Buffalo Chicken Soup!

Y'know, it's much faster taking photos...honest, I WILL do sketches again when I catch my breath!  Meanwhile, here's Joseph's delicious

 

Buffalo Chicken Soup

 

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1/4 cup tapioca or arrowroot flour
• 3/4 cup milk or cream
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon Better Than Bullion Chicken Flavor
• 2 boneless chicken breasts or 4 boneless thighs, cut in bite size chunks
• 1/4 C. of your favorite hot sauce, more or less...we use Cholula
• 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• Bleu cheese/gorgonzola crumbles

Directions

You can start with cooked chicken breasts, (if you do, skip this step) but it’s even better if you start with raw. Melt a tablespoon of the butter in a large pot over medium heat, sprinkle the chicken chunks with salt & pepper, and sauté them until just done. Once done, set them aside. This leaves nice chicken gooey bits in the pot – leave them there, add the rest of the butter to the pot, add the celery and onion and cook over medium-high heat until tender. 

This part is kind of tricky – sprinkle the flour and fully coat the onion & celery, ensuring all the butter is absorbed. Then slowly stir the milk into the mixture, stirring briskly with a fork as though you were making gravy. It’s easy for this to turn lumpy if you’re not careful.

Add the bouillon and stir until it’s dissolved, then slowly add the chicken broth, stirring constantly.

Cube the chicken and add it to the pot along with the buffalo wing sauce, and cheddar cheese. Reduce heat to low, stirring occasionally. Allow the soup to simmer until the cheese has melted completely, but do not allow to boil. 

Serve with a sprinkling of bleu cheese crumbles on top.

While this is just spicy enough for Kate, I usually add a little more wing sauce or Cholula Hot Sauce (which can be done after it’s been served) to liven it up a bit. [Hey, it was PLENTY lively.  Yum...]

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And yep, I had to have it with a nice green salad...yum...

Fresh and crunchy, with celery hearts, romaine lettuce, onion, cherry tomatoes, and  fresh basil--with extra virgin olive oil and a splash of red wine vinegar...luscious!