Kim's Famous Chicken Soup

I have a friend named Kim. While you may not know her, she deserves to be famous because of this chicken soup, hence why I called the recipe, Kim's Famous Chicken Soup. I had the luxury of eating this at her place a couple of times and I am not kidding you, YEARS later I was still craving it. I finally got around to asking her for the recipe and I am so glad I did. We made this the other night and everyone in my family LOVED it, just as I suspected they would. All chicken soups are good, but the trick to this one is the homemade broth using a whole chicken. It really does take the soup from being good to great! 

 I also love that this recipe is so versatile. You can use whatever veggies you have on hand. We used the typical carrots, celery, onions, and garlic.  I didn't give exact amounts on the veggies because it it totally up to you how much you like of everything. I like mine really garlicky and probably added 6-8 garlic cloves. Next time I will probably add even more. My girls ate theirs with a scoop of rice in their bowls, you can always add noodles if that's what you like. I chose to squeeze a little fresh lemon juice in mine just for fun. All options are delicious and totally up to you. Make sure to read the full recipe before starting to make things easier, and thank you Kim for this wonderful recipe, I hope I got it right! 

Ingredients

1 whole organic chicken

water

carrots

celery

onions

garlic

vinegar

salt and pepper

Directions

Place the whole chicken in a large pot and fill with water until chicken is completely covered with 1 inch of water over top. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and boil chicken for 1 1/2 hours. Keep adding water in the pot if needed since some of it will boil out. Once the chicken is cooked through, remove chicken from pot (leave the water in the pot) and set aside to cool. 

Once the chicken is cool enough to work with, remove the meat from the bones and place on a plate for later. Take the chicken bones and place them back into the water along with some roughly chopped carrots, celery, onions, garlic, 1 tbs vinegar, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce to low, cover and simmer as long as possible (up to 8 hours) adding water when needed.  Place the meat in the fridge for later. I usually end up with a lot of meat so I take half of it and freeze for later, or keep it in my fridge to use later that week. If you like soup with a lot of chicken, then leave it all in. It's totally up to you. 

When you are ready to make your soup, ladle out all of the veggies and chicken bones. I usually place a large bowl in my sink with a colander sitting inside of it and strain everything out that way. I take half of the broth and freeze it for later, but again, this is up to you. Once everything is strained out, you can place fresh diced onions, carrots, celery, and garlic back into the broth along with your chicken. Bring to a boil, reduce to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes or until the veggies are cooked through. If you want to add noodles, then do so after 10 minutes to make sure everything is done at the same time. I added in some oregano at the end and some more salt and pepper to taste. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did - Alex

Rainbow Chicken Salad with Almond Honey Mustard Dressing

Wow. This salad is truly incredible! It has all the right flavours in all the right ways! I honestly could go on and on. But just look.

This is perfection plated.

Now go make this immediately! 

It is THE best salad I have ever had the pleasure of devouring. The dressing definitely makes the dish.

Recipe from Pinch of Yum

Ingredients

Salad

2 teaspoons olive oil

8 oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts diced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 cup fresh blueberries

2 cups halved grapes

3 cups chopped green-leaf lettuce

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/2 cup sliced or chopped almonds

Dressing

3 Tablespoons almond butter

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

3 Tablespoons water

1 Tablespoon dijon mustard

1/2 Tablespoon raw honey

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Sauté the chicken in the hot oil and season with salt, pepper, and chili powder. Stir frequently until cooked through and golden brown. Set aside to cool. While chicken is cooling, prepare the fruits and vegetables. Place all the salad ingredients in a large bowl. They may either be arranged by ingredient, or all tossed together. 

To prepare the dressing, puree all the dressing ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Pour onto salad and enjoy!

- Arianne

Easy Tandoori Chicken with homemade Tandoori Seasoning

I tried this chicken recipe from  Nom Nom Paleo last week and I honestly couldn't get enough of it. It is super flavourful, moist and so easy to make. It does require some time to marinade (at least 4 hours), so plan for that. Other than that it is super easy to throw together. In nom nom paleo's recipe, they used a store bought tandoori seasoning but I wanted to make my own, so I included that recipe in this post as well. Don't feel like you have to (store bought is fine), but the homemade seasoning turned out to be quite delicious. 

The recipe also calls for bone-in skin on chicken thighs, but I used boneless, skinless. It turned out great, I just had to watch the time a little closer. I paired it with some rice and a kale salad, and it was the perfect meal on a busy weeknight. 

For the tandoori seasoning

Ingredients :

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 1/2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Mix together and store in an airtight container for future use. 

(You will only need 1 tablespoon of this for the chicken recipe.)

