Creamy Chicken Soup with Baby Peas and Carrots

Last night, we were invited to join friends for a game night, bookended with a feast of delicacies made by a host of impeccable cooking skills. With a new sitter on the way, we needed to make sure that we could have the kids fed, bathed, and ready before she got here. It was cold enough to prompt me to consider soup, so I went back into my binders and came across this recipe, one I had clipped years ago, pre-children, when I still subscribed to Food + Wine and actually cooked those recipes often. I had never made it, most likely under the assumption that it would be laborious. However, I was surprised to see how easy it was and how delicious it turned out. The original recipe called for a rotisserie chicken, which is always a possibility. However, I cannot stand the process of stripping a rotisserie chicken of its meat. There was also an incredible deal on chicken breasts this week at my favorite meat shop, so I decided to used cooked chicken as the foundation for a few meals for the upcoming week. Before I started the soup, I roasted a few breasts in the oven, chopping up one for this soup. Whichever works best for you will work for this soup. I also loved the idea of thickening the soup with a hearty bread, pureed with the stock and cream. I had a quarter of a loaf of my favorite bread in the world (thank you, Dave) that was leaving its time as toasting bread, so I took advantage of its age and chopped it right up!

You need:

2 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 lg. carrots, peeled and sliced very thin (I used a mandolin)
1 leek, halved lengthwise and thinly slices
3 c. cooked chicken
1/2 tsp. mild curry powder
4 c. chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste
3 oz crustless peasant bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/2 c. half and half
1 c. frozen peas
1 tbsp. chopped flat leaf parsley

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add the carrots and leeks and cook over moderate heat until slightly softened, about four minutes, stirring often. Add the curry powder (and dark meat of the chicken if you are using a rotisserie chicken) and cook, stirring, for one minute. Add three cups of the stock and season with salt and pepper. Simmer over moderate heat until the vegetables are tender, about five minutes. Meanwhile, in a blender, puree the bread, remaining one cup of stock, and half and half. Stir the puree into the soup along with the peas and simmer over low heat until thickened, about eight minutes. Add the chicken and heat through, about three minutes. Stir in the parsley and serve hot with a crusty roll or a slice of bread (preferably from a friend who makes incredible bread.)