Homemade "cream of" soup...chicken for this recipe :)

Star and flag =)

Thanks for this recipe from scratch with measurements and no "3rd party" ingredients

I'll make this for me and the wife in the next couple of days on the other side of the globe. What varieties of herbs are you growing now? (I saw your reference to rosemary)

I used to not cook for myself 3+ years ago, except basics like eggs and whatever processed stuff. Over the years and with coaching from a chef friend and other excellent cooks I've learned a lot about making things from scratch. The key is time, and in today's world, what do I know, Is not much since I haven't lived in "civilized" world for many years. However with a little practice in 1-2 hours you can have an awesome meal (and no 3rd party chemicals).

It turned out excellent! Thank you again! I now have about a case worth of cream soups in my freezer. It is a good base ingredient for so many things and something that I had to give up when I found out I have celiacs. I only had to make one minor modification, and that was to substitute millet flour for the whole wheat flour for the roux to make it gluten free. Thanks again, this is going to be a life saver at my house!

One thing I meant to add about the dish: carrots

Mirepoix is a good basic understanding for cooking with base flavors. 50% onion, 25% celery, 25% carrot. Something like that to experiment with, sauteed/browned for the maillard reaction, and then add water or oil to deglaze a roast and use that broth for etc.

If you can get into a rotation, all veggie scraps and meat scraps/bones can go into a general boiling pot to make/keep a broth for home soups during meals too =)

Philippines
Star and flag =)

Thanks for this recipe from scratch with measurements and no "3rd party" ingredients

Well someone once asked for a from scratch recipe with no "3rd party" ingredients

I'll make this for me and the wife in the next couple of days on the other side of the globe. What varieties of herbs are you growing now? (I saw your reference to rosemary)

I only have a select few. I live in an apt upstairs so it limits what i can grow. I do have rosemary, basil, oregano, dill and thyme. I am going to get hanging baskets and add my top three most used herbs to the front porch and then add some more hanging baskets to the porch for the rest. I will also add parsley to the mix next. My porch gets super hot in the hot Florida afternoons here so things tend to die fast if not protected. My moms husband is very good with this kind of stuff and he said he can help me get the basic herbs going on the porch. If they die I can always try again. I'd love to have tomatoes but too much sunlight. I had a nice garden years ago with tomato plants and they did great UNTIL they cut all the shade down, they cooked in one hot afternoon and then the roofers destroyed them fully and everything else on my porch. Oh that was not a good weekend!

I used to not cook for myself 3+ years ago, except basics like eggs and whatever processed stuff. Over the years and with coaching from a chef friend and other excellent cooks I've learned a lot about making things from scratch. The key is time, and in today's world, what do I know, Is not much since I haven't lived in "civilized" world for many years. However with a little practice in 1-2 hours you can have an awesome meal (and no 3rd party chemicals).

edit on 27-1-2014 by Philippines because: clarification

I have been cooking for years but I have made a lot more "from scratch" meals in the last few years than I did before. I agree "time" is a factor and that is all it really takes. If you manage your time right you can make anything.

I made all my sons food today for the next two weeks. I do it every couple of weeks. I cut up all the veggies and roast them in the oven with various herbs and mixtures of veggies. I bake the chicken thighs with a couple different veggies and fresh herbs. I then puree everything separately and mix different combinations into containers and then freeze them. It takes me an afternoon while he is sleeping to get it done but then he has his food for the next two weeks! I have had some people give me snarky comments like "oh well you don't work" and yea that may be true but even if I did work I'd still find the time to make my sons food. It only takes an afternoon! I use to do it at night when he slept but I didn't want to keep using the puree device so late incase it bothered my neighbors. Again like you said it's all about time and time management. You can make anything if you follow directions and use your time wisely....or well that is how i see it anyway.

I'm glad you liked the recipe and let me know how it turns out!

woodsmom
It turned out excellent! Thank you again! I now have about a case worth of cream soups in my freezer. It is a good base ingredient for so many things and something that I had to give up when I found out I have celiacs. I only had to make one minor modification, and that was to substitute millet flour for the whole wheat flour for the roux to make it gluten free. Thanks again, this is going to be a life saver at my house!

