Fragrant Chicken Soup with Chickpeas and Vegetables
Updated May 3, 2024
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2tablespoons olive oil
- 1Spanish onion, chopped
- ½teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
- ¾teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½teaspoon sweet paprika
- ½teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ¼teaspoon ground black pepper
- Pinch of cayenne
- 2tablespoons tomato paste
- 2celery stalks, diced
- 1turnip, peeled and diced
- 1sweet potato, peeled and diced
- 1quart chicken broth
- 1¾pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1can (15 ounces) chickpeas, drained
- ½cup chopped cilantro, more for garnish
- 1tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
300 calories; 11 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 24 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 27 grams protein; 575 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oil in a large soup pot over high heat. Add onion and salt and sauté until limp, 3 minutes. Add all spices and sauté until they release their fragrance, about 2 minutes. Add tomato paste and sauté another minute, until darkened but not burned. (If tomato paste looks too dark too quickly, lower heat.)
- Step 2
Add celery, turnip and sweet potato and continue to sauté until celery starts to soften, about 10 minutes.
- Step 3
Return heat to high if you lowered it, and add broth to pot. Bring to a simmer, then add chicken. Partially cover pot, lower heat to medium low, and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Step 4
Add chickpeas and cilantro to pot and continue simmering until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes longer. Stir in the lemon juice and more salt if desired, and serve garnished with cilantro and lemon wedges.
Private Notes
Comments
I didn't chop the chicken. I simply removed the skin and fat. I did do a dry rub into the meat before cooking. After the thighs were cooked, I removed the bones.
I added a step I learned from a Nigerian friend. I poured about a 1/2 cup of the chick peas, and about 1/2 to 3/4 cups of the soup - including one chicken thigh - into a blender. I pureed the mixture and added it back to the soup. The puree adds thickness and flavor.
Melissa Clark's mistake turned in to a wonderful, full flavored recipe for the rest of us. I have made this soup over the years for our family, for friends convalescing from illness, to offer to those mourning a loss. Everyone always asks for the recipe.
It is healthy...relatively low calorie, gluten free, high fiber, lower carbs. Enjoy!
This is a favorite recipe of mine- have been making it for years. I started out following it to a "T", and it is wonderful. The recipe is very flexible. I have added at various times: cauliflower, red peppers, diced anchovy (mashed in with the spices), parsnips, red lentils, spinach, kale. You get the idea. The base spices and broth are what pull it together to make a delicious soup/stew.
Delicious! I didn’t cube up the chicken, rather browned in a Dutch oven, deglazed with some broth, then added the veg. I also subbed carrots instead of turnips & added spinach as I had a half bag that was near the end of its life.
Doubled the ingredients and added kale when I added the beans. Only had one can of chickpeas so subbed second can with kidney beans. The ONLY part of the recipe that I will not use again is the can of chickpeas - flavor conflicted as did the consistency (like softened pebbles). Next time, two cans of kidney beans. Otherwise, delicious.
I just made this with a few changes (parsnip instead of turnip and only a lb of chicken since that's what I had, parsley for cilantro bc I don't like cilantro) and I'm a little disappointed. For all the different spices the flavor is fairly bland. I'll see if it gets more interesting overnight or if I can perk it up with more spices before serving, but had expected something a little more complex.
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