Need Some Comfort Food?

Chicken & Gravy

My favorite recipes to share are ones that are old family favorites. But I'm always on the lookout for recipes that might become a new family favorite. This might be one of those recipes. Easy to assemble. It's a slow cooker meal which means it cooks unattended all afternoon. And it was delicious in that comfort food way.

I found a printed out recipe tucked on a pantry shelf last week. It had been there for ages. And the reason I had put it there was to remind me why I had bought the ingredients. It's not uncommon for me to have a can of cream of chicken soup on hand, but I don't usually have TWO packs of gravy mix. And more than once I have seen items in my pantry that I'm sure I bought for a specific recipe—but I had no clue what the recipe was. Absolutely could not remember. So now I try to put the recipe with the ingredients.

This recipe comes from the website South Your Mouth. When I can, I like to give you the original source for recipes I try. I love to look at her recipes. She has lots of good notes on this recipe and there are helpful comments, too. Her Shepherd's Pie is one I plan to try soon.

I started my supper prep at about 2:00 in the afternoon yesterday and we ate just before 7:00. I had planned to make it a day earlier, and then remembered I had a 2:30 doctor appointment. I realized I wouldn't be at home when it was time to put this in the slow cooker. So I pushed this meal one day forward. Keep the cooking time in mind when you add this to your meal plan.

After our supper, I filled 3 pint size containers for the freezer. And there was enough left for today's lunch, too. This is a generous recipe. And we are a household of two.

SLOW COOKER CHICKEN & GRAVY

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (my pack had 4 pieces, about 3 lbs)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (let's be honest—I just sprinkled)
2 (10.5 oz) cans of Healthy Request cream of chicken soup
1 (14.5 oz) can low-sodium chicken broth
2 packs brown gravy mix
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Place chicken in slow cooker. (I used a 6-qt cooker.) Season with black pepper and garlic.

In a bowl, mix remaining ingredients well. Pour over chicken. Cook on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours. Use two forks to pull chicken in to bite-size pieces. (I did this down in the gravy.) Turn the pot off and let sit for about 20 minutes with the lid off, while you prep the rest of the meal. Serve over mashed potatoes or rice.


I try not to overdo the cream soups any more. But when I do want to use some in a recipe I look for the Healthy Request versions. It has less sodium and zero trans fat. I figure that helps.

Our adorable little granddaughters start school today. Yep. August 1 is their first day of school. Kindergarten and 3rd grade. We will see them next week. Hope by then all the jitters will have settled down (and the school traffic will have settled down) and we will get to hear all about the new teachers and new classmates. It's exciting. For the first time, they will be at the same school and on the same schedule. And next week, Big Sister heads off to college. Lots of firsts.

This has me thinking about all the "first day of school" memories I have stored away for our daughters. Always exciting. Always nerve-wracking. And we always survived. I'm saying a prayer this morning for all the students, all the parents, all the teachers and all the bus drivers as a new school begins. May they have a safe year. May it be a year filled with kindness and understanding and patience. God bless them all.