Chicken Pot Pie Soup

Although it's been The New Year for over a week now, I'm finally settling into it. And I think it was the inspiration of a fresh beginning that incited a little cleaning spree yesterday afternoon. The husband and I packed all of the Christmas decorations back into their storage bins. I put away all the clothes strewn about my room leftover from unpacking (if you could call it that!) when we returned from Seattle. My proudest accomplishment, though, was tackling two baskets of "important documents" I had been hoarding for, oh, years. I filed away seasons greetings from 4 years ago, shredded phone bills from 2009, and even found my greeting card organizer! And, yes, I did note the irony of that last one.

Now that my house is a bit cleaner, it's time to tidy up my eating habits after a holiday of overindulgence. On that note, I present an utterly delicious and filling meal, Chicken Pot Pie Soup.

Chicken Pot Pie Soup
Adapted from skinnytaste.com
Serves: 4 as a main dish

2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 large onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
Salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
6 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 potato (I used Yukon gold. That's my favorite kind.), peeled and chopped small
2 cups water, divided
3 cups milk (I used 1% because that's what I put on my cereal.)
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon
2 cups cubed (or shredded) cooked chicken
2 cups frozen veggie mix (peas, carrots, corn, green beans)
2 tablespoons flour

Heat oil over medium high heat in a large saucepan. Add onion and celery and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook about 6 minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables are beginning to soften.

Add garlic and poultry seasoning and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in 1.5 cups water, milk, and bouillon, scraping the bottom of the pan to get all of the flavor into the soup. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Whisk flour into remaining 1/2 cup water. Whisk flour-water mixture into soup and allow it to simmer for about 5 minutes until soup thickens. Season to taste with salt and pepper.