Ayres Tea Room Famous Chicken Soup & Ayres Tea Room Pecan Balls

 If you ever ate at the old L.S. Ayres Tea Room in downtown Indianapolis, you probably remember their famous Chicken Velvet Soup. It was their signature recipe and it's absolutely wonderful.  My friend, Nisha, also makes it with turkey leftover from Thanksgiving. It's a rich creamy soup, totally indulgent and totally delicious. 

The Tea Room first opened in 1905 and became quite an Indianapolis tradition. For generations, people would make a day of shopping downtown and having lunch at Ayres. It was a special place, and the food was something people looked forward to.  The original Tea Room closed in 1990, but fortunately, some of those wonderful old recipes are still around. There's even a recreated Ayres Tea Room at the Indiana State Museum.

If you remember the old Ayres Tea Room, I hope this brings back a few memories. And if you've never tasted Chicken Velvet Soup, you really should give it a try. It's so worth the effort.  ~ Jan The recipe card below is the original recipe.  Of course it's always better made with homemade chicken stock, but Swanson's works too.

Now let's talk dessert.  This recipe is for their famous pecan balls.  Oh my, they are so good and you make them ahead and pop them in the freezer.  I've had these so many times and they are always a treat!

These old vintage recipes just can't be beat, and these are two of the best!