Hen Pot Pie Soup

Hen pot pie at all times hits the spot for me, however let’s be actual, making the crust from scratch isn’t at all times within the playing cards. This soup model provides you all that basic, comfort-food taste with rather less work. It’s wealthy, creamy, full of tender hen and veggies, and each chew tastes like hen soup for the soul.

In case you are up for it, you possibly can at all times make an entire hen pot pie. It’s nonetheless fairly simple.

A number of recipes use potatoes for the “pie crust” aspect or canned biscuit dough, however that’s simply not my type in any respect. I thought of including some do-it-yourself biscuit dough to behave as dumplings, however an excellent higher concept got here to thoughts: Gnocchi! These little potato dumplings are offered dry within the pasta aisle in most grocery shops. You get that very same mushy, doughy “pie crust” goodness, and actually, it is likely to be even higher.

Ingredient Notes

• Boneless Skinless Hen Breast: You’ll want about 1 1/2 kilos. Hen thighs work too in the event you favor darkish meat. Simply trim off any extra fats.
• Olive Oil: Only a bit to brown the hen. You possibly can sub in avocado oil or any impartial oil you’ve obtained available.
• Salted Butter: For those who solely have unsalted, that’ll work simply fantastic.
• White Onion: A medium onion is ideal right here. Yellow onion works too if that’s what you’ve obtained.
• Carrots: Use 4 medium carrots. You possibly can cube or slice them, no matter texture you favor in your soup.
• Celery Ribs: Go for 4 ribs, sliced.
• All-Function Flour: This thickens the soup and provides it that creamy pot pie texture. Don’t skip the cooking time, it removes the uncooked flour style.
• Minced Garlic: About 2 tablespoons, which is roughly 6 cloves. Use contemporary if doable, however jarred garlic works too. It simply has a barely extra bitter taste.
• Hen Broth: Go together with low sodium if you need extra management over the salt. Retailer-bought or do-it-yourself each work nice. I additionally love Higher Than Boullioun.
• Dried Thyme: Only a contact goes a good distance so as to add that signature pot pie taste.
• Heavy Cream: This makes the soup wealthy and silky. You could possibly swap in half-and-half, nevertheless it gained’t be fairly as thick.
• Frozen Peas: Toss them in straight from the freezer. No must thaw. Canned peas will work too, however they’re a lot softer.
• Gnocchi: That is your pie crust stand-in! Search for it within the pasta aisle, sometimes vacuum-packed.

Rotisserie Hen Shortcut

Rotisserie hen makes this soup even faster to get on the desk, plus it’s what’s often known as a “loss chief” that means grocery shops promote it at a loss so it’s top-of-the-line bargains you will discover.

You’ll skip the browning step in the beginning. As an alternative, go forward and begin by sautéing the veggies in butter, then proceed on with the recipe. Stir in about 3 cups of shredded rotisserie hen when the recipe requires including the cooked hen again in.

For the reason that hen’s already completed, you’ll simply wish to simmer the soup lengthy sufficient to warmth every thing by means of and let the flavors come collectively.

Gnocchi Choices

Gnocchi is the key ingredient that provides this soup that “pie crust” vibe with none baking. You’ll often discover gnocchi in vacuum-sealed packages within the pasta aisle, however refrigerated or frozen gnocchi works too. Shelf-stable gnocchi is tremendous handy and cooks proper within the soup in about 5 minutes.

For those who’re utilizing frozen gnocchi, there’s no must thaw it. Simply toss it into the simmering soup and provides it a few further minutes. You’ll comprehend it’s prepared when the gnocchi float to the highest and are mushy and pillowy.

You can even discover gluten-free gnocchi at many grocery shops. With gluten-free, you simply wish to prepare dinner it in accordance with the bundle instructions earlier than including it in on the very finish.

Vegetable Add-Ins

This soup is tremendous versatile in the case of veggies. For those who’ve obtained extras available or simply wish to enhance the vitamin, listed below are some simple add-in choices:

Mushrooms: Add 1 cup of sliced mushrooms with the carrots and celery. Sauté till softened and evenly browned, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Corn: Stir in 1 cup of frozen or canned corn if you add the peas and gnocchi. No further prepare dinner time wanted.

Child Spinach: Add 2 cups of contemporary child spinach on the very finish, proper earlier than serving. It’ll wilt in only a minute or two.

Diced Potatoes: Peel and cube 1 medium russet or Yukon gold potato into small cubes. Add it in with the broth so it has time to melt, about quarter-hour of simmering ought to do it.

Inexperienced Beans: Use 1 cup of chopped contemporary or frozen inexperienced beans. Add them with the carrots and celery in order that they prepare dinner by means of and keep tender-crisp.

Simply watch out to not overload the pot. About 2 cups of additional veggies whole is an efficient rule of thumb to maintain the steadiness proper.

Adjusting Thickness

This soup is designed to be creamy and hearty, however you possibly can completely tweak the feel based mostly on the way you prefer it:

To Make It Thicker: In order for you a thicker soup, whisk collectively 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of chilly water. Stir it into the soup after including the cream and gnocchi, and simmer for an additional 2 to three minutes till thickened. You can even cut back the broth by 1 cup in the beginning for a naturally thicker end result.

To Make It Thinner: In case your soup seems thicker than you’d like (particularly if it sat for a bit), simply stir in an additional 1 to 2 cups of hen broth or water. Add slightly at a time till it’s the consistency you need, then heat it by means of earlier than serving.