Christmas Confetti Chicken Soup
Christmas confetti soup makes a perfect dish fit for any holiday menu, either as an appetizer or a main course. A thick and creamy chicken soup is studded with pops of seasonal color from healthy chopped spinach, pops of bright 'ornament'-like colors from sweet bell peppers, chunks of rotisserie chicken, and finished with star-shaped homemade croutons. It's like Christmas in a bowl!
Servings: 6
Calories: 400kcal
Ingredients
For The Christmas Confetti Soup
- 1/4 cup butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup chopped sweet bell peppers red, yellow, and orange
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 10 oz bag fresh spinach chopped
- 2-3 cups cooked chicken chopped
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
For The Star-Shaped Croutons
- 6 slices sandwich bread your favorite brand
- cooking spray
- onion powder to taste
- garlic powder to taste
Instructions
To Make The Confetti Soup
- Melt the butter and olive oil together in the bottom of a dutch oven, or similar heavy pot, over medium low heat.1/4 cup butter, 2 tbsp olive oil
- Stir in the chopped peppers and saute them, stirring often, just until softened- about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the flour until combined, then continue cooking for another 60 seconds until the flour 'taste' has cooked out.1 cup chopped sweet bell peppers, 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- Add the broth one cup at a time, and stirring between each addition until smooth. Stir in the cream.5 cups chicken broth, 1 cup heavy cream
- Raise the heat to medium and let the soup simmer for 10 minutes- until hot, bubbly, and thickened.
- Remove the pot from heat and add the the spinach, chicken and nutmeg- stirring until evenly combined. Salt and pepper to taste.1 10 oz bag fresh spinach, 2-3 cups cooked chicken, 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
To Make The Star Shaped Croutons
- Use a one inch star shaped cookie cutter to cut out four-five stars from each slice of bread, Discard the excess or save it for stuffing or meatloaf.6 slices sandwich bread
- Spread the croutons out on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Lightly sprinkle garlic and onion powder out overtop.cooking spray, onion powder, garlic powder
- Bake at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes, depending on how golden brown you want them.
- Let the croutons cool completely before using.
- Ladle the warm soup into bowls and serve topped with star croutons.
Notes
- Don't want to use non stick cooking spray? Toss the cut out bread stars in a bit of melted butter before baking instead.
- Do not sub frozen spinach for fresh. Even thawed and well drained it will still have too much excess moisture and make the soup thin and runny.
- Croutons can be double or tripled, as desired. Do NOT store leftover croutons and soup together- they will turn to mush.
- Be careful the soup never goes above a simmer because if it reaches a boil it will curdle the cream.
Nutrition
Calories: 400kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 944mg | Potassium: 6857mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1049IU | Vitamin C: 45mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 4mg