Healthy Creamy Chicken & Vegetable Soup

A healthy Creamy Chicken & Vegetable Soup made with absolutely no-cream! The perfect cold and flu fighting soup during winter...

Who ever said that a creamy soup couldn't be healthy?? This creamy chicken and vegetable soup recipe blows that idea out of the water! Packed full of delicious vegetables and chicken in the creamiest soup base... but it's made without any cream at all!!!

Ingredients for a creamy chicken and vegetable soup

• olive oil and butter - for sautéing 
• vegetables - I used carrot, celery, capsicum, onion, leek, corn and baby spinach but you can use absolutely any other vegetables you like
• chicken - grab a cooked BBQ chicken from the supermarket and you're all set! Otherwise, you can use any cooked chicken breast or thighs that have been shredded/chopped
• flavourings - garlic, thyme, salt and pepper
• soup base - liquid chicken stock and milk
• plain flour - to thicken the soup
• croutons (optional) - for serving

Healthy Creamy Chicken & Vegetable Soup Recipe

Step 1 - Saute the vegetables

Heat butter and oil in a large saucepan and saute the vegetables for a few minutes or until softened. 

Step 2 - Thicken with plain flour

The trick to getting the consistency of this soup nice and thick (without using cream), is to coat the sautéed vegetables in plain flour and allowing it to cook for 1 minute before slowly adding the liquid. 

Step 3 - Add the cooked chicken

One of the best things about this soup recipe is that you can save yourself SO much time by using a cooked BBQ chicken from the supermarket. You can of course, cook your own chicken (breast, thighs or tenderloins) or use up some leftovers that you have in the fridge. 

Step 4 - Simmer for 20 minutes

Add the liquid chicken stock, milk and corn kernels and cook over a low heat for 20 minutes. 

Step 5 - Add the garnishing and serve

Stir through the baby spinach, season with salt and pepper and serve with crunchy croutons. 

How to make a creamy soup without using cream

Whether you're conscious of calories or just don't like cream, you don't need to miss out on deliciously hearty, creamy winter soups!

To get a thick and creamy soup without cream involves just a couple of simple steps!

• coat the sautéed vegetables with plain flour and allow to cook for 1 minute (don't worry if the plain flour sticks to the bottom of the saucepan) - this step will help the soup to thicken
• add just a small amount of liquid chicken stock to start - you want the flour-coated vegetables to soak up the liquid and slowly dissolve the flour. Add a little bit more and once all of the flour has dissolved, add the remaining liquid chicken stock and milk
• you can use either full fat milk or light milk in this recipe - both are delicious!

How to store homemade chicken soup

As much as I love a fresh batch of soup, I feel like it always tastes even better reheated the next day!

Store the cooked soup in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Reheat properly before consuming. 

If you would like to store the soup longer than 2 days, freeze for up to 3 months and then reheat thoroughly before serving. 

 

More healthy winter soup recipes

Click here to check out some more of my favourite healthy winter soups!