Chicken Pot "Pie" Soup

I had a hankering for chicken pot pie, but was not craving all those calories! I searched around a little, and decided to skip the crust all together, and just make a soup. I served with reduced fat crescent rolls, and it was delicious!

Chicken Pot "Pie" Soup

adapted from Recipe Zaar; serves 4

1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 c. onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 c. reduced-fat chicken broth (I used homemade chicken stock)
1 12 oz bag frozen mixed veggies (I used Valley Fresh Steamers green beans/carrots/peas/corn)
1 (10 oz) can reduced-fat cream of chicken soup (or cream of mushroom)
1 1/2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
~1 lb. chopped cooked chicken breasts (I poached mine, then cut them into bite sized pieces)
1/4 tsp dried basil (or sub fresh)
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large saucepan (or stock pot) over medium heat, saute onions and garlic in olive oil until tender, about 5 minutes. Add chicken stock and veggies. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 12 minutes, partially covered.
2. Combine condensed soup and flour in a small bowl. Add to vegetables, along with chicken, basil, thyme and pepper. Stir well.
3. Continue to simmer soup for ~15 minutes, until it has thickened slightly and flavors have melded. Prepare biscuits if serving.

4. Serve and enjoy!

REVIEW:

This was quite tasty, for a creamy chicken soup. It was actually really thick, like the inside of a chicken pot pie, which is what I was going for. And by skipping out on the heavy cream and pie crust, we definitely saved a few calories (all in all, it wasn't too bad health-wise). You can certainly add whatever veggies float your boat (including fresh or canned), as well as potatoes if you choose (just cut them up small enough, add with the other veggies in Step 1 and simmer until they are fork tender before movign on). Some fresh parsley would be good in here too, if you have any.