1.27.2016

Recipe test: Mama Leone's Chicken Soup

I feel like everything I post in January is about coping with January. It's either convincing myself that it's a great month, or that it's in my power to make it a great month, or that it could be worse. The truth is: January is the single hardest month for me all year. What a mood for a fresh start! New years should start at the cusp of a season that promises sunshine and growth, not in the heart of one of the coldest, darkest months. I hope everyone in the southern hemisphere fully appreciates this difference. Because if there were a month I could afford to escape from - put my work on hold, get someone to live in my house, and fly south - it is most definitely this one. Snowbirds, I salute you.

In another few days, I'll have survived another January and I can spend the month of February making amends for the various things I lost control of (temper, laundry, spending habits). By the time spring rolls around, I hope to be a decent human being again, with new insight on how to live this portion of the year. I am truly grateful that the last week has brought warm temperatures to melt most of the grimy snow and has also offered a bit of sunshine, including one of the most gorgeous orangey pink sunsets that usually only come this time of year (I know because I usually manage to snap a picture of it. In this case I was on the bus and my phone was somewhere at the bottom of my bag).

In the meantime, we're trudging along. I have a long list of books I'd like to read this year, and I've been reading as though I just discovered an amazing new hobby. I've breezed through three different books so far this year and am ready to get through another two quickies, perhaps over the weekend.


I have been buying us flowers each week. When we were in Mexico over Christmas, I bought a most intriguing bud vase that I'm enjoying filling each week with a new bloom. And using all my other small bottles and vases for the rest of the bouquet, spreading it around the living room.

And last week we loved eating this recipe for a chicken soup that features tomatoes and heavy cream, with chicken, tarragon, paprika and spinach as other delights. It came from my Oregonian Cookbook that I bought as reading material for the road during a too-brief stop in Hood River last summer. Since then I've cooked so many great things from it, a number of them having become instant favorites for us. This is one of them.


I love that it's first and foremost a creamy tomato soup with some chicken thrown in. But we did find that we preferred a little more chicken, so next time I make it, I'll use a whole pound instead of the recommended 8 oz. I also increased the amount of tomato because we often have some leftover canned tomatoes in the fridge after making pasta sauces and whatnot. It didn't seem to throw off the balance. Both of these changes are reflected in the recipe below.

Recipe grade: A+ !!

Mama Leone's Chicken Soup
adapted from The Oregonian Cookbook

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 T. vegetable or grapeseed oil
3 T. butter
1 medium onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 T. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. dried tarragon
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. sweet paprika
1/2 c. plus 2 T. all-purpose flour
8 c. chicken broth
1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes in juice (I added a little extra tomato juice from a leftover can of whole tomatoes and recommend it if you happen to have it.)
3/4 c. whipping cream
2 c. thinly sliced fresh spinach

Preheat oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with foil. Season chicken with salt and pepper and place on the baking sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until done. Remove from oven and cool. When cool enough to handle, dice the meat and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Add the butter and melt. Saute the onions and celery until the onions are translucent, about 6-7 minutes. Add the garlic, tarragon, oregano, paprika, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes. Add the flour and stir until well-combined.

Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add the tomatoes and cream. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the reserved chicken and simmer 10 minutes more. Just before serving, stir in the spinach.

3 comments:

  1. Elizabeth, I so appreciate all the ways you bring beauty and craft and tradition into your daily life. As difficult as you might find Januarys, at least it is flower-laden and candlelit. :) On this January note, I am going to try to remember to ply you with unsolicited Traditional Chinese Medicine thoughts on this time when I see you next--I remember reading some things that may or may not interest you. Wait, that may have just been on the change in season from summer to fall. Hmm. I will check. :)

    Yay for the burst of reading! We're all reading The Unexpected Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, so if you want to start that... :)

    Also, this soup looks good in a carnivorous sort of way. :)

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    1. Oh no! I just got this and we never talked about Traditional Chinese Medicine when I was in town. :) Never enough time...

      And that book is on my list! But first...I Capture the Castle.

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