Harvest Chicken Soup with Sweet Potato Gnocchi
The quintessential Fall Soup
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 75 minutes
- Yield: 6
- Category: Soup
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, (diced)
- 3 celery ribs, (diced)
- 3 large carrots, (diced)
- 2 medium parsnips, (peeled and diced)
- 6 cloves garlic, (unpeeled)
- extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt, (divided)
- Ground black pepper
- 1 whole bone-in skin-on chicken breast (about 1¾ pounds) or 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
- 8 cups Chicken Broth (see how I make broth here or reference Paleo Soups and Stews for recipes)
- ½ pound kale, (stemmed and torn or chopped into 1-inch pieces)
- ½ teaspoon minced fresh thyme ((about 4 sprigs))
- 1 batch Sweet Potato Gnocchi or spaghetti squash or sweet potato noodles ((see Paleo Soups and Stews for Veggie Noodle options))
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate arils
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°
- In a large baking dish, toss the diced veggies and garlic with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and ½ teaspoon of the salt.
- Season the chicken with ½ teaspoon of the salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Rub the remaining olive oil all over the chicken. Place the chicken on top of the veggies and roast for 40 to 45 minutes, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160°F and the veggies are brown and softened. (If using precooked chicken, just roast the veggies on their own.)
- Place the chicken in the fridge to cool. Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their peels and mash lightly.
- Add the veggies to a large pot along with the broth, kale, and thyme. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, or until the kale is soft.
- While the soup simmers, pull the chicken meat off the bones and cut or tear it into bite-sized pieces. Discard the skin and bones or reserve the bones for making broth. Add the chicken to the soup and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, until just heated through.
- Serve with Sweet Potato Gnocchi, sweet potato noodles, or spaghetti squash. Garnish with pomegranate arils.
Notes
Slow Cooker Instructions:
Peel the garlic cloves and toss them and the vegetables with ½ teaspoon of salt, a few pinches of pepper, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Place in a slow cooker, along with the kale and thyme. Season the chicken with the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt, a couple pinches of pepper, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil and place on top of the vegetables. Pour in the broth and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Remove the chicken and, once cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bone. Chop or tear the chicken into bite-sized pieces and return to the pot. Add the gnocchi or noodles to heat through.
Egg-Free / Nut-Free / AIP Modification:
Omit the black pepper and serve with veggie noodles instead of gnocchi. Lower-Carb Modification: Serve with zucchini noodles or summer squash noodles (page 194).
Chef’s Tip: Use leftover roast chicken and a variety of leftover roasted veggies to make a super-quick soup. Just simmer the roasted veggies in broth for 10 minutes as directed in Step 5, then add 3 cups of cooked chicken and heat through.