Chicken & Vegetable Soup

This is my go-to soup recipe because it’s so simple to put together on lazy prep days or week nights, yet still provides a variety of veggies, quality proteins and fats, and has a hint of spice to kick-start metabolism and keep our hearts healthy.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 inch piece of ginger, chopped

• 2-3 garlic cloves, chopped

• 1 red chili pepper, chopped

• 1 medium white onion, diced

• 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

• 2 celery stalks, chopped

• 1 small acorn squash, cubed

• 3-4 kale leaves, roughly chopped (optional)

• 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes

• 1 5.5 oz. can tomato paste

• 4 cups of bone broth OR 3 scoops of bone broth powder mixed into 36 oz. of water (I use Ancient Nutrition’s Bone Broth Protein Pure)

• 2 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp tumeric

• 1 tsp cumin

• 1 tsp paprika

• 1 tsp oregano

• 1 handful of fresh parsley, roughly chopped (can be substituted for 1 tsp dried parsley)

• Sea salt and pepper

Instructions:

1- Get your chicken breasts boiling in a pot of water on the stove top while preparing your vegetables and herbs. (This should take 15-20 minutes)

2- Add olive oil, ginger, garlic, chili pepper, onion, and all your spices to your soup pot and cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently until onions are translucent and spices are fragrant.

3- Add 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes to deglaze the pot and soak up all those flavors. This won’t take long, maybe a minute or two, any longer and it will burn.

4- Add carrots, celery and squash to the pot along with the broth. Give everything a good stir and let simmer on low heat until veggies are cooked through. (This should take 25-30 minutes.)

5- Once your veggies have softened, add your boiled and shredded chicken breasts, kale and parsley to the soup pot. Give it another stir and let simmer for an additional 5 minutes.

6- To thicken the soup add 1 5.5 oz. can of tomato paste and stir to combine.

7- Taste your soup and add salt and pepper accordingly.

8- Let cool and serve!

This soup yields 7-8 portions. It’s great for meal prep as it’s acidic base (from the tomatoes) allows for it to be kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days and of course even longer when frozen. Before placing in the fridge or freezer, allow it to completely cool and store it in a glass container.