This simple, comforting chicken soup recipe is made with hearty chickpeas and whole grain bulgur wheat cooked in a classic chicken bone broth.
If you know me, you know I love a comforting, warm bowl of soup. Soup season lasts year round at my house, and Smart Chicken® has just made it easier for me to make delicious, flavorful bowls to serve to my family. A simple, classic, easy recipe for anytime is this Chicken and Chickpea Soup with Bulgur Wheat.
Ingredients
- Smart Chicken® bone broth: Classic chicken broth that is protein packed, low-carb, and rich with flavor.
- Smart Chicken® breasts: Due to the air-chilled processing, the meat upholds more natural flavor while staying tender and delicious.
- Chickpeas: Also called garbanzo beans, they have a lovely, gentle crunch even when cooked, and a nutty, earthy flavor that pairs well with the other ingredients.
- Lemon juice: Bright, acidic, freshness that adds life to the broth.
- Bulgur wheat: Originating in Middle Eastern cuisine, it’s light and nutty with a wonderful chewy texture once cooked.
Why Choose Smart Chicken?
Smart Chicken® boasts the only USDA Process Verified “Pure Air Chilled” facility in the USA, and contains no added water. Their free-roaming chickens are raised and handled on family farms without the use of antibiotics. Their commitment to quality and care exceeds the industry’s highest standards, which makes them an easy choice for me and my family.
Here are some reasons why I love their bone broth:
- Made with Organic Ingredients
- Slow-Simmered
- Gluten Free
- 10g Protein per serving
- No Preservatives or Powders
- Made from free range chickens fed an organic, non-GMO diet
- The ONLY chicken bone broth made from pure air-chilled chickens
How to Make Chicken and Chickpea Soup with Bulgur Wheat
Start your soup by bringing some classic Smart Chicken® bone broth to a boil. Add your chicken breasts and cook until tender, about 12 minutes. Then shred the chicken, and set it aside.
Next (or simultaneously), cook your bulgur wheat.
For added flavor, I like to cook my bulgur wheat in bone broth as well.
To prepare your bowls of soup, start by portioning out a scoop of bulgur wheat.
Then add a handful of the shredded chicken.
Add some canned chickpeas.
Then ladle over some of the hot bone broth that was used to cook the chicken.
Add your lemon juice. Alternatively, you can warm the shredded chicken, chickpeas, and lemon juice all together in the bone broth and scoop all at once over the bulgur wheat.
Then season with some salt and pepper, and garnish with freshly minced parsley.
Serve warm and enjoy your Chicken and Chickpea Soup with Bulgur Wheat!
Substitutions
- Switch the broth. While I love the classic chicken bone broth, Smart Chicken® has many to choose from. Use mushroom chicken or garlic rosemary chicken bone broth for additional flavor.
- Make it gluten free. Switch out the bulgur wheat for quinoa or rice to make this dish celiac friendly.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What is bulgur wheat?
Most commonly known for tabbouleh, it’s a kind of cracked wheat, usually durum, that has already been partially cooked for easy, quick preparation. It’s rich in fiber and great for heart health.
How do you fix tasteless soup?
Before you reach for the salt, first try adding more lemon juice. If that doesn’t do the trick, try adding kosher salt, as it does a better job at enhancing and bringing out natural flavors.
How do I store the leftovers?
It’s best to keep the bulgur wheat separated from the rest of the soup so that it doesn’t become too mushy. The bulgur and the rest of the soup can be kept in the fridge for up to 4 days in airtight containers.
More Soups To Try
- Creamy Vegan Mushroom Wild Rice Soup
- Turkey Black Bean Chili
- Arabic Lentil Soup
- Vegan Corn Chowder
- Mexican Chicken Soup
Did you try this soup and love it? The next time you make it, snap a picture and share it to your socials! Tag @thelemonbowl and #thelemonbowl so we can admire and share your dish.
With as few as 5 ingredients, this recipe is an easy choice for busy weeknights, or for lunches! Not to mention its packed with health benefits as well as flavor, making this Chicken and Chickpea Soup with Bulgur What an easy decision.
Your spoon is waiting.
Chicken and Chickpea Soup with Bulgur Wheat
Ingredients
- 4 cups Chicken Bone Broth
- 2 Smart Chicken boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 14 ounces chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- 1 cup cooked bulgur wheat
- minced parsley (optional garnish)
Instructions
- Heat the Smart Chicken Classic Chicken Bone Broth in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil then add the chicken breasts. Boil the chicken breasts until tender, about 12-14 minutes. Remove chicken from the pot and set aside.
- Stir in the chickpeas and lemon juice plus a pinch of salt and pepper then reduce heat to low and simmer.
- Shred the chicken or roughly chop it before returning to the pot. Check for seasoning and adjust accordingly. Return heat to high to warm through.
- Divide the cooked bulgur wheat between four soup bowls then ladle each with chicken and chickpea soup mixture. Garnish with minced parsley to serve.
Recipe Video
Nutrition
Disclosure: This recipe was developed in partnership with Smart Chicken®. Thank you for supporting the brands that make The Lemon Bowl possible. All thoughts are my own.
Do you think this would be good with some kind of wilted green it it? Always working on upping my veggie intake!
Yeah, definitely worth a try!
FYI this is not gluten free if it has bulgur. That is wheat. So if you have celiac disease this would cause problems. I know. Puting labels such gluten free on everything makes it seem cool and modern, non the less people need to be more responsible because there are people out there who actually would get sick from gluten.
That’s why I recommend optional substitutions for the bulgur wheat to make it gluten free. I don’t claim the original recipe is gluten free :)