Home Style Cream Of Chicken Soup - Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Egg Free, Nut Free

Sneaky old man winter has visited our part of the world this week. I can feel the nippy breeze tickling the back of the neck and the tips of my ears. I have seen myself add more layers to my outfits as I step outside to face the day. Singlets, jumpers, thick socks and scarves are all a necessity in the early part of the day. The forecast for later this week is frigid temperatures with some parts of our state may receive snowfall. I will be keeping my eye out on if that happens because I want to take the kids to see the snow. J.D keeps asking if winter is here yet. He thinks it will snow as soon as winter hits and we will be able to skate on it. He keeps excitedly looking outside waiting for the snow to come. I have told him countless times we don't get snow here but he doesn't believe me.

I am already counting down the days until winter is gone. I really don't like winter as I feel like I am constantly cold for three months. Don't get me started on the cases of flu and colds that go around at this time of the year and seems to attack our family for a good portion of winter. I am trying to build the family's immune up this year especially since poor J.D has been so unwell recently with pneumonia. The kid's get a daily dose of vitamin C, probiotics and an immune support powder from my local health food shop. I try and keep their sugar intake to the minimum and up their intake of good and nourishing foods. Not that I don't do this during the warmer seasons but I find my kids are more inclined to eat blitzed soups filled with good things than a plate of veggies or salad. Miss H is just exiting the fussy age of eating so I have been able to coax more nourishing foods into her lately. J.D eats most things and his favourite foods at the moment is sausages, chicken schnitzel, any meat on the bone and pumpkin soup. He hates eating pumpkin on its own but will down two bowls of soup without blinking an eye.

I made a couple of batches of my Home Style Cream Of Chicken Soup as I was testing it to get it just right and served it up to the kids a few times along the testing process to see how they went with it. They loved the broth part of the soup and slurped this up with glee but seeing the vegetables floating around the soup was another story and they picked their way through what they liked and left a fair bit in the bowl. I like them to try at least one or two things they have an aversion to at each meal. It's my hope that after trying it a few times they will eventually come to realise that it isn't so bad after all.

As for me, I am in LOVE with this Home Style Cream Of Chicken Soup. Hubby gave it two thumbs up as well. I use to be a cream of chicken cuppa-soup fiend back in the day and would go through packets of the stuff during the cooler months. Since discovering I was intolerant to dairy I haven't had any since then. I loved creamy type soups and I totally miss them during the winter months. There is something purely comforting in a creamy bowl of soup. So after reminiscing about the days of creamy cuppa-soups gone past, I decided to come up with a delicious dairy free version full of nourishing goodness, not full of preservatives and flavourings.

The secret to this creamy sauce is not fattening and artery clogging creams but a healthy cauliflower cream that is so smooth and delicious and adds such a wonderful flavour to this soup. Trust me I know it sounds strange and weird but it totall makes the soup sing. I urge you to give it a go and reserver judgement in the tasting. I love to use chicken thighs in my chicken soup as they give such a delicious flavour and break down into beautiful chicken morsels when simmered in the soup. Don't be precious about what veggies to add into the soup either. I just go for whatever I have floating around in the fridge or vegetable crisper at the time. If you are feeling chilly and cold this week why not make a pot of this nourishing and deliciously creamy soup up for the family. I made a double batch and froze some to have on hand over the coming winter months. No excuses now to not have a nourishing dinner in minutes.

Homestyle Creamy Chicken Soup

by The Whimsical Wife

Download & Print Recipe

Prep Time: 30 mins

Cook Time: 45 min

Keywords: boil soup/stew egg free dairy free gluten-free low-carb chicken

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Ingredients (Makes 2 litres of soup)

Chicken Soup

• 1kg chicken thigh fillets
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 x white onions, roughly diced
• 2 x stalks of celery, roughly diced
• 2 x large carrots, roughly diced
• 1 cup roughly diced mushrooms
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup roughly diced sweet potato
• 1 cup small broccoli florets
• 1 cup small cauliflower florets
• 1 cup roughly diced zucchini
• 2 litres water
• 4 teaspoons chicken stock powder
• 2 bay leaves
• 5 sprigs thyme
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 3 sprigs parsley
• 5 springs oregano

Cauliflower Cream

• 500g cauliflower, cut into rough chunks
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup water
• 2 teaspoons chicken stock powder
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil

Instructions

In a large saucepan add the olive oil, onion, celery, carrot, mushroom and garlic. Saute in the pan for 5 minutes until the onion becomes translucent.

Add in the chicken thigh fillets and diced sweet potato and cook for a further 5 minutes until the chicken gets a little colour.

Add the water and stock into the pan along with the bay leaves and the fresh herbs tied together with cooking twine.

Bring the water to the boil and turn down to simmer for 25 minutes with the lid on. Make the cauliflower cream (see below)

Add in the cauliflower, broccoli and zucchini and cook for a further 15 minutes or until tender with the lid on. Turn off the heat.

Remove the chicken thigh fillets from the soup and cut into small chunks. Return back to the soup and add in the cauliflower cream and stir to combine everything.

Ladle spoonfuls of the soup into large bowls and serve with crusty bread.

Cauliflower Cream

In a small saucepan add the cauliflower chunks, water, chicken stock, garlic and coconut oil. Place the lid onto the pan and bring to the boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook until the cauliflower chunks are tender.

Let the mixture cool slightly before blending with a stick blender or in an electric blender. Blend the mix to a smooth and creamy consistency. Set aside until it is ready to be added to the soup.

Cooks Notes

This soup can be made a day in advance and kept in the fridge until required.

Any leftover soup can be packaged up into freezable containers and popped into the freezer for up to three months.

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