Soup season is a wonderful time of the year for kitchens everywhere, and we’re welcoming it in style with a zesty and oh-so-satisfying Mediterranean Veggie and Chicken Soup! It’s packed full of fresh veggies like carrots, celery, squash, and parsnips with tender shredded Halal chicken and seasoned just how you like. That’s the beauty of a great soup, it’s just what you need this fall.
There are a few steps needed before you get to cooking it all in a big pot, but these steps can be done at the same time, so you’ll be enjoying a hot and tasty bowl in no time. The garlic and chicken need to cook in the oven until cooked through and that gives you the time to prep the veggies by slicing them into small pieces.
This won’t take the full 45 minutes they cook for, and you’ll want that garlic nice and soft before you mix it into the pot at the start. But when it is done, the long cook time will have the chicken nice and tender if you’ve sliced them into thin fillets so they’re perfect to shred with a few forks.
Once that simple prep is out of the way, you’re off to the races and everything starts going into a big pot. We let the veggies cook a little bit just to start to soften, but I love how the celery, carrot, and parsnip still have a little bit of crunch in the final soup. And even at the start this will have your kitchen starting to smell awesome.
But it isn’t a fall recipe without some butternut squash, so we tossed in a few packs of Sno Pacs organic squash. This is super convenient and saves a ton of time to heat up in the pot from frozen; the other veggies are simple to prep, but squash is not so easy so having a bag of it ready to go in is a game changer.
The soup itself is a base of chicken broth and plenty of tomato paste for that rich and somewhat tangy flavor from the paste. We also mixed in plenty of Italian seasoning and some red pepper flakes for zest, but like any good soup, taste it occasionally as it’s simmering to make sure the seasoning’s what you like.
While everything is simmering in the pot you can boil some gnocchi as well. These don’t take long before they’re tender, a few minutes at most so you’ll want to cook these separately. If you get a little too overzealous and let them simmer in the pot with everything else, you’ve got a matter of minutes before they overhydrate and turn to mush. Do yourself a favor and add these to your bowl at the end to add some tender and hearty little gnocchi mixed in.
But before we’re ready to serve, after everything has simmered and all the flavors have gotten to know each other toss in the kale, basil, parsley, and chicken. The greens add some great freshness to the pot that makes this whole thing more complex and delicious and the chicken, of course, rounds it all out with great flavor and is super satisfyingly tender.
Give it a final taste for seasoning then serve up a hot and ready bowl of it with the gnocchi, shredded parmesan over top, and with a slice of bread for dipping and you’re set! I was getting hungry again just remembering this recipe. Soups hit differently this time of year, but this would be delicious anytime. It’s full of Italian flavor, different textures that make every bite satisfying and keep it from being one note, and like any good soup, makes your kitchen smell incredible.
