Creamy Potato Leek Soup with Chicken Meatballs
This creamy fall or winter potato leek soup is made by slowly sautéing leeks to extract their flavor, adding potatoes and fresh herbs, and blending everything with a little bit of heavy cream. It is served with chicken meatballs, fresh parsley, crispy bacon, and crunchy croutons.
Servings: 6
Calories: 848kcal
Ingredients
Chicken Meatballs
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- ½ cup whole milk
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ tablespoon soy sauce
- 3 sprigs thyme, leaves removed and minced
- 2 sprigs parsley, leaves removed and minced
- ¼ cup panko
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Potato Leek Soup
- 3 strips bacon, thinly sliced
- 2 leeks, white and light green parts, cut down the middle and thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 8-10 medium red potatoes, peeled and diced
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup heavy cream
- croutons, for serving optional
- fresh parsley, chopped, for serving optional
Instructions
Chicken Meatballs
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- In a large bowl combine the ground chicken, parmesan, egg, milk, garlic, soy sauce, thyme, parsley, panko, salt, and pepper.
- Make the chicken into balls using about 2 tablespoon of the chicken mixture per meatball. Add to a large baking sheet.
- Bake for 20 minutes. These are a great snack while working on the rest of the soup - gotta keep your stamina up :)
Creamy Potato Leek Soup
- Bring a large pot or Dutch oven to medium heat. Add the bacon. Cook until crispy, then remove and set aside. Add the leeks, cover, and sauté at medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. If needed add a tablespoon or two of olive oil to the pot. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute.
- Add the chicken broth, potatoes, bay leaf, thyme, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
- Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs.
- Remove a small portion of the potatoes. Set aside to add back to the soup after pureeing.
- Working in batches, puree the soup. I usually do two batches in a blender (be sure to remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs, see Step 3). Return the soup to the pot along with the potatoes that were set aside earlier. If you have an immersion blender you can use that instead of a blender. Add the heavy cream. Bring to a simmer.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Top with the crumbled bacon, chicken meatballs, croutons, and parsley.
Notes
Leeks: Use the white and light green parts of the leeks only. Leeks in particular are important to clean thoroughly as dirt can accumulate between the layers.
Bay Leaf and Thyme: Be sure to remove the bay leaf and thyme, otherwise it can create a bit of a headache if they end up in the blender.
Thyme and Parsley: If you do not have thyme and parsley for the meatballs and the soup, add ¼ teaspoon dried thyme to the meatballs and ¼-½ teaspoon dried thyme to the soup (taste and adjust). Omit the parsley in both.
Nutrition
Calories: 848kcal | Carbohydrates: 86g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 218mg | Sodium: 3360mg | Potassium: 2901mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 1665IU | Vitamin C: 46mg | Calcium: 400mg | Iron: 6mg
