Tag: Lunch

Chicken Lo Mein

Every week I am faced with the same dilemma…. What should I make for dinner? I go through a list of ideas in my head to see which one sparks enthusiasm and makes my taste buds feel excited. As many people do, I have a few good standby’s that I turn to when I just can’t think of anything else. And there are those times when I want to try something new. As was the case when I decided to make Chicken Lo Mein recently. I had come across a recipe in a magazine that I was sure I had ripped out, but, when I went to go look for it, I couldn’t find it. So, I turned to the internet to get some ideas for a recipe. After reading a few, I created my own that turned out delicious and best of all, quick and easy to make.

A few of the recipes I saw called for chicken breasts, but I opted to use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead as I find chicken thighs absorb the flavor of a dish better (especially sauces) and they do not dry out as easily as chicken breasts does when slightly overcooked.  And while I did plan on using Lo Mein noodles, they weren’t available at my local supermarket so I went with Linguine instead, you could also use spaghetti if you have a preference. One other change I made was the oil I used. Most of the recipes I saw online called for sesame oil, I used canola oil instead. Simply because I had it on hand and I knew it was a good substitute.

To make the dish I started by cooking the linguine per the package instructions. Once ready, I drained and then tossed them with a bit of oil before setting aside. Meanwhile, I cooked the chicken in a large skillet for a few minutes and then added in the vegetables. After cooking for an additional few minutes, to allow the vegetable to become tender, I added the sauce and noodles and tossed everything together. After letting it cook for a few more minutes it was ready to enjoy!

Chicken Lo Mein

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized chunks

3 tablespoons canola oil

1/2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce

1/4 cup light brown sugar

2 teaspoon corn starch

8 ounces linguine

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons minced ginger

1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips

8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced

2 carrots, cut into matchsticks

2 cups broccoli florets

Salt & pepper

Directions:

Cook the noodles per the package instructions, then drain and toss with 1 teaspoon of canola oil. Cover to keep warm.

In a small bowl whisk together the soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, brown sugar, cornstarch and 1 of the minced garlic cloves and 1 teaspoon of the minced ginger.

Season the chicken with a teaspoon each of salt & pepper.

Heat 3 tablespoons of canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add the chicken and cook for 4-5 minutes, until it’s no longer pink on the outside.

Add the remaining garlic and ginger, along with the vegetables – pepper, mushrooms, carrots and broccoli – to the skillet with the chicken and cook covered, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender. Add the soy sauce mixture along with the cooked linguine and stir to combine – it might be easier to use tongs to toss everything together. Cover and allow to cook for a few more minutes for the flavors to meld.

Recipe first appeared on Bead Yarn & Spatula

Chicken Lasagna Soup

It had been a few years since my neck of the woods had measurable snow fall, but last week that changed when a Nor’easter dropped a few inches of snow that required me to break out of my shovel and get to work. And unfortunately, it wasn’t the nice powdery snow that’s easy to shovel, it was the heavy wet snow that can be a bit of a back-breaker to clean. The snow also brought with it colder temperatures. The weekend before the snow it was in the 50’s, but after the snow it was in the 30’s with wind chills making it feel much colder. Thankfully, I had today’s delicious soup to enjoy on those cold days, a Chicken Lasagna Soup. I know the name might conjure up all kinds of ideas as to what it could be, but it’s pretty much a very fancy chicken noodle soup.

So, why a Chicken Lasagna Soup? Well, I have a recipe for a lasagna that I want to make, and I tend to purchase grocery items that I know I am going to need in the future when they are on sale, so I bought the lasagna noodles when they were on sale, only to reread the recipe and realize they were the wrong ones. I was supposed to buy no-boil ones, but I didn’t want them to go to waste so I started thinking of other things I could make with them and remembered seeing quite a few recipes for lasagna soup.

