Chicken Cordon Bleu Soup

 

EDITED on 10/20/11

Great news! I entered this soup into LDSLiving.com soup contest and won 3rd place! It has been featured in their newsletter, and will be appearing in the print edition in January!

ALSO... tune in to Channel 2 news on Monday, November 7th at NOON to see me make this soup live!

Thanks to all of my readers for their great support! 

********

I don't know what it is, but the mixture of chicken, ham, and melting cheese just does a happy dance for my taste buds. Chicken Cordon Bleu is an old masterpiece. Lately, I've been seeing it in cookbooks and online in soup form. None of the recipes caught my imagination though, even though I started craving this wonderful combo.  Some recipes called for pre-made soups, some for way too many ingredients or time. Now, I don't have a problem using pre-made soups or products, but I'm not a fan of cream soup from a can. So, I decided to start with a soup base that I love, and go from there. I was more than pleased on how it turned out. This is a wonderful, thick, creamy soup, perfect for cold nights. 

One note on this recipe: some of the quantities of ingredients can be changed. The ham, chicken, and cheese can be customized. Also, you can add more or less liquid to get your perfect consistency. I microwaved my potatoes for a faster meal. You are welcome to bake them as well.  Also, do yourself a favor and do NOT use pre-shredded cheese in this.  Not only does it not melt as well, take a look at the ingredients and see how much "other" ingredients they add to keep the cheese from clumping.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Soup

The Double Dipped Life

Serves approx. 4. Makes approx. 3 quarts of soup. This recipe can be doubled easily.

2 Tb butter

2-3 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 chopped onion

1/4 cup flour

2 1/2 cups milk (I used skim and it was fine!)

14 oz chicken broth 

Salt and pepper to taste 

4 medium baking potatoes, baked

1 cup shredded swiss cheese

1 cup shredded chicken, cooked (I think a rotisserie would be fabulous)

1 cup diced cooked ham

Wash and dry your potatoes.  Pierce the skin with a fork, and microwave for 5 minutes. Rotate them, and cook for another 5 minutes, or until done. 

In the meantime: In a large stock pot, melt the butter. Add the garlic and onion, and let cook until browned, stirring frequently. Do not let the garlic burn, or it will get bitter! 

Add the flour to the pan and whisk together. Let the mixture cook for 1 minute.  Slowly add milk a little at a time while whisking constantly. The only lumps you want are the onions. Add the chicken broth, and whisk well.  Bring soup to a simmer, and heat until thickened, about 5 minutes. 

While your soup is thickening, cut the potatoes in half length-wise and either scoop the flesh out, or peel the skin off. Cut or mash into small pieces.  Get your chicken and ham ready, and shred your cheese. 

Turn the heat to medium-low, and add the potatoes. Sprinkle the soup with salt and pepper. Remember that potatoes absorb salt, so you might want to add a little more than you think you need. Taste as you go! 

Add the Swiss cheese, chicken, and ham.  Warm through and serve hot! 

To eat leftovers, you might have to add some more milk or chicken broth to reheat.

Enjoy!

My Favorite Baked Potato Soup

I love baked potatoes. I love soup. So, my favorite? Baked Potato Soup! Most potato soups are rich with cream and butter. This recipe though is make with low fat milk and low-fat sour cream, so it's a little easier to justify than the others!

Baked Potato Soup by Our Best Bites. Photo by Our Best Bites

The best recipe I've found is from my favorite food blog: Our Best Bites.  It is amazing. It is addicting. That's your warning folks! I find myself stocking all the ingredients so I can have it when the mood strikes. It's great with the extra toppings, or just straight out of the pan. I enjoy it for breakfast too! :)

To get this fabulous recipe, run on over to Our Best Bites!  Enjoy!

Chicken Noodle Soup

I love homemade chicken noodle soup. It's perfect for cold days, or for head colds!

Chicken Noodle Soup

Adapted from allrecipes.com

2 QTs (64oz) Chicken broth

1 QT water

1 store-bought rotisserie chicken

3 TB vegetable oil

2 large onions, chopped

2 large carrots, peeled and cut into rounds

2 large stalks celery, sliced

2 garlic cloves, chopped

Chicken from rotisserie

1 teas. dried thyme leaves

3 cups egg noodles

1/2 cup fresh parsley

Pepper to taste

1. Bring broth and water to a simmer over medium-high heat in a large soup kettle. Meanwhile, separate chicken meat form skin and bones; reserve meat. Add skin and bones to the simmering broth. Reduce heat to low, partially cover, and simmer until the bones release their flavor; 20-30 minutes.

2. Strain broth through a colander into a large container, reserve broth and discard skin and bones. Return kettle to burner set on medium-high.

3. Add oil, then onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. Saute until soft, about 8-10 minutes. Add chicken about 5 minutes into the time. Add chicken broth and thyme.

**You can stop here, and have a basic soup base that can be refrigerated up to 3 days in advance.

4. Bring to a slow boil. Add egg noodles, and cook according to noodle instructions.

5. Add 1/2 cup parsley, remove from heat.

6. Add Pepper to taste. (The recipe called for salt too, but I thought it was already salty enough. Add salt if needed.)

Breathe deeply of the wonderful aroma, and serve hot with bread.

I had lots of extra, so I stuck them in individual servings tupperware and froze it!