Chicken Pot Pie Soup

Chicken pot pie soup is my happy compromise of a divided household between the classic chicken pot pie (my fav) and chicken soup (Sean’s fav). While I try my best to share recipes, I don’t measure when I cook so this is the best estimate I can give. Plus, I’m a taste and adjust kind of cook, so it’s difficult to tell you exact measurements when you may use different ingredients that will affect your finished product. I absolutely love the “croutons” and they make the soup, if I’m being honest! So don’t skip this step! I use pie crust and puff pastry interchangeably so the option is yours.

Ingredients:

6 tbl butter, divided

1 1/2-2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup celery, medium dice

1 cup onion, medium dice

1 cup carrots, medium dice

1/2 cup flour

1 tbl garlic, minced

1 tbl fresh thyme, chopped (or 2 tsp dried)

1/4 c white wine

4 cups chicken broth (I like College Inn)

2 bay leaves, dried

1/8 tsp nutmeg (just a pinch!)

(Optional) 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 cup Organic Valley heavy cream (there’s a specific flavor of this cream that I love)

1 cup frozen peas

(Optional) 1 chicken bouillon cube (taste your soup without it, it may not need this chicken flavor boost!)

2 pie crusts, thawed (Puff pastry is delicious too!)

1 egg (for an egg wash just crack the egg into a small bowl and whisk until combined)

Flaked salt and pepper (I love this one!)

Directions:

Add 3 tbl butter to large pot and turn heat to medium high. Add chicken breasts (season them with salt and pepper) and brown on each side for about 3 minutes. Remove from pot and transfer to a plate.

Add in the remaining 3 tbl butter, celery, onion, and carrots and sauté for about 4-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. No color is desired here! You just want to sweat some of their water out which concentrates the flavors.

Add in the flour and stir to coat all the veggies. Now add your garlic and thyme. Carefully pour in your wine and reduce down. (Should take just a minute or so!) Stir to remove any flour lumps.

Add in your chicken broth, seared chicken breasts, plus any juices that accumulated on the plate. Season with bay leaves, nutmeg and red pepper flakes and stir to combine. Cover with a lid and simmer on medium low for about 45 minutes.

When the chicken breasts are super tender transfer to a cutting board and shred or chop to desired bite size.

Taste your broth and adjust seasoning as needed with salt, pepper, or buillion cube. Also evaluate the thickness. If it’s too thin for your desired consistency you can add 1-2 tbl of corn starch to a small bowl and whisk in a few tbl of your soup broth until smooth. Stir that into your soup and simmer for a few minutes to thicken.

Add back the chicken and pour in the heavy cream. Turn the heat to low and stir to combine. As a final step, add your frozen peas. They will take 2 seconds to thaw!

For the crust croutons, sprinkle flour under your pastry of choice and cut out with small cookie cutters. Seasonal shapes are fun (I like these!) but you can use any you have. Add to parchment lined baking sheet and brush with egg wash. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake at 400 degrees for about 6-9 minutes depending on the size of your croutons!

Ladle into a bowl and top with desired amount of crust croutons! Enjoy!