Cream of "Turkey" Soup

*Picture coming soon!*

"Turkey" is in quotes because it is actually chicken.

2 cups shredded, cooked chicken
1 roasted red pepper, peeled and diced small
1 bunch fresh parsely, minced (or 2 tbsp dried parsley)
2 sticks butter
1 cup flour
8 cups turkey or chicken broth, heated
1/2 gallon whole milk (must be whole milk!)
1/2 lb orzo (or other small pasta), cooked
Salt and pepper

In a 6-qt stock pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted, add the flour and whisk constantly to get out the lumps. Whisk for about another minute to cook out the raw flour taste. Slowly add the hot broth, and keep whisking until it resembles a gravy. Stir for 1-2 minutes. Slowly add the milk, still whisking to combine. Bring the whole mixture almost to a boil, stirring often until it starts to thicken and resembles a white gravy. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the cooked orzo, chicken, roasted pepper and parsley. Season with more salt and pepper. Stir to combine. The soup will thicken more as it cooks. (If you wish, you may add 1/2 cup heavy cream at the end for extra richness). Do not let the mixture come to a boil, and turn off the heat when it is thick like gravy. It will thicken even more as it stands.

*I was very reluctant to share this recipe with you all because it has taken me so long to figure it out. Not that it was a particularly difficult recipe, but it a very illusive one. This is the recipe for Sunset Diner's Cream of Turkey soup. If you grew up in Dunellen, Middlesex, Greenbrook area, you know what I am talking about. Sunset Diner only serves this soup on Sunday's and it is by far the best soup they have. My husband Evan has been known to eat as many as 8 bowls in one sitting. For YEARS I have tried to duplicate the recipe and have always come up short...until now. I figured out the secret and I am sharing it with you here. This recipe makes a lot, so be prepared to have lots of leftovers. But the good part about that is that the soup is even better the next day. It continues to get thick and rich and it is stick-to-your-ribs good. Give it a try, I promise this will be the last soup you ever make.

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7