Chunky Chicken-Potato Soup

Last night I was desperate for something different to make for dinner. Soup is an underutilized meal option in this house, and I've been wanting to change that. So I went in search of a soup that used a some ingredients I needed to use up ... namely chicken and potatoes.

The recipe was relatively simple, used stuff I always have on hand, was yummy and everyone ate it - meeting all the necessary requirements to be added to the home cookbook for future dinners. I'm thinking it would freeze well for those who like to do that kind of thing. For reference, here's the original recipe.



CHUNKY CHICKEN-POTATO SOUP

3 medium potatoes or 6 small potatoes
1/3 cup dry diced onion (or medium onion)
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
3 cans chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1-1/2 cups cooked, cubed chicken
1-1/2 cups milk
1 (16 oz.) can corn, drained

Peel and dice potatoes into 1/2 cubes, rinse under cold water and set aside.
Place dry diced onion in small glass dish, cover with water and microwave 45 seconds to reconstitute.
In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add the onion, stir until heated, approx. 1 minute (if using fresh onion, cook stirring, until wilted, 1-2 minutes.). Stir in the flour and cook stirring constantly, until the flour and butter are completely blended, 1- 2 minutes.

Slowly pour in the chicken broth, stirring constantly. When the mixture returns to a boil, add the potatoes and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

While potatoes cook, dice the chicken. Increase the heat to medium when the soup returns to a boil, stir in chicken, milk and corn. Cook until chicken is heated through.

* * * * *

The chicken was leftover from a crockpot chicken recipe I heard about on the radio. The flavor was very nice and I think it really complemented the soup.

1 whole chicken (4-5lbs)
1 lemon, pierced
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup orange juice

Clean chicken cavity, pierce lemon and insert in cavity and place in bottom of crockpot. Mix honey and orange juice and pour over chicken. Cook on low for 8 hours. Remove skin and bones and serve.