Cream Cheese Chicken and Vegetable Soup

Another one from Mel's Kitchen Cafe! I swear all of the recipes I post come from her site. I love her stuff! This soup was so good. I actually didn't have chicken and decided to make it anyway, and it was still divine. Creamy and rich and yummy! Make sure you read my notes in bold:

*Serves 4

2 tablespoons butter
1 yellow onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 cup diced carrots
3 cups chicken broth (I always use hot water and chicken granules)
2-3 potatoes, peeled and finely diced (I used about 4 since I wasn't using chicken)
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons flour
1 (8 oz. package) cream cheese (I only added 6 oz. and thought it was fine)
2-3 (about 1 pound) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced

In a large pot, melt the butter and add the onion, garlic, celery and carrots. Saute, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes, until the veggies are slightly tender and the onions are translucent. Add the chicken broth and potatoes. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. In a liquid measuring cup, vigorously whisk the flour and milk together until smooth. Whisk the mixture into the soup, stirring quickly, and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, until the soup begins to thicken slightly. Stir often to ensure the soup doesn’t burn. Soften the cream cheese in the microwave until it is very soft/melty. I usually place the unwrapped cream cheese on a plate and microwave it for one minute at 30% power. I like it really, really soft so it doesn’t leave lumps in the soup. Add the cream cheese to the soup in small tablespoon-size pieces. Let the pieces sit in the soup and warm through then whisk or stir the soup until the cream cheese melts and mixes in well. Add the cooked chicken and heat through. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.