Marsha's Chicken Cordon Bleu Soup

*This recipe is low-carb if you omit or sub the potatoes.

Scott and I went to dinner about a week ago and they were serving chicken cordon bleu SOUP! I just had to try it, and I really loved it! I also thought, I bet I can make this at home. That lead me to do a search on the Internet for recipes to try, and in the end, I combined and tweaked two different recipes to come up with Marsha's Chicken Cordon Bleu Soup! First, let's give credit where credit is due and I will link you to the two recipes I drew inspiration from.

Chef in Training's Chicken Cordon Bleu Soup:
http://www.chef-in-training.com/2014/09/chicken-cordon-bleu-soup/

The Slow Roasted Italian's Chicken Cordon Bleu Soup:
http://communitytable.com/26575/donnaelick/30-minute-chicken-cordon-bleu-soup/

But of course, here is what you have been waiting for... Marsha's version! Scott seriously loved this soup so much that he said he was, "looking for people to brag to at work." I'd say that makes this a favorite.

Marsha's Chicken Cordon Bleu Soup

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup flour

2 1/2 cups half and half

2 1/2 cups milk

1 Tbl. chicken bullion

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 lg. cans (approx. 10 oz) canned chicken (or 2 1/2 cups cooked chicken in bite size pieces)

1/2 cup cooked and chopped bacon

1 cup (or 1 small package) cubed/diced ham

1-1 1/2 cups carrots, bite size pieces cooked until soft

1-1 1/2 cups potatoes, bite size pieces cooked until soft

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

garlic salt to taste

2 cups freshly grated Swiss cheese

top with croutons

If they aren't previously cooked, prepare your carrots and potatoes (wash, peel, chop) and let steam until almost tender while you are making the roux for the soup.

In a large saucepan, melt butter. Add flour, veggies, seasonings (not garlic salt yet) and bullion, bacon and ham (not chicken yet if using canned), stir to combine, and cook for a minute or so to reduce the raw flour taste in the roux. Add cream cheese in small pieces. Slowly, a little bit at a time, add milk and half and half, stirring constantly to avoid lumps (adding it really slow and stirring a lot is the key). As the soup starts to steam and is getting hot, add chicken and bring to a simmer and boil until mostly thickened. Taste test and add garlic salt to taste at this stage. Remove from heat and stir in Swiss cheese (which will finish thickening the soup if done right). Stir until melted and combined. Serve with croutons as topping.

*I used canned chicken for convenience, but if you like the texture of other kinds of cooked chicken, use what you like; cook your own or buy a precooked rotisserie chicken. Another trick is using freshly grated Swiss off the block. If you buy the pre-shredded cheeses, they just don't melt as smooth and creamy because of the chemicals they put on pre-shredded cheese to keep it from molding quickly. Fresh cheese is key!