I love hearty chicken soup, but I also love tomato-based chicken soup, and I hardly ever make that.
So, the other day I pulled out the slow cooker and went to work. This recipe is different than the one I use to make regular chicken soup. It comes out being between soup and stew.
For this recipe I used:
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless thighs
- 2 medium size potatoes cut into ½ inch slices
- 2 celery stalks
- ½ of a sweet yellow onion cut into slices
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of black pepper
- ¼ cup of Soy Sauce
- ½ cup of red wine
- 1 ½ cups of chicken broth
- 2 (8 ounce) cans of tomato sauce
Add the Olive oil to the slow cooker and put in your first layer of potatoes. Then add the chicken and the last layer of potatoes. Add the onions and celery and the remaining ingredients.
I started this at noon, so I set the slow cooker to high to cook for at least five hours. I served it over white rice, but it could also be served over cooked pasta.
You could substitute one 15 ounce can of tomato sauce or diced tomatoes if that is what you have in your pantry. Also, if you want to make it more like a stew, add a cornstarch slurry Mix equal parts cornstarch and a cold liquid (like water, broth, or juice).
Whisk the mixture until completely smooth, then stir it into the cooker.
Usually when feeling under the weather, I’ll make my regular chicken soup, but I wanted to add different flavors to the mix. I wanted something to help me heal. Let me explain. I have needed to weed eat the yard for some time now. We’ve had so much rain that it was nearly a month since I last trimmed the edges.
This past weekend I got up early to first mow the entire yard and then weed eat the edges and possibly trim the front hedges. After mowing the lawn for an hour, I began weed eating. Several times the string got tangled and I had to re-thread it. Two hours later I had finished everything except the front yard and front hedges.
In case you didn’t know I have an injured right arm. Back in December of 2023, three days before Christmas, at 3 a.m. in the morning, I heard mom calling out for me to help her. She had fallen as she tried to go to the bathroom. I woke up from a deep sleep, jumped out of bed, and tripped over my dog. I got up and ran to mom’s side, but when I tried to pick her up, I realized something was wrong with my right arm. I thought I had dislocated my shoulder.
Long story short, we both ended up at Erlanger Hospital’s ER. Mom stayed overnight and was fine. I had shattered my right humorous and had surgery. One steel rod and 13 pins and screws later I was on the road to rehab and recovery.
So, after three hours of yard work this past Saturday, I decided I would rest and try and finish Sunday morning.
NOPE!
When I woke up Sunday morning my right arm was swollen and throbbing in pain. I spent most of Sunday, Monday and Tuesday icing my arm. I called a lawn maintenance company who came to my house Tuesday morning to finish weed eating the front yard and trim the front hedges. I set up a schedule with them to weed eat my entire yard and trim the hedges from here on out because I don’t want to feel that amount of pain again. I can handle mowing the yard, let them handle the rest!
This chicken stew was exactly what I needed to finish healing my soul while I continue to periodically ice my arm. It’s also the first home cooked meal I’ve made in about two weeks. Mom and I have been eating a lot of takeout and leftovers and that tends to get expensive after a while.
Do you have a specific recipe you cook when you need to feed your soul? Tell me what it is. Email me at: PattyL@brewermediagroup.com