Ina Garten's Chicken Pot Pie Soup Recipe

Ina Garten's chicken pot pie soup, featured in her 2020 cookbook Modern Comfort Food, has become a favorite winter comfort meal. The recipe was inspired by a dish Garten saw on an airport restaurant menu. It requires roasting skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts and preparing a broth with chicken stock, carrots, leeks, fennel, and pearl onions. The soup is finished with cream sherry, fresh parsley, and tarragon. A key component is homemade puff pastry croutons, made by cutting thawed puff pastry into shapes, brushing with an egg wash, and baking until golden. The preparation involves sautéing vegetables, thickening the broth with flour, and simmering the chicken to create a rich flavor profile. The result is a hearty dish that mimics the filling of a traditional pot pie, topped with flaky, buttery pastry.

The idea for this specific soup came to Ina Garten while she was traveling. She shares the origin story in her cookbook, noting that the concept seemed unique at the time. Garten writes, "I was walking through an airport once and spotted chicken pot pie soup on a restaurant menu. What a good idea!"

Despite the appealing concept, the development process was not immediate. Garten admits that the initial attempts at the recipe were challenging. She states, "It was actually harder to make than it sounded — my first few attempts just tasted like chicken pot pie filling, not soup." The final version, however, successfully achieved the desired consistency and flavor, hitting "all the right comforting notes, with good chicken stock, roasted chicken, and puff pastry croutons."

To serve six people, the recipe requires a specific list of ingredients. The main components include 3 chicken breasts (skin-on, bone-in, totaling 2.5 to 3 pounds) and 7 cups of chicken stock. The vegetable base consists of:

• 5 medium-sized carrots
• 3 leeks (white and light-green parts)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 fennel bulbs
• 1 cup of frozen whole pearl onions
• 1 bag of frozen peas

Additional flavorings include 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter, ¾ cup of cream sherry, ¼ cup of Wondra flour, fresh parsley, fresh tarragon, and a piece of Italian Parmesan cheese rind. For the puff pastry croutons, you will need one sheet of frozen puff pastry (such as Pepperidge Farm), an egg wash (beaten egg with heavy cream), all-purpose flour, salt, and pepper.

The preparation begins with roasting the chicken. The oven should be preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. The chicken breasts are placed skin-side up on a sheet pan, rubbed with olive oil, and seasoned with salt and pepper. They are roasted for approximately 35 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 130 to 140 degrees. Once removed from the oven, the meat is set aside to cool.

Vegetable preparation is a crucial step. The fennel, tarragon, and carrots should be chopped, and the garlic minced. Special attention is required for the leeks. Garten instructs to cut off the dark green leaves at a 45-degree angle, chop the white and light green parts, and wash them thoroughly. To prevent the leeks from steaming rather than sautéing, they must be dried completely using a salad spinner or paper towels.

The cooking process starts by melting 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter in a large pot over medium heat. The leeks, fennel, and carrots are added and sautéed over medium-high heat for 10 minutes. Garten notes that the leeks should become tender but not browned. After this, the minced garlic and chopped tarragon are added and cooked for one additional minute.

To thicken the soup, ¼ cup of Wondra flour is sprinkled over the aromatics. This mixture must be stirred constantly for two minutes. Next, ½ cup of sherry is added to the pot. (Note: While the recipe calls for cream sherry, dry sherry can be used as a substitute if necessary.)

The 7 cups of chicken stock and the Parmesan cheese rind are then added to the pot. The broth is seasoned with 4 teaspoons of salt and 1 ½ teaspoons of pepper. The soup is brought to a boil and then reduced to a simmer. It is left to simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes.

While the soup simmers, the roasted chicken meat is removed from the bones and diced into 1-inch pieces. Once the initial 20-minute simmer is complete, the diced chicken, frozen peas, and pearl onions are added to the pot. The soup is simmered uncovered for an additional five minutes. Finally, the pot is removed from the heat, the Parmesan rind is discarded, and the remaining ¼ cup of sherry and minced parsley are stirred in.

The puff pastry croutons provide the signature pot pie topping. The oven is preheated to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and a sheet pan is lined with parchment paper. The frozen puff pastry sheet must be fully thawed; this can be done overnight in the refrigerator or on the counter for about 45 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, the puff pastry is unfolded and lightly rolled to smooth out any folds. A rolling pin or even a bottle of sherry can be used for this, provided it is dusted with flour to prevent sticking. The dough is then cut into shapes. Garten recommends using star-shaped or fluted round cookie cutters. In this instance, 12 croutons were cut, though the dough can be cut into smaller, bite-sized pieces for easier eating.

The cutouts are placed on the prepared sheet pan. An egg wash is brushed over the top of each crouton, and they are seasoned with salt and pepper. The croutons are baked for approximately 10 minutes, though checking at the 8-minute mark is advisable as oven temperatures vary. They are ready when they have puffed up and turned a golden brown. These croutons are served on top of the finished soup.