Cream of Chicken and Fennel Soup

Rich and satisfying, this chicken soup gets an unexpected yet delicious infusion of flavour from fennel. Both chopped fennel bulbs and crushed fennel seeds provide a nice anise-scented touch to this extra smooth soup.

Yield:
4 servings
Category:
Soup
Cuisine:
American
Prep Time:
20 min
Cooking Time:
40 min
Total Time:
1 hrs 0 min

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 smallish or 1 large fennel bulbs
  • 5 cups of chicken stock (divided)
  • 1 cup thinly sliced carrots
  • 2 cups diced cooked chicken
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons all-purpose or blending flour
  • 1 1/2 cups of light (10%) cream
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons crushed fennel seeds
  • 3 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley and / or chives
  • 4 cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced (for garnish)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Cut off the stalks from the fennel. Halve bulbs lengthwise, cut out and discard the tough cores. Chop into 1/2 inch dice.
  2. Bring 4 cups of chicken stock to a simmer in a large dutch oven set over medium heat. Add the fennel and the carrots. Cook until vegetables are tender when pierced with a knife. (about 12 minutes). Put the fennel, carrots, 4 cups of stock and diced chicken into a large bowl.
  3. Melt butter in the dutch oven at a medium-high heat. Add flour and cook, stirring for about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in cream and the last cup of stock. Whisk until the mixture thickens slightly. Stir in lemon juice, fennel seeds, salt, and pepper. Stir in the chicken/fennel/carrot mixture. Thin with extra stock or cream if required. Continue cooking for 1 or 2 more minutes. Serve, garnishing with cherry tomato slices.

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