Ground Chicken Soup
An easy, budget-friendly version of classic chicken noodle soup using ground chicken.
Recipe Makes: 6 servings
Approximate Cost: $10.74 (approximately $1.79 per serving)
Equipment
- large, heavy-bottomed pot
- large wooden spoon
- slotted spoon
- small bowl (with lid, or kitchen towel to cover)
Ingredients
For the Ground Chicken
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil (or vegetable oil)
- 1 pound ground chicken
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
For the Ground Chicken Soup
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil (or vegetable oil)
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic (approximately 4 large cloves)
- 3 large stalks celery (halved lengthwise, then sliced into ½-inch-thick pieces)
- 2 medium carrots (peeled, chopped into ½-inch cubes)
- 1 cup chopped white onion (approximately 1 medium onion)
- 1 teaspoon salt (more or less to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper (more or less to taste)
- 7 cups chicken stock (plus more as needed)
- 4 ounces small pasta (orecchiette, ditalini, etc.)
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (zest from 1 medium lemon)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (juice from 1 medium lemon, plus more to taste)
Serving Suggestions (All Optional)
- ½ cup minced fresh parsley
Instructions
- Place large pot on stovetop over medium-high heat. Add 3 tablespoons avocado oil to pot and heat oil until hot and shimmery.
- When oil is hot, add 1 pound ground chicken to pot. Cook chicken 3 minutes, stirring occasionally until meat begins to break into small pieces.
- When ground chicken begins to crumble, add ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper to pot and stir to incorporate. Cook chicken, stirring frequently, approximately 2 minutes or until meat is cooked through.
- Using slotted spoon to drain liquid, transfer ground chicken to small bowl, packing chicken into bowl tightly to retain moisture. Cover bowl with lid or kitchen towel and set aside.
- Add 1 tablespoon avocado oil to pot. Heat oil over medium-high heat until warm, then add 2 tablespoons minced garlic, 3 large stalks celery, 2 medium carrots, 1 cup chopped white onion, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper.
- Stir ingredients together and cook, stirring frequently, approximately 5 minutes or until onion is translucent.
- When onion is translucent, add 7 cups chicken stock to pot. Stir to incorporate, then increase heat under pot to high. Bring chicken stock to rolling boil.
- When stock begins to boil, add 4 ounces small pasta and reduce heat under pot to medium-high. Boil pasta 1 to 2 minutes less than time indicated on package instructions. Note: If pasta absorbs too much liquid, add ½ to 1 cup additional chicken stock to taste.
- When pasta is al dente, return ground chicken to pot, along with any juices that accumulated in bowl while meat rested.
- Cook ground chicken in soup 2 to 3 minutes or until chicken is heated through, stirring soup frequently.
- Once chicken is heated through, add 1 teaspoon lemon zest and 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice to pot. Stir to incorporate, then taste soup and adjust salt and/or pepper if desired.
- Ladle ground chicken soup into serving bowls. Garnish with ½ cup minced fresh parsley divided evenly between bowls and serve immediately.
Recipe costs provided are approximate. Actual cost per recipe & serving will vary by location, store, brand, etc. Approximate cost shown does not include costs for any optional ingredients.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 294kcal | Protein: 18g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.05g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 438mg | Potassium: 650mg | Total Carbs: 21g | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Added Sugars: 0g | Sugar Alcohols: 0g | Erythritol: 0g | Allulose: 0g | Net Carbs: 19g | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 42mg