broccoli, cheddar and chicken soup
my girls and i LOVE soup. it really does not matter what kind of soup i make, my girls are standing at the stove with a spoon, ready to eat it. one of their favorite soups to eat is broccoli cheddar, especially from panera bread. my goodness, panera bread's broccoli cheddar soup is ridiculous! i know that my girls will not want a sandwich from panera like my 2 boys, all they will want is a large bowl of their soup. so that was my first thought when i opened the fridge and saw a huge bag of fresh broccoli beggin' me to toss it into some soup. i also had a pack of chicken thawing, and figured to appease my hubby, i would toss it in too. the chicken added an amazing layer of flavor to the soup that i liked. feel free to leave it out.
ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil -
- 1/2 onion - chopped
- 2 cloves garlic - minced
- 4 stalks broccoli, cut into florets - stems trimmed and chopped
- 1 carrot - skin removed, shredded
- 1/3 cup flour -
- 6 cups hot water - 6 chicken boullion cubes - or 6 cups chicken stock
- 2 raw chicken breasts - cut into cubes
- 1 cup heavy cream -
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese -
instructions:
heat a large stock pot over medium high heat. add in the vegetable oil. once hot, add the onions and garlic. saute until slightly soft and add in the broccoli, broccoli stems and carrots. toss the mixture for a few minutes as well. season with salt/pepper to taste. sprinkle the flour over the veggies and toss until evenly coated. continue to cook and toss the veggies for a couple minutes allowing the flour taste to cook off. slowly stir in the hot water. add in the bouillon cubes. bring the soup to a rolling boil and add in the chicken cubes. once the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes, reduce to a simmer and cover for about 10 minutes until the flavors blend. stir in the heavy cream and cheddar cheese. serve hot.
