Chicken Corn Soup

Yet another quick dish that the slow cooker chicken will yield for you on a busy day. It's a great bang for your buck kind of dish, in terms of both time and effort. And it gets raves, every time, from both of the girls and the hubby. If you have homemade broth on hand (another gift from the slow cooker chicken), it really adds a nice depth of flavor. But, in a pinch, chicken broth from the store will work fine as well.

Ingredients:

6 cups chicken broth

16-oz. bag of frozen corn

3 or 4 eggs (beaten)

1 1/2 cups shredded chicken

Salt

White pepper (optional)

Soy sauce (optional)

Toasted sesame oil

Chopped scallions and/or cilantro (optional)

Instructions:

Bring approximately six cups of chicken broth to a simmer and then add a 16-oz. bag of frozen corn kernels into the pot. If you have an immersion stick blender, then blitz here and there - the effect that you are aiming for is a creamed corn blend, while still leaving some corn kernels intact. If you don't have an immersion stick blender, then scoop up two or three cups of the corn broth into a regular blender, let cool and then blend (again, with the idea of getting a slightly chunky creamed corn blend - don't liquefy it). If using a regular blender, then return the blended corn broth into the pot.

Beat three to four eggs and then gently and slowly add the eggs to the pot in a figure eight motion. Add the shredded chicken to the pot. Add salt and white pepper to taste, with a tidge of soy sauce if you'd like. Add a few drops of toasted sesame oil - this really makes the dish sing. And top with chopped scallions and/or cilantro if you'd like. Comfort in a bowl! And it beats Chinese take-out's version every time!

Chawanmushi (aka Steamed Egg Custard)

This is one of the top dishes in my girls' book. Amanda even went so far to proclaim: "Dis is dee best deener in my life!" Granted, she's only four years old, but still, she's had over 1,400 dinners in her lifetime! It's magical, what some eggs and chicken broth can do, and then atop rice or quinoa? Total comfort. And it's easy for a certain someone to eat when she is missing two front teeth!

I start out by beating four eggs, and as you can see, I'm not the smoothest operator when it comes to cracking eggs!

Meanwhile, I have my flavor-packed broth from the bottom of the slow cooker chicken. This pic is before I strained the broth. Also, I have two big handfuls of thawed bay shrimp (no pic, sorry).

Then I strain the four beaten eggs and two cups of broth into a bowl. I didn't add any seasonings because the broth was already so flavorful and had plenty of salt. If you are adding chicken broth from a can or box, you may want to add salt and white pepper to taste.

If you have a steamer, go for it. I don't have a steamer, so I place a steamer insert on top of a ramekin in a pot, and then I add some water to the pot.

Pour the egg/broth mixture into four bowls or ramekins. And here is where you can get creative. You can leave it be, or you can add chopped up fishcakes, sliced shiitake mushrooms, gingko nuts, pieces of chicken. My girls don't like too much texture, as it can offset the smoothness, so add according to your tastes. I added some bay shrimp to this dish. (Note: whatever you add will sink to the bottom, and that's okay).

Steam for about 20 minutes and let rest about 5 minutes. The great thing is that this can be done from start to finish in about half an hour, making it pretty doable for a weeknight dinner. I scooped it over some brown rice and served with some braised yellow squash. The girls inhaled this, and Katie claimed the leftovers for the next day's lunch. It may not be the prettiest dish, but the velvety, smooth custard is addictive. Katie had four helpings!

Slow Cooker Chicken aka Manna From Heaven

This is the dish that keeps on giving. And the best part is what a wonderful result you get for such little effort. Honestly, the hardest thing for me has been to remember to push the on button before I leave for work. It was a woefully sad moment the day I forgot to turn on the slow cooker, and lo, when I came home expecting the aroma of chicken, lemon, garlic and thyme, I was faced with having to throw away an uncooked chicken. Do not let this happen to you! So, after a year or so of tweaks, I've settled into my routine for this dish. You can prep the night before, stick the chicken in the fridge and then cook in the morning. In fact, I like it better this way, because the salt has a brining effect, making the chicken more flavorful and tender.

I like to use an organic whole chicken; it's worth the price, considering how many meals this provides, along with the chicken stock you can make from the bones. Rinse and pat dry. Be sure to remove the gizzards, liver, heart and neck from the cavity. (If I were more ambitious, I'd save the liver to make chicken liver mousse, but that's for another phase of my life, maybe after the girls have left for college.) GENEROUSLY salt with kosher salt (I use Diamond or Morton's) and add freshly ground pepper. Rub, rub, rub - outside and inside the cavity.

Add half a lemon, a few unpeeled cloves of garlic and a few sprigs of fresh thyme.

When you are ready to cook, set it on low for 6 to 8 hours. 

(For reference, I use a nearly decade-old Rival slow cooker - am coveting a fancy schmancy stainless steel cooker that I can brown food in, but can't justify buying a new one when this one works fine. And it was a wedding gift, and I am ever the sentimental loyalist.)

And this tip is mainly for me: TURN THE SLOW COOKER ON!

Leave the house, twirl around and tra la la, be prepared to be assailed with the wonderful aromas of chicken, citrus, garlic and herbs - and behold wondrously tender meat. Seriously, the meat falls off the bones. And the top part yields crispy skin that is not fatty at all - such a treat. 

(Apologies for my shadowy iPhone shot!)

The slow-cooked lemon infuses the chicken beautifully - it has that preserved lemon yumminess that you enjoy in some Middle Eastern dishes. And the cloves of garlic? They are like buttah - spread those little gems on some of the meat or on pita bread - unctuously velvety decadence.

And the possibilities! So good atop some rice or quinoa and some steamed broccoli or green beans. Awesome in quesadillas, chicken tacos, chicken salad... And oh so good in my chicken corn soup, which will be in my next post. 

Freeze the bones if you don't have time to make stock right away. And don't dump the broth that pools under the chicken! Put it in a container and put in fridge overnight. Then use a spoon to scoop off that layer of congealed fat. Use the broth as a base for soup, to flavor rice or pasta, or.... use it for one of my girls' faves: chawanmushi - steamed egg custard. It makes all the difference in this dish, which I'll write about soon. Please try this slow cooker chicken dish. It is SO easy and healthy! And best of all, tasty!