Barbecue chicken soup

For all the recipes I post on this blog, the truth is this: It's rare that I cook from a specific recipe. Almost always I improvise something on the fly, based on my preferences and what I have on hand. Like many of my recipes, I came up with this dish after pulling things together from the cabinet and freezer.


But this soup, with tender chicken, plenty of veggies, and smokiness from some added barbecue sauce, is a keeper! If you love Brunswick stew, you will want to try this one, too. Most cooks probably have these ingredients on hand at any time, so consider this dish when you need a new recipe and you don't want to go to the store.


Barbecue chicken soup


3 chicken breasts, diced
16 ounce bag frozen, mixed vegetables
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 quart water
¼ cup barbecue sauce
½ teaspoon crushed basil
Salt and pepper

In a medium skillet, brown the chicken pieces in oil. Place the chicken in a 6-quart slow cooker.  Add the remaining ingredients and stir well to combine. Cook on low for 8 hours.

This dish had a great flavor, thanks to the barbecue sauce and the crushed basil. I grew fresh basil last summer, and then dried the leaves for use all winter. Be sure to plant some basil this year, so you can enjoy it fresh all summer (and so you can dry the leaves when the weather turns cold.) Here’s how to harvest and dry basil, step by step.

Beef with mushroom gravy

My husband and youngest sons are meat lovers, so I fashioned this dish especially for them. The dish is a cross between beef stew and beef stroganoff, with homemade cream of mushroom soup. It is easy and delicious.

Beef with mushroom gravy

2 pounds beef stew meat
2 tablespoons oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup red wine
1-2 tablespoons worchestershire sauce
2 cups cream of mushroom soup (or one 14.5 ounce can)
Chopped parsley to garnish

Heat oil in a medium skillet. Season the meat with salt and pepper, then dredge lightly in flour. Brown the meat in the skillet.

Move the meat to a 6-quart slow cooker. To the skillet add the red wine and worchestershire sauce. Blend completely, then pour over the meat.

Add the cream of mushroom soup. I defrosted a container of homemade cream of mushroom soup. Please try my Magnificent Mushroom Soup recipe, if you want a great homemade version!

Blend all the ingredients and cook on low for about 8 hours.

The meat is so tender and flavorful! I served this with pasta and green peas. Enjoy!

Maple-mustard pork roast

This dish is hearty and delicious – a perfect offering for dinner as the weather turns colder. When I started brainstorming ideas for a new pork roast dish, I aimed to include Dijon mustard. But then, I spied the Inglehoffer brand stone ground mustard in the refrigerator door. It is spicy and sour and chock full of mustard seeds. That’s when I forgot about the Dijon.

You’ll need:
2-3 pound pork roast (I used a sirloin roast)
1 tablespoon stone ground mustard
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon fresh, chopped rosemary
1 teaspoon diced garlic (one clove)

Place the roast in a 6-quart slow cooker. In a small bowl, combine the mustard, maple syrup, rosemary and garlic. Pour the mixture over the roast and cook on low for about 8 hours. I turned the roast halfway through cooking.

After 8 hours, the roast will look like this:

Amazing how it browns up in the slow cooker, don’t you think?
I sliced/shredded the roast in portions and served it with penne pasta and fresh broccoli. Serve it and stand back!

Suzanne's smothered chicken

This one is an oldie, but a goodie. I started making this recipe in the early 1990s, when I worked long hours at a small newspaper. It is a delicious recipe, easy to make and a perfect recipe for moms who work late and still want a homemade dinner (like me). You can use canned mushrooms in this dish (I've done it many times for speed and convenience), but fresh mushrooms make it even better.

You'll need:

6 chicken thighs
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 medium onion, sliced in rings
1 pound fresh mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 cup red wine (use chicken stock or apple juice, if you don't use alcohol)

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a medium skillet, then brown the chicken thighs on both sides. Put the chicken thighs in a 6-quart slow cooker.

In the same skillet, add the mushrooms and cook over medium heat until they are slightly browned. Add onion, oregano and basil.

Deglaze the pan with the wine, then pour all over the chicken.

Cook on low for about 8 hours until it looks like this:

Looks terrific, right?

I served the chicken with rice and peas and it was fantastic -- tender, tasty and easy!

A chicken in every pot

Several weeks ago, my husband asked me whether I could make chicken stew. Everyone makes beef stew, it seems, but what about changing the recipe and using chicken? It was a great idea, so I jumped on it and came up with this dish. Readers of this blog know I am a big fan of beef stew, so I used the basic technique to come up with this.

