Thai Chicken and Vegetable Soup (17 Day Diet Friendly)

Thai Chicken and Vegetable Soup

It's officially spring now but it certainly doesn't feel that way here in Buffalo, New York. The temps are barely above freezing so anything to keep me warm is what I'm gravitating towards. And today it's Thai Chicken and Vegetable Soup. I can't think of a better way to kick off the spring season than with a Thai inspired soup. Plus, this is a chicken soup that's good for the heart and soul.

My plan was to make a massive batch of this soup and portion it out for lunch this week. It's 17 Day Diet Friendly so I thought planning the meals ahead of time was a smart idea. Unfortunately, my plan was a failure. Dave and the boys devoured the pot of soup and I was left with two very small sized portions of soup. All of the boys had 3 helpings of soup. When they asked for seconds I hesitantly said yes, thinking to myself these little vultures are eating all of my soup! I get very territorial when it comes to my 17 Day Diet food. Well then they asked for thirds. At that point I wasn't thinking they were reckless vultures eating all of my soup, I told them so! They kept saying please, this soup is so good! Oh, I couldn't deny my little vultures the pleasure of eating this soup. Tyler, had the nerve to ask for fourths…we told him he wouldn't have any room for dessert and that immediately stopped him in his food tracks. Even though I was getting a little greedy with my food, which Dave always calls me out on, I figured I would just have to make this soup again like really soon.

What we loved most about this soup is it's layers of flavors. Ginger, cilantro, lime and coconut oil are the ingredients that really stand out. It's a twist on a chicken noodle soup. When the boys took their first spoonful they were expecting it to taste like my traditional chicken noodle soup. They kept asking what was in the soup that made it taste so different. When I told them they were surprised they liked it so much. I cut the vegetables and chicken into large sized chunks that it could've been eaten with a fork instead of a spoon. Some people would refer to this as a "stoup" which is a cross between a soup and a stew. I would classify this recipe as a soup because of the broth. The broth is thin, but with bursts of fresh flavor. You could add rice noodles to this soup to make it even heartier but since I had to make it 17 Day Diet Friendly I left that out. The boys didn't miss it at all. Even though this was a heartier soup it didn't make you feel that way. I enjoyed eating this soup on a cold spring day but I would equally enjoy it mid-summer as well. This soup would pair very nicely with a crisp spinach and kale salad, baguette bread and a glass of white wine.

May this soup warm your family's heart and soul like it did ours. Salute to Thai Chicken and Vegetable Soup!

Ginger, Lime, Cilantro and Coconut Oil 
are the star ingredients

Chock full of vegetables and chicken

Healthy, delicious and 17 Day Diet Friendly!

Thai Chicken and Vegetable Soup (Click to print recipe)

Preparation and cook time: 1 hour

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

• 1 rotisserie chicken cooked, skinned, chopped into chunks
• 8 cups of low sodium, fat free chicken stock
• 3 tb coconut oil
• 2 cups sliced carrots
• 2 cups sliced celery
• 2 cups chopped cabbage
• 1 cup chopped asparagus
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1/3 cup chopped scallions
• 1 t minced garlic
• 2 t finely minced ginger
• 2 tb chopped fresh cilantro
• juice of 1 lime

In a large stock pot, add coconut oil and heat on medium. Add carrots, celery cabbage and asparagus and salt n pepper and stir. Cook for 10 minutes until vegetables begin to soften. Add stock and turn to high heat until it comes to a boil, cook for 3-5 minutes and turn down heat to medium. Add the chicken and the rest of ingredients and let cook on medium heat until the vegetables are tender. Serve in deep bowls and if desired add scallions and cilantro and a squeeze of lime on top. Serve with a crisp salad, baguette bread and a glass of white wine. Enjoy.