Stacy Zarin Goldberg for The Washington Post
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I am forever game to try yet another chicken soup recipe, especially when it comes together as easily as this one does. It's based on a restorative soup called aguadito de pollo that is hearty with rice, peas, corn, bell pepper and sometimes potato.
Things are simplified here, but the base of it begins the same way: with a green puree. Cilantro is most often the go-to fresh herb used in Peruvian cooking. But some folks can't abide its taste, so we're using parsley instead.
Jalapeno gives it a kick, and if you've ever had issues with handling the pepper's heat, the technique of cutting used here will come in handy.
PERUVIAN CHICKEN SOUP
SERVINGS: 2
This not the same old chicken soup! We love its deep-green color, with shred of poached chicken showing through.
The original recipe calls for cilantro, but here we are using parsley.
Serve with whole-grain crackers and a tomato salad.
Adapted from a recipe in "The Midlife Kitchen," by Mimi Spencer and Sam Rice (Mitchell Beazley, 2017).
(Buy it in KINDLE version at for just $8.99, 70% off! by clicking here. Or in hardcover at a 21% discount! by clicking here. Sales help fund JWR. )
Ingredients
- 1 rib celery
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 small jalapeno pepper
- 8 stems flat-leaf parsley (may substitute cilantro)
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cups chicken broth, preferably no-salt-added
- 1/4 cup dried quinoa
- 1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast half (tenderloin detached; about 11 ounces)
- 1/2 cup frozen peas (optional)
- Flaky sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 or 2 limes, for serving
STEPS
Peel the onion and cut it into quarters. Coarsely chop the celery. Peel the garlic and cut the flesh of the jalapeño away from its seed core, discarding the latter. Add those 4 ingredients to a blender or mini food processor, along with the parsley (leaves and tender stems) and oil; pulse to create a pestolike consistency. (If the mixture proves difficult to break down, add a few tablespoons of the broth to get things moving.)
Pour the mixture into a medium saucepan or pot over medium heat. Cook for a minute, stirring, then add the broth. Rinse the quinoa, if needed (read the package directions), and then add it to the pan. Once the mixture starts to bubble, cover and cook for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, cut the chicken crosswise into 5 or 6 pieces, adding them to the pot as you work. Cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until the chicken and quinoa are cooked through; the quinoa will thicken and look "popped open," thickening the soup.
Use tongs to transfer the chicken pieces to a cutting board; use two forks to shred the meat, then return it to the pot, along with the peas, if using. Once the peas are heated through and tender, taste and season the soup with salt and pepper, as needed.
Cut the limes into wedges. Serve the soup hot, with some lime for each portion.
Nutrition | Calories: 160; Total Fat: 8 g; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 380 mg; Total Carbohydrates: 19 g; Dietary Fiber: 3 g; Sugars: 4 g; Protein: 5 g.