I hope everyone had a lovely holiday season! Whether you celebrated it or not, I hope it was a relaxing time for all. I got to see my new nephew again and it was AH-MAZING! It’s incredible to see how big he’s gotten in a short 1 1/2 months! Dexter (my dog) is still not thrilled about losing his spot as the only “child” in the family, but I think once Dylan gets a little older they’ll be best buds. :)
Although I was sad to leave my little nephew and rest of my family to head back to LA, I’m a little relieved the holidays are at an end. There’s so much pressure during the holidays cooking and baking, it’s nice to get back to simple, cozy winter dishes. Today we have a pretty simple, but totally full flavored recipe for you all, our creamy chicken and farro soup…basically our twist on creamy chicken and rice soup, but a teensy-tiny bit healthier. We use milk instead of cream and we’ve swapped the rice out for farro. I just love the hearty texture and nutty flavor of farro, its so good and so filling!
This recipe makes quite a large batch, but it freezes well (it will be a little thinner and need to be re-seasoned a little bit, if frozen and defrosted) which is great, because we (some more than others) have a few more chilly months ahead of us! Enjoy! xx, Jenny
Here are some other comforting soup recipes you might like:
- Creamy Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
- Corn Chowder
- Easy Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Loaded Baked Potato Soup
- Creamy Pumpkin Soup
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- Spicy Red Curry and Coconut Noodle Soup
- Roasted Sweet Potato and Leek Soup
Also check out this post for our Best Soup Recipes!
Creamy Chicken and Farro Soup
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ¾ cups dry farro
- 4 cups chicken stock
- ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 celery ribs, diced
- 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced thyme
- 2 teaspoons minced sage
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 2 ½ to 3 cups cooked and shredded chicken
- salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Pour oil into a large pot and place over medium-high heat. Add farro and toast for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add stock and bring to a boil. Once mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium and continue to simmer (about 20 minutes).
- While farro and stock simmers, place butter in a large saucepan and melt over medium-high heat.
- Add onion, celery, carrots, and garlic, season with salt and pepper and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes or until vegetables begin to turn translucent. Add thyme and sage and continue to sauté for 1 minute.
- Stir in flour and cook for about 2 minutes, continuing to stir, to remove the raw flour flavor as well as any dry flour pockets.
- Whisk milk into the vegetable-flour mixture and stir until no lumps remain. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes or until the mixture begins to thicken.
- Once the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, transfer mixture to the farro and stock mixture and stir to combine. Add shredded chicken and season with salt and pepper.
- Simmer soup for about 20 to 25 minutes or until the soup thickens, and farro is cooked through. Adjust seasonings and serve.
NOTES
- *Makes 3 quarts
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Does it matter what kind of farro (whole grain vs. pearled) is used?
Hi Stacey! It’s best to use pearled farro for our recipe!
First off, LOVE the soup! Wondering if you have any recommendations for a substitute for the butter?
You can substitute the butter with oil (vegetable or grapeseed oil are my preferences for neutral oils) vegetable shortening or animal fat like duck fat.
I made this for dinner tonight and it’s wonderful! Everyone loved it.
I added shiatake mushrooms, red pepper flake for a little heat and fresh dill. I also toasted fresh garlic with the farro. Very very good!
This soup is delicious! I made it following the recipe exactly using chicken thighs.
My favourite soup 😋😋😋
Could i sub a can of coconut milk for flour and milk thickener?
Hm, I’m not sure the soup would become quite as thick and creamy, but should still work. The consistency will be a little off (and the flavor)