Fall is one of my favorite times of the year. I enjoy the trees turning to blazes of red and gold and the crisp clear blue skies. When the air gets a little chill to it, the menu begins to become much more rich and comforting.
There were many days like this I would race over to my grandparent's house after school to enjoy some of these delectable treats. The after school snack would some times entail hot cocoa made on the stove top and a couple of cookies while I worked on homework. Gram, would often make a pot roast or Swiss steak with mashed potatoes and gravy. Those were the days!
You can achieve the same comforting taste in less time with this recipe. I found the idea from karenceliafox.com-- and made some adjustments to the measurements. I also used a rotisserie chicken to get a more tender meat and this was also much easier to shred. Buying a whole rotisserie chicken has much more meat in general, and you can add dark meat to give a richer flavor or use the left overs for chicken salad.
This soup does have a little kick to it. If you want to tame it down a bit, take out the peppers and substitute green chilies and remove the Cayenne pepper.
4-Servings
INGREDIENTS:
1-Rotisserie style chicken. (I lucked out and found one that was in their refrigerator which made shredding a snap) If there isn't one ready for pick up, ask if they have one in the back. Often they use the left overs for deli chicken salad.
2-16oz. cans of white canelli beans or northern beans, drained
3Tablespoons butter
1-large yellow onion, chopped finely
1-hot yellow banana pepper, chopped
1-red chili pepper, chopped
1/2 Cup all purpose flour
2 Cups half and half
1/4- teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
2-Tablespoons Ground Cumin
1/4-teaspoon Celery Salt
Salt and Pepper to taste
1Cup (8oz) Chicken Stock
1Cup (8oz) Shredded Montery Jack Cheese
METHOD:
Warm a large deep skillet on medium high heat (5or 6 electric). Add the 3-Tablespoons of butter and begin chopping the vegetables. When the vegetables are finished, add to the skillet and cook until the onions and peppers are tender and the onions begin to look translucent. Add all of the seasonings, salt, pepper and set aside and reduce the heat to low when finished.
Next, begin shredding the rotisserie chicken. I was able to shred all of the white meat off the breasts and saved the legs for another meal. When the meat is shredded, set aside.
To begin the base for the soup, mix 1-Cup of chicken broth, and 2-Cups of half and half into the 1/2-Cup of flour and whisk together until well blended. (Next time I make this I am going to use 1/2 Cup Beer instead of the chicken broth for a little added flavor). When the flour mixture is blended, add to the vegetables and raise the heat to medium high in order to thicken. Keep stirring until the sauce has visibly thickened.
When the soup base is thickened, if your pan is thick enough you can add the shredded chicken or transfer the shredded chicken and the soup base to a small stock pot and let it simmer on low for 30minutes or until heated through. Add the shredded Montery Jack cheese and serve.
This is even better the next day, but won't be much left over, I promise.
This goes great with a cold beer and tortilla chips. Guacamole and salsa are great side dishes to this soup that has a kick to it.