Alright everyone, pull up a chair. I wanted to share what I got up to in the kitchen today. I decided to make some creamy cajun chicken soup, and let me tell you, it hit the spot. So, here’s how I went about it.
Getting Started & Prep Work
First things first, I dug out some chicken breasts from the fridge. About two decent-sized ones. I diced them up into bite-sized pieces. You know, not too big, not too small. Then, I moved on to the veggies. Grabbed an onion, a couple of bell peppers – I like to use a red one and a green one for color – and a few stalks of celery. Got all those chopped up pretty fine. I also minced a couple of cloves of garlic. Fresh garlic is always better, I think.
For the seasonings, well, it’s Cajun soup, right? So, Cajun seasoning is the star. I also made sure I had some smoked paprika, a bit of dried oregano, thyme, salt, and black pepper handy. You gotta season as you go, that’s the key.
Cooking It All Up
I got my big heavy-bottomed pot, my favorite one for soups, and put it on the stove over medium-high heat. Added a splash of olive oil. Once that was shimmering, in went the diced chicken. I seasoned it right there in the pot with some salt, pepper, and a bit of the Cajun seasoning. Let it brown on all sides, then scooped it out and set it aside on a plate.
Into the same pot, didn’t even bother wiping it out, I tossed in the chopped onion, bell peppers, and celery. Stirred that around for a good 5-7 minutes until they started to soften up. Then, I added the minced garlic and cooked it for another minute until I could really smell it. You don’t want to burn the garlic, that’s a disaster.
Next, I sprinkled in a couple of tablespoons of all-purpose flour right over the veggies. Stirred that continuously for about a minute or two. This helps to thicken the soup later on. Then, I gradually poured in about four cups of chicken broth, whisking as I went to make sure there were no lumpy bits from the flour. Scraped the bottom of the pot too, to get all those tasty browned bits mixed in.
Once the broth was in and smooth, I added the rest of my seasonings: a good tablespoon or two of Cajun seasoning (I like it punchy), the smoked paprika, oregano, and thyme. Gave it a good stir. Then I brought the whole thing to a gentle simmer. I let it bubble away quietly for about 10 minutes, just to let those flavors start to meld together.
Bringing It Home – The Creamy Finish
After it had simmered for a bit, I added the cooked chicken back into the pot. Let that simmer along with everything else for another 5 minutes or so, just to make sure the chicken was heated through and soaking up all that flavor.
Then, for the creamy part. I reduced the heat to low and slowly stirred in about a cup of heavy cream. You really don’t want the soup to boil hard once the cream is in, or it can curdle sometimes. So, just a gentle heat to warm it through. This is when it really starts to look like that rich, comforting soup I was aiming for.
The last, and maybe most important step, was tasting it. Added a little more salt, a touch more Cajun seasoning until it was just right for me. You always gotta taste and adjust. That’s what makes it your soup.
And that was pretty much it! I ladled it into bowls. Sometimes I like to serve it with some rice, or even some crusty bread for dipping, but today, just the soup on its own was perfect. It was hearty, flavorful, and just the right amount of spice. A good day’s work in the kitchen, I’d say.
