It hadn’t really gotten cold yet here in Dallas but I have been dying to make soup, so this weekend I finally gave in and made some fall foods. First I made Turkey Chili, I love this chili and need to make some to just have in the freezer over the next couple of months. If you’re interested in the recipe I posted it awhile back but you can get it here.
Then I decided to try out the Pioneer Women’s Chicken Soup recipe with a few alterations which is how I came up with my Clean Chicken and Quinoa Soup.
Clean Chicken and Quinoa Soup Ingredients
1 Whole Chicken
1 Bay Leaf
64 oz Chicken Broth
1 onion chopped
3 stalks of celery chopped
3 whole carrots peeled and chopped
3 whole parsnips peeled and chopped
3 cloves of garlic chopped
Salt & pepper to taste
1 cup dry Quinoa, cooked according to directions
First step is to get the chicken out of the bag and drain all excess juices. Then comes the gross part….you have to pull the neck and gizzards out from inside the cavity of the bird. I know this is gross but I promise you cooking the chicken like this will make this soup taste SO good because it is rich with flavor! Put the chicken in the pot and add the 64 ounces of broth and then place the bay leaf in the pot, you can place it on the chicken like The Pioneer Woman recommends or just anywhere in the pot.
Chop up your celery, carrots, parsnips and garlic and add to the pot. Bring the liquid to a boil and then reduce to low and let it all cook together for an hour and a half to two hours. I ended up needing to cook mine a little longer because I think my pot is too thick for low to really be the right setting. I probably should have put it on 2 or 3 on the dial instead.
When you’re ready, carefully take the chicken out of the pot. Keep in mind the cavity will fill with the broth and veggies so you’ll have to let it drain before moving it to a plate or cutting board. Then you want to get as much of the chicken off the bones as you can and put it back in the pot. At this point I also added in the Quinoa that I had cooked in another pot so that it would absorb some of the flavor from the broth. I let the soup cook another 30 minutes before taking it out and dividing it up. Here is where you would add the salt and pepper to taste; I ended up using garlic salt instead of regular salt.
This easily made 5 very hearty servings. If you aren’t looking to keep this recipe clean you could serve this with some herb bread and it would be delicious! This could be a great soup to have on hand around the holidays when you need a break from the sugary heavy foods that are often served.
Because the whole chicken is cooked in broth it unlocks a dimension of flavor that is unreal. The Clean Chicken and Quinoa Soup reheats really well, I just need to try freezing it and seeing how it is after being frozen. Don’t be alarmed if the broth seems kind of thick, it will be but when it is heated up it goes back to liquid. Enjoy!
Here is a printer friendly version of the recipe!
Love Quinoa! Used it in breakfast, lunch, and dinner recipes, but never in soup so far. Will try it out!
A friend of mine just posted a great looking recipe for Moroccan Bean Soup with Pumpkin and Swiss Chard that I’m dying to try out as well!
Great time for soups with winter around the corner!