Cauliflower Buffalo Chicken Soup

I've been absolutely obsessed with buffalo chicken recipes lately and also with making lunches that can last me into most of the work week!  Last week I made a yummy Shredded Chicken Chili and a few weeks before that I prepared an amazing Buffalo Chicken Lunch Bowl!

So today I decided to combine the two ideas!  Since I only get 2 Yellow containers per day when I am following the 21 day fix I wanted to make sure this lunch was "carb free" or at least for the mostly carb free!  I couldn't get away without adding a little whole wheat flour to thicken it and I didn't want to use corn starch for this one!  So each serving may count as 1/8 yellow container.... but who's counting ;)

Of course I woke up this morning and made baked oatmeal for Sunday Breakfast which will also give us breakfasts all week too!  Love having so little to pack for our lunches all week with just a little time spent on Sunday morning which happens to be my husbands day to sleep in.  That means I'm up super early with the boys so I force myself to get a cup of coffee in and start cracking on some meal prep rather than try to sleep on the couch while they play and ask me for snacks and milk all morning!!  #momlife  

BUT I feel so productive when I get moving early on Sunday morning and that also means that we have time to fit in our workout, grocery shop, do laundry and go for a family hike before the weekend is over.    

I enjoyed a bowl of this soup before we headed out on our hike and I loved how it had that little kick to it but it wasn't so spicy that I needed water and the spice didn't build up either!  It was the perfect chilly winter afternoon soup and the bonus is that it is creamy and hearty without a bunch of cheese!  (I can save my blue container of healthy fats for later)

I topped mine with a spoonful of plain greek yogurt and green onion but you could add a bit of cheese too!

I would count 1 1/2 cups serving as 1 green 1 red 1 Orange if you are following the 21 day fix and if you aren't just enjoy this healthy clean eating tasty soup!!  

Cauliflower Buffalo Chicken Soup

Ingredients

Soup Base

     2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1/4 cup Whole wheat flour
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup greek yogurt
½ cup water
1 head cauliflower, roughly chopped
1 bay leaf
 Himalayan sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Green onion

Buffalo Chicken

2 Chicken Breasts

½ cup Franks Buffalo Sauce

2 cups chicken stock or water

Directions

Buffalo Chicken

1.    Fill large sauce pan ¾ full with water or chicken stock.

2.    Bring to a boil and add in 2 large chicken breasts.  Let boil 20 minutes or until cooked through, longer wont hurt it. 

3.    Once cooked, remove chicken breasts from stock and place into a stand mixer to shred.

4.    Pour ½ cup buffalo sauce into shredded chicken and stir to coat.

5.    Set aside until soup base is ready.

Soup Base

1.    While chicken is cooking, melt butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in cauliflower and bay leaf. Cook, stirring occasionally, until barely crisp-tender, about 3-4 minutes.

2.    Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Mix Greek Yogurt and water together.  Gradually whisk in chicken broth and greek yogurt mixture, and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 3-4 minutes.

3.    Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until cauliflower are tender, about 12-15 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste. If the chowder is too thick, add more milk as needed until desired consistency is reached.

4.    Place 2 cups shredded buffalo chicken into soup.  Stir to combine and let simmer for 5 minutes.

5.    Serve immediately or portion out into mason jars for the week and store in the fridge until needed.