Kitchen Chemist - Crock Pot Cream Cheese Chicken

More snowy days = more Crock Pot cooking! Yesterday I made Crock Pot Cream Cheese Chicken and of course, *tweaked it according to what I had on hand...

Here is the original recipe with my changes in *red:

Ingredients:

3 lbs chicken pieces
1 (2/3 ounce) package Italian salad dressing mix *I used a mixture of Italian seasonings including basil, rosemary, oregano & thyme, plus fresh cracked black pepper & sea salt, and garlic salt
4 tablespoons melted butter (divided)
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 (10 1/2 ounce) can cream of chicken soup *To replace this and the chicken broth, I mixed sour scream, water and mushrooms (5 large white mushrooms, diced, which I sauteed with the onions & garlic as in the recipe), and it was a great creamy mixture with great flavor!
1/2 cup chicken broth *See above
8 ounces cream cheese *I used chive flavored cream cheese

Directions:
1. Place chicken pieces in crock pot and sprinkle Italian seasoning over chicken. *I also sprinkled grated parmesan cheese on the chicken. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons melted butter.
2. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.
3. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a sauce pan and saute *mushrooms, onion and garlic. Add Cream of Chicken Soup, cream cheese, and chicken broth *or mixture of sour cream & water instead of soup & broth. Stir until smooth.
4. Add this mixture to crock pot and cook on low for an additional hour.

The chicken became so tender it could be shredded easily with a fork. I served it over brown instant rice with steamed greens beans (tossed in lemon juice & butter) on the side.

I also whipped up some Snow Ice Cream for dessert out of curiosity, and mixed some mixed berry compote in it for extra flavor (I'm told you can mix in jam and other things to flavor it as well). I tried a couple bites and it was very good, but my husband told me not to eat anymore because he didn't trust it.  Thank goodness we had ice cream in the freezer! :)

Happy Cooking!

Emily

Kitchen Chemist - Crock Pot Chicken & Rice Soup

With all of the snow we've been getting, homey foods are a must. I made a variation of this Crock Pot Chicken & Rice Soup the other night and it was wonderful! Of course, I *tweaked it a bit...

From the website:

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 7 hours

Total Time: 7 hours, 25 minutes

Yield: Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" pieces
• 3 (14 oz.) cans ready to serve chicken broth *I used one 32 oz. carton
• 1 (14 oz. ) can ready to serve vegetable broth *I used one 32 oz. carton
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 carrots, sliced *didn't have any carrots
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 8 oz. pkg. sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1/2 cup long grain rice *I used instant brown rice
• 1/2 tsp. dried basil leaves
• 1/4 tsp. dried thyme leaves
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. white pepper
• *added 1 18.5 oz can Progresso Cream of Mushroom Soup about 3 hours in (whisked in) to thicken consistency
• *added 4 large mushrooms, cubed, in place of carrots

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients in 4-5 quart crockpot. Cover and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours until chicken is thoroughly cooked and vegetables and rice are tender. I didn't start this until the afternoon of the day I planned to serve it, so I cooked it for 4 hours on high heat and it came out great!

Topped with shredded mozzarella cheese & chives, and served with large crescent rolls, brushed with melted butter & sprinkled with parmesan cheese.

Happy Cooking!

Emily

Music Suggestion: If you like jazz, check out The Jazz Professors, a sextet of American jazz musicians who are all both working music professionals in their own right and faculty members of the Jazz Studies program at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida. They came up on Sunday on my Music Choice station on my TV, and I've heard them a few others times & they are wonderful! During my time at WMU I got to hear the faculty jazz ensemble several times, and those who teach and perform for the love of the music are great to listen to.

Movie Suggestion: "Blackfish" (2013) directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, an incredibly powerful documentary about orcas in captivity, specifically those who lash out at their trainers. It tells about the stark differences between orca life in the wild vs. captivity, the lies and cover-ups by SeaWorld over the years, and is full of interviews with former SeaWorld trainers who give incredible testimonials to the good, bad & ugly of the animals' lives. It centers around one orca, Tilikum, a male orca who has been in captivity since he was captured off the east coast of Iceland at age 2 in 1983. He has killed 3 people in captivity, the most famous being Dawn Brancheau, a 40-year-old trainer at SeaWorld whom the other trainers described as being "everything it meant to be a SeaWorld trainer" and "the most experienced trainer" at the park. It is a really staggering film, including interviews with scientists, biologists, witnesses to orca attacks in captivity, and trainers who give great information about orca culture, biology, experiences in captivity and behavior.