Chicken Enchilada Soup (Soy, Egg, Fish and Nut-Free)

This is a recipe that I came up with last night. It was a huge hit with the family! My oldest son, who is very picky when it comes to soup (I can never can get him to eat more than a very small bowlful unless it's chili), ate almost as much as my husband did! Needless to say, that made me know this one is a winner...At least for us. :) Note that this soup is more of a "stoup", is egg, fish and nut-free and is only soy-free if you use soy-free chicken stock/broth/bouillon, soy-free sour cream and soy-free salsa. 

Chicken Enchilada Soup

1 chicken breast, cooked (You will need about 1 Cup worth or so.)

8 to 16 oz. (1 to 2 Cups) soy-free salsa (any heat)

3 Cups soy-free chicken broth/stock (I use Kitchen Basics)

or

3 Cups water plus 3 chicken bullion cubes
(Soy-free bullion is hard to find, so I recommend using the stock instead if you need it to be soy-free.)

1 teaspoon dried parsley

4 Cups diced potatoes

(peeled if using russet type, unpeeled if using red type)

3 Tablespoons salted, full-fat butter

1/4 Cup soy-free flour

8 oz. (1 Cup) shredded cheese (I use cheddar)

1 1/2 Cup milk

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 Cup sour cream (I use Daisy Brand)

1. Shred or chop chicken into bite-sized pieces. (If you have left-over chicken from something, you can use 1 Cup of it here. You could also boil or roast a chicken breast and use that. I prefer to sprinkle chicken with paprika and cover it with about 1/4 Cup water and cook it in the crock pot for about 2 to 3 hours on High until it is done and then use that. The choice is yours. :) )

2. Add chopped/shredded chicken, salsa, broth/stock or water and bullion, parsley and potatoes in a large soup pot and bring to a boil, simmering until potatoes are to desired tenderness. (Note: How much salsa you use is according to personal preference, as well as which heat. You can even mix 2 different heats, if you wish.)

3. In a small skillet, melt the butter and add the flour, cooking and stirring it for 3 to 5 minutes or until the mixture is bubbly. (You are making what is called a roux (pronounced "rue") here. You can let it get as dark as you want (the darker it gets, the more nutty the taste), but be careful as to not burn the flour.)

4. Add roux to pot, bring to a boil and cook and stir for 2 minutes.

5. Reduce heat to low and add cheese, milk, salt and pepper, cooking and stirring until the cheese melts.

6. Remove the pot from heat and blend in sour cream.

Note: This recipe yields 2 1/4 quarts or about eight 1 Cup servings.

This soup is delicious as is, or you can top each individual serving with extra sour cream and parsley, hot sauce, salsa, cheese, etc. if desired.

(Chicken Enchilada Soup topped with extra sour cream and parsley)

(This recipe was originally posted on my original site, Natural and Free.)