By irene hayton

Here’s a quick and easy recipe for making soup with leftover chicken or turkey. For those who want more carbs, you can add whole-grain pasta during the last 10 minutes of cooking time or add a cooked whole grain (such as brown rice, spelt, kamut, quinoa, barley, etc.) when you add the chicken or turkey. You can also add any other vegetables, herbs, and spices that you prefer. The recipe can easily be doubled.

  • 1 to 2 teaspoons (5 to 10 ml) butter or coconut oil
  • half an onion, diced
  • 1 carrot, diced
  • 1 stalk celery, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ¼ teaspoon (1 ml) poultry seasoning
  • 3 cups (750 ml) chicken or turkey broth
  • ⅓ cup (75 ml) cold water
  • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) cornstarch
  • 1½ cups (375 ml) cooked chicken or turkey
  • sea salt, to taste
  • minced fresh parsley (optional)

Heat a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the butter or coconut oil and onion, and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the carrot, celery, garlic, poultry seasoning, and 2 to 4 tablespoons (30 to 60 ml) of the broth; continue cooking, stirring often, until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining broth, cover, and simmer over low heat until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.

Stir the cornstarch into the cold water until dissolved. Increase the heat on the soup, then slowly stir the cornstarch mixture into the pot. Reduce heat to low once the soup has thickened, add the chicken or turkey, sea salt, and parsley, and heat through. Makes 2 to 3 servings.