Chicken and Cilantro Soup

We are so in Spring, friends! We made it - ha!

I’m loving the extra sunlight, and I am seeing some springtime flowers have bloomed right outside my front door! I wonder as move more into the warmer days of summer will my easy to digest soup trend continue? We shall see - you know I always share what I’m currently coveting, so I’ll share here on the blog. This time I was craving cilantro and lime and I know some may not like cilantro at all, but I do think you could sub parsley and still love this soup! Within my Human Design, it is energetically correct to eat something for days, months, years if I feel like it and then move on when I’m ready. I listen to my body and I always know when it’s time to mix it up. Yes, my body tells me every single time, especially now that I learned to get quiet enough to actually listen to what it wants.

What kind of chicken soup you prefer, I have a recipe that will surely hit the spot. This healthy recipe combines juicy chicken with veggies, like fennel, zucchini and green beans, and other tasty ingredients for a soothing bowl of delicious soup.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 lbs. chicken thighs and/or breasts

• 1 Jalapeño

• 1 small, 4 ounce can diced green chilies

• 1 yellow onion (if staying low fodmap, omit)

• 1 tsp oregano

• ½ T cumin

• 3T tomato paste

• 6 medium carrots, cut into quarters

• 1-2 fennel bulbs – I love fennel you can also omit if you don’t like the flavor

• 1 zucchini, diced

• 1.5 cups green beans, cut up in ½ inch pieces

• 1 T garlic oil

• 1 lime, juiced

• ½ bunch of cilantro

• 4 cups organic chicken bone broth (I like Pacific)

Directions:

1.    Dice the jalapeño, (scrape the seeds out of the jalapeño before dicing), carrots and fennel, (you could also add 1 yellow onion, but I do not because I like to stay low fodmap). Place the 1T of garlic oil in a large soup pot and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the veggies are soft.

2.    Add the chicken breast, chicken broth, tomato paste, oregano, and cumin to the pot. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to high, and bring the broth up to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to low and let the pot simmer for 20-25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.  Add remaining veggies, green beans and zucchini to become al dente. 

3.    After simmering for 20-25 minutes, carefully remove the chicken thighs/breast (you could use either) from the pot and use two forks to shred the meat. Return the shredded meat to the pot. Squeeze the juice of one lime into the soup (2-3 Tbsp juice). 

4. Rinse the cilantro and then roughly chop the leaves. Add the chopped cilantro to the soup, give it a quick stir, then serve. Slice the avocado and add a few slices to each bowl.