Shanny’s Creamy Chicken Supper

My name is Shanon and over the years I’ve collected a lot of nicknames.  The nickname Shanny got stuck to this recipe and try as I might to remove it for the sake of this post, the family’s opinion to keep it there swayed me in the end.

It wouldn’t be fair to think of this dish as a soup.  To call it a chowder actually makes me cringe.  Nothing against soups and chowders, I love them both, but I file this recipe in Main Dishes, and for the sake of this site – chicken.   It’s hearty, it’s tasty, but above all it just seems to comfort the soul.  Recently I have spent a large amount of time with my father.  We work on birthday cards and bills and we talk about family, gardening, and growing old.  He takes great care of himself and is currently tipping the age scale at 92, though recent months have thrown health challenges at him one after the other. A few weeks ago when I was getting ready to head out to see him I had a great idea.  I grabbed a bag and tossed in two frozen chicken breasts, a couple of carrots, a quart of cream and bounded out the door.  I was confident he would have the other ingredients I would need.   Knowing he was having a “down” day after finding out his cancer had returned, I thought that cooking together might cheer him up a bit, and there is not a dish in the world that says “I love you to your very soul” as much as this one.  And I wanted him to know how much I loved him.   He sat in the kitchen with me as I sliced and diced, sauteed and stirred, and when the food was all cooked we sat down in his kitchen together and offered a prayer before digging in.  The smile on his face when he tasted it was worth more than words can express. I didn’t even mind when he picked up the Creole seasoning and shook it on the top.  He is a bit sassy that way.  Serve this with Momma’s Bread and we kick the whole supper over the top.

It’s easy, easy.  Take this recipe and make it your own by adding things you love.  In the photo above you don’t see the peas that we added at the end when daddy and I made it.  The time before that I added spears of asparagus during the last few minutes.  It’s a beautifully comforting dish.  Let’s get going on this one shall we?

This recipe will serve about four depending on how hungry everyone is.  Gather 2 chicken breasts, 3 chicken bouillon cubes, 1 quart of cream, a small bag of baby carrots or carrots to quarter, an onion, a couple of potatoes or a handful of red potatoes, parsley and a cube of butter.  Yes… cream and butter.  And now you know how it gets to your soul.

I know, I know, no one wants to see raw meat on a blog–but look how polite our chicken is being all contained in those little bags.

In a large pan or Dutch oven, (I love my heavy cast iron skillet), melt one cube of butter over low heat on your stove top.  Increase heat to medium and add one onion, quartered and saute until it starts to brown and soften.  Add 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.  This is where the house starts to smell delicious.  While the onion is cooking, cut the chicken breast into bite size pieces.  I like to do this while the chicken breasts are still partially frozen as it is much easier to cut through.

Remove the onions and set aside.  Add the chicken pieces and brown them nicely on all sides.   While the chicken is browning, peel and quarter your potatoes.  If I am using small red potatoes I just cut them in half.  They look so pretty in this dish.

This is where it starts to get fun for me.  Return the onion to the pan and add the quartered potatoes and the baby/quartered carrots along with 3 bouillon cubes.  Add 1/2 cup water and stir the ingredients to pick up all that flavor from the bottom of the pan.  Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of salt over the mixture and cover it with a lid.  I had to scrounge to find one to fit my skillet…   Cook over medium heat for approximately 30 minutes until the vegetables are tender.  Stir occasionally to prevent sticking and add small amounts of water as necessary.

Once the vegetables are tender, remove the lid and pour one quart of cream over the mixture and give everything a good stir.  Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened.  Stir this often as the potatoes will settle and scorch if you leave it unattended too long.  This is also a good time to toss on asparagus or add peas or corn.  Top with fresh parsley.

I like serving this right from the skillet, so set the table and call the family.  This is such a great meal to take to a new mother or a sick friend.  I can also suggest taking the ingredients to your aging father’s house and making it just for him.  He will be so happy to see you.