Crockpot Chicken Pot Pie Soup — Perfect for this DEEP FREEZE!

Not sure what it’s like where you live, but right now in New England and in much of the Northeast and other parts of the US, it’s VERY COLD. It was 7 degrees when I left the house yesterday and 15 degrees (F) today… and it’s windy. Which means, with the windchill and the low humidity (the air is very dry), it’s in the negative double digits. BRRR!!!!

So what better time than to share this delicious, hardy, über comfort food, Crockpot Chicken Pot Pie Soup recipe?!

My sister found the original recipe on (I THINK) Epicurious or another recipe site (NOT made in a crockpot though), made it and loved it. Of course I NEVER follow a recipe to the “t”, b/c I like it to me mine. I tried to keep it as simple as possible, buying as many things pre-made as a I could. I normally make my own chicken stock but for this soup I used bouillon AND a crockpot to keep it family friendly. So here is BFW’s version of this delicious winter soup…

1 14.5oz container of Trader Joe’s Mirepoix (or make your own… Wholefoods also sells a pre-cut version for time-saving)
1 leek, cleaned, sliced in half lengthwise and cut into 1/4 in slices
1lb Trader Joe’s Teeny Tiny Potatoes (see pic below), chopped with skin on
10oz package of fresh English Peas (Trader Joe’s has these year round)
1 8oz block of light cream cheese, at room temp
8 cups water
2 packages/envelopes Trader Joe’s Savory Chicken Broth concentrate (see pic below)
Fresh thyme and rosemary
Dried oregano
Salt, pepper, garlic blend (I have a pre-blended container)
Fresh ground pepper
1lb cooked, shredded rotisserie chicken

Start by cooking the mirepoix in about 1 tbsp of EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) until tender and translucent. As it gets close to done, add the leeks and continue cooking until wilted. Meanwhile, chop your TJ’s potatoes (or whatever type you use) into small pieces. You can peel them first, but I chose to leave the peels on.

In a large crockpot, set to high, layer in the cooked mirepoix, the peas, potatoes, chicken, top with 8 cups of water, season how you like… I added a little bit of everything listed above and once things start heating up, add in the 2 packages/envelopes Trader Joe’s Savory Chicken Broth concentrate:

Lastly, once things get ‘cooking’, you can add the cream cheese in chunks. It’s fine to add it now, but I think it would melt faster if you added it after the soup was nice and hot.

Stir every so often and leave the lid off from time to time to allow the soup to thicken up. I may have even added some Wondra (you could easily use cornstarch or flour) to help expedite the thickening. There’s no hard and fast rule, it’s really whatever you prefer.

So the big question is HOW LONG DO YOU COOK IT FOR? I really find this to be objective based on your likes. I like my soups thick and chunky… I think I let this cook for about 8 hours. It probably would have been done in less, but I really like the flavors to meld, the sauce to thicken up and the chicken to be super tender.

Sautéing the mirepoix and leeks in my cast iron skillet with a little bit of EVOO.

Trader Joe’s Teeny Tiny potatoes, which I cut into small cubes, but left the skin on. Aren’t they adorable???

What everything looked like once it was in the crockpot. The large white chunks are the cream cheese. Just keep stirring from time to time and as the soup heats up and melts the cheese, it WILL blend it nicely. It takes a few hours though.

The final result! Yes, this looks pretty thick, more like a stew than a soup and that’s b/c this is the NEXT DAY. I forgot to take a picture the night we ate it. Also, this pic is of the COLD SOUP (a food photograph trick, to keep the steam from fogging the lens or distorting the picture), so that’s why it looks so thick as well. It was DELICIOUS. We didn’t top it with anything, but if you keep scrolling down to the original recipe, you can actually top this or serve this with pie crust to make it even more “pot pie like”. Enjoy!

If you happen to be curious about the original recipe, here is the one my sister made…

Ingredients
4 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 quarts water
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, split
1 tablespoon bouillon flavoring
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 small white onion, diced (1/4 cup)
2 stalks celery (1/2 cup), diced
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 1/2 pounds frozen mixed vegetables
1 cup heavy cream
Pinch sea salt
1 store-bought pie crust

Directions
Add diced potatoes to a large bowl filled with cold water. Set aside.

Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Add chicken, reduce heat to a simmer and allow to poach; about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate to cool. Continue to simmer the broth, adding the bouillon until reduced by half, about 10 more minutes. Dice the chicken when cooled.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and the celery cooking until translucent, 2 minutes. Stir in the flour and whisk until it forms a roux. Add the Italian seasoning and pepper; cook for 3 more minutes.

Whisk the roux into the broth and bring back up to a boil. Drain the potatoes. Add the potatoes and the chicken to the broth over low heat. Stir in the frozen vegetables. Place a lid on top and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in cream and a pinch of sea salt and cook for 5 more minutes.

Preheat the oven as directed on the pie crust package.

Lay the pie crust on a baking sheet and place into the oven. Cook according to package instructions, or until the pie crust is golden brown. When the crust has cooled, break up into pieces.