chickpea chicken soup

Wanna know something?

I cooked all my Christmas presents this year. With, like, two exceptions.  Considering the abundance of food around the holidays, I decided to make my loved ones food they could freeze and reheat for a quick meal whenever their heart desires in the new year.

This soup was the freezer-friendly Christmas gift for my aunt and my friend. My aunt has already eaten all of hers and gotten the recipe. I don’t eat soup, but apparently this one is delicious. I trusted it would be considering it starts (and finishes) with bacon. I don’t think my friend has eaten hers yet. She doesn’t read this blog, so I should’ve lied and said she thought it was the best thing ever.

But honesty is the best policy.

Chickpea Chicken Soup

Adapted from How Sweet It Is 

*makes about 6 servings

• 4 slices thick-cut bacon
• 1 medium onion
• 1/2 red pepper
• 1 cup mushrooms
• 2 cups raw spinach or baby spinach
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tsp ground cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
• 1 tspseasoned salt
• 1 cup carrots (chopped)
• 2 celery stalks (chopped)
• 2 15.5. oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 24 oz low-sodium chicken broth

Prep: Chop all veggies into uniform pieces and preheat a large pot on medium heat.

Making the soup: Fry bacon in the preheated pot until crispy. Once done, remove from pan and set aside. With the bacon grease in the pan, over medium heat, add the peppers, onion, and mushrooms to the pot and saute about 7 minutes, until onions are transparent and soft. Add the garlic, cayenne, cumin, and spinach and stir with the vegetables for about a minute. Reducing the heat to low, add the remaining ingredients (chickpeas, chicken, broth, celery, and carrots) and let the entire pot simmer for 30-35 minutes.

Before serving, or freezing, top with the crumbled bacon. I let the soup come to room temperature and then separated into two airtght and freezer-safe bowls. I topped each one with the bacon and included instructions for reheating, as well as a suggestion to serve with cheesy garlic toast.

Consider this the first of several “I made this for Christmas” posts. You’ve been warned.

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