Tag Archives: soup

Buffalo Chicken Soup with Orzo

What is it about buffalo sauce? Why is it that it took me years to find out the I loved it and now I can’t seem to live without it? The first several times I tried it, I didn’t like it. But back then, I was happy having mild, bland, and boring tasting food. Now, I put spice in everything. Granted, sometimes I’ll come across a buffalo dish that is so spicy that I can barely get through it. But Frank’s is spot-on perfect. So the fact that the bottle of Frank’s in my fridge is almost empty is nearly sending me in a panic. I put in on chicken, I put it in pasta, I toss it on veggies. It’s my go-to. And this time, I even put it in my soup – Buffalo Chicken Soup with Orzo.

Chicken, carrot, onion and cooked orzo are mixed together with chicken broth, buffalo sauce, and cheddar and parmesan cheeses. With some added flavor from green onions, ranch seasoning, and cilantro, this soup is not short on flavor. You really need to be a buffalo sauce lover like me to appreciate this soup. But you could also use as much or as little as you want if you just want a slight buffalo taste. I’d wait to add any cilantro until the end rather than at the beginning because heated cilantro, once it turns almost black, is pretty unappealing and almost tasteless. Throwing some at the end will add a huge punch of freshness which tastes so good with warm soup. This is a good soup which I think would be good with a dollop of sour cream on top or with a splash of light cream mixed in. If you like buffalo chicken, you’ll like this soup.

The ingredients:

Cook orzo according to package directions, cooking halfway (I cooked mine about 5 minutes) to allow for more cooking later. Heat olive oil in a large skillet and sauté onion, garlic and green onions until opaque and fragrant.

Add carrots and ranch seasoning.

Add broth, buffalo sauce, cheeses and precooked chicken and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Return soup to a boil and add the orzo and cook until al dente.

Top with green onions, cilantro and blue cheese crumbles (if desired).

Additions: None

Omissions:

Blue cheese

Substitutions: None

Overall Rating: Like It

Source: Bake Your Day

Chicken and Vegetable Soup

October 1, 2012
Shannon
1 comment
chicken, food, green beans, soup, tomatoes

Happy October everyone! October to me begs for two things: pumpkin anything and warm, bubbly soup. Oh, and Halloween candy. But…I’ve been trying to eat better lately and the key to doing that is to bring my lunch to work each day, stay away from fast food (and candy) and plan my snacks (hello fruit). One of the easiest foods for me to make when I’m trying to eat healthy is soup. It’s usually low in calories, filled with veggies, packed with flavor and easy to bring for lunch. Not to mention that it’s usually a quick, one-pot meal. I made this Chicken and Vegetable Soup over the weekend which is a perfect grab-and-go lunchtime option. Made with rotisserie or pre-cooked chicken, the soup comes together in a flash and packs a flavor punch.

Fire-roasted tomatoes are the key to this soup which is mixed with broth, carrots, onions and green beans. Chicken and quick-cooking orzo bulk up this soup which would also be great with spinach or mushrooms. The vegetables are quickly sauteed (I added the green beans too early by accident) and become sweet which still retain their crisp and crunchy texture helping to make this soup hearty and filling. The orzo will plump up a little bit more as the soup sits so don’t worry if it doesn’t look like it’s not quite done. It will be perfect when you are ready to sit down and eat it. Paired with some fruit and baby carrots, this will be my lunch for the rest of the week. And I’m looking forward to it.

The ingredients:

Add oil to a Dutch oven heated over medium-high heat. Swirl to coat and add onion, carrot, garlic, salt, black pepper and thyme sprig; sauté 4 minutes.

Add broth and tomatoes; bring to a boil.

Add pasta and beans; cook 5 minutes.

Stir in chicken, and sprinkle with cheese. Discard thyme.

Top with additional cheese if you prefer.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

Perdue® Short Cuts®

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Cooking Light Magazine

Spicy Thai Coconut Chicken Soup

May 16, 2012
Shannon
0 comments
Asian, chicken, food, ginger, peppers, soup

Despite the fact that we had perfectly blue skies and warm weather this past weekend in the Philadelphia area, the recent rainy, damp weather had me wanting to run to Au Bon Pain for soup nearly everyday. And even though the weather is supposed to get better, I just felt like making a nice pot of warm and comforting soup. Spicy Thai Coconut Chicken Soup is spicy, creamy, and hearty – just what you want from a soup.

Don’t be freaked out by the coconut in the name of this soup. It comes from light coconut milk which is mild in flavor and provides a silky creaminess. Chopped mushrooms and red peppers provide some rustic bulk while ginger, garlic, and chile paste provide some hefty flavor. Precooked chicken is thrown in at the end which helps save time, making this soup a perfect use of leftover chicken you might have on hand. Toppings of scallions and cilantro add a fresh brightness at the end so don’t skimp on them. I omitted the lemongrass, substituted ground ginger for fresh ginger and used soy sauce instead of fish sauce. These changes seemed to work because I loved this soup. This recipe wasn’t even the reason why I tore out the page it was on from the magazine it was in but what an amazingly pleasant surprise! This just goes to show – pay attention to every recipe you see. You just might end up making it.

The ingredients:

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat and add in mushrooms, bell pepper, ginger, garlic, and lemongrass (I omitted this). Cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.