Foodie Fridays: Creamy Chicken Pot Pie Soup

Today's dish is a great cold weather comfort food which recreates the creamy flavors of chicken pot pie filling in soup form.  I only made a couple of changes to the original recipe for Creamy Chicken Pot Pie Soup.  Since I had cooked chicken left over from a previous meal I substituted it for uncooked chicken.  I also doubled the amount of frozen peas (I am still trying to use them up!).  I always use a little salt as possible when cooking, so you may prefer to add much more than I do.  Next time I might try using poultry seasoning instead of just dried thyme to add a little more complexity of flavor, but this soup made a very satisfying lunch on a cold winter day, especially when topped with some shredded Cheddar cheese (which I obviously forgot to add for the photo).

Creamy Chicken Pot Pie Soup

1 C. whole milk
1/4 C. heavy cream
2 T. butter
2 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 carrots, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2-1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 C. flour
4 C. chicken stock
1 bay leaf
2 medium (or 8 small) Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
2 C. diced cooked chicken
1 C. frozen peas, thawed
1 T. minced fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
shredded cheese (optional)

Combine the milk and cream in a medium-sized bowl and set aside to come to room temperature.

Heat the butter and oil in a stockpot over medium-high heat.  Add the onion, carrots, and celery, reduce the heat to medium, and sauté until soft, about 15 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook one minute longer.  Stir in the salt and paprika.

Add the flour, cooking and stirring for about two minutes until it forms a paste coating the vegetables.  Slowly add the chicken stock, stirring constantly to avoid lumps as the stock thickens.  Add the bay leaf and bring to a simmer.  Add the potatoes, partially cover, and cook for about 20 minutes until the potatoes are tender.  Stir in the chicken and peas and cook until heated through.

Temper the milk mixture with 1/4 cup of the hot soup liquid, whisking constantly.  Continue adding about four more 1/4 cup amounts of the soup liquid until the milk mixture is warm to the touch.  Pour it into the soup pot and stir to combine (do not allow to come to a boil).

Add the parsley and thyme.  Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.  Ladle into bowls and serve, topped with shredded cheese if desired.  Serves 6.