Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Homage to the 80s: Cream Cheese and Mushroom Chicken with a Twist

Last month, I made some home made cream of mushroom soup.  While it tasted okay, it wasn't thick enough for a meal.  The blog where I found the recipe also suggested using the soup in a recipe for cream cheese chicken.  Working ahead, I made a large batch of the soup and froze it.

I remember growing up in the 80s when my mom cooked all kinds of stuff with canned cream-of-something soup.  I know that a lot of canned soups have a ton of sodium in them, and so using my own soup sounded like a good idea.  The picture of the cream cheese chicken from A Year of Slow Cooking did not look appetizing to me.  What made me want to make it? Cream cheese!! Also, pasta.

Now, my picture isn't very pretty.  This dish looks kind of scary.  It's also not healthy, since it contains a ton of cream cheese.  That said, holy crap is it good!  I will definitely make this again, especially in the winter, it's very hearty.  The chicken, cooked in the slow cooker, shreds very easily and incorporates well into the sauce.  I think I may have overshredded the chicken. Looking back, I think I should have left some larger pieces. The mushroom flavor is earthy, but not overwhelming.  The cream cheese makes it awesome.  I won't be serving it to guests because it's just not attractive, even with chives (chives make everything look better!).  But don't let it stop you from making it!  It's basically effortless if you make the soup ahead. 

I promise, it doesn't taste like Klingon food!



























 Crock Pot Cream Cheese Chicken
From A Year of Slow Cooking
Serves 2 for a large meal.  Could probably serve more. 


Ingredients
1 cup homemade cream of mushroom soup
2 frozen chicken breasts, don't bother defrosting them
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1/4 - 1/2 celery seed (I like extra celery seed)
1.5 tsp onion powder (I didn't have it so I used freeze dried minced onion)
1.5 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 block of cream cheese


Method
1.  Toss everything except the cream cheese into the crockpot.  Cook on low for 6 hours.
2. Shred the chicken breasts and stir well.  Mix in the cream cheese.  (I cut it up into bits to make it easier to mix).
3. Cook on high for 30 minutes or until the cream cheese is fully melted.  Stir a few times.
4.  Serve over pasta.  I used orecchiette.
5.  DEVOUR!

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