Slow Cooker Chicken and Wild Rice

This was so easy and perfect for a cold fall day! (Sorry not the best picture)

You will need:

1 pound of skinless, boneless chicken breasts

2 cups of wild rice, cooked

5.5 cups of chicken broth

Chopped celery*

Chopped onion*

Chopped carrots*

Butter

1/3 cup Whole wheat flour

garlic powder

onion powder

*I bought the pre-chopped mix of these three veggies at the grocery store to save a step.

Cook rice according to directions.  Melt butter in a sauce pan and brown the onions, celery and carrots. Add in flour. Pour in chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add spices. Simmer broth mix for 2 minutes. Add all ingredients to your slow cooker and give it a few stirs. Cook on high for 3-4 hours, or low for 6-8 hours.  The chicken should be tender and easy to shred in the slow cooker. Enjoy!

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Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

Buying rotisserie chickens at the grocery store is the best! Sometimes you can find them flavored (Garlic and Herb) and even better sometimes they are on sale! You can get a whole cooked chicken for around $5. This saves a lot of time when you're in a rush to get dinner on the table.  The cold weather and lack of a grill has me on a casserole-roll!  This one was amazing and SO EASY! We ended up using the whole chicken to make it extra filling and yummy

You will need:
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
2 carrots, chopped*
1 celery stalk, chopped*
1 small onion, minced*
2 tbsp butter
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup chicken broth
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 6oz package of long grain and wild rice mix
Parmesan cheese, shredded

*Some stores sell these prechopped veggies in one container. I use these since chopping onions makes my eyes sting.

Preheat oven to 350 and prepare the rice according to package directions. In a large frying pan cook the chopped veggies with the butter until brown and tender. Stir in sour cream, soup, chicken broth and basil. Add cooked rice and chicken.  Pour mixture into an ungreased casserole dish and top with cheese. Bake for about 35 minutes.

**Perfect dinner for that first cold night of winter. I reiterated to my roommates to be sure to leave some left overs; it was that good!

Chicken Shiitake and Wild Rice Soup

A few weeks ago we had our first "dusting" of snow. I decided to make a yummy, yet healthy, soup for the cold weather. I found this recipe from Skinny Taste.  This soup was so good! The best part is how healthy it turns out. One serving is 1.5 cups. 237 Calories per serving and 14g of protein!

Here's what you need:

1 tbsp butter

1 small onion ( I bought pre diced onions)

1 tbsp flour (I used whole wheat)

8 cups (64 oz) fat free low sodium chicken broth

1 cup water

2 carrots, chopped

3 garlic cloves

2 celery stalks, chopped

4 skinless chicken thighs

4.5 oz long grain rice and wild rice combo

1/2 cup long grain white rice

4 oz. shiitake mushrooms, sliced

2 tbsp light sour cream

salt and pepper

• Melt the butter in a large pot and sauté the onions for a few minutes. Then add the butter and sauté for another minute. 
• Add chicken broth, water, carrots, celery, garlic, and chicken. Cover and simmer for about 20 min
• Add rice, mushrooms, and salt and pepper to taste. The originally recipe says to simmer for about 35 min, but I let my simmer for about 40 so the chicken fully cooks and the rice thickens. 
• Remove and shred the chicken, then return to pot. Add the sour cream and stir. 

  **I let the soup sit for another 15 minutes or so for the soup to thicken even more. 

This was so great on those cold days. It was just as good reheated the next day for lunch!

Here's a neat idea!

Pour your soup into a large muffin tin and let it freeze over night. Store the frozen soups in a large freezer bag. When craving your delicious soup, put a frozen cup into a microwave safe bowl or mug and defrost then reheat. Perfect serving sizes and so easy!