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Creamy Chicken Soup with Farro

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This Creamy Chicken Soup with Farro is amazing – light and flavorful and loaded with healthy vegetables.

I hope all of you moms had a wonderful Mother’s Day! I know I did. It was very relaxing!

Creamy Chicken Soup with Farro | Inspiration KitchenWe had beautiful weather – not a cloud in the sky and the sun made an appearance all day – which made it the perfect day to prep the gardening beds and get them ready to plant herbs and vegetables.

I’m telling you – there is something about Mother’s Day in the Pacific Northwest…the weather is always beautiful and I see more moms working in their yards on that day than any other. I always think “Hey, shouldn’t you be having breakfast in bed?”  What’s with the gardening clothes and you rockin’ that hoe?  Yet, there I was, right there with them, digging in the dirt getting ready to plant the garden.  I guess it’s a mom thing – we like to nurture things. It must be the good mom mojo we’ve got goin’ on. 🙂

Creamy Chicken Soup with Farro | Inspiration KitchenNow, I’m just going to warn you…remember my tomato explosion last year? I was inundated with tomatoes! So, I hope you all are ready for some major tomato recipes. If not, I’m just going to ship off a few dozen boxes of the over-producing things to you and you can get creative!  I remember by the end of summer last year, not even being able to think of another tomato recipe! 🙂

Ok, let’s talk soup.

This Creamy Chicken Soup with Farro is amazing. I was blown away by how flavorful and light it was.  It uses skim milk, yet with the roux, the sauce is creamy and light.  It’s filling, but it’s not a soup that you couldn’t have in the summertime as well as the winter.  And, it’s loaded with healthy vegetables.

Creamy Chicken Soup with Farro | Inspiration KitchenInstead of using rice, I used a whole grain called Farro.  If you’ve never had Farro before, it is a wheat grain that has a chewy texture and is nutty in flavor.  When cooked, it smells amazing and has a strong nutty smell.  The thing I like about it is, you can use it in place of rice.  It sort of reminds me of barley, but it’s a plumper grain and holds up well to cooking, which helps it maintain that chewy consistency.

One thing I noticed about the cooked Farro, it occurred to me that it would be great as a hot breakfast cereal!  The nutty smell was wafting through the kitchen, and I could just imagine tossing in some milk, a handful of raisins, a little bit of brown sugar and some almonds.  Yum! It’s such a versatile grain with a great wheat flavor, that I’ll be using it a lot more in recipes.

Creamy Chicken Soup with Farro | Inspiration KitchenSo, tell me…how did you spend your Mother’s Day?

Enjoy!

Print Recipe

Creamy Chicken Soup with Farro

This Creamy Chicken Soup with Farro is amazing - light and flavorful and loaded with healthy vegetables. You'll love this in summer or winter!
Course: Soups
Author: Kristi

Ingredients

Vegetables

  • 1 cup onion diced
  • 1/2 cup carrot diced
  • 1/2 cup celery diced
  • 2 tablespoons garlic coarsely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons butter

Soup Base

  • 2 14.5 ounce cans chicken broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 3 cups shredded cooked chicken
  • 3 cups cooked farro
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed rosemary

Roux

  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 2 cups skim milk

Instructions

  • Saute onion, carrot, celery in melted butter for 3-5 minutes until softened. Add garlic and saute for 2 additional minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
  • Add chicken broth and water to a large stock pot and heat on medium-high until hot. Turn down to medium and add chicken and farro. Next, add sauteed vegetable mixture, salt, pepper and crushed rosemary and stir well. When soup starts boiling, turn down to Medium-Low or Low.
  • In a separate saute pan, on medium heat, melt butter and slowly add flour, whisking constantly. Turn heat down to low and slowly add skim milk, continuing to whisk until thoroughly mixed and smooth, making a roux. When thoroughly mixed and smooth, pour roux into the stockpot with the soup.
  • Cook for 20 to 30 minutes (uncovered) on Medium-Low heat until hot and thickened.
  • Serve.

Creamy Chicken Soup with Farro

Comments

  1. marcie says

    I LOVE farro, Kristi, and putting it in chicken soup was a great idea! I love your idea about using it as a breakfast cereal. I’d be up for that! I’ll wait for your post on that. haha Pinning!

    Reply

    • Kristi says

      Thanks for the pin Marcie! This was my 1st experience with Farro – but I LOVED IT! What a great grain! So chewy, hearty, flavorful and adds great texture! I’m with you – I love it!

      Reply

  3. Sara {Home is Where The Cookies Are} says

    Put me first in line if you ship those tomatoes out!! It won’t be tomato season in Florida any more when yours are conming out your ears! My mother’s day? My gift was to spend Saturday out all alone – peacefully at the beach. Then Sunday we totally chilled as a family and ordered out for barbeque ribs. Pretty sweet deal! Glad to hear yours was lovely!

    Reply

    • Kristi says

      Ok, first – you are totally on my 1st tomato ship list! And second – your day peacefully at the beach sounds like the MOST PERFECT Mother’s Day ever! Can I come visit you next year??? And, I love that you got to enjoy your family on Sunday with BBQ Ribs. Wow girl. You totally know how to mom celebrate! I could learn a thing or two! 🙂

      Reply

  4. Cindy @ Pick Fresh Foods says

    Oh, this looks good!! Pinning!! I haven’t had farro, but have been wanting to give it a try. It sounds like you had a wonderful day. I got to sleep in a little, hubby made breakfast and my kids made chocolate covered strawberries for me. It was very nice and relaxing. Of course, we were stuck indoors because we were having a huge snow storm. Everything was finally blooming, so I’ve got fingers crossed that my little plants survive.

