Chicken is one of my staple proteins. I had some chicken breasts in my fridge that needed to be used but I didn’t have time today to do a lot with it. Chicken soup I thought! Quick, easy, not too much work. Then I thought about the lemon beurre blanc sauce I made a few nights ago to go with some fish and thought I love chicken and lemon. It won’t be too hard to put them together. This soup is the outcome of that thought process. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
First, heat a small Dutch oven over medium high heat. When it gets hot, add:
1 tablespoon olive oil
When the oil is shimmering add:
1 small onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 cup shredded carrots
3-4 ounces sliced mushrooms (any kind you like)
Stir to combine and let cook reducing heat to medium until the vegetables begin to soften. Add:
6-8 ounces white meat chicken, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Stir so the chicken goes to the bottom of the pot, or as much as possible. When chicken is browned, add:
2 teaspoons minced garlic
approximately 1 tablespoon lemon zest (zest of one large lemon)
3 cups chicken stock
8 ounces of small pasta like elbows (I used green lentil safari)
8 ounces whole chickpeas
Stir to combine, cover, reduce heat to medium low so that the stock is on a low boil to cook the chicken and pasta, about 12-15 minutes. While it’s cooking combine in a small bowl (2 cups):
1/4 cup lemon juice (juice from one large lemon)
1/2 cup oat milk
2-3 tablespoons gluten-free all-purpose flour
Whisk to combine the flour. When the pasta and chicken are cooked, add:
1/2 to 1 cup frozen peas
Cook for 3-5 minutes longer to cook the peas before adding the milk mixture. If necessary pour the milk mixture through a small sieve to keep any flour lumps out of the soup. Stir the soup to mix in the flour and continue stirring for 2-3 minutes while the stock thickens and the flour cooks. Stir in:
2 tablespoons honey
Salt and pepper to taste
Serves 4.

Of course you can add any vegetables your family likes. Asparagus would work very well in this soup as it goes great with lemon. And rice would work as well as pasta depending on taste.