Light Chicken, Quinoa & Vegetable Soup Recipe

Fuel your body and warm it right down to your toes with this healthy soup recipe, chockfull of chicken, quinoa and vegetables.

As many of you are freezing off your behinds in these crazy temperatures, I thought it was time for some soup. And since many of your have expressed that you’re joining me on my Run Like a Girl Challenge (woohoo!), I knew it needed to be something that was not only warming and satisfying, but would also fuel you with whole grains and lean protein.

For those of you who accepted the challenge when I laid down the gauntlet, we’ll be using the hashtag #runwithdara (thanks to Sarah of Will Run for Pasta for kicking this off) on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook and so on when posting about our training runs, moments of fatigue or inspiration, and races.


Whether or not you’ve run a single step since high school gym class, come join us for the challenge.

Now, back to the recipe. This soup follows a basic formula: sauté the chicken and vegetables, then simmer everything in broth, along with some quinoa. The peas are added in the last few minutes so that they don’t become overcooked and start to shrivel.

You’ll likely have leftovers. If you don’t feel like slurping up the rest for lunch the next day, the soup freezes well.

The recipe:

Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large saucepan set over medium-high heat. Add the chicken breast meat, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken has just turned white on the outside. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

Reduce heat to medium and add 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil to the pan. Add chopped shallot, carrots, celery, and dried thyme. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are just tender, 7 to 8 minutes.

Stir in quinoa, chicken broth and chicken. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and let simmer until quinoa is translucent, about 15 minutes.

Add frozen peas and heat for additional 5 minutes. Taste and season with additional ground pepper, if desired. Stir in chopped parsley and serve.

Other healthy soup recipes:

Cookin’ Canuck’s Fisherman’s Soup with Tilapia, Shrimp, Tomatoes & Capers
Cookin’ Canuck’s Hearty Chicken Sausage, Roasted Pepper & Whole Wheat Orzo Soup
Sprouted Kitchen’s Black Bean & Butternut Soup
My New Roots’ Cashew Corn Chowder with Cilantro Cream
Green Kitchen Stories’ Sweet Potato, Carrot & Red Lentil Soup

Light Chicken, Quinoa & Vegetable Soup Recipe

print shopping list

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size	1¼ cups
Amount Per Serving	As Served
Calories 311kcal Calories from fat 67
% Daily Value
Total Fat 7g	11%
Saturated Fat 1g	5%
Transfat 0g
Cholesterol 79mg	26%
Sodium 422mg	18%
Carbohydrate 28g	9%
Dietary Fiber 4g	16%
Sugars 6g
Protein 32g

Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs:

	Calories	2000
Total Fat	Less than	65g
Sat Fat	Less than	25g
Cholesterol	Less than	300mg
Sodium	Less than	2,400mg
Total Carbohydrate		300g
Dietary Fiber		25g

Preparation 15 mins

Cook Time 35 mins

Total Time 50 mins

From the kitchen of Cookin Canuck. www.cookincanuck.com

Serves Serves 8     adjust servings

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 tsp olive oil, divided
• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 large shallots, minced
• 1 1/2 cups diced carrots
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 cup cup quinoa
• 5 1/4 cups 99% fat-free chicken broth
• 1 cup frozen green peas
• 1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large saucepan set over medium-high heat. Add the chicken breast meat, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken has just turned white on the outside. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
2. Reduce heat to medium and add 1½ teaspoons olive oil to the pan. Add chopped shallot, carrots, celery, and dried thyme. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are just tender, 7 to 8 minutes.
3. Stir in quinoa, chicken broth and chicken. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and let simmer until quinoa is translucent, about 15 minutes.
4. Add frozen peas and heat for additional 5 minutes. Taste and season with additional ground pepper, if desired. Stir in chopped parsley and serve.

by From the kitchen of cookincanuck.com

Recipe Notes

Calories 212.1 / Total Fat 3.6g / Saturated Fat 0.2g / Choelsterol 44.5mg / Sodium 914.7mg / Total Carbohydrates 21.4g / Fiber 3.3g / Sugars 2.2g / Protein 22.4g / WW (Old Points) 4 / WW (Points+) 5