Oh yay! I'm glad it worked out for you! You're welcome.
Yea I have a freezer full myself of the chicken soup. I am going to make more this week and might do the cream of mushroom tonight while my son is in bed.

I have never used millet flour. How is it different? I try and go gluten free myself and what a difference! I have gluten free flour that I use by Red Mill. I didn't use it in this recipe though.

Philippines
One thing I meant to add about the dish: carrots

Mirepoix is a good basic understanding for cooking with base flavors. 50% onion, 25% celery, 25% carrot. Something like that to experiment with, sauteed/browned for the maillard reaction, and then add water or oil to deglaze a roast and use that broth for etc.

If you can get into a rotation, all veggie scraps and meat scraps/bones can go into a general boiling pot to make/keep a broth for home soups during meals too =)

Wow. I love putting those three together in soup bases. I didn't know there was a name for it let alone an amount per veggie. Awesome!

My mom uses the scraps of everything to make her soups! She had my son yesterday while I went clothes shopping lol and she made a kale soup and some homemade spaghetti sauce with the veggies we got at the farmers market Saturday. I found one here locally that has organic fruits and veggies. Some items were not but you don't have to buy those if you don't want. I got so much fruit and veggies for $30 that if I tried to buy everything I got there in a store I'd have spent probably double if not triple that amount. I buy a lot of produce, that is most of my food bill. I don't buy anything in the "in between" aisles at the store. I stay on the outskirts of the grocery store. I make everything from scratch now that i have no use for things in the middle unless it's like foil or spices and even then our local flea market has an AWESOME shop with fresh dried herbs and spices. I love that place and have shopped there for herbs and spices for YEARS! I find doing all this from scratch SAVES A TON of money but again it takes time.

I am going to make a soup this week but i'm not sure what kind. I will toss the extras from my sons food I made into the broth and I will use the percentage amount you linked to for the base as well. Those three together for some reason are just tasty in soup!

Thanks for another excellent recipe, Mblahnik! I have been looking for just such a homemade Cream of Chicken recipe for exactly the same reasons. It's a shame they've ruined all our childhood staple foods by putting all the gunk in them.

It's funny -- the dissonance between your creepy alien avatar and the warm, yummy recipes you serve up. Have you ever considered something more Betty Crockerish?

reply to post by mblahnikluver


Can you give specifics on how you're doing the mushrooms? The mushroom prep as it were
I would like to try that soon....maybe once with regular white mushrooms....and another with portobello or crimini.

DontTreadOnMe
reply to post by mblahnikluver

 

Can you give specifics on how you're doing the mushrooms? The mushroom prep as it were

I would like to try that soon....maybe once with regular white mushrooms....and another with portobello or crimini.

I use either baby portabella or white. It depends on what I have on hand but I do buy both often.

When I make cream of mushroom soup I chop the mushrooms and sautee them lightly in some evoo and then toss them into the soup.

Any veggie I add is sautéed before I put it into the soup.

reply to post by mblahnikluver


Thanks for the info.
I'm a rather lazy cook, so forgive me this question:
What is the advantage of sautéing a vegetable first before adding to a recipe?

DontTreadOnMe
reply to post by mblahnikluver

 

Thanks for the info.
I'm a rather lazy cook, so forgive me this question:
What is the advantage of sautéing a vegetable first before adding to a recipe?

The concept is to brown (not burn) the veggies/meat when sauteing. The process is known as the Maillard Reaction - which is the term for caramelizing the sugars in the food, which brings out the flavor in the final dish

Hope that's a good enough answer =)

DontTreadOnMe
reply to post by mblahnikluver

 

Thanks for the info.
I'm a rather lazy cook, so forgive me this question:
What is the advantage of sautéing a vegetable first before adding to a recipe?

I like the flavor and they aren't hard and crispy. I don't always sautee veggies, it just depends on what I'm making.

Philippines

DontTreadOnMe
reply to post by mblahnikluver

 

Thanks for the info.
I'm a rather lazy cook, so forgive me this question:
What is the advantage of sautéing a vegetable first before adding to a recipe?

