CREAMY POTATO & CHICKEN SOUP
Recipe by the Leek and the Carrot
For this recipe, I suggest you make your own chicken broth and shredded chicken with a whole chicken because I know many of you have Winterfell Acres’ chicken stocked up in your freezer. If you don’t have a whole chicken (and/or don’t want to buy one/go through the effort of making your own broth), just skip step 1 and use 8 cups of store-bought broth (or water + bouillon) and a rotisserie chicken (or 2 pounds chicken breast cooked however you like and shredded).
Serves 6
Takes 1 hour (+ 2 hours, 15 minutes if making broth)
Ingredients:
Chicken Broth
4 celery stalks, leaves removed and cut in half
1 red onion, quartered
1 garlic bulb halved
3-4 pound chicken
12-16 cups of water
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Soup
6 tablespoons butter
1 red onion, diced
1 teaspoon salt, divided
5 celery stalks, leaves removed and thinly sliced
2 red and/or yellow peppers, seeded and diced
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
2 pounds yellow potatoes, diced
8 cups chicken broth*
1/3 cup flour
1 3/4 cups whole milk
4 cups shredded chicken**
1/2 cup heavy cream
Directions:
To make broth, combine all ingredients in a large stock pot. Use enough water to cover the chicken. Bring to a boil, reduce to a gentle simmer, and cook for 2 hours. When finished, strain liquid into a large bowl or second kettle. Discard vegetable scraps and shred the chicken into a large bowl or measuring cup.
Clean out the stock pot you used to prepare the chicken broth. Add butter and melt over medium heat. Add onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook for 5 minutes until translucent and tender. Add celery, peppers, pepper, thyme and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Continue sauteeing for 10 minutes until tender. Add potatoes and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and for 20 minutes until the potatoes are soft.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour and milk until smooth. Add to the soup and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in chicken and cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
*If you made your own chicken broth, you probably had more like 10-12 cups. Put the extra in a freezer safe container and store in the freezer until needed for another use.
**If you used a Winterfell chicken, you likely wound up with more shredded chicken then you needed for the soup. Again, just freeze the rest for later or store in your fridge for chicken sandwiches or salads.