Light Creamy Chicken, Broccoli, and Corn Soup

All of a sudden it got freezing, so I wanted soup. I hate the cold, but I do love soup. This is a creamy broth but without the heavy cream, making it a much healthier, lower calorie and fat alternative.

You will need:

• 3 TBS butter
• 3 TBS flour
• 1 shallot, diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp tarragon
• 4 cups (low sodium) chicken broth
• 3/4 cup milk (I used 2%)
• 1 1/2 c gold potatoes, chopped
• 1-2 heads of broccoli, chopped
• 1 1/2 c frozen sweet corn
• 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
• Salt to taste

Melt the butter in a soup pot; I used a 5 quart. Start the chicken to boil in a separate saucepan. Once the butter is melted, add the flour and whisk until all lumps are broken up. Continue to simmer, whisking constantly, for about 3 minutes. Usually I recommend being lazy and not actually whisking the whole time, but it’s important that you do, otherwise it will burn and stick.

Butter and flour while simmering -
looks very thin.

Slowly add 2 cups of the chicken broth, plus the milk, and whisk. Add the shallots, bay leaf, and potatoes; turn to medium low and let simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes – until the potatoes are cooked and the broth has thickened. Remove from stove, take out the bay leaf, and use an immersion blender (possibly the best kitchen tool ever) or a food processor to blend.

When the chicken is cooked through, remove from saucepan, save the broth to add to your dog’s food, and coarsely chop or pull apart the meat. Add to the blended broth.

Put the soup back on the stove on medium low, add the last 2 cups of broth, salt to taste, and mix thoroughly. Add the broccoli and corn – the measurements above are about what I used; they are not exact and I basically just cram as much in as I can for the amount of broth that I have.

Add 2 tsp of nutmeg, 1 tsp of tarragon, stir and taste. You might need a little more salt also.

Cook uncovered for another 15-20 minutes on medium low stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is soft but not falling apart. The raw broccoli thins the broth a bit, sautéing it first would probably fix this, I just didn’t feel like taking the extra step. Serve and enjoy!

This makes about 4 servings; each serving is just over 400 calories. Not bad for a cream soup and filling enough for dinner!