Chicken stew

You'll need:
1 pound of chicken, cut in 1-inch pieces
2 teaspoons cooking oil
3 potatoes, diced
2 cups carrots, diced
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
2 cups water
2 cups corn (frozen or canned)
2 cups diced tomatoes, with chipotle peppers
Salt and pepper
Chopped parsley to garish

In a medium skillet, brown the chicken in oil.

Put the diced potatoes and carrots in a 6-quart slow cooker.

Add the browned chicken and diced tomatoes.

Deglaze the skillet with white wine, then add to the cooker. Add barbecue sauce, water and corn. Stir well to combine and cook on low for about 8 hours.

Garnish the bowls with chopped parsley. Yield is about 10 cups.

Brown sugar chicken

This recipe is from 365 Easy Slow Cooker Recipes and just downright delicious. I'm giving full credit to Nicole Phillips and her terrific book -- I didn't change a thing in the recipe, although I think I used slightly less than two pounds of chicken. And I really did use the Domino "Brownulated" sugar in this dish. It pours like granulated white sugar -- no clumping!

My husband grumbled when I told him I was trying a new recipe, but raved (I mean RAVED!) when he tasted this dish. It is sweet and salty and sour and fantastic. Plus, you might already have all the ingredients on hand.

I know this is a slow cooker dish, but I made it in the oven. I covered and cooked the chicken for about an hour at 350 degrees. The following instructions are for a slow cooker.

You'll need:
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken, cut in 1-inch pieces (I used boneless thighs)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup vinegar
1/4 cup lemon-lime soda (I used diet Sprite)
1 teaspoon black pepper
Cooked rice, to serve

Place chicken pieces in a slow cooker. Combine remaining ingredients, except rice, and pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve with rice. Serves 4.

When I made this dish, I used about 1.5 pounds of boneless chicken thighs. I think (at least based on my family) it yielded about 5 servings. And it is one of my husband's new favorites.

To make it in a conventional oven, cut the chicken in pieces and place them in a 3 quart casserole dish.

Blend all the sauce ingredients and pour over the chicken.

Yes, it's got plenty of garlic, but that is what makes it good!

I baked mine in a 350 degree oven for about an hour. Cover the dish with foil -- you don't want this sticky, sweet sauce splattering around in the oven.

Serve over cooked rice...

...and forgive the horrible kitchen lighting in this photo!

New-fangled beef vegetable soup

I have made countless pots of beef vegetable soup, but always used ground beef. Last week, I came up with a revised take on the recipe, using stew beef and a pouch of black pepper seasoning from the spice aisle. This seasoning packs a punch, so I recommend using no more than half the package. Use the remainder to season another dish. The tomatoes with chipotle peppers gives this dish a wonderful smoky heat.

For beef vegetable soup, you'll need:

1 pound stew beef
3 potatoes, diced
14.5 can corn, drained
14.5 can green beans, drained
15 ounce can diced tomatoes with chipotle peppers
4 cups water
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/2 package cracked black pepper seasoning (or 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper)

Season the stew beef with the black pepper seasoning, then brown the beef in a medium skillet. Add the beef and the remaining ingredients to a 6-quart slow cooker. Stir well to combine. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Yield: 10-12 cups.

Pineapple ginger pork

I found this recipe in a wonderful cookbook called 365 Easy Slow Cooker Recipes. It reminded me of Hawaiian Chicken, a dish my mother made when I was a child. That dish used chicken, onion, green pepper and pineapple chunks. I modified this recipe for Pineapple Ginger Pork, skipping the oyster sauce and sliced water chestnuts and substituting green peas and a cornstarch slurry for the (called for) snow pea pods and tapioca.

You'll need:
1 pound boneless pork shoulder, cut in 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1/4 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoons grated fresh ginger (I used 1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger)
15 ounce can pineapple chunks
4 medium carrots, diced
1 large onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup frozen green peas
2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 1/2 cup water

In a large skillet, heat the oil and brown the pork in two batches. Drain fat. Drain the pineapple, adding the juice to a 6-quart slow cooker. Combine all the remainig ingredients except the pineapple, peas and cornstarch/water mixture. Mix well and cook on low for 8 hours. About 30 minutes berfore serving, turn the cooker to high. Add the peas; mix the cornstarch and water and add it to cooker. Mix the pineapple in, just before serving. Yield: 6-8 servings.

