Chicken Tarragon

Awhile back I did a post called Soup’s On! I made a soup I named Greens & Beans Chicken Soup, and mentioned that I used leftover chicken and sauce from a dish I make called Chicken Tarragon. I decided to make this for dinner last night even though we had it about 3 or 4 weeks ago. But since we are headed out-of-town tomorrow I needed to use up what ingredients I had, and everyone in this house loves this dish anytime. So, as promised, here is the recipe.

 

 

 

Chicken Tarragon

3 or 4 T. butter, melted in pan and foam allowed to subside (do not brown)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts browned on each side (about 3 or 4 mins. each)

Remove chicken from pan and discard butter

Deglaze pan with 2 c. chicken broth

Whisk in 1 pt. 1/2 & 1/2 (or heavy cream)

Add in tarragon to taste (this means about 2 T. to me)

Bring to boil then lower heat to simmer

Replace chicken, cover and let cook through, turning meat occasionally

 

** I usually make a small roux and add to thicken the sauce a little bit (about 1/3 C. butter and 1 1/2 T. flour)

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is great with mashed potatoes, but it is also excellent with bulgur. For a little bit healthier meal, if you have never tried bulgur, do so with this first! It’s super yummy. And it helps out-weigh the fattening cream in the sauce There are many ways to make bulgur, but I prefer it this way. This recipe also works with quinoa.

 

 

Bulgur

1 cup bulgur

1 T. butter

2 cups chicken broth

small onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

1/4 cup sliced almonds

salt & pepper to taste

 

~ Measurements are tricky for me because I cook a lot by eye, so you may end up pouring out some excess broth, or you might not. Basically what I do is melt the butter over medium-high heat and then throw in the bulgur, allowing it to brown (similar to what you do with Rice A Roni). It doesn’t take long and you can gauge by the smell when it’s been toasted enough. Then add the onion, garlic, and almonds along with the broth. Let boil briefly. Stir, cover, and simmer for 10 or 15 minutes. The bulgur absorbs the broth quickly.

 

I hope you enjoy this dish as much as we do!

 

Don’t forget dessert! Check out this older post for my Apple Crispe recipe.  I had some extra apples, and since we’re trying to use up our food before we go on vacation, I made another Apple Crispe

 

Pre-baked with butter pats to make it super yummy!

 

 

 

 

 

I can’t seem to get the link insert to work, so I’ll have to do it the old fashioned way http://thehomeheart.wordpress.com/2011/10/19/comfort-food/

 

 

Greens n’ Beans Soup & Dolly’s Polish Cabbage Soup

I love soup. It’s the perfect comfort food to me, especially this time of year when days are shorter and much colder. Soup not only fills you up, but it warms the soul. Most soups are also healthy as long as cheese and cream bases are avoided. In these times of economic hardships, soup is an inexpensive way to fill stomachs without emptying wallets. Plus, soups freeze beautifully and they can make several meals.

I have several favorite soup recipes, but most of the time I just take what ingredients I have and throw them into a pot. The only downside is that I can’t always exactly duplicate a soup that turns out awesome, but I rarely turn out a bad soup so the upside is re-creating isn’t always necessary.

Once upon a time my husband went to a restaurant and ate a soup with collard greens and white beans in it. He absolutely loved it and came home raving. I happen to have some leftovers in my fridge: collards and chicken to be exact. I think we have the makings of a soup. And since it’s a very grey, chilly, and rainy weekend, a heart-warming soup sounds like the perfect thing.

Homemade Greens & Beans Chicken Soup

This soup turned out great. The only problem I have with low-fat soups is that the flavor is usually made up for in the sodium. In that case I make sure we all drink plenty of water with our meal.

 Talk about within the budget! I made this soup almost entirely with leftovers and what I had in the pantry. Whenever my staples get low I always stock up on a variety of beans (pinto, black-eyed, kidney, etc.) and several cartons of chicken broth. After making 2 soups this weekend all the chicken broth I bought last week  is gone. Luckily my local Dollar Tree carries an excellent all natural brand, so I can easily stock up and stay within my budget.

Beans and Greens Soup

In a large pot I combined 1 (15 oz) can of drained and rinsed navy beans

1 container leftover collard greens and its cooking broth (about 1 1/2 Q. total and I used chicken broth, onion, & celery to cook the greens in. No pork.)

I added another quart of chicken broth

2 leftover chicken breasts, already cooked, cubed or diced

1 T. onion flakes

**This alone would have made the awesome soup I was aiming for, but it was even better because of something extra….

The 2 leftover chicken breasts were from a dinner I’d made 2 nights before called Tarragon Chicken. This is such an easy and yummy meal (thank you, Mom, for showing it to me) and my boys always love it. It’s super easy, but be warned, it is fattening. It’s best served with mashed potatoes but this time I made basmati rice. Don’t forget the vegetables, like sautéed squash and zucchini.

SO basically I added the leftover tarragon sauce to the soup, which was honestly only about 4 T. but it was enough to give the soup a hint of creaminess and a wonderful added tarragon flavor. Fabulous!

I’m guessing you would like to know just what exactly is tarragon sauce? If you’re not, you should be….

Mini Corn Bread Muffins

Hubby calls them Corn Bread Nuggets

Since I knew I would be doing this blog on making up a soup from leftovers, I decided I’d throw in a recipe I’ve used for years. This soup is super yummy. An old family friend introduced this soup to us when I was knee-high to a grass hopper. I have no idea who Dolly is, but nevertheless…

Dolly’s Polish Cabbage Soup 

1/2 C. celery & carrots each, thinly sliced

1/4 C. butter

2-3 C. shredded cabbage

1 C. leeks, sliced using white and lighter green parts*

2 quarts chicken broth

2 C. potatoes, in 1/2 inch dice

1/2 t. marjoram

1 t. parsley

1 T. dill weed (I use twice as much because you can never have too much dill!)

1 lb.  turkey polish kielbasa, sliced 1/4 inch thick

Saute the carrots and celery in the butter for a few minutes just until they begin to wilt. Add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil; lower heat and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. If the cabbage and potatoes are not tender, simmer for a few more minutes. Serve at once with crusty french bread. Serves 6-8. **Obviously you can throw everything into the pot and let it cook together in time, but you should at least make this soup exactly as directed at least once.