So this is seriously, slamming delicious. Like, gourmet restaurant delicious.

I’m not sure if it’s the homemade ‘cream of mushroom’ sauce {photo tutorial below} or the homemade ranch dressing mix. It’s probably the combination of the ranch and mushroom flavors, all cream-ified together.

Whatever it is, it’s slamming delicious.

Like Ka-Bam. Slam. Jam. Delicious.

My husband has become quite used to my ‘so what do you think?’ questions when I put a new dish in front of him. He’s a pretty low key kinda guy and an ‘it’s good’ generally means that he loves it and I can always tell by how quickly he polishes his plate and if he asks for seconds and thirds. Well, with this dish I received the following response: “This is outstanding.” Similar sentiment as when I asked him what he thought about the Slow Cooker version of this meal. He loved that one too.

I don’t eat too many meals with dairy included, but I took a chance on this one and enjoyed a bowl full anyways! I snarfed a bowl down in a matter of minutes. I was not on my best behavior eating this and did a terrible job of displaying proper manners to the boys. I might have even licked the bowl. {hehe}

Erin, get serious! I’m sharing this recipe as a photo tutorial…just to give you a sense of what happens when making a homemade ‘cream of’ soup, in the event that you’ve never tried and want to give it a whirl! (If you scroll through fast enough, it might turn into a video!)

Alright, it goes a little somethin’ like this….

“Tag Team back again, check and direct and let’s begin…Party on, party people, let me hear some noise
DC’s in the house jump, jump, rejoice…There’s a party over here, a party over there, Wave your hands in the air, shake your derier…These three words when you’re gettin’ busy, Whoomp there it is…”

Oh.my.word. Sorry!

I don’t even know where that came from, and I’m slightly concerned about the fact that I can remember lyrics from 90’s hip-hop music. But I have to set reminders in my calendar to stop working to go pick up my kids from school. {Please tell me I’m not the only one with this problem!}

If that song gets stuck in your head, I’m doubly sorry. I truly am. But I guess if it pops into your head later in the week, just do a little 90’s dance move (#rogerrabbit #runningman) and smile and remember the yesteryears. 🙂

Clearly, I should not be allowed to write blog posts after 9 pm.

Ok, really now…

Melt butter.

Add flour.

Whisk.

Whisk. Into a paste.

A very bubbly paste.

Quickly whisk in the milk, so no clumps form.

It will become smooth and thicken as it heats.

Medium to medium low heat.

You don’t want to burn the sauce.

Drop in mushrooms.

Or onions.

And/or garlic. Fresh garlic.

Let them cook up and bubble in the sauce for a few minutes.

Add in the homemade ranch dressing mix spices.

Or a packet, if you wish.

Add bite size pieces of chicken.

Stir them into the sauce to cook.

Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until chicken has cooked through.

Uncover and simmer a couple more minutes to let the sauce reduce and thicken more.

Stir in the cream cheese cubes and let it melt into the sauce. Stirring a few times over a few minutes.

Add the frozen veggies.

Stir them in and let simmer for another few minutes to warm and soften them up.

Your creamy ranch chicken (with vegetables) sauce is ready to serve over rice or pasta!

Gluten-Free Modifications: Use GF flour or blend in place of the flour when making the white sauce.

Dairy-Free Modifications: Use rice milk in place of the regular milk. Omit the cream cheese, it will still be creamy and tasty without it!