Chicken Cream Soup

This creamy chicken soup is the perfect cold weather soup. Thick and hearty, it comes together fast and is perfect in bread bowls.

Soup:
1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1½ cups carrots, peeled, diced (~ 3-4 medium carrots)
¾ cup celery, diced (~ 1 small onion)
½ cup onion, diced (~ 1 small onion)
4 cups chicken broth
2 cubes chicken bouillon or 1 Tbsp. chicken bouillon paste or granules
3 bay leaves
1 Tbsp. dried parsley
1½ tsp. herbs de Provence
1 tsp. turmeric
2-3 cloves garlic, finely minced
½ tsp. black pepper, coarsely ground
3½ cups milk and/or half-and-half cream
3-4 cups chicken, cooked, chopped

Roux:
6 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, unbleached
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp. butter

Topping:
shredded Parmesan, asiago or Gruyère cheese

For the Soup:
In a 4 qt or larger saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery and onion. Pour in the broth and add the chicken bouillon, bay leaves, parsley, herbs de Provence, turmeric, garlic powder and pepper. Stir to combine.

Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, uncovered or partially covered, for 12-15 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

For the Roux:
While the soup simmers, in a small saucepan, add the olive oil and butter and cook on medium heat until the butter is melted. Add the flour and whisk to combine until a smooth paste forms. Remove from the heat.

Add the milk and/or half-and-half cream to the soup and heat through. Add the roux to the soup and cook, stirring or whisking constantly, over medium heat until the soup thickens and gently simmers, 5-7 minutes.

Stir in the chicken, season to taste with salt and pepper (this is important for flavour) and heat through.

Remove the bay leaves and serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan, asiago or Gruyère on top.

Makes 6 servings.

Cook's Notes:

• Half-and-half: the more half-and-half you use, the creamier this soup will be but milk works great, too. I suggest using at least 1% or 2% (not skim).
• Herbs de Provence: if you don't have herbs de Province, you can try adding a few substitute pantry spices although the flavour will be slightly different. Try a pinch of basil, oregano, thyme, sage and rosemary.
• Bouillon: the chicken bouillon (cube, paste or granules) intensifies the overall flavour of the soup. If you leave it out, season well to taste with salt and pepper.
• Potatoes: potatoes make a great addition to this soup. I add peeled, diced potatoes (usually Yukon gold, but any variety would work) with the broth.