This easy chicken and broccoli soup is creamy and luscious, but still light. The broccoli florets absorb the creamy soup base, while the chicken stays tender. This is the perfect soup to make on a busy weeknight when you have leftover roast chicken or rotisserie chicken on hand. While the recipe calls for chicken breasts, if thighs are what you have on hand, feel free to use those.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 ¼ cups thinly sliced leek, white and light green parts only
- 3 medium carrots, chopped
- 2 medium celery stalks, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 4 cups unsalted chicken broth
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups broccoli florets (about 8 ounces)
- 3 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Directions
- Step 1
Melt butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add leek, carrots and celery; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add garlic and flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the garlic is fragrant and the flour has toasted, about 1 minute. Add wine and cook, stirring constantly, until almost completely reduced, about 1 minute. Slowly add broth, stirring constantly. Add milk, pepper and salt and bring to a simmer (do not boil) over medium-high heat, stirring often and scraping the bottom of the pot to release any browned bits.
Step 2
Reduce heat to medium to maintain a low simmer; add broccoli florets. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is tender, about 8 minutes, adding chicken during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 2 cups Per Serving: 433 calories; fat 16g; cholesterol 121mg; sodium 463mg; carbohydrates 24g; dietary fiber 4g; protein 44g; sugars 10g; niacin equivalents 23mg; saturated fat 8g; vitamin a iu 10336IU; potassium 855mg.
