Feel Better Chicken Soup

10 Apr Feel Better Chicken Soup

With cold and flu season here, it’s really important to have a simple yet satisfying chicken soup recipe on hand.  My Feel Better Chicken Soup is really easy to make and it’s balanced in protein, carbs and fat to help stabilize your blood sugar and keep your energy up.  It’s also naturally gluten free. Plus there’s a cool culinary twist at the end of the recipe (a squeeze of lemon and drizzle of sweetness) that packs a flavor punch and takes this soup to another level. Even if you’re not under the weather, you’ll love this soup!! It’s especially great to make on a Sunday for quick grab and go lunches all week long. Feel better friends!  And make sure to share the soup love on social media!

Makes approximately 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 2 large or 3 small bone-in chicken breasts (skin on or off- doesn’t matter)
• Kosher or sea salt
• Fresh ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 8 large carrots, peeled
• 6 stalks of celery plus some celery leaves (celery leaves are optional but they’re really tasty)
• 1 large white onion
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
• 64 ounces or more of MSG free organic low sodium chicken stock (if you like a lot of broth, you can add more)
• handful of fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
• small squeeze of fresh lemon juice
• drizzle of pure maple syrup or honey

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper and bake on a baking sheet covered in tinfoil for about 40 to 45 minutes or until no longer pink inside.  In the meantime, make the soup.
2. While chicken cooks, chop carrots, celery (and leaves if your using them) and onion into small even size chunks.
3. Place a large soup pot on medium high heat.  Once hot, add olive oil.  Once oil is hot, add carrots, celery and onion and sauté for about 8 minutes or until softened.  Season well with salt and pepper.
4. Add fresh thyme and garlic and sauté an additional minute or so.  Next add stock and lower heat to medium low. Let soup hang out for a while so flavors blend (lower heat if soup starts to boil- a gentle simmer is okay)
5. Once chicken is cooked and cool enough to handle, remove the skin if there is any and then chop the breast meat into small chunks. Lower the heat on the soup and add chicken chunks to soup (along with any chicken juices from the sheet pan).  Stir in fresh parsley.  Add a tiny squeeze of fresh lemon and a drizzle of pure maple syrup or honey.  Season again with salt and pepper to taste (if necessary).   Enjoy!

SO, WHAT’S THE NUTRITION BALANCE?

This recipe has a good balance of protein, carbohydrates and fat and is a complete meal. If it’s not filling enough, you can add a little more carbs on the side like fruit or stir in a touch of cooked brown rice or brown rice gluten free noodles, but I like it just like it is.