Chicken Parmesan Soup with Microwave Garlic Croutons

I like to think that every time I step into the kitchen to cook something wonderful that it's a miracle (and so does my family) but I've discovered something recently that I think is truly miraculous; crunchy things that come from microwave cooking. I know, "crunchy" and "microwave" are not two words that you typically use in the same sentence but I've had to amend my vocabulary. It truly can be done. You can make crunchy stuff in the microwave. 

I found out about this phenomenon about a month ago when I attended a Pampered Chef® party. One of the nifty kitchen gadgets they have is a microwave potato chip maker (and there's four words you would never think to put together). I was truly skeptical when the Pampered Chef® gal said you could make absolutely heavenly potato chips with these two silicon trays that you load up with thinly sliced potatoes and then put them into the microwave for about three minutes, but after tasting these hot, crunchy chips I was sold. To keep this blog from sounding like a paid advertisement for Pampered Chef®, all I will say is if you know someone who sells Pampered Chef®, you need to order a microwave potato chip maker. It will change your life. 

I subsequently hosted my own Pampered Chef® party and one of my hostess gifts was this great little cookbook called "Season's Best Recipe Collection" and in that I found a recipe for Chicken Parmesan Soup with crunchy garlic croutons (from the microwave). Another great Pampered Chef® product (okay, this does sound like an endorsement for Pampered Chef® but I swear it's not) is their stoneware deep covered baker. I don't have the Pampered Chef® version but a couple of years ago I did find a very similar one in a restaurant supply store (for about half the price) and I've been using it with great results to make Pampered Chef® recipes that call for their deep covered baker - like the croutons for this Chicken Parmesan Soup. Again, I was skeptical that a stoneware dish in the microwave could result in crisp, crunchy croutons, so of course I had to give it a try. Amazingly, it worked. My croutons came out of the baker after about 4 minutes and they were as crunchy as if I'd made them on a cookie sheet in the oven. 

I'm still waiting for someone to explain to me the science of this microwave cooking. Then again, who cares about science when I can make potato chips in the microwave?

As I said, this entire recipe was designed to be prepared in a deep covered baker, but you can just as easily convert it to use a regular stock pot.  Here's a recipe for oven-baked croutons from Epicurious (for those without a deep covered baker)

Oven-Baked Croutons

3 cups 1/4-inch cubes day-old bread 

1/4 cup olive oil

2/3 3 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a shallow baking pan toss bread with oil. Toss bread with Parmesan and bake in middle of oven, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes, or until golden. Croutons keep in an airtight container at room temperature 1 week.

Chicken Parmesan Soup

I adapted this recipe for preparation in a stock pot. You can find the deep covered baker recipe on at www.pamperedchef.com. 

Ingredients

• 2 cups of garlic Parmesan croutons (from above recipe)
• 2 tbsp (45 mL) garlic & herb rub
• 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) unsalted chicken stock 
• 2 cups (500 mL) marinara sauce   
• 1 can (14.5 oz)  diced tomatoes with garlic and onion (about 1 3/4 cups/425 mL), undrained 
• 2 1/2 cups (625 mL) diced cooked chicken breasts   
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped  
• 1 oz (30 g) grated  Parmesan cheese 
• 3/4 cup (175 mL) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided 

1. Place chicken stock,  2 tbsp (30 mL) rub, marinara sauce, tomatoes, chicken and garlic into a stockpot. Stir until combined.
2. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until soup is hot. 
3. Remove soup from heat.
4. Add Parmesan cheese  and top soup with half of the mozzarella and sprinkle with 1 cup of the croutons. Top with remaining mozzarella. 
5. Let stand, covered, 2–3 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve soup with remaining croutons. 

Yield: 6 servings