This Deliciously Simple Chicken Soup is perfect for anytime of the year and whether you are sick or not. Full of Veggies and delicious Ingredients that will hit the spot!
Lightning bugs, hydrangeas and gardenias, early sunrise, late sunset — I do love this time of year. I am so grateful for this sweet pocket of late-late spring meandering into nearly-but-not-quite summer.
Official summer commences next week, which may mean that you are grilling every meal and dining on salads, wraps and sandwiches for the duration. Me? I’m grateful for the produce and the daylight and the shade trees and gatherings; but at our kitchen table, we’re still eating soup.
With air conditioning for the few hot days we’ve had and the easy-going spring weather we keep having, I’m a fool for the cook-once-eat-a-lot-of-meals blessing of soup, no matter what the calendar says.
I love this recipe from my friend Debbie, who got it from her friend Kay who got it from Betty who got it from Stella. It’s typed up and copied out, with notes from cooks along the way (“Use leftover turkey” “Fresh spinach is better” “It’s curry at end of cooking that makes it” “Leave out the spinach and the soup is still good”).
I agree — it’s a great little soup and just the sort of recipe that doesn’t mind adaptations, tweaks, and revisions, based on what you have and what you like. You need two cups cooked chopped chicken (or turkey), and the standards from the veggie drawer in the fridge: carrots, celery, onion, along with potato, parsley, and spinach. The recipe calls for frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry — that’s great, but I usually have fresh spinach for salads, and just coarsely chop some of that.
The recipe calls for butter, light cream, and chicken, but I’ve made it with olive oil, coconut milk or other non-dairy milks, and tofu or mushrooms or chickpeas for a vegan version, and it’s always good.
Fire it up with some chopped fresh chilies or hot sauce, and boost the type and amount of curry powder if you like. As written, the curry powder is a grace note, not a major feature. We love it with rice, or sandwiches, or cornbread, or over noodles. We just plain love it and I hope you do, too!
Did I mention it’s even better the next day or two? Soup!
Delicious Chicken Soup
My friend Debbie shared this recipe with me last Thanksgiving, as a way to put extra turkey to good use. It's so good I've been making it ever since, all the way into summer, because the blessing of air con means I can enjoy a wider world of recipes than my grandmother's generation did. This soup is one of my favorite ways to put cooked chicken to good use. Whether you pick up a rotisserie chicken at the supermarket or simmer up a few pieces of chicken from the freezer for chicken salad, here's how to turn 2 cups of coarsely chopped chicken into a weeknight feast. A little touch of curry powder gives this satisfying soup a mysteriously delicious kick. People won't know exactly what it is, since it's a small touch, but they will know they love this dish. You can start the onions in butter while you chop up the potatoes, carrots, and celery. Like so many soups and stews, this is even better the next day.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter or olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups chopped onion (2 small or 1 medium onion)
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 teaspoon curry powder (or more if you like)
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup chopped potatoes
- 1/2 cup chopped carrots
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 2 cups chopped or cubed cooked chicken
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk, half-and-half, or milk
- 2 to 3 cups chopped fresh spinach
Instructions
- Melt butter in a heavy medium saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until bubbly.
- Add onions and cook, stirring now and then, until fragrant, shiny, and wilted, 8 to 10 minutes
- Sprinkle in the flour and curry powder, stir well, and cook 2 minutes more, stirring often.
- Stir in the potatoes, carrots, celery, and half the parsley and bring to a lively boil.
- Adjust heat to maintain a visible simmer and cook 10 minutes.
- Add chicken, half and half, and spinach and stir well.
- Cook 5 minutes more and then stir in salt and pepper; taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.
- Transfer to a serving bowl or individual bowls and top with remaining parsley; serve hot.
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