For the Tandoori Chicken

Ingredients :

4 lbs chicken thighs, bone in, skin on 

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 cup full fat Greek yogurt or full fat coconut milk (canned)

1 heaping tablespoon tandoori seasoning

juice from 1/2 lemon

1 tablespoon coconut oil, or fat of choice

Directions : 

Grab your chicken thighs and trim off any excess fat. Place in a medium sized bowl and season with kosher salt evenly. 

In a separate bowl, combine yogurt and seasoning. Pour in the lemon juice and mix well to combine. Once the marinade is ready, scoop it over the chicken and work it into the poultry with your hands. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, place in refrigerator and let marinate for 4-8 hours. 

When you're ready to bake the chicken, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place a wire rack on a lined baking sheet. Grease the rack with a paper towel dipped in melted coconut oil. Arrange the chicken on the rack skin side down. Bake for 40 minutes turning once, halfway through. 

The chicken is done when there are little charred bits all over and the juices run clear when stabbed with a skewer. 

Enjoy  - Alex

Grilled Lime Coconut Chicken with Coconut Rice

I got a text message a couple of weeks ago telling me to "Run to the store and buy these ingredients so I could make this recipe," from Mels Kitchen Cafe. Well, I finally got around to making this wonderful dish and I should have listened sooner! It was so good! Paired with the coconut rice, this is the perfect meal for tonight's dinner! 

Ingredients 

Chicken and Marinade Sauce:

3 tablespoons olive oil

Zest and juice of one lime

1 teaspoon cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander

2 Tablespoons gluten free soy sauce (regular is fine)

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons curry powder

1/2 cup canned coconut milk

Pinch cayenne pepper

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Fresh limes cut into wedges

Coconut Rice :

1 cup jasmine rice

1 cup canned coconut milk

1 cup water

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

In a medium bowl, whisk together oil, zest and juice of lime, cumin, coriander, soy sauce, salt, sugar, curry powder, coconut milk, and cayenne pepper. Place the chicken in a large ziplock bag and pour the marinade over the chicken. Place in the refrigerator and let marinate for 2-8 hours. 

For the coconut rice, bring the rice, coconut milk, water and salt to boil in a medium sauce pan. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes or until the liquid is almost evaporated. Remove from heat, and let stand 10 minutes before fluffing with a fork and serving.

Preheat a charcoal or gas grill and place chicken on cooking for 6 minutes on each side (actual time will depend on thickness of the chicken). While the chicken is cooking, pour the marinade into a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Place the grilled chicken on serving platter and drizzle with sauce. Sprinkle fresh cilantro on top and serve with lime wedges and coconut rice. Enjoy - Alex

Chicken Souvlaki Pasta Salad

Pasta salads are the perfect meal for those crazy-hot summer days where taking any time to cook or bake anything is simply out of the question.

This recipe was inspired by just that - the heat! I really wanted chicken souvlaki wraps, but there was no way I was up for making some homemade tortillas. So this is what it turned into, and it was de!

Chicken Souvlaki Marinade

2 chicken breasts

Juice of 1 lemon

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 garlic cloves minced

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon thyme 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Chicken breasts may be diced, marinated then placed on skewers, or marinated and barbecued whole. 

Thoroughly mix all ingredients except for chicken in a bowl or large zip-top plastic bag. Then place chicken into bag and mix well, ensuring all chicken has been covered. Marinate in the refrigerator for 10-30 minutes. Barbecue until cooked through.

Pasta Salad

250g fusilli noodles

1 large tomato

1/2 large cucumber

1/4 cup thinly diced red onion

1 cup tzatziki sauce

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Cook noodles and rinse in cold water to cool.  Dice tomato, cucumber, and red onion. Place all ingredients, including cooked chicken into a large bowl and mix thoroughly. 

Enjoy!

-Arianne

Creamy Crockpot Tomato Chicken Soup

If there is only going to be one recipe you make from this blog, then this should be it! It is ridiculously easy, healthy and so very delicious. This recipe makes a lot, so make sure to freeze half if you don't plan on feeding a crowd. My little family loved this,  and we had leftovers for a couple of days. We couldn't get enough!

Recipe slightly adapted from Rivernorthpaleo

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (can be fresh or frozen)
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
1 can coconut milk (full fat)
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes and juice
2 cups chicken broth
1 small can of tomato paste
1/2 jar of your favourite tomato sauce
sea salt and pepper to taste

 brown rice, and spinach - optional (for serving).

Directions - Put all the above ingredients (except rice and spinach), in a crockpot and cook for 8 hours on low.  After 8 hours, take 2 forks and shred the chicken. Once shredded, return chicken to crockpot and set the crockpot on warm until ready to serve.

Place spinach in bowls and top with chicken soup and add a scoop of rice if desired. Drizzle a bit of coconut milk on the top. Serve and enjoy! Alex