Dinner DeeAs recipes: Chicken Soup, Chicken Pot Pie
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Turn one rotisserie chicken into two legendary family dinners, and maximize your time and budget without sacrificing flavor.
In this episode of Dinner DeeAs, we’re in the kitchen with Chef Tina Calhoun from Frescos Southern Kitchen & Bar in Lakeland. Tina is sharing her "Mama Dearest" family secrets for maximizing your time and budget without sacrificing that authentic Southern soul-food flavor.
The Ultimate Double-Dinner Strategy:
- One "Super Base": Learn how to build a flavor-packed foundation using the "Holy Trinity" (onions, celery, and carrots) that works for both a light soup and a hearty pot pie.
- The Rotisserie Hack: Chef Tina explains why "cheating" with a store-bought rotisserie chicken is the best way to get a high-protein dinner on the table during a busy week.
- Chicken Noodle Soup: See why cooking your pasta separately is the professional secret to preventing "soggy noodles" in your leftovers.
- Classic Chicken Pot Pie: Master a rich, velvety gravy using a simple flour slurry and learn the trick to a perfectly vented, golden-brown store-bought crust.
Chef Tina’s Pro-Tips:
- Herbes de Provence: Discover the "Secret Ingredient" (lavender!) that elevates a standard chicken soup to a gourmet experience.
- Texture Control: Why "big chunky vegetables" are the key to a satisfying Southern pot pie.
- Make Ahead & Freeze: Tina shows you how to portion and freeze this base so you’re always just minutes away from a home-cooked meal.
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Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 2 medium yellow onions, diced
- 1 lb carrots, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, diced
- 4 quarts chicken stock
- ½ tsp dried or fresh rosemary
- dash of ground sage
- thyme, to taste
- 1 tsp dried Herbes de Provence
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 rotisserie chicken, pulled off the bone and shredded
- pasta of choice
Directions
- Add butter to a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Once melted, add celery, onions, and carrots. Sauté for 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Add chicken stock and season broth with rosemary, sage, thyme, Herbes de Provence, and salt (taste broth before adding more salt), and pepper.
- Add chicken meat from rotisserie chicken. Bring to a boil, taste broth again and add more seasonings, if needed.
- Cook noodles separately from soup, according to directions.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in refrigerator for 4–5 days, depending on freshness of chicken used.
Chicken Pot Pie
Follow recipe above, minus noodles, adding the following vegetables (these are all suggestions — use whatever vegetables you prefer or have on hand)
- 2 cups peas
- 2 cups corn
- 2 cups green beans
- 2 cups potatoes, diced
In addition, thicken the chicken base by adding a roux of flour mixed with water to desired thickness, then stirring in to combine.
Pour chicken mixture into an oven-safe dish and cover with a sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed. Use a fork to poke holes in the dough to prevent the filling bubbling over.
Bake until golden, 25–30 minutes at 350 °F.
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