Cheddar Broccoli Chicken Soup

By vealam

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless chicken breasts or 2 cups chopped rotisserie chicken
• sea or kosher salt and fresh black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup carrots, thinly sliced into half moons
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 3/4 cup diced yellow onion
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 (14 ounce) cans low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup water
• 12 ounces frozen or fresh broccoli florets
• 1 cup corn
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
• 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 + 1/2 cups fresh shredded sharp cheddar cheese, plus more for serving

Details

Servings 4
Cooking time 20mins
Adapted from cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.com

Preparation

Step 1

Cook the chicken (skip if using rotisserie):
Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil and coat with non-stick spray.
Place the chicken breasts in the pan and season with salt and pepper. Pour about ⅓ cup water into the bottom of the pan. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil.
Bake until cooked through 25 - 40 minutes depending on their size. Let cool until you can handle them.
Place them on a cutting board and cut them on the bias into slices then bite-sized pieces. Put them back in the pan and mix them with the juices. Cover with the foil and set aside.
Make the soup:
In a large soup pot or Dutch oven heat the oil over medium low heat. Add the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, a couple dashes each salt and pepper and the thyme. Cook until softened about 10 minutes, stirring often.
Sprinkle the flour over the veggies and stir, cooking 2 more minutes.
Stir in the broth, water, broccoli, corn, parsley, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper and the chicken with all the juices remaining in the pan.
Turn the heat up to medium high and bring to a simmer. Adjust heat and simmer 25 minutes, stirring often.
Place the cream cheese in a small bowl and add a ladle or two of the hot broth. Stir it together until the cream cheese is melted, smooth and creamy, add more broth as needed.
Stir the cream cheese into the soup.
Slowly stir in the cheese ¼ cup at a time and continue stirring until it melts before adding more.
Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Serve with a sprinkling of cheese on top.