Chicken Pot Pie Soup
3 chicken breasts, skin on, bone
in (2½ to 3 pounds total) Good olive oil
Kosher and freshly ground black
pepper
6 tablespoons (¾ stick)
unsalted butter
5 cups chopped leeks, white and light-green parts (3 leeks)
4 cups chopped fennel, tops
and cores removed (2 bulbs) 3 cups (½-inch) diced scrubbed
carrots
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3
cloves)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh
tarragon leaves ¼ cup Wondra flour
¾ cup cream sherry, divided 7 cups good chicken stock,
preferably homemade 1 (2-by-3-inch) piece of Italian
Parmesan cheese rind 1 (10-ounce) box frozen peas 1 cup frozen whole pearl onions ¼ cup minced fresh parsley Instructions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place the chicken on a sheet pan skin-side up, rub the skin with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 minutes, until a thermometer registers 130 to 140 degrees. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove and discard the skin and bones and cut the chicken in 1-inch dice. Set aside.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the leeks, fennel and carrots, and sauté over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are tender but not browned. Stir in the garlic and tarragon and cook for one minute. Sprinkle on the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add ½ cup of the sherry, the chicken stock, 4 teaspoons salt, 1½ teaspoons pepper and the Parmesan rind. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes.
Add the chicken, peas and onions and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Off the heat, remove the Parmesan rind and add the remaining ¼ cup of sherry and the parsley. Serve hot in large shallow bowls. May be garnished with puff pastry croutons (recipe in cookbook).
Note: To prep leeks, cut off the dark-green leaves at a 45-degree angle and discard. Chop the white and light-green parts, wash well in a bowl of water and spin dry in a salad spinner. Wet leeks will steam rather than sauté.
Makes 6 servings
From “Modern Comfort Food” by Ina Garten