Souper Sunday #17: Low-Fat Chicken Pot Pie Soup

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This soup totally tastes like you are eating the inside of a chicken pot pie, but with a spoon, and with the type of reckless abandon that I normally reserve for things that are not low-fat at all.

 

Bonus points if you go to the additional effort of making a puff pastry topping to dip into the soup.  That would be amazing.

The Hubby has been asking me to make him chicken stew for a few years or weeks now, and so I finally caved and made it for him today.  Only, chicken stew is so not what my waistline needs right now, so instead I cheated and made this Low-Fat Chicken Pot Pie Soup from the Skinny Taste website. (with a few small tweaks),  He took it to work for lunch, and isn't home yet so I haven't been able to hound him about how he liked it.  But, speaking for myself, "Daaaaaaaaaamn."  You would not even know that this was made with skim milk and without the addition of any butter or oil.  At about 250 calories for a 1 1/2 cup bowl, it's a super filling lunch or dinner that won't totally demolish your calorie allotment for the day.  I especially like that fact today, since I really need to get back on track with eating healthier after eating 'a lot' of the Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Bars last week.  I can't even talk about those bars because it makes me think about those bars which makes me want to go to the store and buy the ingredients for those bars which makes me want to eat almost the entire pan of those bars again.

Whoops, back to the present.

This soup is a great way to use up leftover cooked chicken.  And it's a snap to make because the corn, beans, peas, and carrots are all of the frozen variety, so there's no need for peeling, slicing, and dicing any more than required.  I substituted Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour for regular flour, and the result was fantastic.

Wow, it's already Week 17 of Souper Sunday, and it's still going strong.  The weather here in BC has been so unpredictable, and I know that a lot of Canada has still been experiencing snowstorms (in April!).  This is more of a 'cold winter day' soup than a mid-spring soup, but it felt like the perfect comfort food while it was pouring down rain at my house today.

I hope that you enjoy this soup too.  Have a great day!

Chicken Pot Pie Soup 

Serves: 6 (1 1/2 cup bowls)

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup flour (I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour)
• 2 cups water, divided
• 4 cups 1% or skim milk
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 10 ounces frozen vegetable mixture (the mixture of corn, peas, carrots, and green beans works best)
• 2 potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 1 pound cooked boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces

Directions
If your chicken is not cooked already, it's time to cook it now.  An easy stovetop method is to place all of the chicken breasts into a pot, and add enough water to the pot to just cover the chicken.  Boil over medium-high heat for 15 - 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.  Shred the chicken with a fork.

Now for the soup...
Pour 1/2 cup of the cold water and all of the flour into a small bowl, and whisk until well combined.  Set aside for now.

Pour the other 1 1/2 cups cold water and the milk into a large pot, and bring to a boil over medium heat.

Add the celery, onion, mushrooms, chicken bouillon cubes, dried thyme, dried bay leaf, salt and pepper to taste, and the frozen vegetables, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Reduce heat to low, partially cover the pot, and simmer until the vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes.  Remove the lid, add the potatoes, raise the heat back up to medium, and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the cooked chicken.  Using a wire whisk, very slowly add your water/flour mixture, whisking constantly as you add it.  Cook for another 3 minutes, or until the soup thickens.  Adjust your seasonings again, and serve hot.  Top with a slice of prepared puff pastry, or serve with a low-fat biscuit or crusty roll.

Adapted From:  Skinny Taste