Here on the East Coast, it has been a tough coupla weeks.  It has bee below freezing everyday for the last 7 or 8 days.  So what does one enjoy eating during these frigid days?  Personally, I lean towards soups and stews.  It is comfy and just seems to warm the soul.

Growing up, I did not eat a lot of soup.  So as I became an adult, soup was not one of my favorite things to eat.  Looking back, I can’t honestly say what brought me to start loving soups, but whatever it was, I am grateful.

How do I love thee, soup?  There are many reasons.  One reason is that soups are usually a combination of my some of may favorite individual ingredients.  Onion, garlic, chicken, red pepper, potatoes, chicken stock, thyme, corn, peas etc.  And when everything is combined, it becomes a complex flavor profile that meets all my needs.  And every time I make my soups, I always make slight adjustments to the amounts of ingredients used so that it is a different dish every time.  I admit, that is my favorite and sometime not so favorite thing about cooking: slight adjustments to ingredient amounts can produce a drastic difference in the taste of the dish.

Now, today, I decided to highlight my Chicken Veggie Soup.

While the recipe I am providing here is for the more time consuming version as it uses raw chicken.  I did highlight a note that the recipe can be made in less than half the time by using store bought rotisserie chicken and by cutting down the amount of water used from 4 cups used to 2 cups used. The secret in this recipe is the Trader Joe’s Savory Broth Chicken Flavor.  I keep several boxes in stock at all times. One of my ultimate fav ingredients ever!!!

Chicken Veggie Soup

Ingredients
  

  • 4 chicken thighs deskinned
  • 1 tbsp salt for the chicken
  • 1 tbsp EVOO
  • 1 large onion thinly sliced
  • 1/2 tsp salt for the onion
  • 2 large garlic cloves grated
  • 3/4 to 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 6 to 8 pouches Trader Joe’s Savory Broth Chicken Flavor
  • 32 oz Trader Joe’s Broth Chicken Flavor or other preferred brand
  • 3 cups of frozen mixed veggies
  • 4 cups water

Instructions
 

  • Salt the chicken with 1 tbsp of salt and set aside for about 10 minutes.
  • Place the chicken in a pot with 4 cups water.
  • Cook for 30 to 35 minutes.
  • Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside.
  • Pour the remaining chicken stock into a cup and set aside as well.
  • In a clean pot, heat the EVOO and add onion.
  • Cook until the onion softens and then add .25 tsp salt.
  • Continue to cook until the onion is translucent.
  • Add fresh garlic and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.
  • Pour both chicken stocks onto the onion and garlic mixture, together with the thyme and chicken broth pouches.
  • Simmer for about 8 too 10 minutes before adding frozen veggies and chicken.
  • Continue to cook for another 5 minutes.
  • Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
  • Your soup is ready. Enjoy as is or with crusty bread.

Notes

For a faster weekday meal, use grocery purchased rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken from the night before, instead of raw chicken.  Then just start cooking with step 6, sautéing the onion step.  The soup will taste like you spent hours cooking it in less than 30 minutes.

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