Cream Cheese Chicken Soup

We make soup often in the fall and winter.  I saw this recipe online and thought it sounded delicious.  It was!  This recipe is a keeper!

 Cream Cheese Chicken Soup

1 T. butter

1 onion, finely diced

1 cup thinly sliced carrots

2 stalks celery, finely diced

2 cups Yukon Gold potatoes, chopped

3-4 cups chicken broth

2 cups cooked chicken, diced or shredded (rotisserie chicken was delicious)

1 Tablespoon dried parsley

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Dash of red pepper flakes

1/4 cup flour

1 cup whole milk or half and half

1 8 oz bar of cream cheese, softened

Salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in a large pot.  Add the onion and saute  until tender.  Stir in the carrots, potatoes, broth, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Once boiling cover and reduce heat to simmer and cook for about 15 minutes.  When veggies are tender, you can use an immersible blender if you wish to blend some of the vegetables.  I did this, but left a lot of the veggies as is.  Then add the chicken, parsley, garlic powder, basil and pepper flakes and stir.  In a bowl, mix the flour with the milk until it forms a smooth paste.  Add to the soup and stir and cook until thickened.  Add the cream cheese and stir until the cream cheese is melted and soup is smooth.

Serve with bread.