*4 medium potatoes (I like red), washed & diced
*2 cups cooked chicken, diced
*1 Tablespoon butter
*¼ cup chopped chives
*4 pieces of bacon (I'll use Turkey bacon if I'm trying to make it a little healthier), chopped
*2 cups chicken broth or chicken stock
*2 cups milk
*2 Tablespoons cornstarch
*1 Tablespoon dried rosemary
*½ cup shredded cheddar
*salt and pepper to taste
**1 head cauliflower, stem removed and cut into florets**
In a large stock pot, sauté chives in butter. Add bacon pieces and cook until crispy. Pour chicken stock & milk over chives & bacon. With a wire whisk, mix in cornstarch, add potatoes & rosemary, and bring to a boil. Boil until potatoes are soft (pierce with a fork to test for doneness...if the potato slides off the fork, they're ready!!). While potatoes are boiling, steam the cauliflower florets until softened, & puree in a food processor or blender, with a few tablespoons of water, until smooth. Once potatoes are softened, stir in mashed cauliflower, and then add chicken, cheddar, salt, & pepper. Serve topped with a little more crumbled bacon, shredded cheese, and chives, if you dare!!
**UPDATE: I recently found Gina's soup recipe here, & tried the cauliflower...genius!! It gives the soup an AMAZING creamy texture, & I love sneaking in extra veggies every chance I get, so I have updated this recipe to include it! I make mashed cauliflower at least once a month (in lieu of mashed potatoes), so I don't know why I didn't think of this before...thank goodness for Skinnytaste!
