Here’s a recipe for my favorite veggie and protein loaded soup. I’ll usually make a pot on Sunday. Then, Byron + I will feast on piggishly huge hearty bowls for lunches during the week.
Unlike traditional chicken veggie soups, ours is gluten free (actually, free of noodles entirely!), + free of starchy carb-heavy mushy canned vegetables such as potatoes, corn, peas… Just a lil cup of fresh carrots, so you can avoid that carb coma 30 minutes later. Best of all – it contains only 10% of the sodium found in traditionally prepared chicken vegetable soup served at restaurants or cranked outta a can. Damn you, Campbell’s + your 790mg PER CUP soups (Who eats a tiny 8oz cup + says wow, dinner was amazing!? I’m so full!)
We can do better! Here ya go!
DIRECTIONS
Sauté olive oil, onion, garlic, pepper, rosemary leaves in large soup pot on medium-low heat for about 5 minutes or until onion just starts to soften slightly. Add celery + continue sautéing 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat. Scoop out 90% of the onions + celery into a separate bowl + set aside while you poach chicken (this will prevent cooking all texture from veggies).
Add broth or broth concentrate + water to pot. Cover + raise to boil over medium-high heat. Once your reach boil, drop heat down to low then gently add chicken breasts to pot in a single layer. Add additional water if they are not already covered by broth. Add bay leaves, thyme, sage + parsley. Simmer on low heat for 12-15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
Carefully, transfer cooked chicken to cutting board + allow to cool for a few minutes until you’re comfortable working with it. Using 2 forks, tear the cooked chicken into long chunks/strips, then return chicken to pot. Put onions + celery back in pot. Continue gentle simmer on low heat.
Because I can’t stand mushy vegetables (yeah, force-fed a lot of canned soups + veggies growing up), gonna share my trick to retaining the integrity of veggies, gently softened but still firm, brightly colorful as well as distinctively flavorful from all other ingredients in soup. Let’s make every bite a symphony of tasty little morsels harmoniously complimenting each other’s distinctive flavors!
Place chopped carrots + green beans together into microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plate. We’re gonna give em a gentle steam vs boiling them in soup allowing all their flavor to leach into soup, making whole pot taste homogeneously muddy, plus, carrots in particular have a way of sweetly dominating broth of chicken soup, which I find putrid. Yes Smartypants, you can save time steaming these veggies while you tear up chicken. Microwave on high for 3 minutes or until lightly softened. Toss em in the pot. Now turn off heat. Spicy Peeps can add optional cayenne.
Done! It’s yum time!
WANNA CHEAT? Save time measuring out spices individually and space stocking numerous ingredients: Use 2 Tbsp Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute in place of herbs. Soup’s good for a week in the fridge + continues to intensify in flavor.
