This homemade Chicken Peasant Soup is easy, fast, and delicious!
This post has been updated. Don’t worry. You’re in the right place. 😉
When I was a poor, frazzled college student living on fast food and Lean Cuisines, I had a standing Thursday-TV-and-dinner night with a couple of friends. We’d get together once a week, watch the NBC comedy block over takeout, and decompress from all the stresses of college life.
One of those cold, Pacific Northwest evenings, that week’s host suggested we try our hand at cooking our dinner instead of ordering it and showed us a chicken peasant soup recipe she had printed out from the internet.
At the time, I thought that good from-scratch soup required long hours on the stove and complicated ingredient lists. This recipe only cooked for 20 minutes! It had one spice! It had to be too simple to be any good. I wasn’t very enthusiastic, but we eventually agreed to try to make the soup, and if it wasn’t delicious, we’d order a pizza.
We made the soup. We did not order pizza.
The soup turned out to be light, but full of flavor, the simplicity of the ingredients letting the taste of the garlic and chicken really come through. I happily admitted my mistake whilst scarfing down a bowl of the stuff.
Years later, I’ve lost touch with these friends. None of those NBC shows are still on the air. But I still make our soup. Like me, the recipe has changed a bit, but not too much. I make it often during this time of year and every time I do, it reminds me of rainy evenings, a time when NBC’s lineup was must-see TV, and cooking with friends.
This recipe is quick, easy, and delicious. It’s simple enough to whip up for lunch, but the potatoes give it bulk so it’s a great, healthy option for a busy weeknight. I usually serve it with a some Cream Biscuits or my favorite Cheddar Cheese Scones .
More Easy Soup Recipes
- Ham and Potato Soup
- Broccoli Chowder
- Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
- Chicken Carcass Soup
- Chicken Parm Soup
Ingredients
- ▢ 1 pound (about 2 small) boneless skinless chicken breasts cubed
- ▢ 1 small onion diced
- ▢ 4 medium red potatoes cubed
- ▢ 4 medium carrots peeled and sliced
- ▢ 2 cloves garlic minced
- ▢ 4 cups chicken broth
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon thyme
- ▢ 1 bay leaf optional
- ▢ Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Coat a large saucepan with cooking spray or a little bit of oil and heat over medium-high heat. Salt and pepper chicken and cook until well-browned.
- Add the rest of your ingredients to the pot and bring to a boil.
- Lower to medium heat and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, until the vegetables are fork tender. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove the bay leaf, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutritional Information Adapted From Taste of Home
Original Chicken Peasant Soup Photography Circa 2015
Classic shortbread thumbprint cookies with delicious homemade butterscotch filling.
Photos have been updated. Don’t worry, you’re in the right place. :)
I’m so excited to hit publish on my very first blog post today!
I wanted the inaugural post to be something that reflected the spirit of the blog to come, one that was representative of my passion for healthy recipes, eating your veggies, and branching out of your culinary comfort zone. But honestly, it’s December. It’s pretty much all cookies all the time coming out of my kitchen right now (stay tuned for salad in January).
So instead, I’m starting today with a classic cookie, my current obsession, shortbread thumbprint cookies with homemade butterscotch filling.
This is going to sound crazy, but I wasn’t a shortbread fan for most of my life. Beyond a few tried-and-true family recipes, we weren’t really bakers in my house growing up, nor were we cookie people.
I know I ate shortbread. I vaguely remember turning my nose up at those shiny blue tins of the stuff every year at Christmas, and I’d used it as a base in bars, but I didn’t understand the sweet and buttery goodness that was the homemade shortbread cookie until my sister baked up a batch for me.
My immediate reaction was, This is amazing. I never want to not be eating these. And then, Hey, World, what other wonders have you been holding out on me?!!!
