Spoon the butter-honey mix over the chicken and carrots. Roll the carrots around in it for good measure. Roast for an additional 5 minutes.
- OM NOM NOM!
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