Loaded Chicken Potato Soup

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound srusset potatoes
• tablespoon solive oil, divided
• onion, diced
• cup diced carrots
• stalk scelery, diced
• pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into chunks
• teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• tablespoon sbutter
• tablespoon sall-purpose flour
• cup smilk
• cup chicken stock
• cup bite-size broccoli florets
• ounce sshredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup bacon bits, divided
• green onions, chopped, divided
• cup sour cream

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Prick potatoes with a fork, then wrap each potato in aluminum foil.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until potatoes are tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Cool potatoes until easily handled; scoop flesh into a bowl and set aside. Discard skins.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium low heat; cook and stir onion, carrots, and celery in hot oil until tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove vegetables to a plate and set aside.
5. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the same skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; cook and stir chicken in hot oil until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate and set aside.
6. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir flour into melted butter and cook until lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour milk, about 1/4 cup at a time, into butter flour mixture; cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes.
7. Stir potatoes, onion mixture, chicken, chicken stock, broccoli, most of the Cheddar cheese, 1/2 of the bacon bits, and 1/2 of the green onions into sauce. Cook soup until heated through and broccoli is tender, about 10 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Stir sour cream into soup and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.
8. Ladle soup into serving bowls and top with remaining bacon bits, Cheddar cheese, and green onions. My Hot Southern Mess