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2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
3 thin carrots
1/2 300-g bag fresh baby or regular spinach, about 3 1/2 cups
1 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp minced or 2 to 3 thin slices fresh ginger
2 284-mL cans chicken broth, preferably lower salt, diluted with only 1 can water
1/4 tsp freshly ground coarse black pepper, or 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
540-mL can Romano or kidney beans, or 2 cups cooked beans, drained and rinsed
Slice chicken into bite-size strips. Peel carrots, then cut into 1/3-inch (1-cm) slices. Wash spinach. Leave baby spinach leaves whole. If using regular spinach, tear leaves into large pieces.
Heat oil in a large wide saucepan set over medium-high heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute. Add chicken strips and stir frequently until pink colour is gone, from 2 to 3 minutes. Add carrots, undiluted broth and water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Then cover and reduce heat so soup simmers until carrots are tender, about 20 minutes.
Just before serving, stir in spinach and pepper and, for extra interest, rinsed beans. Serve with crusty bread and robust red wine.
Calories 95, Protein 11.4g, Carbohydrates 6.6g, Fat 3g, Fibre 1.7g, Sodium 646mg.
This proves a great chicken soup doesn't have to begin with a whole bird. Cans of broth and boneless breasts speed up the process.
At the end of Step 2, after carrots are tender, stir in pepper. Cover and refrigerate up to 1 day. Add spinach after reheating.