One of my ultimate comfort foods is chicken pot pie. I love it because it’s warm and comforting but also because it’s an entire meal in a pie crust. How bad could that be? I was walking through an airport one day and spotted chicken pot pie soup on a menu at the food court and thought it sounded like a great idea. Curiously, it was harder to make than I thought; my first attempts just tasted like chicken pot pie, not soup. But I played around with the recipe and ultimately made a delicious, hearty chicken soup with homemade chicken stock (find my recipe at foodnetwork.com/inastock), roasted chicken, lots of vegetables and — in place of the crust — puff pastry croutons. The secret to this recipe is frozen peas and frozen pearl onions, which makes the prep really easy!
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 35 min |
| Active: | 1 hr |
| Yield: | 6 servings of soup and 12 puff pastry croutons |
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 35 min |
| Active: | 1 hr |
| Yield: | 6 servings of soup and 12 puff pastry croutons |
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts, skin-on, bone-in (2 1/2 to 3 pounds total)
- Good olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
- 5 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (3 leeks) (see Cook’s Note)
- 4 cups chopped fennel, tops and cores removed (2 bulbs)
- 3 cups (1/2-inch) diced scrubbed carrots (5 medium)
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon leaves
- 1/4 cup Wondra flour
- 3/4 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
- 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
- Puff Pastry Croutons (recipe follows)
- 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, such as Pepperidge Farm, defrosted
- 1 extra-large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon heavy cream, for egg wash
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.
- 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˚ F to 140˚ F. 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 the butter in a medium (10- to 11-inch) heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, such as Le Creuset, 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 1/2 cup of the sherry, the chicken stock, 4 teaspoons salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper and the Parmesan rind. Bring to a boil, lower the 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 1/4 cup of sherry and the parsley. Serve hot in large shallow bowls with two Puff Pastry Croutons on top.
- Preheat the oven to 400˚ F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Lightly dust a board and rolling pin with flour. Unfold the sheet of puff pastry on the board, dust it lightly with flour and lightly roll the pastry just to smooth out the folds.
- With star-shaped or fluted round cookie cutters, cut 12 stars or rounds of pastry and place them on the prepared sheet pan. Brush the tops with the egg wash, sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until puffed and golden brown.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 716 |
| Total Fat | 43 g |
| Saturated Fat | 15 g |
| Carbohydrates | 46 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 8 g |
| Sugar | 16 g |
| Protein | 35 g |
| Cholesterol | 150 mg |
| Sodium | 1580 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 716 |
| Total Fat | 43 g |
| Saturated Fat | 15 g |
| Carbohydrates | 46 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 8 g |
| Sugar | 16 g |
| Protein | 35 g |
| Cholesterol | 150 mg |
| Sodium | 1580 mg |
Reviews
This was DEEEISHHHH. Ina in for the win again! I was skeptical because of the combo of some strong ingredients like leeks, two bulbs of fennel AND tarragon but do not hold back – it tasted so savory and comforting just like traditional pot pie. I roasted a chicken and pulled it out at 140 which is not done and a little gross in my opinion to handle…BUT…the genius here is that the chicken isn’t over done or boiled to death when the soup is ready to serve. Tender, juicy bites. I used regular sherry because that’s what I had and didn’t miss any creamy flavors. The parmesan rind is a must. Do not skip this. I added shiitake mushrooms just because and topped with red pepper flakes and fresh grated Parmesan. Yummy and will be in my comfy food winter rotation!
This recipe takes prep time but well worth it! Always happy to find a recipe the family likes. Flavor is that of pot pie without the crust. Delicious!
A work of genius. Love this soup. Very tasty. You would think there is dairy cream in it. The cream sherry gives it a lovely flavor. I do leave out the tarragon though because one licoricey flavor (the fennel) is plenty for me.
This soup replicates the taste of the best chicken pot pie you have ever eaten! This will be a wintertime staple and would be fun to serve to guests.
Absolutely delicious. Substituted brandy for the cream sherry. The flavor of the soup was awesome, truly does capture chicken pot pie. Don’t skip the puff pastry croutons!
I give this 5 stars–not for the soup, but for the brilliant idea for the croutons (actually like my own chicken soup better). But the croutons are wonderful. Have made them 2 ways, once with Crescent Rolls (it was what I had) and once with a puff pastry sheet. Both worked well. But to get the same lift with the Crescent Roll dough, you need to make the crouton with 2 layers of Crescent Roll dough. Actually, liked the flavor of the Crescent Roll croutons a bit better (actually loved these). Have put raw crouton shapes in the freezer so I can pop a few in the oven whenever I need them. Because I have tiny cutters, made them in a variety of shapes.
Delicious and fun to eat! Gave a bowl to one of my coworkers at school and they said it was amazing!! My family enjoyed it very much too!!
Made this with the leftover Thanksgiving turkey and it is divine!