Nutrition Highlights (per serving)
136 calories
5 g fat
10 g carbs
13 g protein
This is a basic chicken vegetable soup recipe turned up a notch with the addition of ginger. This version calls for basic soup mirepoix (carrots, celery, onions) but you can easily add more vegetables depending on what you have on hand such as chopped leafy greens, diced zucchini, fennel or shredded green cabbage. This is also a great way to incorporate leftover cooked chicken as long as the chicken was simply prepared and skinless (either baked, roasted plain, or poached).
This chicken vegetable soup recipe is extremely flexible as far as herbs and spices go, too—you can omit the ginger to make it a clean slate and add different ingredients according to the type of cuisine you like (i.e. tomatoes + rosemary + more garlic for Italian flavors, cilantro + cumin + chili pepper for Mexican flavors). The variations are endless but the basic method and ratios will stay the same.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups diced yellow onion
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
3 cloves garlic, minced (1 1/2 tablespoons)
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger (peeled)
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced carrot (peeled)
4 cups unsalted chicken stock
1 bunch parsley (chopped, stems reserved)
8 oz cooked skinless chicken breast, diced or shredded (about 1 1/4 cup diced)
Preparation
Add olive oil to soup pot and turn heat to medium. Add onion and and season with salt. Sweat over medium heat for 5 minutes or until soft and translucent.
Add garlic and ginger and sweat for 30 seconds. Add carrots and celery (or other diced vegetables) and cook for another 5 minutes to soften. Meanwhile tie parsley stems with kitchen twine.
Add stock and parsley stems. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes and add cooked chicken. Continue to cook on low simmer until chicken is warmed through (another 3-5 minutes). (If you add a lot of vegetables, you may have to add more water, broth, or stock.)
Add chopped parsley (or other chopped greens if using) and check seasoning before serving.
Variations and Substitutions
Make it vegan by replacing the chicken with white beans or tofu.
Substitute parsley with cilantro (and cilantro stems) and add lemongrass along with the cilantro stems for a more Thai inspired soup.
Add diced or crushed canned tomatoes, no salt added, for a tomato flavored broth.
Add cooked wild rice for more carbohydrates and fiber to make this a more balanced one pot meal.
Add turmeric for anti-inflammatory benefits which pairs well with the ginger in the soup. (Add this in Step 2 along with the vegetables).
Tips
Because this soup is so simple and so much flavor comes from the broth, it is ideal to use a homemade chicken stock or at least a high quality one with great flavor.
You can quickly poach chicken breasts in simmering water while you prep the vegetables for the soup or prepare this the day before (or use leftover chicken from another meal).
Any extra soup can be easily frozen so feel free to double or triple this recipe for leftovers!
I hope that you get a chance to give this recipe a try.