Creamy Chicken & Artichoke Tomato Soup

Since moving to the Quad Cities, we have been on a quest to find the best restaurants.  With no disrespect intended, we're not frequenting Chili's or Texas Roadhouse.  We are mostly looking for delicious, fresh, local, cute restaurants.  Recently, we found a new favorite, and we have lunch there almost every weekend.  It's called Cafe Indigo, and it's lauded as the Quad Cities' "best kept secret".  I'd have to agree since I think it's delicious, yet there is never anyone there.  Sad face. I hope they stay in business, so if you live in the QC, go to Cafe Indigo!

Anyway... Cafe Indigo makes two homemade soups a day, and they are always AMAZING.  One time, they had an artichoke, chicken, and tomato soup that was just to die for.  It was unique, and I've never had anything like it.  Since that day, they have never had it again, and I've been craving it!  I searched the web for a recipe, but I didn't find anything that was exactly right.  I ended up taking ideas from multiple recipes and making up my own version.  It tastes just like the original!  Although it has "creamy" in the title (and it's definitely creamy), it's very healthy as it contains only 1/4 cup of cream for the entire pot of soup.  The rest is chicken broth, skim milk, and veggies!  I love a good bowl of soup for lunch on a cold day, and this really satisfies! Try it out and let me know what you think!

Katie's Creamy Chicken & Artichoke Tomato Soup
6 servings

Ingredients:
2 T unsalted butter
1 cup yellow onion, diced (about half of a large onion)
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 T flour
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup skim milk
28 oz. can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
1 8 oz. can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 t. red pepper flakes
1/4 cup heavy cream
shredded white cheddar cheese or Parmesan cheese (for topping)

Directions:
1.  Chop all of your veggies.

2.  Melt butter in a soup pot or dutch oven.  Cook onion, garlic, celery, and carrot in butter for 5-8 minutes on medium-high heat, until veggies are just tender.  Then, add flour and stir to coat.  Cook for one minute.

3.  Add chicken stock and milk, scraping the bottom of the pan for any browned bits.  Drain your artichoke hearts.

4.  Add tomatoes and artichokes to the pot and bring to a low boil / simmer.

5.  Add cut up chicken and red pepper flakes.  Let simmer for 15 - 30 minutes, until chicken is cooked and flavors meld.  Stir in the cream at the very end.

6.  Serve with grated white cheddar cheese or Parmesan. 

Enjoy!  This is a great soup for leftovers.  Add a salad and bread, and you've got dinner!  Thanks for the inspiration, Cafe Indigo!