Lancia’s New Beloved Chicken Soup

One of the inevitable outcomes of being put on a restricted food plan – especially long-term or permanent restriction – is having to adapt recipes you already know and love to something you can now safely eat. My original “Beloved Chicken Soup”(included below this adapted recipe) is one of the essential dishes I have had to adapt and learn to love in a different form than the original. I serve New Beloved Chicken Soup all year round because it is so basic and versatile, but it will make multiple appearances at our house over Christmastime because it is one of our quintessential comfort foods and it can be “dressed up” differently with each person.

When you make a big pot like this, you have a gloriously simple dinner one night, and then decant the rest of the pot into wide mouth canning jars for storage and refrigerate. Mine have lasted easily more than a week that way and are easy to serve again or share with others. 

Lancia’s New Beloved Chicken Soup ~

dairy, nightshade, legume, & grain free!

Main Ingredients ~

6 shredded, cooked chicken breasts –

1 bunch diced carrots, or 2 bags of either crinkle cut or string cut carrots

1-2 Bunches of fresh green onions

2 + cups diced celery tops and stalks

*1 can mild green chilies (optional but delicious, if you’d like this to have a spicy Mexican flavour)

3 Yellow Summer Squash – chopped into coins or bites and cooked separately

3 Green or Grey Summer Squash – chopped into coins or bites and cooked separately

Base:

3 boxes of liquid Organic Chicken or Turkey bone broth

Seasonings:

2 heaping tablespoons of Better Than Chicken Bouillon – (This brand is essential to my soup bases)

1/2 to 1 teaspoon minced garlic

8-10 dry bay leaves

2 full stems of rosemary

2 Tablespoons of either chicken or original Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons dill seed (essential to this recipe)

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

2 regular size cans of coconut milk

2 Tablespoons coconut oil

Directions:

1. Pour contents of 3 boxes of Organic Chicken or Turkey bone broth into large cooking pot. Set to medium high heat.
2. Add 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3. Add seasonings.
4. Cook carrots, celery, summer squash separately to preserve textures and colours. Drain and keep reserved till 15 minutes before completing soup.
5. Dice chicken breast (or turkey) and add to soup stock. Set pot to simmer (low).
6. Add cans of coconut milk
7. 15 minutes before serving, add in cooked carrots, squash, and celery.

Serve with chopped avocado and pumpkin seeds.

For those who can have corn chips, sprinkle lightly crushed corn chips into serving bowls to make this a lovely Chicken Tortilla soup.  And for those who can have sweet potatoes or winter squash, those add some substance that is really filling. 

Always serve with love!

Lancia’s Original Beloved Chicken Soup

This recipe works beautifully for all you fortunate folks who can eat whatever you would like to: dairy, grains, potatoes, etc. This soup is irresistibly delicious and, back in the days when I was catering, it was the single most requested item on the menu, closely followed by Chocolate Chip Banana Bread! Serve Beloved Chicken Soup with homemade biscuits, toasted sesame seed bread, or your favourite cornbread. While it is delicious fresh out of the pot, like most good soups, the flavour is best second & third day. 

Main Ingredients ~

4-6+ cups chopped cooked chicken breast – more if you like

6 to 8 large potatoes – well scrubbed, unpeeled, diced into bite size cubes

3-4 cups diced carrots

2 + cups diced celery tops and stalks

4-8 cups of cooked rice mixed with wild rice or cooked small pasta (orzo, etc.)

1 whole chopped onion, sauteed

Seasonings:

3 + heaping teaspoons of chicken bouillon granules 2 scoops of onion soup mix (or 1 envelope)

1/2 to 1 teaspoon minced garlic

8-1 0 dry bay leaves

2 heaping teaspoons crushed rosemary

2 teaspoons chicken Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons dill seed

1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic pepper

2 regular size cans cream of mushroom soup (or 1 large can)

1 pint half and half (or sour cream in a pinch)

Directions:

1. Fill large pot half full of water. Set to boil.
2. Add bouillon, onion soup mix, bay leaves, minced garlic, Worcestershire sauce, dill seed, lemon and garlic peppers.
3. Scrub & dice potatoes, celery, & carrots – add to boiling water. Let boil 30 to 45 minutes.
4. Cook rice/ wild rice mixture (50 minutes or so till done) then drain & rinse off starch – set aside.
5. Dice chicken breast (or turkey) and add to soup stock. Set pot to simmer (low).
6. Add cans of cream of mushroom soup and half & half.
7. Add cooked, rinsed rice mixture (or small cooked pasta/ couscous). Simmer 1 hour.

Serve with love!

Lancia E. Smith

Lancia E. Smith is an author, photographer, business owner, and publisher. She is the founder and Executive Director of Cultivating Oaks Press, LLC, Cultivating Magazine, and its fellowship of writers and makers.  She has been honoured to serve in executive management, church leadership, school boards, and Art & Faith organizations throughout her career.

Now empty-nesters, Lancia & her husband Peter make their home in the Black Forest of Colorado, keeping company with 200 Ponderosa Pine trees,  a herd of mule deer, an ever expanding library, and two beautiful black cats. Lancia loves land reclamation, website and print design, beautiful typography, road trips, being read aloud to by Peter, and cherishes the works of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and George MacDonald. She lives with daily wonder of the mercies of the Triune God and in constant gratitude for the beloved company of Cultivators.

www.cultivatingoakspress.com