I don’t have it often, but I love cordon bleu. It’s arguably not the healthiest thing for you… breaded, stuffed with ham and cheese, and often drizzled with a creamy gravy… but, yummm! Honestly, I probably haven’t had chicken cordon bleu in almost fifteen years! It’s not the easiest thing to make at home… because it’s messy, not because it’s difficult. The store sells these frozen ones that just totally gross me out now. And, I can’t say I’ve ever seen a restaurant offering chicken cordon bleu!
A few years ago, though, I decided to make a chicken cordon bleu soup. Again, it wasn’t the healthiest thing for you because of all the cheese and cream, but man o man it was a great winter soup! As that old adage goes, it puts meat on your bones!
I have posted up a lot of soups this winter… it’s what I do. I make soups, stews, and casseroles. Food is what excites me about winter and is what gets me through winter! But, having decided to finally lose some weight and make my eating sustainable ~ versus dieting ~ I’ve made adjustments to certain areas. I don’t want to give up soups, stews, and casseroles. Moderation is definitely one option. But in addition to moderation, substitution has been the other element I’ve incorporated.
I have posted a number of recipes using almond or cashew milk instead of cream or milk. And each and every time I make that substitution, the recipe still works really, really well! As I’ve mentioned before, if you’re looking for a thicker cream sauce, making a roux uses a quarter or less of the calories you would use just using cream. So, roux + almond milk versus just cream equals about 400 calories total versus almost 1600 calories in just the cream! What a HUGE difference! And honestly, you cannot taste the difference between the two!
You may not care about calories or weight-loss, so you may be sick of hearing me sell almond milk on overdrive. But there are really so many benefits besides the calories… it’s healthier for you because there isn’t cholesterol! No sugar, less fat, less carbs. It’s more environmentally friendly because it’s plant-based ~ aka lower carbon footprint. Granted, you can argue the water use for almonds is not sustainable, but it is more sustainable than cow’s milk… also, cashew milk doesn’t have that issue, FYI!
All and all, whether you care about the calories or not, almond milk, or cashew milk, is a great substitute for cow’s milk! And when I decided to make my chicken cordon bleu soup again this year, I decided to swap out the heavy cream and use my new go to ~ almond milk! I was not disappointed! This dish is so easy to make that it could easily become a weeknight staple dinner.
Back in December, I posted my favorite split pea soup recipe. I noted how my grocery store gives away a free ham every Thanksgiving if you spend enough money there, and I always use that ham to make split pea soup. This time around, I had enough ham to make the soup and still freeze half, which turned out perfect! I was able to use the rest of that ham to cut into chunks for this soup!
I used chicken breast, which I seared before cooking through in the broth. That left the chicken meat moist and tender! Although chicken cordon bleu is generally chicken, ham, cheese, and breading, I still opted to add carrots to this soup for the extra nutrients. And in addition to Swiss cheese, I also used Gruyere. I love Gruyere cheese. My husband still cannot pronounce for the life of him (grew-year), but it is definitely a cheese you will almost always find in our cheese drawer! Add a little Dijon and yellow mustards and some fresh thyme, and this soup is ready within half an hour!
Easy peasy! A wholesome, warming meal in under half an hour and not overloaded in calories! Win-win!
Enjoy!
Lower Calorie Chicken Cordon Bleu Soup
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Soup, French
- Cuisine: Dinner
Ingredients
1 lb chicken breast
½ lb cooked ham, cut into bite sized pieces
1 TB olive oil
3 TB butter
1 medium onion, chopped
4 medium carrots, cut into ½” pieces
4 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup flour
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups unsweetened almond milk
1 TB Dijon mustard
1 TB yellow mustard
4 oz Swiss cheese, shredded
4 oz gruyere, shredded
salt & pepper
fresh thyme, to garnish
Instructions
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook about 2 minutes per side. Remove and set aside. Add in 1 tablespoon of butter. Once melted, add the carrots and onions and cook for about 8 minutes, stirring often, until just starting to soften.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and the garlic and cook until the butter has melted. Sprinkle the flour over the top and stir to fully saturate the flour. Slowly add in the chicken broth, stirring constantly. Return the chicken breast to the pot, reduce the heat to low, and cover. Cook for about ten minutes, or until the chicken is just cooked through. Remove from the pot and place on a cutting board until slightly cooled.
Meanwhile, return the heat to medium. Add the almond milk, mustards, and cheeses and cook, stirring often until the cheese is melted.
When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred with your hands or two forks. Return to the pot with the ham and cook, stirring often, until heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Dish into bowls and garnish with fresh thyme leaves. Enjoy!
Keywords: chicken cordon bleu, chicken cordon bleu soup, lower calorie chicken cordon bleu, lower calorie chicken cordon bleu soup, lower calorie soup, lower calorie cream soup
