This is a hearty soup to get you through these chilly winter months! We doubled the original recipe and added a lot more veggies to beef it up and make better use of the groceries. It’s a full meal on its own as it’s chock full of veggies, lean protein and fiber. This heats up great if you want to make it to eat throughout the week. It also freezes well if you want to save some for later. Mangia! Mangia!
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 bunch celery, cut into bite-size pieces
1 lb carrots, peeled, cut into bite-size pieces
1-2 small onions, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 (14 1/2-ounce) can chopped tomatoes (we like it with fire roasted)
2 (14-ounce) cans low-sodium chicken broth (or 1 box)
1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
chicken breast with ribs & bone (about 3 pounds total)
2 (15-ounce) can organic kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Directions:
Heat the oil in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add the celery, carrot, and onion. Saute the vegetables until the onion is translucent, about 7-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in the tomatoes with their juices, chicken broth, basil, tomato paste, bay leaf, and thyme. Add the chicken breasts; press to submerge.
Bring the cooking liquid to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently uncovered until the chicken is almost cooked through, turning the chicken breasts over and stirring the mixture occasionally, about 25 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the chicken breasts to a work surface and cool for 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaf. Add the kidney beans to the pot and simmer until the liquid has reduced into a stew consistency, about 10 minutes.
Discard the skin and bones from the chicken breasts. Shred or cut the chicken into bite- size pieces. Return the chicken meat to the stew. Bring the stew just to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Can top with a sprinkle of shredded parmesan cheese when serving.
Nutrition
For 1/6 recipe: 415 calories | 8.4g fat | 44g carbs | 41g protein | 704mg sodium | 16g fiber
Original recipe credit: Giada De Laurentiis