Chicken and Vegetable Soup

Serves 4-6

1/3 cup roughly chopped onion
1/3 cup roughly chopped leek
1/3 cup roughly chopped celery
1 teaspoon roughly chopped garlic
1/3 cup roughly chopped green bell pepper
2 bird’s eye (Thai) chiles, stems removed
1/3 cup roughly chopped Roma tomato
1 1/2 tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro stems
1 1/2 tablespoons roughly chopped parsley stems
1 ½ tablespoons roughly chopped mint

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 fresh bay leaf
2 teaspoons Maggi sauce
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

3 cups fat-free, low-sodium chicken stock

1 carrot, peeled, sliced on the diagonal into pieces 1/2 inch thick
1 ear of corn, sliced into pieces 1/2 inch thick
1/2 acorn squash, scrubbed, peeled, cut into 2-inch cubes
1 small russet potato, peeled, sliced into pieces 1/2 inch thick
1 very small yuca, peeled, sliced into 4 to 5 pieces 1 inch thick
1/4 cabbage cut into 2-inch chunks

1 pound boneless, skinless, chicken thighs, visible fat removed, sliced thinly and cut into 2-inch pieces

Garnish
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
Chopped cilantro
Avocado slices

Purée the first 10 ingredients in a blender or food processor.

Add the oil to a hot, medium-size, heavy pot. Add the purée and bay leaf and fry until aromatic, about 2 minutes. Add the Maggi sauce and cook 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the stock to the purée, stir well, and cook until very hot. Gradually add the vegetables in the order listed. Cook each vegetable for 2 to 3 minutes or until al dente before adding the next one.

Add the chicken and cook until cooked, about 8 minutes. Transfer the soup to a serving bowl, season with the lime juice, and garnish it with chopped cilantro and avocado slices.

Amalia’s Notes

Many Latino stores carry sliced, bagged, mixed vegetables for making beef soup. You can use these for chicken soup as well. Maggi sauce is available at most Latino stores and the ethnic section of many grocery stores in the United States.