Easy Meal Mondays! Chicken Pot Pie Soup

Hello Everyone!  This is the sixth installment in my series on easy and healthy meal options that Jason and I have made and love.  This recipe is from the SkinnyTaste.com Blog and it is very good.  Even Jason liked it which is not normally the case when it comes to soup.  I thought that it was very warming and reminded me of the creamy soups of my youth that my mom would make on cold winter days.  Despite the fact that it is April, it has been feeling like it should be Christmas with the amount of snow we have been having, so this was the perfect hot meal after a long commute home.  I hope you all enjoy it and that I will soon be posting things that are more summery for everyone to try!  

Chicken Pot Pie Soup (From SkinnyTaste.com)

YIELD: 6 servings
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOK TIME: 40 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 45 minutes


Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup flour (to make gluten-free use 2 tbsp cornstarch instead)
• 2 cups water
• 4 cups fat free milk
• 1 large celery stalk, chopped
• 1/2 medium chopped onion (we put in a whole onion as I really like onion in soup)
• 8 oz sliced baby portabella mushrooms
• 2 chicken bouillons (If you prefer chicken broth to bullion cubes, substitute chicken broth for the water listed)
• fresh ground pepper
• pinch of thyme (I also added a pinch of rosemary)
• 10 oz frozen classic mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, green beans, corn)
• 2 potatoes, peeled and cubed small (I left the peals on, but it does need a bit more time to cook with the peals)
• 16 oz cooked chicken breast, diced small (or shredded)
• salt

Directions:
Create a slurry by combining 1/2 cup of the cold water with flour in a medium bowl and whisk until well blended. Set aside. 

Pour remaining water and milk into a large pot and slowly bring to a boil. Add celery, onion, mushrooms, chicken bouillon, thyme, fresh pepper, frozen vegetables and return to a boil. Partially cover and simmer on low until vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes. Remove lid, add potatoes and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. (I added the potatoes when I added all of the vegetables) Add chicken, and slowly whisk in slurry, stirring well as you add. Cook another 2-3 minutes, until soup thickens, adjust salt and pepper to taste and serve.