    Reply

    • Kristi says

      Breakfast in bed and chocolate covered strawberries sounds heavenly! And, I can’t believe you are still having snow! By this time, I’d be so over it!!! Sending good weather and hugs your way!

      Reply

  5. Daniela @ FoodrecipesHQ says

    I don’t live anymore in Italy where my mum is, so… sadly we just had a call, that’s it. It is nice to read you had a nice day.
    The soup look wonderful, it is really well balanced, with lots of nutrients in it!

    Reply

  7. Samina | The Cupcake Confession says

    This soup is calling my name!!!! You know I’ve been craving soup lately!!!!!!!! It’s the only thing I ever feel like having for dinner these days! I’m soooooooooo glad you posted this ’cause I needed something wholesome instead of the packaged soup powders I’ve been surviving on! <3

    Reply

  8. Alyssa @ My Sequined Life says

    What a comfort recipe, Kristi! YUM! There’s nothing better than a bowl of soup when you’re under the weather, cold…or really anytime! I’ve never cooked with farro (though it always tempts me on the shelf at the store), but I think it’s time. You’ve made it sound so great!

    Reply

    • Kristi says

      Ooooohhhh! How fun to spend it with your mom! I wish I could’ve done that, but my mom lives far away. But, you had the best Mother’s Day ever! 🙂

      Reply

  12. Monica says

    I could eat this chicken soup every week, seriously. Farro is about my favorite whole grain that I’ve tried so far; I’ve started making farro risotto and I’m so hooked. And we have the same exact weather phenomenon. I kept telling my husband how weird it is that it’s always nice on Mother’s Day. We had the perfect day (rain the day before). I got breakfast in bed and my fellas took me for a walk at the farmer’s market that just opened that day. I had so much time on my hands, I didn’t know what to do with myself. They brought me sushi for lunch and my husband grilled for dinner. : )

    Reply

    • Kristi says

      Oh my gosh Monica – you had the BEST MOTHER’S DAY EVER!!! Any mom that has so much time they didn’t know what to do with themselves, definitely had a great day!!! I am SSSSOOOO happy for you. Mothers so deserve that. I’m so glad you love Farro. It was my 2nd experience, and I’m so impressed!

      Reply

  13. Renee@Two in the Kitchen says

    I love this soup Kristi! It looks so comforting!! I had a great Mother’s Day. My husband grilled up some chicken and we had tacos with homemade salsa. We LOVE Mexican dishes in our home!! It was a beautiful day!! 🙂

    Reply

  14. Lindsey @ American Heritage Cooking says

    I almost spit out my water…”rockin’ that hoe”!! Dying.

    You can send me as many tomatoes as you want!!!! Can I make sauce with them or they not that kind of tomato? I’m not allowed to grow anything because I can’t keep it alive. I killed my basil plant in record time.

    This soup looks fabulous. I just started eating farro and I’m obsessed! It would be magical in soup!

    Reply

  18. Ashley says

    I loveeeee farro! It’s my favorite grain I think … so nutty and slightly chewy. So I know for a fact I would love this soup : )

    Reply

  20. Johlene says

    I love the simplicity of these photos.. they look so peaceful.. Ican i say that..is that weird..lol). This broth looks really healthy! Happy weekend friend! xoxo

    Reply

    • Kristi says

      Thanks Johlene – what a nice compliment! Peaceful photos and a comforting soup – I love the sound of that! You have a great weekend too. {hugs}

      Reply

  23. Shelley @ Two Healthy Kitchens says

    Mmmmmm … this looks so comforting and satisfyingly delicious! I just love that you swapped in farro, too! I adore farro, but I normally use it in mixed salads – this is a great idea! And Mother’s Day? I’m often one of those moms out gardening, but it’s really just not that warm yet here in Ohio this year – seriously! Instead of gardening (which is pretty good exercise!) I basically spent the day eating! I ate brunch with my mother-in-law and then my husband and kiddos made a gorgeous grilled dinner for my mom and me! It was fabulous! Oh … and those extra crates of tomatoes? I’ll take three! 😀

    Reply

    • Kristi says

      Thanks Shelley! I’m late so planting my garden this year. 🙁 I won’t know what to do with myself if I don’t get tomatoes!

      Reply

  24. Kelly says

    Love the sound of this soup Kristi! I just bought a package of farro a few days ago and have been wondering what to make with it. This looks wonderful and can’t wait to try it out 🙂

    Reply

  25. Helen @ Scrummy Lane says

    I was just reading about farro this morning and it definitely sounded worth checking out. The post I read put it in a salad, but love the idea of putting it in a soup – especially this lovely chicken soup!

    Reply

  26. Aimee / WallflowerGirl.co.uk says

    There is nothing more comforting than a good chicken soup and this one looks spot on for me. I feel better just looking at it! Also, how do you split the ingredients into sections in Easyrecipe like that? It never seems to work for me, is there a trick?

    Reply

    • Kristi says

      Yes Aimee! There is a trick! 🙂 If you put an exclamation point before the word (e.g. !Vegetables), that word becomes the heading, then just list your ingredients as usual. When you need another ‘section’, just use an exclamation point before the header word again! That’s what causes it to be bold and appear as a heading. 🙂 I actually read the Easy Recipe instructions on their website from top to bottom to learn that. Hahahaha! No magic here!

      Reply

  27. Consuelo - Honey & Figs says

    Awhh I’m glad to know you had such a lovely Mother’s Day! I celebrated it months ago here in Spain but I can recall it was a lovely one hehe 😉 This soup looks fantastic and I’m sure that farro makes it out of this world amazing. I love cooking with that grain!
    Enjoy your weekend dear! xx

    Reply

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