Cream Cheese Chicken and Vegetable Soup

After our last Soup debacle (read about it HERE!) I figured I'd go for something I knew would turn out good! I found this recipe and when I read that it had cream cheese in it I knew it would be good...cream cheese makes almost anything better, don't ya think? Anyway, I was not disappointed. Both the hubby and the kids LOVED this soup. It makes quite a bit, so we had some left over, but it was eaten up the next day for lunch, so it's all good! The cream cheese helps make the soup super creamy and gives it a nice rich flavor. I will definately be making this one over and over!

Cream Cheese Chicken and Vegetable Soup

from My Kitchen Cafe adapted by Me!

PRINT RECIPE

4 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 yellow onion, finely diced

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

4 stalks celery, diced

1 cup diced carrots (about 4 regular carrots or a couple handfuls of baby carrots)

6 cups chicken broth

6-7 potatoes, peeled and finely diced

2 cup milk

8 tablespoons flour

1-2 (8 oz. package) regular or light cream cheese

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced

In a large pot, melt the butter and add the onion, garlic, celery and carrots. Saute, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes, until the veggies are slightly tender and the onions are translucent. Add the chicken broth and potatoes. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 10-15 minutes. In a liquid measuring cup, vigorously whisk the flour and milk together until smooth. Whisk the mixture into the soup, and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, until the soup begins to thicken slightly. Stir often to ensure the soup doesn't burn. Soften the cream cheese in the microwave until it is very soft/melty. I placed an unwrapped cream cheese on a plate and microwaved it for one minute and 30 seconds at 30% power. Add the cream cheese to the soup in small tablespoon-size pieces. (the original recipe calls for 2 8oz. packages of cream cheese, but I just put in one and it looked-and tasted-good so I left the 2nd one out, but you could most certainly add it...it would probably just make it all the more creamy and delicious!) Let the pieces sit in the soup and warm through then whisk or stir the soup until the cream cheese melts and mixes in well. Add the cooked chicken and heat through. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.