This delicata squash and kale chicken soup is a fabulous way to incorporate nutritious ingredients into your family’s diet, but it is also a very economical way to serve a crowd.
Stroll through your local farm stand this time of year and you are sure to find piles of beautiful Winter squash of all varieties. I don’t know about you but I am a sucker for adorable looking produce. I’m sorry, but isn’t delicata squash just the most precious vegetable you’ve ever seen? The pale yellow skin and the perfect green stripes – I simply can’t resist picking one up this time of year when they are in season. Even better, the skin is so tender you don’t even need to peel it off as you do with butternut squash. And yes, you can roast the adorable seeds for snacking just like you would with a pumpkin.
Are you getting bored with your chicken recipes? Soups and stews are the perfect solutions for turning everyday chicken breasts into a healthy and delicious one-pot meal. The options are endless and you can really let your produce door in the refrigerator and pantry guide your recipe. No delicata squash? Use butternut squash or sweet potatoes. No kale? Spinach or mustard greens work perfectly. Forgot carrots? Replace with red peppers. The options are endless and fortunately, soup is extremely forgiving.
Not only is soup a fabulous way to incorporate nutritious ingredients into your family’s diet, but it is also a very economical way to serve a crowd. Did 5 kids from the neighborhood stop by unexpectedly around dinner? You can easily stretch the soup for unexpected guests by adding more chicken broth. Serving vegetarians? Replace the chicken breasts with cannellini beans. My recipe is a template – let your imagination run wild.
Your spoon (or crusty bread) is waiting.
Delicata Squash and Kale Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 2 medium onions (chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (grated)
- 1 c carrots (diced)
- 1 delicata squash (seeded and chopped – no need to remove skin)
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 2 boneless chicken breasts (about 10 chopped 1″ in pieces)
- 2 tsp rosemary (fresh or dried)
- 1 tsp thyme (fresh or dried)
- 4 c chicken broth (low sodium)
- 1 14oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 6 c kale (chopped)
- Fresh basil (for garnish)
Instructions
- Heat a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high and spray with non-stick spray.
- Saute onions, garlic, carrots and squash for 5-7 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add a bit of salt and pepper to release juices.
- Stir in diced chicken breasts, rosemary, thyme and remaining salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until chicken is browned.
- Add chicken broth and fire roasted tomatoes then bring to a boil.
- Stir in chopped kale and simmer on low for 30 minutes. Adjust for seasoning before serving.
- Garnish with fresh chopped basil. Tastes even better the next day as leftovers.
Delish -even w/o the chicken! Used some duck fat and butter to sweat the veggies, added some minced celery and sliced leeks w/the onions, and roasted the squash in the oven (added it after veggies were cooked). Used some leftover whey and ‘potatoe’ water as part of the broth (along w/bio chick broth), added some millet for oomph (will also add very small lentils next time), sage, thyme and a bay leaf. Fire-roasted tomatoes are the BEST for so many dishes! Diced kale stems went in way before the chopped kale leaves. Colorful, tasty and healthy!
Oh love the idea of duck fat!!
Love this soup! Great flavor, easy to make and versatile. Nice way to do something different with delicata. I usually purée so my picky 3 year old can’t pick out the veg and add some fun noodles at the end.
So glad you enjoy it! Great idea to puree!