Recipe: Chicken Pot Pie Soup (Gluten Free & Healthy!)

I am often asked what it's like being married to someone from a different country - and to be honest, I don't think there's too much of a difference.

Sure, when we first started talking he was confused by some of the things I said - and whenever we travel to Louisiana I am often totally confused by some of the things they say. 

I struggled to explain what "I can't be bothered" meant and he struggled to explain why his Mom and so many others say he's fixing/she's fixing to do something (for example "he's fixing to run off the road" - that was the first time I heard it and I was so excused - but what my mother in law meant was, that guy is driving so badly he's just asking for a car accident).

One thing that's awesome about being married to someone from a different country is all the different food I've been able to discover! Sure, I'd been to the US plenty of time - but I'd never been to the South - and Southern food is so different to anywhere else.

Jambalaya, cornbread, gumbo, boudin, crawfish, dressing, hush puppies - all of these "foreign" foods started making their way into my kitchen. 

One of my favourite Southern inspired dishes is Chicken Pot Pie - and we make it all the time in so many different formats. From our Healthy Chicken Pot Pie Recipe to this Gluten Free Chicken Pot Pie Pasta Recipe, I'm always experimenting with different ways to use the flavours - and this soup recipe has been one of our recent favourites.

So simple to make and so delicious to eat, it's an easy way to load up on ALL THE VEGGIES (even though it doesn't look that pretty) and can be made in advance and frozen to defrost and eat later on. 

Just make sure you serve it with some fluffy cornbread to really take it back to the South!

So let me share the recipe with you! >> 

Healthy Chicken Pot Pie Soup Recipe

serves 4, easily multiplied

gluten free, grain free option, paleo option, make ahead, 

vegan option, high protein, clean eating friendly, freezeable

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tbsp butter or oil 

3 large carrots, peeled and diced

3 ribs of celery, washed and diced

1 medium zucchini, washed and diced

1 cup frozen peas

1 cup frozen corn

1 cup peeled and diced potato

2 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock for vegan*)

2 cups milk of your choice (we used a coconut almond blend)

1/4 cup cornflour/tapioca starch

1/2 tsp thyme

Salt and pepper, to taste

Cooked chicken breast, to serve.

• Add your onion, garlic and butter to a large saucepan and saute over a medium-high heat. 
• Add in your carrots and celery, stirring until all of your vegetables are softened. 
• Add all of your other vegetables, 2 cups of chicken stock and 1 1/2 cups of milk.
• Bring your mixture to the boil and reduce to a simmer, cooking until your vegetables are soft (about 30 minutes). 
• Mix your remaining 1/2 cup of milk and cornflour/tapioca starch and mix through your soup mixture, stirring over a medium-high heat until your soup thickens.
• Season your soup to taste. If desired, you can blend some of the soup to make it even thicker (we usually blend about 1/4 of the soup and mix it all together).
• Serve immediately with cooked chicken breast mixed through (we usually cook it fresh and add it to the soup - or you could use rotisserie chicken) or chill in the fridge to eat later. This soup can also be frozen in individual portions to defrost and reheat later or it will last for 2-3 days in the fridge in an airtight container.

Notes:

• *For a vegan option, leave out the chicken and replace with chickpeas, legumes or nothing at all. Switch the chicken stock for vegetable stock and milk for non-dairy milk. 
• **For a grain free option, switch the cornstarch for tapioca starch.
• You can make this in your thermomix/similar cooking appliance. I make mine in a Tefal Cuisine Companion by first chopping the onion and garlic, adding the butter and starting the P1 Slow Cooker program for 5 minutes with the stopper out. Then I add all of the other ingredients (except the chicken), start the P2 Slow Cooker Program at 100 degrees C for 45 minutes. At the end of the cooking time, I then pulse the soup to break up some of the ingredients and thicken it and then add my cooked chicken and season to taste. Easy!

But tell me, do you have any friends/family members or a partner that has introduced you to new foods?

Or have you discovered new cuisines on your travels?

What are some of your favourite dishes/recipes? I'm really lucky to have friends from so many different cultures. From Lebanese friends who make incredible desserts filled with nuts and spices to Italian friends who have "passata days" where their whole family gets together to make enough tomato passata to last them for the whole year to Greek friends who have taught me that lemons may just be the world most versatile ingredient.

    

   

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