Tag Archives: Chicken

How to Make Canned Soup Taste Delicious

I grew up with Campbell’s Cream of Chicken soup, it brings back powerful memories of my childhood. Now, as an adult, these cream soups don’t seem to taste as yummy as they used to (probably because they are made much more cheaply!).

I still want to eat them, they make a quick, hot lunch on a cold winter’s day. So I have figured out a way to make them delicious without making the whole thing from scratch.

This technique works best with Cream of Chicken or Cream of Celery, for Cream of Mushroom you can substitute the diced celery with fresh or canned Mushrooms. Of course, depending on your palate, you can also add a little Taco seasoning or Creole seasoning…

onion, celery, leek, garlic

Dice one slice of onion, one stalk of celery

Mince a clove of garlic

Cut a slice off the white end of a leek, cut in half, then cut small slices from the green end

Cook the onion and celery in butter until the onion starts to brown, then add a splash of white wine, 1/4 cup of Chicken Stock, the garlic and the leek.

Reduce.

Cut some chicken meat into cubes, thigh works well (lots of flavor), add to the pan.

Add some salt and pepper and simmer on low medium heat until most of the liquid is gone.

Add the cream soup and stir in a can-ful of whole milk. Raise the heat until the soup starts to boil, then reduce and simmer for 3-4 minutes, the soup should get nice and thick. Kepp stirring occaisionally so the soup doesn’t scorch on the bottom of the pan.

cream of celery soup

Garnish the soup with a dash of Paprika and enjoy!

Tequila – Ranch Chicken Thighs

Tequila-Ranch Chicken in a Tortilla

Makes two to four servings, depending on the size of the tortillas/portions. Prep and cooking time is about one hour, depending on how organized you are and how much you have had to drink.

Good side dishes include Yellow Rice, Spanish Rice or anything with a similar Southwestern, Spanish or Mexican theme.

Link to Grocery List

Marinate 4 Boneless Chicken Thighs that have been cut into finger-sized strips for one hour –

1/4 cup Creamy Ranch Dressing
1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1 oz Tequila
1/2 cup Margarita Mix
1 Tablespoon Taco Seasoning
2 cloves of Garlic – crushed through a garlic press
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dry Cilantro

While the chicken is marinating, make your sauce –

1 tablespoon Creamy Ranch Dressing
1 tablespoon (Weber) “Bold n Spicy Chipotle Seasoning” (or something similar with chipotle)
2 rounded tablespoons Sour Cream
Juice from 1/4 of a lime
1/2 of an Avocado, crushed with a large fork

Stir together and set aside for later.

For your garnish/topping –
Chop 2 Green Onions
Cut a couple of slices off a Red Onion and chop finely, enough for 2 tablespoons

Set aside for later.

(At this point I started the heat on a package of Spanish Rice, everything should be ready about 30 minutes from now.)

Prep the following to saute with the chicken –
Using a carrot peeler, shave down one small carrot
Cut 6 thin slices from a Red Bell Pepper
Cut 6 thin slices from a Green Bell Pepper
Cut 4 thicker slices from a Yellow Onion
1/4 cup canned Mushroom Slices
1/4 cup Fresh Cilantro leaves

Turn on the oven to pre-heat to 350 degrees.

Saute the vegetables –
Put 1 tablespoon of butter in a non-stick pan and caramelize the onions, once they start to get that nice, golden color add the carrot shavings, Red and Green Pepper slices, Mushrooms and about 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil. Turn down the heat and cover the pan.

Strain the marinade from the chicken strips through a colander, then add chicken to the pan, combine well and cover.

tortilla with cheeseWarm the Tortillas and melt the cheese
Sprinkle shredded Cheddar Cheese (or Mexican/Taco blend, whatever you like) onto your tortillas, along with the chopped Green Onion and chopped Red Onion, distribute fairly evenly. Place the tortillas in the oven on the center rack.

Uncover the pan and stir the chicken, it should be getting nice and firm. Add the chopped fresh Cilantro, stir.

When the cheese on the tortillas is melted take them out of the oven and start plating up –
Spoon the chicken and vegetables onto the tortillas and add sauce to taste.

You may wish to add some Black Olives, chopped Lettuce, diced Tomatoes or whatever to this.

Enjoy!