Golden Chicken Vegetable Soup With Chickpeas | Ellie Krieger

The slow accumulation of snow outside sparks the desire for warmth inside. The yin and the yang of life on chilly wintry days. A nourishing chicken soup is a source of comfort any day. Overtime, I’ve collected a slew of restorative chicken soup recipes I like — depending on what’s on hand. Some can be made from scratch with a whole chicken simmering on the stove for hours. Some can be a quick soup put together with store-bought chicken broth. Depending on your time commitment, a good chicken soup is readily accessible to give warmth. In particular, the golden chicken vegetable soup with chickpea is great on snowy days like today. The golden tone of it says it all.

I have not thought of adding turmeric in a chicken soup until I see Ellie Krieger’s recipe. But it works for many reasons. Turmeric powder has a warm, bitter, black pepper-like flavor and earthy, mustard-like aroma. They are ground into a deep orange-yellow powder commonly used as a coloring and flavoring agent in many Asian cuisines, especially for curries. I made a kabocha turmeric tea cake and a roasted cauliflower with Punjabi seasonings with turmeric. They both showcase the golden tone and the character of turmeric that no other spices can deliver.

In the case of the golden chicken vegetable soup with chickpea, turmeric turns the broth golden among the green beans, spinach and chickpea. I love the soup for its golden glow, warmth and nutritiousness on days when holding a hot bowl of soup is all that I want.

Print Recipe

Golden Chicken Vegetable Soup With Chickpeas | Ellie Krieger

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium carrots (5 ounces total), diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 medium yellow onion (about 8 ounces), diced
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced or finely grated
1 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast
One (15-ounce) can no-salt-added chickpeas, drained and rinsed or 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
4 ounces green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (1 cup)
2 cups baby spinach, coarsely chopped

Instructions

SAUTÉ THE AROMATICS: In a large soup pot over medium heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the carrots, celery and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the ginger, garlic, salt, pepper and turmeric and cook for 1 minute more. Add the broth and bring to a boil.

ADD CHICKEN: Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the chicken. Simmer, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate.

ADD CHICKPEA AND BEANS: Add the chickpeas and green beans to the pot, increase the heat to medium-high and return the broth to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until the green beans are tender, about 10 minutes.

While the green beans are softening, use two forks to tear the chicken into bite-size pieces. When the green beans are tender, return the chicken, with any accumulated juices, to the pot.

STIR IN THE SPINACH: Stir in the spinach and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat, ladle into bowls and serve hot.