Come winter, there’s nothing better than a big hearty bowl of warm chicken soup. This recipe by Melanie Lionello of From My Little Kitchen is a healthy twist on a comforting dish with the added nutrient benefits of almonds and cashews, which have the right combination of good fats, protein and fibre. Roast and sprinkle almonds on top for added crunch!
Recipe: Creamy Broccoli, Chicken & Wild Rice Soup
Serves 6
Ingredients
2 heads of broccoli, cut into florets and stalks diced
1 red onion, peeled and sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
4 tbs extra virgin olive oil
2L salt-reduced chicken stock
1 cup wild rice
3 chicken thighs, sliced
1 cup almonds
¼ cup cashews
2 sprigs of thyme
1 tsp smoked paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
Juice of one lemon
Method
1. In a large heavy based saucepan, saute onion in 3 tablespoons of oil until translucent on medium heat.
2. Add garlic and saute for a minute until fragrant.
3. Add broccoli, thyme, cashews and stock and replace lid on the saucepan. Simmer on medium heat for 15 minutes until broccoli is tender.
4. Turn off heat. Remove thyme sprigs.
5. Using a stick blender, blend the soup until smooth. You can also use a normal blender, using a ladle to transfer from the soup pot to the jug to blend.
6. Once the soup is smooth, add wild rice and chicken. Simmer for 45 minutes until rice is tender.
7. While the soup is simmering, preheat oven to 180 degrees. Add almonds, 1 tablespoon of oil, lemon juice and paprika to a baking tray and combine. The easiest way to do this is to ‘shuffle’ the almonds by quickly moving the tray side to side to coat them.
8. Roast almonds for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
9. Season soup with salt and pepper to your taste then serve soup with a handful of roasted almonds on top and some additional thyme if you like.
10.You can also add a squeeze of grilled lemon over the soup for a citrus twist.
Recipe created by Melanie Lionello for Nuts For Life.
