Chicken Pot Pie Soup

My wife came home from work the other day, and I always pose the question, ‘what did you eat for lunch today?’. Often times she brings in my leftovers from the previous day, however I know that she is not one that favors the whole idea of leftovers, unlike myself who can manage to eat leftovers the following day for lunch, and heck for dinner for that matter, and repeat.  When she had mentioned she had chicken pot pie soup, I was a bit intrigued. For one, I have never thought of combining those ingredients into a soup, but I sure do love chicken pot pie, and turkey pot pie for that matter.  Chicken pot pie just screams comfort food to me, and as she said her cafeteria’s version was really horrible, I decided to up the ante and give her my take on chicken pot pie soup. Trust me, she loved it, and so did I.

Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces
• 1/2 tbsp salt
• 1/2 tbsp cracked black pepper
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp all purpose flour
• 1 whole leek, thinly sliced, washed
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 3 ribs of celery, diced
• 1 whole onion, diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 ear of corn
• 3 medium sized yukon gold potatoes, diced
• 1 cup of frozen peas
• 1 pint half and half
• 4 cups of chicken stock
• 5 sprigs of thyme
• 3 sage leaves
• 1 sprig of rosemary
• 1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed
• 1 egg, beaten
• Additional salt and pepper to taste

I know, it sounds like a lot, and it is, but this will feed a very hungry family, for a few days, and it goes great during these early, cold fall days we have been having in Wisconsin.

Start by heating your oven to 425 degrees. Add the chicken to a baking tray, and season liberally with salt and pepper.  Roast the chicken until it registers 165 degrees, then remove and let it cool.

During this time, prepare all of your ingredients.

To a large stock pot, melt the butter on medium heat. Add the olive oil, then toss in your leek, carrot, celery, garlic, and onion. Give a good stir, and cook for about 5 minutes. Add in the flour, and give another good stir, making sure to get all of the vegetables coated in the flour. Cook for a few minutes, then add in the half and half. Cook for about 5-7 minutes or until the mixture begins to thicken. I love this process.

During this time, remove the crispy skin from the chicken pieces and nibble on them if you want. Otherwise, call your kids into the kitchen and have them snack on it.

Remove the chicken from the bone, and coarsely  chop into bite sized pieces.

Add in the chicken, and  the corn cob that you removed the corn from.  Add in the potatoes as well.

Next add in the chicken stock, give a good stir and season with a pinch or two of salt and cracked black pepper.  Stir, and bring to a simmer.

Once the potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes or so, add in the fresh herbs, making sure you tie them together. This is referred to as a bouquet garni.  Toss in the corn and peas as well. Reduce the heat to low.

During this time, cut your puff pastry into circles, as many as you desire, and lightly brush with egg wash. Cook according to the directions.

Once the puff pastry is cooked, remove from the oven and set aside.

Now the fun part, to eat.

Remove the bouqet garni from the soup, along with the corn cob, and discard.

Taste, and season with any salt and pepper.

Ladle the chicken pot pie soup into your soup bowl, and top each bowl with the puff pastry.

This chicken pot pie soup is flipping awesome. It’s everything you want in a bite of food, and is thinner in consistency, making this soup something to be reckoned with. AND DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE PUFF PASTRY TOPPING! I could probably eat a whole sheet of those.

Give this recipe a shot if you are looking for some truly comforting soup. Hope you enjoy! By the way, if you don’t have puff pastry, go ahead and top with some cooked pie dough or something other.