Since that day, I’ve made this recipe waaaaay too many times in way too many variations (rolled in sugar, rolled in sprinkles, icing, no icing, chocolate drizzles, etc.) and have finally settled on my perfect variation: rolled in sanding sugar * or turbinado sugar *, turned into a thumbprint cookie and filled with butterscotch.
The butterscotch is the perfect, creamy complement to the buttery cookie and the sugar gives it a crunch to keep things interesting. These cookies are so good you’ll never want to let your shortbread go naked again!
Ingredients
Cookies
- ▢ 1 cup ( 8 oz) unsalted butter room temperature
- ▢ 1/2 cup ( 60 g) powdered sugar sifted
- ▢ 2 cups ( 280 g) all-purpose flour
- ▢ 1/8 teaspoon salt
- ▢ 1/4 cup sanding sugar optional
Butterscotch
- ▢ 2 tablespoons ( 1 oz) unsalted butter
- ▢ 1/4 cup ( 50 g) packed brown sugar
- ▢ 1/4 cup heavy cream
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
- ▢ 3/4 teaspoons vanilla
Instructions
Cookies
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Stir in flour and salt, mixing until just combined, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of your bowl.
- Cover and chill the dough in the refrigerator until it is firm enough to handle, about 15-30 minutes. You should be able to shape scoops of it into a ball without it being too sticky or cracking. If it is over-chilled and difficult to work with, leave it out on the counter for a few minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using a tablespoon, scoop dough and roll into balls (slightly under 1 ounce each). If desired, roll balls in sanding sugar until completely covered. Place dough cookie sheet, 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. The cookies are done when their bottoms are lightly browned.
- As soon as they come out of the oven, use a round teaspoon or the back of a wooden spoon to create shallow wells in the center of each cookie. Be careful not to press too hard or you can cause the cookies to crack. Set aside.
Butterscotch
- Melt butter in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add brown sugar, salt, and cream. Stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and, stirring occasionally, cook on medium for 5 minutes.
- Remove pot from heat and stir in the vanilla. Use a teaspoon to spoon butterscotch into the thumbprints. Allow the butterscotch to cool slightly before serving.
Notes
Butterscotch Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies Nutritional Information Adapted From: In the Kitchen with Stefano Faita Butterscotch Filling Adapted From: Smitten Kitchen
Small-batch Instructions: This cookie recipe halves cleanly, just use a pinch of salt instead of 1/8 teaspoon. For the butterscotch, simmer for 4 minutes instead of 5 in a 1-quart pot, and use 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.
Original iPhone Photography, Circa 2015
These are the droids you’re looking for! Adorable and easy(ish) Star Wars BB-8 cupcakes that anyone can make.
So, you probably haven’t heard, but there’s a new Star Wars movie coming out this month. I know, crazy. You’d think we’d have seen at least a little advertising. She says, trying to keep a straight face.
Are you excited? I’m excited.
I went through a massive Star Wars phase growing up. My first crush was Han Solo, I had a Star Wars -themed tenth-birthday party. I thought the third movie was the most romantic thing ever. I was a weird kid.
As an adult, I was sure my love for space operas had waned in the years in between, and then that full-length Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer dropped and ten-year-old fangirl Tracy came roaring back to life.
There was space friendship, grown up Leia and Han, and the cutest droid you ever did see, and I lost my mind a little. Let’s just say, my tickets are bought, and my butt will be in a theater seat come opening weekend.
So, in honor of my very first fandom, I wanted to do something Star Wars -themed for the blog. BB-8 seemed the perfect candidate, given that she is the break-out star of the trailers (and that she is mercifully free of all the angles and fur of the other characters). She was basically just begging to be turned into a cupcake!
This was such a fun project. I’ve only worked with fondant once before and that was to sculpt Smauglock for a gingerbread house a couple of years ago (more on that another time). I wasn’t sure how covering the cupcakes and decorating them would go, but it ended up being super easy. If I can do it, anyone can make these cupcakes!