This dish is salty and sweet. We loved it, although my youngest son did not like the warm pineapple in the dish. He is used to eating pineapple cold, so having it in a hot dish threw him a bit.

Ranch makes pork dinner delicious

My family loves Ranch dressing on anything that doesn’t move – carrots, cucumbers (my youngest son); pizza crust or anything resembling bread (my husband); noodles, vegetables (my daughter). Ranch is notoriously high in calories, so I usually buy low-fat or no-fat versions. Recently, I bought the seasoning packets to make Ranch dressing at home, thinking I would use non-fat yogurt in place of sour cream or mayonnaise.

Instead, I have used the packets to season meats, vegetables and other dishes. I came up with this dish after seeing how much my husband loved pork chops seasoned only with the Ranch seasoning.

You’ll need:
1 pound pork chops (chops with bones are fine)
1 cup carrots
2 cups diced potato
1 medium onion, sliced thin
1 Ranch flavored seasoning packet
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup red wine

Place the vegetables in a 6 quart slow cooker. Add oil and sprinkle half the seasoning packet over the vegetables.

Mix the seasonings and vegetables.

Dredge the pork in the remaining Ranch seasoning, then brown the pork in a medium skillet.

Place the chops over the vegetable mixture...

Deglaze the pan with red wine, scraping up any browned bits.

Pour the wine over the chops and vegetables. Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours. If the chops have bones, you may want to remove the meat from the cooker, debone it and return the meat to mix with the vegetable mixture.

This dish is hearty and satisfying and has a great flavor. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Sausage and white bean chowder

Like most people, I try to stretch my food budget and I love developing recipes that are low in cost and big in flavor. Soup is a great way to get high nutrition for fewer dollars; using low cost dried beans is a great way to get added protein.

My family really likes kielbasa – I’ve usually got a pound of the stuff tucked away in the fridge waiting to be part of something delicious. Kielbasa is a wonderful substitute for beef in spaghetti sauce. And it is terrific in soups and stews.

This recipe was a delicious variation on white bean soup, often made with ham.

You’ll need:
1 pound of kielbasa, sliced
½ white onion, diced
1 cup navy beans, soaked overnight, then drained and rinsed
½ cup white wine
14.5 ounce can corn, drained
2 teaspoons oil
1 teaspoon diced jalapenos

Soak the beans overnight, then drain and rinse in fresh water. Add to a 5-6 quart slow cooker. Warm the oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the kielbasa and cook for about 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove the kielbasa with a slotted spoon and add it to the slow cooker. Add the diced onions to the skillet and sauté for about 3 minutes. Pour in ½ cup white wine and stir to deglaze the pan. Pour the onions and wine into the slow cooker. Add 3-4 cups water. Cook on low for about 6 hours.

Once the beans have softened, remove about a cup of beans from the cooker and smash them with a potato masher. Return the mashed beans to the cooker; add drained corn and the diced jalapenos. (I buy jalapenos that are diced in the jar. It makes a wonderful addition to recipes that need a little bit of tang and heat.) Cook another hour on low.

To serve: Place a half cup of cooked white rice in the bottom of a soup bowl. Ladle sausage and white bean chowder over the rice. Top with a sprinkling of shredded cheddar cheese. Yield: 8-10 servings.

This recipe is smoky and spicy and has a creamy texture without adding cream, thanks to mashing the beans. A great trick!

Start Your Ovens: Bristol Barbecue

The combination of vinegar, pepper sauce, garlic and onion will intoxicate you. This recipe is ridiculously easy and will feed a crowd – you will easily get a dozen sandwiches from this recipe. It’s no wonder this is a favorite from “Start Your Ovens: Cooking the Way it Ought’a Be” the official cookbook of Bristol Motor Speedway. The track is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2011.

If you are a barbecue fan, mix up this recipe and let the slow cooker do the work.

Bristol Slow-Cooker Barbecue

2 small pork tenderloins, trimmed
¾ cup white vinegar
½ cup ketchup
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
1 tablespoon minced onion
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika

Cut the pork into 2=3 inch pieces, and then place in the slow cooker. Combine all the barbecue ingredients, mixing well; then pour over pork.

Mix all ingredients well, cover and cook on high for 3 hours.

Reduce the heat to low and cook for 3-4 hours longer. Shred the meat.

To serve, mound the barbecue onto soft sandwich rolls using a slotted spoon. Top with coleslaw if desired. Also good as an entrée served with potatoes, rice or baked beans. Serves 10-12.

