Chicken Soup with Butternut Squash

Chicken soup is the perfect weeknight dinner, and during the winter months, it's even better! Our recipe today is super versatile and could easily become Chicken and...wild rice, potato, or even cream of chicken soup. Just start with this base and switch out the butternut squash for anything you're craving.

On your MRC menu, the roasted butternut squash replaces one carbohydrate serving. Feel free to use other vegetables such as celery, spinach, or cauliflower. If you use vegetables from the vegetable list, you'll still be able to add a carb to your meal. This recipe calls for raw chicken, but leftover chicken or even canned white meat chicken would be just fine (foodies ignore that canned part). You may wonder about the skin: we leave the skin on the chicken while we brown it, but remove the skin before placing the cooked chicken back in the soup. If you prefer a more lean soup just remove the skin before starting this process.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. chicken breast, bone in*
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 1/2  C diced butternut squash
• 6 C low sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp each: sea salt, pepper, turmeric, oregano, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, parsley
• 1 Bay leaf

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Peel squash and chop into small cubes
3. Toss squash in 1/2 tsp olive oil and a pinch of salt
4. Place on baking sheet and cook for 20 minutes, or until soft.
5. Place 1 TBSP olive oil in dutch oven or stock pot on medium heat
6. Add chicken and brown for 10 minutes, until both sides are golden
7. Add broth and spices.
8. Add in cooked squash.
9. Simmer for 45 minutes, until chicken is thoroughly cooked
10. Take chicken out and remove skin. Using two forks pull meat from the bone
11. Return chicken (8 oz for 2 servings, 12 oz if making 3 portions).

*If you are using cooked chicken, reduce cook time to 20 minutes. 

Makes 2 servings | One serving replaces: 4 oz. protein, 1 carbohydrate