The soup came together rather quickly. I started off by poaching chicken breasts in seasoned chicken broth along with onions and mushrooms. Once the chicken was cooked, I removed it from the broth, shredded it and then added it back to the broth along with baby spinach, sun dried tomatoes, heavy cream and the lasagna noodles (already cooked). I opted to cook the noodles separately as opposed to cooking them in the soup to reduce the amount of starch added to the soup, which would have made the soup consistency thicker. Once the spinach was wilted, I added in cheeses and gave everything a good few stirs until they were melted and then it was ready to be enjoyed.

And this soup didn’t disappoint. It was flavorful and hearty, the perfect soup for cold winter days!

Chicken Lasagna Soup

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 1/2 tablespoons flour

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 cups sliced mushrooms (8oz. package)

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons dried rosemary

1 teaspoon dried basil

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)

8 lasagna noodles, broken into pieces

1 5oz. bag baby spinach

1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes, sliced

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup shredded provolone cheese

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

In a large pot or Dutch oven melt the butter and flour together over medium heat. Add in the onions, mushrooms, rosemary, basil, oregano and garlic and stir everything to combine. Add in the chicken broth and stir again. Add the chicken breast along with the red pepper flakes, salt & pepper. Cover and cook for 20-25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked.

Meanwhile, cook the lasagna noodles in a separate pot per the package instructions. Drain and set aside.

Once cooked, remove the chicken from the pot and shred, then return to the pot. Raise the heat and bring the soup to a boil and add in the noodles, spinach, sundried tomatoes and heavy cream. Stir and allow the soup to lightly boil until the spinach wilts. Add in the cheese and stir until melted.

Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Recipe adapted from Half Baked Harvest

Lentil and Sausage Soup

Usually my idea of making soup is opening up a can of my favorite one, heating it up on the stove and then enjoying it, but since I have been cooking more I decided to give making soup from scratch a go. It’s always nice knowing exactly what you are eating as opposed to guessing what the vegetable is after it’s been masked by some thick, albeit yummy, chowder or liquid. I decided to start simple and go with a Lentil and Sausage Soup that I found on Allrecipes.

To start, I browned three links of sweet sausage over medium-high heat. I actually began by cooking the links slightly and then slicing them to finish browning them. It’s much easier to slice half cooked sausage as opposed to raw sausage.

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Next I added in one large onion, a celery stalk and a tablespoon of garlic, all chopped.

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After letting that sauté until the vegetables were tender I added in my lentils, 3 shredded carrots, water, chicken broth and diced tomatoes. I actually used diced tomatoes that were seasoned with basil, garlic and oregano which definitely added in some extra flavor.

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And finally I added in all of my spices: garlic powder, parsley, bay leaves, oregano, thyme, basil, salt & black pepper.

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After bringing the soup to a boil I then reduced the heat and let it simmer until the lentils were tender. While the directions said that it would take about 2.5 to 3 hours my soup was done in about an hour.

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It was absolutely delicious and tasted even better the following day for lunch. I doubt I will be giving up those canned soups anytime soon, but, it’s definitely nice to know that making soup from scratch isn’t all that difficult.

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Lentil and Sausage Soup

Ingredients

1/2 lb. sweet Italian sausage

1 large onion, chopped

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

1 tbsp. chopped garlic

1 16 oz. package dry lentils, rinsed

1 cup shredded carrot

8 cups water

2 14.5 oz. cans chicken broth

1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes*

1 tbsp. garlic powder

1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley**

2 bay leaves

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 tsp. dried thyme

1/4 tsp. dried basil

1 tbsp. salt, or to taste

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 lb. ditalini pasta (optional – I chose not to add it in)

*I used 2 14.5 oz. cans of diced tomatoes seasoned with garlic, basil & oregano

**I used 1 tsp. dried parsley

Directions

1. Place sausage in a large pot. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Add onion, celery and chopped garlic, and sauté until tender and translucent. Stir in lentils, carrot, water, chicken broth and tomatoes. Season with garlic powder, parsley, bay leaves, oregano, thyme, basil, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Cover, and simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until lentils are tender.

2. Stir in pasta, and cook 15 to 20 minutes, or until pasta is tender.