Yes, this sandwich is a sloppy mess, especially if you add coleslaw (which I love!) Just use a paper plate and toss it when you are done.

Hearty Pork Chili, even in summer

I used the best of several different recipe ideas to come up with this creation. It uses white navy beans that my youngest son loves, along with green chilies for some heat. I got a creamier, thicker finish (without adding cream or milk) by removing and mashing some of the beans, then returning them to the pot.

I know the weather is hot – maybe too hot for some people to try this recipe in summer. But I love that you can put a meal like this together without heating up the kitchen. Any season, this one is a winner.

Pork chili

1 pound boneless pork chops
1 medium onion, diced
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup dried navy beans; soak them overnight, then rinse and drain before using
½ cup white wine
2 cups corn
4 ounce can green chilies
Salt and pepper
Optional: Shredded cheese to top the bowls

In a medium skillet, heat a teaspoon of oil then brown the pork chops on all sides. I added the onions and garlic and browned all slightly. Season all with salt and pepper.

Once the dried beans have soaked overnight, drain and rinse them.

Then add beans to a 6 quart slow cooker. Add the browned pork chops, onions and garlic to the slow cooker. Return the skillet to the heat, then add the white wine to deglaze the pan. Pour the liquid into the slow cooker.

Cook on low for 4-5 hours. Remove the pork to a plate to cool slightly. Also remove about a cup of cooked beans and place in a medium bowl. Mash the beans with a potato masher or the back of a fork. Return the mashed beans to the slow cooker and add the corn.

Shred the pork into bite-sized pieces and return it to the pot. Add the green chilies and mix well. Some recipes say to drain the chilies, but I never bother. The spicy vinegar adds to the flavor.

You can use a 14 ounce can of corn, drained, or 2 cups of fresh corn in this dish. I used a freebie from my mother-in-law – a bag of corn from their garden that had been put up on my birthday last year. Kinda ironic, don’t you think?

Let the soup cook another 2-3 hours until the beans are soft and all the flavors have melded. Put a scoop of rice in each bowl, top with a ladleful or two of soup and a sprinkling of cheddar cheese. So yummy! This recipe makes about 8 servings.

Here's the step-by-step

Pork chili

1 pound boneless pork chops
1 medium onion, diced
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup dried navy beans; soak them overnight, then rinse and drain before using
½ cup white wine
2 cups corn
4 ounce can green chilies
Salt and pepper
Optional: Shredded cheese to top the bowls

In a medium skillet, heat a teaspoon of oil then brown the pork chops on all sides. I added the onions and garlic and browned all slightly. Once the dried beans have soaked overnight, drain and rinse them. Add beans to a 6 quart slow cooker. Add the browned pork chops, onions and garlic to the slow cooker. Return the skillet to the heat, then add the white wine to deglaze the pan. Pour the liquid into the slow cooker.

Cook on low for 4-5 hours. Remove the pork to a plate to cool slightly. Also remove about a cup of cooked beans and place in a medium bowl. Mash with a potato masher or the back of a fork. Return the mashed beans to the slow cooker and add the corn. Shred the pork into bite-sized pieces and return it to the pot. Add the green chilies and mix well. Some recipes say to drain the chilies, but I never bother. The spicy vinegar adds to the flavor.

Let the soup cook another 2-3 hours until the beans are soft and all the flavors have melded. Put a scoop of cooked rice in each bowl, top with a ladleful or two of soup and a sprinkling of cheddar cheese. 8 servings.

Chicken in wine in the slow cooker, 2.0

I tried my hand at coq au vin in the slow cooker recently, after seeing a recipe in a favorite cookbook. It wasn’t as fancy, or involved, as the original recipe, but the results were delicious – red wine, thyme and garlic gave a great depth of flavor.

To try it yourself, you will need:

8-10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 medium onion, cut in wedges
1 cup carrots, in bite-sized pieces
6-8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 cup red wine
½ cup mushrooms (canned is fine; just drain first)
2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme
Salt and pepper

Place the onion and carrots in a 6-quart slow cooker.

Cook, drain and crumble the bacon. Place the chicken pieces over the carrots and onions, then top with garlic, mushrooms and bacon. Pour red wine over all.

Top the mixture with salt, pepper and sprigs of fresh thyme. Yes, these sprigs came right out of my tiny herb garden.

Cook on low for about 7 hours. This dish is excellent with pasta or rice. I used mini fusilli.

This dish was terrific – the chicken was fall-apart tender and had a delicious flavor thanks to the wine, thyme and bacon. Try it soon!