Hearty Chicken Vegetable soup, modified

  • Minutes to Prepare:
  • Minutes to Cook:
  • Number of Servings: 4
Ingredients
4 c water1.75 c chicken broth (I use 1.5tsp "Better than Bouillon" in 1.75c water)1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (approx 2)1 Tbs oil (this estimate uses canola, the recipe says use olive)3 clove garlic, minced (can use less to taste - I add a bit more than the 1 recommended, to compensate for no onions)4 medium carrots, cut diagonally into 1/3 inch-thick slices4 celery ribs, cut crosswise into 1/3 inch-thick slices (original recipe called for 2, but I like celery)1 dash salt1/4 tsp black peppercouple dashes "Herbs de Provence"
Directions
(if you're like me and use frozen chicken breasts that you forgot to defrost earlier, use the time that the chicken is defrosting in the microwave to chop the carrots, celery, and garlic)

1. Bring water and broth to a simmer in a 2- to 3- quart saucepan. Add chicken and simmer, uncovered, 6 minutes. Remove pan from heat and cover, then let stand until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plat and cool 10 minutes. Reserve poaching liquid, uncovered.

2. While chicken is poaching, cook garlic in oil in a 4-quart heavy pot, stirring, until fragrant - about 1 minute. Add carrots, celery, salt, pepper, and Herbs and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until softened, approx 8-10 minutes. If vegetables seem to be in danger of scorching, add some of the poaching liquid - just a few tablespons - to keep them from burning. About this time, the chicken should be moved to the plate, so add the poaching liquid and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

3. While vegetables are cooking, shred (or chop) chicken into 1/4-inch wide strips (about 1-inch long). When vegetables are done simmering, stir chicken into soup. (can add parsley, but I never have it on hand when I want it, and I think it's fine without, too!)

You can also add noodles to this dish - I like egg noodles - but those are not figured in this recipe's calculations. If storing the soup for later, I recommend adding noodles to each serving rather than the batch, as they will soak up liquid in the refridgerated leftovers.

IF WATCHING SODIUM - use water instead of broth.

Enjoy!

Number of Servings: 4

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user ASPENGRRL.

Servings Per Recipe: 4
Nutritional Info Amount Per Serving
  • Calories: 216.6
  • Total Fat: 7.1 g
  • Cholesterol: 68.4 mg
  • Sodium: 330.8 mg
  • Total Carbs: 8.8 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 2.4 g
  • Protein: 28.3 g

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