Category: Chicken

Magic Chicken Soup

I. Love. Soup. I really love it and I try to make it at least every other week, sometimes once a week! My friend once said I’m the soup queen and my heart smiled. A good soup is packed with amazing nutrients, a great protein and tons of flavor and that is exactly what this is!

Picture it – it’s December 2021. The week between Christmas and New Years. Noses are running. Kids are coughing. Parents are panicking about covid, of course, but also about all the other illnesses kids can get. So what does this mama do? She looks up all the veggies and herbs that have amazing healing properties and she whips up a soup that is ultra curing and tastes incredible.

So here is my Magic Chicken Soup. It was made twice during this week between the holidays and it was gobbled up both times. AND it is the perfect recipe to share with you all during this new year and state of runny noses and tired bodies.

One of the most important things to do with a soup is to let the flavors build. You don’t want to just add everything to a pot, cover with liquid and call it a day. Taking time to cook each thing and letting the herbs and spices mix and blend is key! After you add each ingredient, stir and let it sit for 2-3 minutes before moving on to the next step. Don’t rush the beginning steps before simmer time, trust me!

I LOVE to make my own bone broth but I don’t always have it on hand. There are so many amazing quality bone broths out there that I turn to when making soup. You can also make a quick version of your own broth by just adding water as your liquid. Since this is a healing soup though, and bone broth has WONDERFUL healing properties, if you add water instead of an already made broth, let it simmer on low for at least an hour and a half to extract the most out of those chicken bones!

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5 from 1 vote

Magic Chicken Soup

A little spin on traditional chicken soup filled with all the healing foods to cure any type of sickness.
Course Soup
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 6 Servings
Author Nikki

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch Oven a large stock pot can also be used

Ingredients

  • 3 ribs celery chopped
  • 3 large carrots peeled, chopped
  • 2 medium yellow onions chopped
  • 1 1/2 inches ginger root grated, split in half
  • 1/2 large lemon zest
  • 2 tblsp fresh sage finely chopped
  • 2 tblsp fresh basil finely chopped
  • 7 ounces shiitake mushrooms thinly sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 large lemon, juiced or two small/medium size
  • 2 pieces chicken on the bone 2 hind quarters or breast quarters. Or one of each
  • 1 cup spinach and/or kale gently packed
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 48 ounces bone broth (1 1/2 cartons) chicken or beef or homemade or water
  • salt
  • olive oil

Instructions

  • Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in dutch oven.
  • Chop celery, carrots and onion and add to pot.
  • Sprinkle with salt and add pepper.
  • Once veggies start to get soft, add half the amount of grated ginger and all the lemon zest. Stir.
  • Add chopped sage and basil. Stir.
  • Rinse mushrooms and thinly slice them.
    In your pot, move veggies to the sides so you can see the bottom of the pot. Add a drizzle of olive oil and put the mushrooms in a little at a time and let them brown and cook slightly. Repeat this till all the mushrooms have been added and are almost fully cooked.
  • Add half the amount of the lemon juice to deglaze the pot – either one small lemon or half of a large lemon – scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of it.
  • Add the minced garlic and the rest of the grated ginger. Stir.
  • Place chicken skin side down on top of the veggies.
  • Add broth till chicken and veggies are completely covered. Usually takes one and a half 32 ounce cartons of broth. You can just cover with water also.
  • Let simmer on low to medium heat till chicken is full cooked, at least 45 minutes.
  • Remove chicken and shred off the bone and add back to the soup.
  • Add in the spinach/kale and let it wilt into the soup.
  • Add the rest of the lemon juice, stir and serve!

Lemon Tahini Loaded Kale Salad

This salad is packed with tons of nutrients including so many healthy proteins and veggies! It’s alternative name is Packed Protein Salad! It’s creamy and flavorful and everything you need to switch up any salad slump you’re in.

A few years ago, my sister & brother in law were grilling cheese on the BBQ. I was shook by what they were doing but I needed to know more. The cheese they were grilling was Halloumi Cheese. I had never heard of it but I tried it and it was incredible. It’s a goat and sheep milk cheese which I’m a big fan of because processed cows milk cheeses tend to give me a migraine. It’s salty and gooey and if you haven’t had it, you need to.

I’ve been seeing a few people using Halloumi cheese lately and I couldn’t be left out. Paired with chicken thighs and hard boiled eggs and roasted chick peas and you’ve got yourself a full nutritious meal!

I was going to put my Caesar dressing on this but knew it wasn’t going to go well. This needed something a little bit sweeter/tart to balance out the saltiness from the cheese while also staying a tad more mild. Lemon Tahini dressing is perfect!

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Lemon Tahini Kale Salad

A fun spin on your favorite creamy and nutritious salad.
Course Salad
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 12oz bag of chopped kale
  • 1 can chick peas
  • 5 chicken thighs
  • 1/2 – 1 package halloumi cheese
  • 1/4 cup pistachio nuts
  • 4 hard boiled eggs

Lemon Tahini Dressing

  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • 2 medium lemons juiced
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • 2 tbsp water more for thinning
  • 1/2 tsp pepper

Instructions

  • In a family style serving dish, lay out chopped kale.
  • Boil water in small sauce pan and hard boil 4 eggs.
  • In a medium pan, toast chick peas over medium heat till slightly roasted. Remove and set aside.
  • Heat olive oil in same pan and deeply sear and fully cook chicken thighs.
  • Slice halloumi cheese into 1/2 inch pieces. When chicken is done, remove from pan and lightly fry both sides of the cheese.
  • Mix all ingredients for the dressing, adding water as necessary to thin it out.
  • Assemble salad and serve family style!

