Slow cooker chicken and rice soup has been a favorite in our house for several years.  The boys love it and it is so easy to prepare.  When we are feeling under the weather, I can easily prepare this hearty, healthy soup with little effort.  I love to use my own homemade broth which I freeze for use in recipes.  

If you haven't guessed already, we (mostly me) are feeling under the weather, so I made this super easy soup for dinner tonight and it was both nourishing and comforting.  There is something wonderfully healing about chicken soup when you have a cold.  Maybe it's the bone broth (from homemade broth) or the nutrient dense combination of ingredients.  Whatever it is, there is no substitute for homemade chicken soup to comfort and soothe.  

1 quart (4 cups) vegetable broth
1 lb. boneless chicken breasts or thighs
8 cups chicken broth
2 tsp. creole seasoning
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
2 to 3 stalks celery, sliced
3 carrots, sliced
1 tsp. or less salt*
1 cup uncooked rice
Freshly ground pepper (if you like) to taste


Combine all ingredients in the crock pot except for the rice*.  Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.  About an hour before you will serve the soup, remove the chicken and shred it.  Add 1 cup uncooked rice to the soup.  Add the shredded chicken back to the soup.  Continue to cook on low for about an hour or until the rice is tender.

*If you are using homemade broth or low sodium broth you will probably want to add salt.  If you are using store bought broth that is high in sodium, you may not want to add any salt.  I would wait and taste it after it has cooked and add it if needed.  

Make sure not to add the rice until the last hour to prevent mushy rice.  


Recipe:  Home Ec @ Home original

We have been enjoying this family favorite for a couple of years.  In fact this is an update with new photos and to let you know that we still love our favorite chicken and dumplings.  

First the chicken and dumplings are amazing, second, it's not that hard to make. Give yourself some time though.  This will take about an hour to prepare, but a lot of it is cooking time and you can get the kitchen cleaned up while it is cooking.  I love sitting down to dinner knowing that the kitchen is already mostly clean.  

This is the ultimate comfort food.  As the weather turns colder, I love making this hearty, delicious meal for my family.  The boys clean their plates every time.  So do I.  More chicken and dumplings please.  

Serves 4-5

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 carrots, peeled then cut crosswise into 1/2" pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 and 3/4 Cups all-purpose flour (keep separated)
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) or about 1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 1 tsp. creole seasoning (I use Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning)
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3/4 teaspoon dried dill weed
  
• 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas

1.  In a Dutch oven (or a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot), heat butter over medium heat.  Add onion, carrots, garlic and thyme.  Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.

2.  Add 1/4 cup flour and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add broth and bring to a boil, stirring constantly; season with 1/2 to 3/4 tsp. salt, fresh ground pepper to taste, and creole seasoning.  Stir in the chicken; reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes.

3.  Meanwhile, make dumplings: In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining 3/4 cup flour, dill, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  With a fork, gradually stir in 1/2 cup milk to form a moist and soft batter.  It should be just a little thicker than pancake batter and should easily drop from the tip of a spoon. (Add additional 2 tablespoons milk if too thick.)  Set aside.

4.  Stir peas into the pot.  Drop batter in simmering liquid in 10 heaping tablespoonfuls, keeping them spaced apart (dumplings will expand as they cook). Cover, and simmer until chicken is tender and dumplings are firm, 20 minutes. Serve.

This recipe is adapted from Martha Stewart.  

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These delicious salmon cakes are super easy to prepare since they are made from canned salmon.  I always keep canned salmon in the pantry and can whip these up quickly from ingredients I already have on hand.  

Our whole family loves salmon cakes, especially the boys.  Plus they are packed with healthy omega 3s.  

These are so easy to make.  There isn't much to it.  I just throw in some seasoning and they always turn out perfectly crispy on the outside, tender inside and delicious.  If you want to get all fancy you can serve on a bed of cous cous and garnish with fresh snipped parsley.  

Ingredients: 
​(Note, I double this for our family of 6)
3 (5 oz.) cans salmon or 1 (16 oz.) can salmon
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs (I use store bought, plain or Italian)
1 egg beaten
Olive oil for pan frying

Seasonings:  I really just throw stuff in and it is never exactly the same, but here are the basic seasonings I use.

A few shakes of Old Bay Seasoning, I sprinkle more on while they are cooking.
Freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice if I have it.
Dash lemon pepper
Pinch dried sweet basil
minced garlic or garlic powder
minced onion
Fresh ground salt and pepper

Directions: 

1.  Put canned salmon and juice in a mixing bowl.  If using 3 small cans there won't be any bones, but if using a 16 oz. can there may be bones.  You can either remove the larger bones and crush the small bones with a fork or crush all of the bones (they are soft and easily crush and provide calcium).  Make sure not to drain off the juice, leave this in with the meat.  

2.  Add the bread crumbs, beaten egg, and seasonings and mix well with a fork.  

3.  Heat a large skillet to medium heat, then drizzle olive oil into the skillet to cover the surface.  Form salmon mixture into patties and place in the hot skillet. Fry on each side until nice and crispy and golden brown.  I always sprinkle with more Old Bay Seasoning while cooking.  Place the patties on a paper towel lined plate before serving.  

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