These BB-8 cupcakes can be as homemade as you want. I made my fondant, royal icing, and cupcakes, but you can also buy everything to save time. I’ve actually seen fondant at my local Vons lately, so you might be able to get everything in one trip to your grocery store.
Ingredients
- ▢ 12 cupcakes in white or silver liners - I used a double batch of Martha Stewart’s Vanilla Cupcakes
- ▢ 12 mini cupcakes - See above
- ▢ 24 ounces white frosting - I used Savory Sweet Life’s Buttercream Frosting
- ▢ 16 ounces fondant - I used The Bearfoot Baker’s Easy Fondant
- ▢ Corn starch for dusting powdered sugar will also work in a pinch
- ▢ inch 3-inch biscuit cutter or glass
- ▢ 12 chocolate chips
- ▢ 12 mini chocolate chips
- ▢ Royal icing in orange and silver/grey - I used Cake Wiz’s Royal Icing
- ▢ A piping bag w/ small tip
- ▢ 12 white toothpicks cut in half and black tips colored on in sharpie
Instructions
Prep
- If your mini cupcakes baked up so tall that they look too large for your bases, cut a bit off their bottoms, until they look appropriately head-sized. Set aside and make sure your work surface is crumb-free before you roll out your fondant.
- Sprinkle your work surface with a bit of corn starch and knead the fondant until it is pliable and easy to work with. If you are using marshmallow fondant, a quick 5-10 seconds in the microwave can help speed things along. Just be careful. If left in too long, it will be HOT.
Covering the Cupcakes
- Start with the heads. Because my fondant was a little dry, I rolled, cut and attached the fondant to the mini cupcakes a couple at a time. If your fondant is holding up well, go ahead and cut out all twelve at once. When your fondant is not in use, make sure to keep it in an air-tight container.
- Roll out fondant slightly thinner than 1/8 inch thick and cut out your three-inch disks. Take the mini cupcakes one at a time, frost the entire thing (sides includelightly and lay a fondant disk over it. Carefully, smooth it down so there are no folds or bubbles. Cut the excess, leaving a little space around the edges and then pick up the covered mini cupcake and, using scissors, trim the rest of the excess.
- Press a chocolate chip into the top half of the head for the eye and a mini chocolate chip to the lower right. Use a little bit of royal icing in the socket to secure them. Complete the rest of the heads and set aside.
- Roll the remaining fondant to 1/8-inch thickness and cut into 12 three-inch rounds.
- Spread frosting on top of each large cupcake. Your layer can be as thick or as thin as you’d like it, but make sure not to put a heavy coat around the edges or the frosting may squeeze out. Cover frosting with the fondant and smooth. If your cupcakes don’t have a huge dome on them and your fondant is too large, just cut it down with clean scissors (alternatively, you could just pile more frosting underneath to fill up the extra space). Finish all of the cupcakes and set aside.
Decorating
- Using a piping bag and a small tip, pipe the orange designs on the base and head. I found it helpful to use a toothpick in the head and spin it as I piped the lines. You can get as complex as you’d like.
- Switch to silver and pipe the insides of the gears and finish the head. Insert the toothpicks/antennae into the heads and let sit until the icing is dry (it won’t take long). Dab a little frosting or royal icing where you want to attach the head. Place the head on the body and you are done!
Notes
Looking for moreStar WarsTreats?
Check out my Poe’s Jacket Star Wars Cookies with Printable Stickers!
Easy Chicken Peasant Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound (about 2 small) boneless skinless chicken breasts cubed
- 1 small onion diced
- 4 medium red potatoes cubed
- 4 medium carrots peeled and sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon thyme
- 1 bay leaf optional
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Coat a large saucepan with cooking spray or a little bit of oil and heat over medium-high heat. Salt and pepper chicken and cook until well-browned.
- Add the rest of your ingredients to the pot and bring to a boil.
- Lower to medium heat and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, until the vegetables are fork tender. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove the bay leaf, serve, and enjoy!
