Cream of Chicken Soup

This cream of chicken soup is comfort food at its best. Forget the canned stuff, if you have a little time on your hands make your own cream of chicken soup.

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword chicken soup, comfort food

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1 5

Total Time 1 20

Servings

Calories 444kcal

Ingredients

2 lbs. Chicken Breasts skinless, boneless, trim any fat (about 2 large breasts)
6 cups Chicken Broth divided
Pinch of Salt
2-3 Thyme Sprigs
8 tbsp. Butter divided
1 Medium Onion diced
1 Large Carrot diced
1-2 Garlic Cloves minced
½ cup Flour all purpose
½ cup Half & Half
Chopped Parsley for garnish, optional

Instructions

Poach the Chicken

Place the chicken in a medium saucepan, large enough so that they fit side by side without overlapping.
Cover the chicken with chicken broth, about 2 cups. Add the thyme and a pinch of salt. Start the chicken on high heat; bring the broth to a boil. As soon as it starts boiling, lower the heat to medium-low and cover. Simmer gently for 20-25 minutes.
Make sure the internal temperature of the thickest part of the chicken breast is at least 165°F.
Remove the chicken breast from poaching liquid and set on a cutting board to cool. Strain the cooking liquid using a fine sieve and reserve. When the chicken has cooled enough to handle, shred, slice or cut into bite-sized cubes.

Make the cream of chicken soup

Heat 4 tbsp. of butter over medium heat in a large pot. When the butter has melted and starts to foam, add the onions and carrots. Cook gently for 5-7 minutes until the onions are translucent and start to soften, stirring frequently.
Add the garlic to the pot, cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add in the remaining 4 tbsp. of butter. When the butter melts, stir in the flour, a little at a time, stirring constantly until well incorporated. Cook the roux (butter and flour mixture) for 2-3 minutes to cook the flour a bit, stirring almost constantly.
Slowly add in the remaining chicken broth (including the reserved broth used to poach the chicken), stirring constantly until the chicken broth is well incorporated.
Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the soup to a gentle simmer. Lower heat to medium-low, half-cover the pot and continue simmering for approximately 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Keep the soup at a simmer; if it starts boiling too vigorously lower the heat a bit.
Remove the pot from the heat. Off the heat, process the soup in the pot with an immersion blender until smooth. If you don't have an immersion blender, use a blender. Don’t fill the blender to the top with hot liquid, process in batches.
Return the soup to low or medium-low heat. Stir in the Half & Half, and add the reserved chicken, stir well. Heat the soup for a few minutes until warmed through, do not allow the soup to come to a boil.
Garnish with parsley when served, if desired.

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