Yemeni Style Chicken Soup
Yemeni Style Chicken Soup warms your soul with ginger, garlic, loads of vegetables and chickpeas and spiced with Hiwaij and lemon.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1½ cup fennel ½ inch pieces, fronds washed and reserved
- ¾ cup leeks light green into ½ inch pieces, thoroughly washed, dark green tops reserved
- 1¾ cup zuchinni ½ inch pieces
- 2 cup carrots ½ inch pieces
- 1½ tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 inch (1 tablespoon) fresh ginger peeled and minced
- 1 tablespoon hiwaij for soup spice blend
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt divided, or to taste
- 14 oz butternut squash peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces
- 3 lbs chicken thighs cleaned and excess fat removed
- 6 cups water
- 15.5 oz canned chickpeas rinsed and drained
- ¼-½ bunch fresh cilantro and parsely washed
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- In an 8 quart pot, warm the olive oil over medium heat until shimmering.
- Add the fennel bulb, light green chopped leeks and a small sprinkle of salt (about ⅛ teaspoon). Sauté for 2-3 minutes or until fennel and leeks become golden.
- Add the zucchini and carrots and a small sprinkle of salt (about ⅛ teaspoon). Sauté for 2-3 minutes until the edges of the zuchinni begin to turn golden.
- Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add the hiwaij, cumin and coriander and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the squash and nestle the chicken thighs on top.
- Add 6 cups of water. The water level should just cover the top of the chicken. If it doesn't add one more cup of water. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce to simmer and cover with a lid.
- Simmer the soup for 30 minutes. Using a spoon, skim the soup of any fat, foam, or shmutz and discard it.
- Add the chickpeas, the fennel fronds, dark green leek stalks, cilantro and parsley.
- Cover the soup and let it simmer for 2-3 hours. Make sure to check on it from time to time.
- Remove the fennel fronds, leek greens, and cilantro and parsley from the soup and discard. Add the remainder of the salt to soup and gently stir.
- Using tongs or a fork, carefully remove the chicken from the pot. Carefully (it's hot!) remove the skin and discard. Shred the chicken and add it back into the pot.
- Add the lemon juice to the soup and stir. At this point, you can choose to add more salt to your soup, based on personal preference.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Sodium Content: This soup has low sodium. When your soup is done cooking, you may choose to add more salt for your personal preference.