Garlic Roasted Chicken with Mushroom Soup

Garlic Roasted Chicken with Creamy Mushroom Soup

There is something so satisfying and comforting about simple, rustic food.  This weekend I made Garlic Roasted Chicken with steamed broccoli,  cheesy au gratin potatoes, and creamy mushroom soup.  Chicken is one of those ingredients that absolutely has to be cooked through but can dry out on you if you are not careful.  Here is an easy way to prepare roasted chicken without any worries.  I have also included my Creamy Mushroom Soup, which compliments the flavor of the chicken quite nicely.

Garlic Roasted Chicken

4 to 6 Chicken Pieces (I like to use whole leg quarters or thighs, but anything will do)

4 Cloves of garlic

1/4 cup Chopped Onion

1 tbsp Chicken and Herb bouillon

1 cup boiling water

3 tbsp Butter

Pampered Chef Greek rub

Dried parsley

Lemon pepper

Salt

Black pepper

Preheat oven to 450°.  Rinse chicken pieces and pat dry; sprinkle with greek rub, parsley, Lemon pepper, salt, and pepper to taste.  Place in baking dish.  Dissolve Chicken and Herb bouillon in boiling water, add to baking dish.  Distribute butter here and there throughout the dish.  Add finely chopped onion and the whole garlic cloves (peeled) in with the chicken.  Bake uncovered for about 1 hr, until chicken looks golden and juices run clear.  Turn the chicken every 15 to 20 minutes to prevent it from drying out.  Chicken will be luscious and will practically fall off the bone.

Creamy Mushroom Soup

5 or 6 Large fresh mushrooms

1/2 cup Chopped Onion

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 1/2 tbsp Olive oil

1/2 tsp Fennel seeds

1 tsp Parsley

1 tsp Thyme

1/2 tsp Lemon pepper

2 tbsp Chicken and Herb bouillon

4 cups water

1 pint cream

Salt & Pepper to taste

Start off by sauteing mushrooms, onions, and garlic in olive oil in the bottom of your soup pan.  You want your mushrooms to be nice and brown and your onions to be carmelized.  Drain off excess oil.  Dissolve the same Chicken and Hern bouillon you used in the roasted chicken in hot water for the mushroom soup and add to pan.  Add all other ingredients and simmer on low to medium heat while chicken is cooking, stirring now and then.

This soup was a good side to the chicken; however, if you are like my husband and are not much of a soup lover, it works great as sort of a sauce to pour over your chicken as well.  I added some nice steamed broccoli and au gratin potatoes to the side; they were simple but completed the dish well.

Tomato Soup With a Facelift

I am going to let you in on a little secret.  I hate tomato soup.  I have always disliked it.  There is something, I don’t know, maybe a little too sweet about it for me.  A couple of nights ago I decided to try the classic grilled cheese and tomato soup dinner, but I wanted to try making the soup my own way.  Guess what?  It was a HUGE success!  Before I knew it, the pan was empty.  So here it is with my spin on it.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

(1) can Campbell’s Condensed Tomato Soup

(1/2) can Water (Optional)

(1/2) can Milk (Optional)

(1) tsp Parsley

(1) tsp Basil

dash of Season All Seasoned Salt

dash Garlic Salt

dash Garlic Pepper

dash Lemon Pepper

salt & pepper to taste

Some people prefer to add 1 can of water to their condensed tomato soup and some people prefer 1 can of milk.  I decided to go middle of the road, and I thought it had a nice balanced texture.  The choice of milk, water, or both is yours; I recommend trying it with at least a little milk (unless you have a food allergy) because it adds a bit of creaminess to your soup.  Combine all ingredients in the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

It is quick, it is easy, and it goes great with a crispy grilled cheese sandwich.  Enjoy!

Welcome to The Ripe Banana

I love food.  I always have. There is just something wonderful about walking into the kitchen, following your instincts and your palate, and creating a dish that not just fills your empty stomach but comforts you to the core.  I love hearing the silence around our dinner table of four – you know, that beautiful silence that says everyone is too busy enjoying my masterpiece to talk.  There are the occasional times when I hear, “Mom, this tastes yuck!” Yes, yuck; not yucky.  Yuck.  Those are the times to laugh it off, toss that idea out the window, and break out the peanut butter and jelly.  A true foodie never lets that hamper his spirit either.  I invite you to follow me on my road of what I hope is a creative yet practical approach to food and all things cooking.  No topics are off limits.  I hope to share recipes, tips and tricks, and dining experiences for all my curious followers.  I expect to have a lot of fun with this, and I hope you do too as you follow me at The Ripe Banana.