Rustic Chicken Veggie Soup

Soups are the healthiest option that you can have in dinner. Soup recipes are abundantly available on online sites, cookbooks and recipes from our mothers and grannies. However, one need to understand the nutritional values of a soup. Adding cream or fats no doubt make soup little creamy and flavorful but unnecessarily adds extra calories in the soup. So, if you are a weight-watcher or health freak then you need to understand the goodness of each and every ingredient that you add in the recipe.

If you are planning to have soup in dinner as a meal. Then it is important to have soups which are filling but without making it overly full. Today I am making a soup named Rustic Chicken Veggie Soup. This soup got all the flavors of chicken and vegetables and have a chunky and chewy texture which allow you to eat (or chew) your soup which again help you make your tummy full.

This recipe is inspired from Macro Pierre White. He made this recipe only with vegetables but I have added chicken breasts in it which make this recipe not just scrumptious but a complete delight. I just few little changes here and there. I like my soups to have a chewy texture but if you want you can simply puree it with a blender to have a smooth texture; still I will suggest to keep the texture rustic and raw as it will give you fiber and roughage for the proper digestion. You can mash the veggies if you want!

So, let’s start cooking!!

This recipe can serve about 8 servings

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 30-35 minutes

P.S. You can add rice sides or pasta sides too in this recipe.

For this you need –

•  4-5tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 carrots, chopped 
• 1 celeriac, trimmed, peeled and roughly chopped.
•  2 onions, chopped
• 1 cauliflower, stalk removed, trimmed into small florets
• ½ Savoy cabbage, remove the core and outer leaves
• 1 leek, trimmed, washed and chopped
• 1 Zucchini, chopped
•  0.26 gallon water
•  4 Knorr reduced sodium chicken Stock
• A handful of fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
• A sprig of fresh thyme
• A handful of fresh parsley, roughly chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions –

1. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and keep aside.  Meanwhile heat generous amount of oil in a skillet pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic cloves and chicken pieces, cook the chicken each sides for about 5 minutes or till it turned golden brown in color. Once done take out the pieces.
2. Now in this same pan add remaining oil and add carrots, celeriac and onion. Fry these vegetables to remove moisture.
3. Now add the cauliflower, cabbage and a dash of olive oil. Stir in the leeks and zucchini, and allow the vegetables to cook for around 10 minutes or more.
4. Keep stirring, add water and chicken stock in it. Then, bring it to boil, then simmer it for 8-10 minutes. Add the cooked chicken pieces and simmer for another 5 minutes.
5. Add the roughly chopped celeriac leaves, basil, parsley and thyme etc. or whatever herb you like in it. Sprinkle some salt and pepper to taste (if needed).
6. Garnish it with generous amount of extra-virgin olive oil. And your soup is ready to serve

This soup is not just healthy but have all the flavors and taste that you will enjoy for dinner or even lunches. The flavors are very Mediterranean and healthy. Enjoy this quick and easy recipe and do let me know how do you find it?