Chicken Velvet Soup from L. S. Ayres (A Vintage Non-Trendy Comfort Food Recipe)

The flagship L. S. Ayres department store in Indianapolis closed in 1990.  It was nine floors of shopping Nirvana.  In the basement were a pharmacy, florist, music department, books and magazines, stamps and coins, greeting cards, and the bargains and closeouts from all the other floors.

The first floor had cosmetics, jewelry, accessories, and all the typical "entry" departments.  There were floors for furniture, linens and kitchenware, and clothing - the higher, the more expensive the clothes, until you got to the Crystal Room - WAY out of my price range!

There were beautiful brass and glass elevators, but I like riding the escalators to the eighth floor - the top floor - where there were a Godiva candy kiosk, auditorium, hair salon, and the famous Ayres Tea Room, haunt of "ladies who lunch" and downtown workers.  One of the iconic menu items was the Tea Room's Chicken Velvet Soup.  There's nothing like it.  I've been to plenty of restaurants that list Chicken Velvet Soup on the menu, but when I've ordered it, it's turned out to be plain old cream of chicken soup, sometimes even with vegetables in it - blashphemy!  The real thing has a smooth, creamy, velvety feel on the tongue and a pale golden color.  The Indianapolis Star newspaper published the recipe several years ago, and I finally got around to making it.  Perfection!!!


CHICKEN VELVET SOUP

3/4 c butter
3/4 c flour
1 c warm milk
2 c hot chicken stock
1 c warm cream
4 c chicken stock
1 1/2 c chopped cooked chicken
1/4 t salt
dash white pepper

Melt butter in a saucepan and blend in flour.  Add warm milk, 2 cups of hot chicken stock, and warm cream, stirring constantly, and bring to a boil.  Turn down to let simmer.

Add remained chicken stock and cooked chicken.  Add salt and pepper.  Bring back to a boil, then serve.

NOTE:  I used some shortcuts when I made this recipe, and it came out exactly how I remembered it to be.  Instead of chicken stock, I used chicken broth fortified with chicken base (Tone's or Better Than Broth are good choices).  Instead of cream and milk, I used half-and-half.  I used canned (GASP!) white meat chicken.  And, I did it all in the microwave!  (I halved the recipe.)