Sometimes you need a little nurturing!
Want something comforting for lunch? Or maybe a one-pot meal to use up some veggies in the fridge. What about a healthy, flavorful feel-good soup?
Here’s one I like to make – Comforting Chicken Vegetable Soup. With a few quick tricks, you can make chicken soup so flavorful that everyone loves it, and they say it’s “restaurant quality”.
Want to make your soups more flavorful? Here are 11 easy ways:
1. Make your own broth with chicken wings or thighs and a few veggies. It is better, but since I’m often short on time, I usually buy mine.
2. Use broth instead of water. Some people use lots of water in a soup and that can lead it to tasting well, “watery”.
3. Salt the soup well at the beginning.
4. Sauté the mushrooms and onions first. Browning the sliced mushrooms in a little butter and then adding the chopped white or yellow onions and then allowing the onions to carmelize really enhances the soup’s flavor. It’s worth the extra step. Throwing sliced raw mushrooms into a pot of liquid just makes them lose their flavor. It’s as if they get waterlogged.
5. Add lots of spices. This soup uses turmeric, garlic powder, onions salt and a hefty dose of garam masala, an Indian spice that includes cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves. It doesn’t taste like curry at all – just so flavorful.
6. Use tasty chicken. A can of chicken will do, but chopped grilled chicken adds a smoky flavor. Or a buttery roasted chicken imparts a depth to the soup. I add the chicken toward the last, so it stays firm but the white meat doesn’t get stringy.
7. Add some fresh herbs. I used fresh lemon thyme which pairs nicely with the chicken. Right before serving, I stir bright green chopped flatleaf Italian parsley into the soup for a pop of color and flavor.
8. A little cream always makes it better. You want the soup a little thicker and creamier and a little cream helps.
9. Don’t forget the acid. I added the zest of one lime and then the juice to give it a little zing. Sometimes, people keep adding salt when it’s salty enough already, but it needs a little acid to perk up the flavors. I also added a big dollop of Dijon (not yellow) mustard.
10. Use a variety of veggies. That helps bring out the flavors and adds to the interesting color mix of the soup.
11. Toppings add pizazz. Think crunchy croutons, a hunk of goat cheese, a scattering of parmesan, some chopped parsley, a few toasted sesame seeds, sharp cheddar, a little truffle or chili oil, chopped avocados, etc.
Comforting Chicken Vegetable Soup
Recipe Ingredients
3T bacon fat or butter (or a mix of both)
1 8 oz. package of Cremini “Baby Bella” mushrooms sliced
2 yellow or white onions chopped
1-2 T fresh minced garlic
1 green bellpepper roughly chopped
3 squash (yellow, green zucchini or a combination of both) chopped
2 peeled carrots (chopped)
1 heart of celery (chopped) including leaves
½ c-1 c frozen shelled edamame or English peas
1 14.5 oz can tomatoes with green chilies
2 boxes (32 oz/ 1 quart each) chicken broth (or 1 box chicken broth and 1 box beef broth)
3 c chopped cooked skinless chicken
½ c heavy whipping cream
1 T fresh thyme (strip leaves and add to pot; discard stems)
1 T heaping Dijon (not yellow) mustard
2 t salt
1 t pepper
1 t chili powder
2 t garam masala
2 t tumeric
1 t garlic powder
1 t onion salt
½ c fresh flatleaf Italian parsley (chopped)
2 T fresh flatleaf Italian parsley (chopped and reserved for garnishing)
To serve on top (optional):
Reserved chopped fresh parsley
Grated parmesan
Croutons
Preparation Instructions
1. Add fat to big soup pot.
2. Add sliced mushrooms and brown in fat, stirring several times.
3. Add chopped onions to mushrooms and cook until they are soft and beginning to caramelize.
4. Add green bellpeppers and fresh garlic and cook for a few more minutes.
5. Then add the rest of the ingredients except fresh parsley.
6. Simmer for 20-30 minutes until vegetables are tender.
7. Before serving add ½ c fresh parsley to soup pot and stir.
8. To serve, ladle soup into bowls and top with extra chopped fresh parsley and grated parmesan cheese.
9. Serve with crackers, jalapeno cornbread or big croutons.
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