Friday, 21 January 2011

Cream of Chicken Soup Recipe

Cream of chicken soup is both nourishing and very very filling at the same time. It is believed that only a cupful of this soup has about 1185 mgs of sodium, which is like 49% of the recommended Daily Value stipulation of this particular mineral! It is also rich in carbohydrates (13.3 gm) out of which 4.1 gms are energy giving sugars and it also caters to about 1.8 gms of the protein requirements of the body. Also a relatively good source of Vitamin A and calcium, it contributes very small amounts of vitamin C and iron to the system as well. So, let us see how to boil up some of this scrumptious soup in that cauldron. Here's a very yummy but easy cream of chicken soup recipe for you.

Easy Cream of Chicken Soup Recipe
To nourish and quieten the tummy rumblings of about 6 people, see to it you throw in these ingredients in you cauldron,
  • Chicken breasts, 1½ pound (boneless, skinned, diced and slow cooked for 3 hours)
  • Potato, 1 (cubed)
  • Celery, ¾ cup (cubed)
  • Carrots, 3 (sliced)
  • Leeks, 3 (minced)
  • Onion, 1 (cubed)
  • Mushrooms, ½ cup (finely slivered)
  • Chicken broth, 5 cups
  • All-purpose flour, ½ cup
  • Cream, ½ cup (33%)
  • Milk, ¼ cup
  • Canola oil, 2 tsp.
  • Thyme, ½ tsp.
  • Parsley, 1 tbsp. (chopped)
  • Tarragon, 1 tbsp.
  • White pepper, ¼ tsp. (ground)
  • Salt, to taste
Procedure
Pour oil in a pan and heat. Then throw in the mushrooms, celery, onion, leeks and carrots and sauté until they all get a little fried. Now add the cubed chicken and fry for about 15 seconds and then pour in the broth. To this add the flour, mixed with a little hot water. Ladle for some time. When a light simmer starts to appear, add the potato, parsley, herbs, salt, pepper and the milk to it and wait till a full boil sets in. Remember to stir occasionally. After approximately 40 minutes, gently introduce the cream and ladle for just a moment. And voila! Ready to be voraciously gorged down. A very delicious and creamy chicken soup recipe indeed!

Now, in soothe, there is truly just one problem with the quintessential cream of chicken soup recipe and that has got to do with cream of chicken soup calories and saturated fat content. Just a cupful of cream of chicken soup has about 3.4 gms of saturated fat and 107 calories, 48 of which are donated by fats. Naturally, the diet conscious will break into a cold sweat on hearing this. So, for them I have an option over here.

Low Fat Cream of Chicken Soup Recipe
This will take about 40 minutes of your time in the kitchen and cater to a small get together of 8. Take out the following from the larder.
  • Chicken, 2 cups (cooked and cubed)
  • Chicken broth, 4 cups (low sodium and low fat)
  • Mushrooms, 1½ cups (slivered)
  • Peas, 1 cup
  • Half and half, 1 cup (low fat)
  • Carrots, 1 cup (chopped)
  • Onions, 1 cup (shredded)
  • Cornstarch and milk solution, ¼ cup (use fat free milk)
  • Canola oil, 2 tsp.
  • Mixed herbs, 1 tsp.
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
Procedure
You need to start by heating the oil and then adding the onions and the carrots to it. Sauté this for about 8-9 minutes and then add the mushrooms and herbs to it. Sauté for some time more and then initiate the peas and the chicken cubes to it. Stir and pour the broth. Bring to a steady boil of 15 minutes and then pour in the cornstarch solution to it. Stir and allow it to simmer for another 5-7 minutes. Serve piping hot!

Believe me, the calorie count from fat comes down to 21 per bowlful and the saturated fat content reduces to a nominal 0.6 gms. So, more worries!

Cream of Chicken Soup Substitute
For those who do not eat chicken but love the broth and are naturally looking for a cream of chicken soup substitute recipe, I shall keep from disappointing you either. Check out this super tasty recipe for low fat cream of chicken soup substitute.

Arrange for
  • Granulated instant chicken bouillon, ¼ cup (low sodium)
  • Milk powder, 2 cups (fat free)
  • All-purpose flour (or other cornstarch substitute), 3 tbsp.
  • Onion powder, 2 tbsp.
  • Butter, 1 tbsp.
  • Thyme, 1 tsp.
  • Dried basil, 1 tsp.
  • Pepper and salt, a dash
Procedure
Mix and blend all the ingredients except the butter and flour. Now heat the butter in a pan and add the flour to it. Keep stirring until they form a pasty mixture. Now add the ground mixture to this, ladle once and add about 1¼ cups of water to this and then keep stirring to form a uniform solution. When the consistency thickens, add the salt and pepper as per preference and it is ready to serve. You may garnish with some chopped celery.

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