Creamy Chicken Soup {recipe} {dairy-free}

photo credit - donielle

Deliciously creamy, this soup is still a wonderful treat on our cool spring nights. The combination of homemade chicken broth and dark green veggies also make this a nutritional powerhouse.

I’ve never been one for soups, growing up with the most simple and basic canned chicken soups, I never knew what I was missing. As a young wife I never tried to make my own as the thought seemed a bit to daunting….to gourmet. But over the past few years we’ve not only begun to try new soups, we’ve really grown to love them and their homemade taste. Nothing compares to homemade soups! They’re also very versatile, leaving each recipe open to different interpretations, depending on what you have in the fridge and also for special diets.

Creamy Chicken Soup

Ingredients
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 medium sized white or yellow onion, chopped
1 clove minced garlic
1 whole head of cauliflower (chopped)
2 cups of cooked chicken, cubed
2 cups of broccoli (I also buy a bag of frozen organic broccoli/cauliflower mix)
2 cups fresh spinach or 1/2 cup frozen
3 Tbsp butter
salt and pepper to taste

optional ingredients:
1/2 cup parmesean cheese or 8oz of cream cheese (for those who can handle dairy)

Method of Preparation

1. Saute the onion in 1 Tbsp of the butter over medium heat until softened. Add garlic and saute for another minute.

2. Pour in the chicken broth and add the entire head of cauliflower. Bring to a boil and simmer until cauliflower is fork tender, about 10 minutes.

3. Using a stick blender, blend the contents of the pan until smooth. (if you don’t have a stick blender you can easily transfer the soup in batches to a blender – just be careful as it will be very hot)

4. Add in the remaining ingredients until everything is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

The blended cauliflower adds a wonderful creaminess, without the use of cream or other dairy alternatives, as well as extra nutrients – a great way to feed veggies to someone who won’t eat them! While not as “creamy” as said soup made with cream, you can easily thicken it up in two simple methods.

1. Before adding in the broth, make a simple rue by sauteing the onion and garlic in 2 Tbsp of butter and adding in 2 Tbsp of flour or arrowroot flour. Add in the broth slowly and let simmer to thicken, about 5 minutes.

2. You can also use corn starch to thicken at any time after the soup is put together. Just place 1 Tbsp of corns starch in 1/4 cup water, mix together, and slowly pour in while stirring. Repeat if necessary.

*Nourishing Notes

• Use homemade broth for best results and increased nutrition.
• Pasture raised chicken will also provide more nutrient density.
• Always use non-GMO/organic corn starch