As the weather cools, we love to start making heartier meals and one of my favorite things to cook are creamy, thick soups. Krissy at SelfProclainedFoodie.com has created a wonderful rich and creamy soup with lots of flavor and wonderful texture. I’ve made a few adjustments to her recipe as I’ve given it here, but you can compare her original recipe here.
Begin by heating one tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot over med high heat. Add one pound of chicken thighs, making sure that the pot is not too crowded. The chicken will stick to the bottom of the pan, it will release on its own as the chicken cooks. Turn the chicken after about seven to nine minutes. Continue to cook until the chicken is done. Remove it to a bowl to cool.
Deglaze the pan with a half cup of dry white wine or dry sherry. A note on cooking with wine or sherry: never cook with wine that you wouldn’t drink. Most “cooking” wines have lots of added sugar and salt. If the wine tastes bad by itself, it will taste bad in a recipe. I never use expensive wine for cooking, but a $10-20 bottle that tastes good will add depth and complexity to any recipe that you add it to. Adding wine to the pan at this time will allow you to scrape up the bits of stuck chicken and browned bits that are full of flavor. Remove the bits and remaining liquid to the same bowl as the chicken.
While the chicken is cooking, dice one large onion, four stalks of celery, and two large carrots. Add two tablespoons of butter to the pot and once melted, add the diced veggies, called a mirepoix, to the pan and lower the heat to medium. If the butter starts to brown, the heat is too high. The liquid released from the veggies should help keep things from burning. Let the vegetables cook until soft and lightly browned. Remove the veggies to another bowl.
Add three more tablespoons of butter to the pot along with three or four cloves of minced garlic. Cook until fragrant and bubbly. Add six tablespoons of gluten-free flour blend and stir well. Cook the roux over medium heat until lightly browned, about five minutes, stirring constantly. Roux can be tricky, once the color starts to change, it can burn very quickly. If the roux gets too dark, or if you see black flecks, toss it out and start over because it will make the entire soup tasted scorched and bitter.
Add two cups of half and half and whisk until the soup thickens. Add four cups of chicken broth along with all of the accumulated juice and wine from the bowl of chicken. Add the cooked vegetables and use an immersion blender to partially puree the mixture. I like some larger chunks left behind.
Dice up the chicken, add it to the pot, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
We love to serve the soup with Pao de Queijo, a Brazilian cheese bread that is naturally gluten-free and a glass of the wine that was used to deglaze. If you try the soup, let us know in the comments what you serve on the side.
Creamy Chicken Soup (based on the recipe from Self Proclaimed Foodie)
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 T olive oil
- 1/2 c dry white or dry sherry
- 5 T butter, divided
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4 stalks of celery, diced
- 2 large carrots, peeled and diced
- 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 6 T gluten-free flour blend
- 2 c half and half
- 4 c chicken broth
- salt and pepper, to taste
In a heavy pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat and cook chicken thighs until browned, about 7-9 minutes on each side. The chicken will stick and then release from the pan when ready to be turned. Transfer the chicken to a bowl.
Deglaze the pot by adding wine and scrapping the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add bits and remaining liquid to the chicken bowl.
Add 2 T butter and lower heat a little. Add all vegetables except garlic to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft and slightly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove to another bowl.
Melt remaining 3 T of butter and add garlic. Cook until fragrant, 2-3 minutes and add flour. Stirring constantly, cook flour until a rich light brown color. Be careful not to burn or scorch the roux. If it begins to burn, toss it out and start this step over after cleaning the pot.
Add half and half to the roux and whisk until thickened. Whisk in the chicken broth and accumulated juices and wine from the bowl of chicken.
Add the cooked vegetables to the pot and use an immersion blender to slightly puree the mixture. Leave chucks to your liking or puree completely smooth.
Dice the chicken and add to the pot. Taste the soup and adjust the seasonings to your liking with salt and pepper. Makes 5-6 servings.
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