Cream Cheese Chicken Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup finely diced yellow onion, about 1 medium onion
- ½ cup small diced celery, about 2 stalks
- ½ cup small diced carrots, about 1-2 medium carrots
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 3 cups chicken broth, I use low-sodium
- 2 ½ to 3 cups peeled and small diced potatoes, about 2-3 medium potatoes (see note)
- 1 cup milk, I use 2%
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 1 (8-ounce) package regular or light cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups cooked diced chicken
Instructions
- In a large pot, melt the butter and add the onion, celery, carrots and garlic. Cook, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes, until the veggies are slightly tender and the onions are translucent.
- Add the chicken broth and potatoes. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 8-10 minutes.
- In a liquid measuring cup, vigorously whisk the flour and milk together until smooth (or blend in a blender). Whisk the mixture into the soup, stirring quickly, and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, until the soup begins to thicken slightly. Stir often to ensure the soup doesn’t burn.
- Add the softened cream cheese to the soup in 1-inch pieces. Let the cream cheese sit in the soup and warm through completely before stirring until smooth.
- Add the cooked chicken and heat through. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.
Notes
Potatoes: I like to leave the peels on if using red potatoes, but you can peel (I peel all other varieties of potatoes).
Simplified Variation: for a simpler variation, blend the milk, flour AND softened cream cheese together and add to the soup (instead of adding the milk and cream cheese separately).