A Hug in a Bowl

I made one of my favorite soups tonight—one I cooked on repeat when I first found out I had to go gluten-free.

I have a problem with recipes, though. I can never follow the directions exactly. It’s like my mind always wants to experiment and see what happens if I tweak the recipe just a little here or there.

Of course, I did that with my soup tonight. Not in a life-changing way, but in small, subtle ways.

For example, I didn’t have onions, so I used onion powder. I didn’t have sweet potatoes, so I threw in carrots instead. I added loads of chicken for extra protein—probably more than I should have—and then tossed in my current weirdest favorite food… drumroll… mushrooms. I can eat an entire container of them raw. Any kind. Is it odd? Sure. But let’s just call it one of my many quirks. 

Anyway, I wanted to document and share the recipe for this soup. It really is like a hug in a bowl. (I can already see Adelyn giving me a side-eye from embarrassment as I type this.) As much as I love soup, I love hugs even more so this feels appropriate. The recipe is Whole30, gluten-free, and dairy-free—because, at this point, my body and I have an unspoken agreement: if I eat what it likes, it lets me function. 

Here is the recipe:

Recipe: Whole30 Coconut Chicken Soup

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon cumin

• ½ teaspoon paprika

• ½ teaspoon cayenne

• 1 pound boneless chicken thighs

• 1 quart chicken or vegetable broth

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, 1-inch cubed

• 1 head broccoli, cut into 1-inch pieces (save stems)

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 jalapeño, finely diced (optional) *I skip this!

• 1 (14.5-ounce) can coconut milk

• 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, minced

• 1 lime, juiced

• ½ small red onion, finely chopped

Optional Variations:

• Grill your chicken instead of roasting it.

• Substitute chicken for shrimp or hard-boiled eggs.

• Use cauliflower instead of broccoli.

• Turn it into a “noodle” or “rice” chowder by adding pre-cooked cauliflower rice, roasted spaghetti squash, or zoodles just before the final reheat.

If you cook it; I would love to know if you followed the recipe or came up with Tweeks of your own.

ENJOY!