Worth the Wait Chicken Stroganoff

I made something new for dinner yesterday.  It is still a work in progress, so I wasn't planning to blog it and I didn't take pictures as I went.  It came out sooooo good though, I thought I would go ahead and tell you about it. 

We are rather short on groceries around here, because no one has felt up to a real grocery shopping, so I was kinda winging it with what I had on hand.

Chicken Stroganoff

2 lbs. boneless, skinless, raw chicken (I put it in the pot frozen.)

2 boxes Swanson Chicken Broth

10 cubes of Wyler's Chicken Bouillon

1-1/2 cups on cooked diced carrots (3 of those little carrot cups I like)

1/2 cup dried minced onion (I was out of fresh)

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh spinach

1/4 cup dried parsley flakes

1/8 teaspoon celery seed

A few good shakes of garlic powder

A few good shakes of pepper

1 - 12 oz. package of egg noodles

2 pints Light Sour cream

1 can of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup

(Measurements are approximate)

I started it early in the morning, around 5:00 AM.  I put all of the ingredients except the noodles, sour cream, and mushroom soup in the Crock Pot and cooked it on high for about 6 hours.  During that time I stirred it occasionally and at about 4 hours I took the chicken out, shredded it, and returned it to the pot.  I also tasted it then and added a little more garlic and pepper, to taste.

When it was approaching the 6 hour mark, I boiled the noodles, al dente, in a separate pot, rinsing them when they were done.

I then turned the Crock Pot down from High to Warm (Warm, not Low) and added the cooked noodles, sour cream, and Cream of Mushroom soup.  I stirred it until everything was well blended, then left it on Warm the rest of the day to thicken up.

I stirred it a few times in between, but it took at least 6 hours before it really thickened to my liking.  (Which was just getting to be supper time, because I started it so early in the AM.)  Once it thickened nicely - Oh! My! Goodness!  It was luscious.  It really just got better and better the longer it sat on Warm.  We had our last servings about 11:00 PM before we turned off the pot and put the leftovers in the fridge and it was absolutely incredible at that point.

My daughter declared it the best thing I have made in a long, long time.  It made a Crock Pot full, which usually lasts for several days and/or allows for several servings to be put in the freezer.  We nibbled on it all evening and when we went to put it up, this is all that was left.



It had already been in the fridge a couple of hours when I decided to take the pic.

Just about enough for lunch for one.  The entire family has declared it a success.

There is a little tweaking I would like to do.  I would like to use fresh onion and some real celery.  My daughter tells me not to mess with it, that it is perfection as is.  I also wonder about just adding the noodles into the Crock Pot uncooked.  I see recipes that call for that, but I always worry it might get gummy. 

I think it could be thickened faster if it was on Low, rather than Warm, but I would want to babysit it fairly closely if I did that.  I would not suggest turning it back to High after the sour cream and Cream of Mushroom soup are in it.  Dairy stuff can get yucky pretty quick on High in the Crock Pot.

If I were making it when I wasn't going to be around to babysit it, I think the best way to do it might be to put the chicken, etc. on to cook the night before and let it cook all night on Low.  In the morning, I could shred the chicken, add the noodles, sour cream, and Cream of Mushroom, then leave it on Warm all day while I was gone.  It would probably be just right by supper time.

Next time I make it, I'll take pics.  :)

Note:  My daughter and I are of different opinions of what to call it.  We both agree that the name should reflect how frickin' long it took to make it.  (Of course it could be made much faster on the stove top, but that would probably require a good bit of standing over it stirring and I believe that is an activity best avoided.) 

Her suggestion is Night and Day Chicken Stroganoff, mine is Worth the Wait Chicken Stroganoff.  She says she is adding it to her recipe book as "Night and Day..." but this here is my blog, so guess what I'm calling it.  ;)