Monday, February 24, 2014

Chicken Pot Pie Soup


*UPDATE* March 2, 2014. Since I had the recipe nutritional breakdown I've updated below. This will not be a regular feature! I find it very tedious to input every ingredient into a calorie counter, plus I tend not to measure things so I can't say this is 100% accurate anyway.

So I hear winter 'round these parts is here to stay until April. Possibly May. Oh my. The cold is already making me cranky. A warm bowl of delicious soup is in order.

This soup tastes exactly like chicken pot pie. Even the soup-hating husband had seconds. Success! I like to break up my biscuits into my soup, like dumplings, Parker and Tyler prefer to dip. I can't say which is the right way (mine's closest of course!), but either way this soup is a win. 

In other news, this conversation happened with my 3 and a half year old today:

Parker: The [stuffed] tiger is looking for something...a rabbit. Or a giraffe.
Me: (in a giraffe voice) Here I am! Let's play!
Tiger Parker: Let's fight!
Me: Why do they have to fight? Why can't they be friends?


Apparently this a stupid question and there is no alternative to the tiger-giraffe throw down. Parker just walked away. Oh boy.


CHICKEN POT PIE SOUP
Adapted from Skinnytaste
Serves 4
Use which ever root vegetables you have on hand. However, the celery, carrots, peas, mushrooms must stay for the true chicken pot pie flavor in my opinion. If you don't have cooked chicken on hand, poach a couple of chicken breasts while you begin the soup. 
  • 4 cups milk, divided
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 medium carrots
  • 1 celery stalk
  • couple handfuls sliced mushrooms
  • 2 small to medium parsnips
  • any other root veg you want to throw in (celeriac, sweet potato, etc)
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 2 cups good chicken stock
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 cups cooked, diced chicken breast
  • Biscuits (recipe linked below) 
Whisk flour and 1/2 cup cold milk in a small bowl to make a slurry. Set aside.

Melt butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add onion. Dice remaining vegetables, adding to pot as you go with some salt and pepper, stirring occasionally until vegetables are softened and starting to caramelize a bit. Add thyme and chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Add remaining 3 1/2 cups of milk. Bring to a simmer (fully boiling may cause milk to split and curdle). Add peas and chicken. Slowly pour in flour slurry while stirring. Bring back to a simmer. Check for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if needed. Serve with biscuits.

Per Serving (made using skim milk)
Calories Carbs Fat Protein Sodium Sugar
299        37       5    29         514        8  

BEST DROP BISCUITS Start heating the oven before you start the soup, mix the biscuits as the vegetables are cooking. 

Per Serving (2 biscuits)
Calories Carbs Fat Protein Sodium Sugar
293          31      16    6         424        3