Sweet Tart Chicken

So I had an extra jar of sun-dried tomatoes from when I made my Mediterranean Chicken and I have been trying to figure out what to do with them. This is the PERFECT dish!

The sweetness of the sun-dried tomatoes mixed with the tartness of lemons added to chicken as your protein is the best combo! I was SHOCKED at how great this came out. I had this thought jotted down on my forever long list of food ideas and I put it together quickly because I was short on time. It was really so so simple but it came out so SO good!

I love me some chicken thighs. In fact, its a RARE occasion that I use breasts over thighs. They are just so much more tender and juicier. If you fear them because they are dark meat and more calories, DON’T! They are so good for you – a perfect protein and fat your body craves, promise! However, if you prefer breasts over thighs as far as taste goes, have at it!

This dish is really such a treat you won’t even realize it’s Keto, Whole30, Paleo, Clean, Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free – all the good things. Add this to your weekly rotation, you wont regret it!

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Sweet Tart Chicken

This Chicken dish is a life changing sweet and tangy masterpiece!
Course Main Course
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 3 people

Equipment

  • Stove top

Ingredients

  • 6 chicken thighs
  • 1 8.5oz jar of sundried tomatoes
  • 2 lemons 1 for zest and juice, 1 for slices
  • 1/2 cup broth chicken or beef
  • 1 tbsp ghee or butter
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • salt
  • pepper

Instructions

  • Generously sprinkle both sides of chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
  • In large skillet, heat olive oil and brown both sides of chicken in about 2 batches not to over crowd the pan – about 4 minutes each side. Remove and side aside.
  • In same skillet, melt ghee scraping off any bits on the bottom of pan.
  • Add broth and bring to slight boil then simmer.
  • Zest one of the lemons and add zest and half the lemon juice to pan.
  • Drain sundried tomatoes and stir in.
  • Add sliced lemons and stir.
  • Add back the chicken and cook till lemons are tender.
  • Serve and enjoy!

Mediterranean Chicken

Totally delicious and super easy! This dish has all the flavors of the Mediterranean and I swear requires little to no skill! Whip this up for a dinner party and your friends will think you’re a master chef.

This braises on the stove for about 20-30 minutes and the chicken shreds so so easily. Since you will be using the whole jar of marinated artichokes, you can use the oil from the jar to saute the shallots and brown the chicken in.

Method: Stove top – dutch oven/pot
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30-40 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 4-6 people

Ingredients:

  • 3 large chicken breasts or 5-6 chicken thighs
  • 1 12oz jar marinated artichokes (check ingredients, no added sugars)
  • 1 large shallot, sliced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup kalamata olives
  • 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes (I like to use marinated ones for more flavor but you can use any)
  • 2 tblsp capers
  • 3/4 cup cherry tomatoes
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • salt and pepper

Instructions:

In a large dutch oven or pot, heat 2 tblsp of the oil from the marinated artichokes. Add shallot and cook till tender, then add garlic and cook about 3 minutes.
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add a little more oil to pot if necessary and brown chicken, about 3-4 minutes each side – move shallot and garlic out of the way/place on top of chicken so it doesn’t burn.
Add 1 cup of chicken broth and de-glaze bottom of pot, scraping the brown bits off the bottom.
Add the capers, olives, sundried tomatoes and the whole jar of artichokes and cover with remaining cup of chicken broth.
Put lid on and let simmer and braise for about 25-30 minutes.
Remove lid and add tomatoes and let cook and reduce a little with lid off for an addition 5-10 minutes.
Shred chicken, serve and enjoy!

Chicken Bruschetta

Talk about easy-peasy! This is the perfect meal for a busy week night when you want something tasty without having to over think it. Just a handful of ingredients makes this a super flavorful dish.

I’m obsessed with chicken thighs. They are so much tastier to me than breasts. But of course feel free to use breasts here or even pork chops to switch things up.

Everyone over here were big fans of this including Sienna! Her 11 month old self has such a mature palette! Not that I really give her much of a choice. We then had this the next day for lunch and let me just point out – you can save the bruschetta part and totally have it as a snack with some chips after it’s been chilled. Trust me, I tested it!

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Chicken Bruschetta

This dish is quick and tasty and the perfect weeknight go-to!
Course Main Course
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 4 people
Author Nikki

Equipment

  • Stove top
  • One pot meal

Ingredients

  • 4-5 roma tomatoes diced
  • 1/2 red onion chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tbsp fresh basil chopped
  • 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 pound chicken thighs
  • 1 1/2 tsp dried basil
  • salt & pepper
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

  • In saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat.
  • Chop up onions and add to pan.
  • Once softened, add minced garlic and let cook for about 2 minutes.
  • Stir in tomatoes, basil and balsamic and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let cook for about 1 minute – you don't want the onions fully cooked or tomatoes mushy.
  • Remove from pan, juices and all, and set aside in bowl.
  • Season both sides of chicken thighs with salt, pepper and dried basil.
  • Brown chicken thighs on both sides, fully cooking. About 7-10 minutes each side, depending on thickness.
  • Serve Bruschetta over top!