The concept is to brown (not burn) the veggies/meat when sauteing. The process is known as the Maillard Reaction - which is the term for caramelizing the sugars in the food, which brings out the flavor in the final dish

Hope that's a good enough answer =)

See Phillippines was more technical

Yup it's the flavor!

graceunderpressure
Thanks for another excellent recipe, Mblahnik! I have been looking for just such a homemade Cream of Chicken recipe for exactly the same reasons. It's a shame they've ruined all our childhood staple foods by putting all the gunk in them.

You're welcome and yes it's horrible what they put in food now!

I was recently looking at the ingredients in Girl Scout cookies. I love Thin Mints and they are my indulgence once a year, well they have HFCS in them. I started thinking that they definitely made them without this ingredient and when did it change. I found an original GS cookie recipe for their basic shortbread from the 30s!! It seems that around 2004 or so they had a change and many cookies changed slightly with ingredients. I never realized how much stuff had HFCS in it until I stopped eating it and looking at labels. I mean it is in things you would not even think it would be in. I had some baby tylenol and it had HFCS in it! I tossed it and found the all natural stuff for my son. I don't want him having that junk! All my once favorite foods have been ruined by "enhanced," "modified," "HFCS" and various other GM ingredients. I am also disappointed at the bakery at the local grocery store. They no longer make anything truly fresh, it's all pre-made and they just bake it there. Everything they sell has HFCS in it and when you ask them if they have anything without they give you this blank stare. I also made Florentine cookies for the holidays. I use to get them at the grocery store where I worked in HS. I remember them making them there in the bakery. Well now they are pre made and just shipped there and they cook them. There is so much crap in them and it's crap that isn't needed because well I made them and half of what they put in them I did not, HFCS being one! Ever since I cut out all those foods over a year ago I can't eat any of it. I can taste the processed part and it makes me feel sick! So I am always cooking something now and stocking up!

It's funny -- the dissonance between your creepy alien avatar and the warm, yummy recipes you serve up. Have you ever considered something more Betty Crockerish?

HAHA! I love Thor. I don't find him creepy hehe. I think I've always had an alien avy of one form or another unless it's a holiday. lol


As for avys, I liked your old one with the eyes!! I use to find your profile just to look at that pic. I have TRIED to find a GIF of it to post on other sites but it never saves correctly. I think your old eye moving avy and the pig in the rain boots are my favorite avys on here. lol

reply to post by mblahnikluver


Yep, when you cut out eating the processed crap and cook everything for yourself from scratch, you can taste and feel the effects of HFCS and other chemicals

Here it's gotten to a point where I can taste if the vegetable was grown using chemicals or not - for me one of the easiest to tell the difference is with squash. When grown with chemicals/sprays it seems to be lacking flavor. Same thing with many fruits grown in commercial farms vs. locally grown - less flavor, and 'off' a bit.

Glad you're able to cook and live that way =)

reply to post by mblahnikluver


Well, both answers are helpful.
I used to know that stuff, as I watched a lot of cooking shows when cable first came out...so thanks to you and Philippines for your info

reply to post by mblahnikluver


Sorry for the delayed response! Life got busy last week.

The millet flour seems to be the closest straight across to the wheat flour. I have been dabbling with other flours and mixes, but the millet makes a nice roux that actually browns nice. I was a touch bummed though, the soup did break a little when I pulled it out of the freezer. It was still delicious and a great addition to the recipe. I think that's where the gluten itself is most helpful. The protein forms a stronger bond than many of its substitutes. It is still a very welcome addition to our weeknight meals.

reply to post by mblahnikluver


Oh no! Not Girl Scout thin mint cookies, too! Nothing is sacred. Taste is one of our strongest nostalgic sensations, and what a ripoff that we can't indulge in those childhood faves because of the HFCS. It makes me wonder what today's kids who are growing up eating that garbage will be like at my age. It also makes me appreciate your recipes all the more. (I will break down and try the Oreos when my hips can afford the luxury.) Please keep 'em coming.

Now that you say so, your avvy alien does have a cute aspect! They made me remove my old one with the bulging eyes because the file size was too big. I miss him. One of these days, I'll get over to the avatar creation thread and see if they can find a way to restore him. Someone once told me that his kids made him display my posts over and over so they could see the critter.