Homemade Chicken Vegetable Soup Recipe

by Noor H Salem

While spring is around the corner, snowflakes and cold wind chills are still upon us. There is nothing more heartwarming than enjoying a bowl of warm homemade soup, especially if it is loaded with vitamins and nutrients.

While it’s easy to drive by a fast-food chain or grab canned soup from the supermarket on a brittle cold day, the vast majority of these soups are loaded with ingredients detrimental to your wellbeing. Both fast-food soup varieties or even canned soup from your favorite supermarket may contain an excessive amount of refined sodium, preservatives, genetically engineered ingredients, and unhealthy fats.

The recent increase in organic food, such as canned or boxed soups, puts one at the face of dichotomy on their journey to better health. While unquestionably, certified organic soup is healthier than the ubiquitous unhealthy options available, they may still be extremely high in sodium, and don’t contain the vitamins and minerals of soup you may make with homemade broth. Making your favorite soup at home is not only rather easy but much healthier for both you and your family.

The homemade chicken broth is the star of the show, as it is loaded with numerous vitamins and minerals. Bone broth is loaded with a myriad of health benefits, including improving digestion, strengthening your immune system, and enhancing your cognitive health.

You can use either chicken or meat to make your broth; both are loaded with vitamins and minerals that will do your health wonders. It is best that you do not purchase any bone broth or stock from supermarkets; the majority are extremely high in sodium (most likely the bleached and highly processed version) and contain genetically modified ingredients.

Not only is homemade bone broth easy to make, but it’s also extremely healthy. It prevents and cures simple ailments like the common cold and flu and even aids in healing autoimmune disease. Bone broth is great for leaky gut, cardiovascular health, cognitive health, and yes, even digestive health. It’s simply amazing how many benefits it has.

Don’t underestimate the broth and don’t toss it out! Store it in an air-tight container for future use, or turn it into a scrumptious dish like this below.

Try this recipe, and you’ll find yourself making homemade broth more often. Adding in vegetables, such as carrots, onions, broccoli, celery, and potatoes, boost the nutritional value of this soup, and increase the dietary fiber value as well.

It’s important to note that it’s recommended you use either cold-pressed avocado oil or organic butter, for caramelizing the onions.

While extra virgin olive oil is one of the healthiest oils and one I cover extensively in my book, Sunnah Superfoods, it’s best not to cook with it using high heat. Olive oil has a low smoke point, thus its remarkable health benefits are destroyed.

For that, drizzle it on your soup prior to serving to increase the nutritional value, and add flavor.

Enjoy this soup aside your favorite dinner, or on its own as a satisfying and mouthwatering meal!

Ingredients:

• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 3 tablespoons cold-pressed avocado oil
• 2 large carrots, finely chopped
• 1 cup cubed potatoes
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped broccoli
• 6 cups homemade chicken bone broth
• 2 additional cups boiling water
• 2 cups deboned shredded chicken (use from the broth’s chicken)
• 1 teaspoon turmeric, ground
• 1 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
• ½ teaspoon ginger, ground
• ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions:

1. Place the diced onions and avocado oil in a large pot, and cook on high-heat for about 2 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, potatoes, and broccoli. Stir-fry for approximately 5 minutes, or until the onions are caramelized.
2. Add the chicken, spices, boiling water, and broth. Stir. Cover and cook on medium-high heat for about 15-20 minutes, or until the vegetables soften up.
3. Remove from heat. Using a hand-blender, blend until it’s smooth and creamy.
4. Top with the fresh parsley and lemon juice. Serve warm.

Noor H. Salem is an author, speaker, and Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, from Michigan. Noor works with clients in better understanding their bodies and healing with natural foods through her wellness practice, Holistic Noortrition. She presents various workshops, school lectures, group coaching classes, and community lectures on the topic of holistic health. Noor recently published her book, SUNNAH SUPERFOODS, a culmination of life-changing recipes and remedies, with a foreword by Dr. Waleed Basyouni. Her book consists of prophetic hadith, modern research, and delicious recipes, and is in the process of being translated into other languages.