Post by VAcooker on Sept 16, 2016 18:33:13 GMT -5
In the interest of full disclosure, I did not make this recipe as written, so I can not attest to how it tastes in its original version, though it did get good reviews on the Skinnytaste blog. Having said that, my family really likes this the way that I prepare it. I think that by cooking the chicken and sausage separately as I did, it really added to the flavor. I also probably upped the amount of spices too. Obviously you don't need to add the sausage--that was a last minute addition that my family really liked. We also like our stuff spicy, so I used the "hot" Rotel. If you are pressed for time, then you can prepare it as written and it will all come together quickly. I really like the Skinnytaste blog and have made a few recipes from there and I just bought one of her cookbooks. I recommend her blog very highly.
Chicken and Lentil Soup
Skinnytaste.com
www.skinnytaste.com/lentil-and-chicken-soup-3-pts/
Ingredients:
• 1 lb dried lentils
• 12 oz (3) boneless skinless chicken thighs, all fat trimmed (I used boneless chicken breasts)
• 8 cups water
• 1 tbsp chicken Better than Bouillon (I used more than a tablespoon)
• 1 small onion (I used a very large onion)
• 2 scallions (I added this at the end of the cooking time)
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro (I added this at the end of the cooking time)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 medium ripe tomato (I used a can of Rotel instead)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cumin (I used more)
• 1 tsp paprika (my addition)
• 1 or 2 tsp chili powder (my addition)
• 1/4 tsp oregano (I omitted this)
• 1/4 tsp ground annatto (or Spanish paprika, or even Sazon) (I left this out)
• salt, to taste
• 1/2 lb or more sausage, casing removed (I added this)
Directions:
I prepared it a bit differently than the original directions (see my directions below).
Skinnytaste directions (easy): In a large pot combine lentils, chicken, water and chicken bouillon. Bring to a boil, covered over medium-low heat until chicken is cooked, about 20 minutes. Remove the chicken and shred, return to the pot.
Meanwhile, in a chopper or by hand, mince the onions, scallions, cilantro, garlic, and tomato. Add to the lentils with garlic powder, cumin, oregano and annatto and cook, covered until the lentils are soft, about 25 more minutes, adding more water as needed if too thick. Adjust salt to taste as needed.
VAcooker's directions (a bit more labor intensive, but worth it):
I added the sausage to a very large and deep sauté pan, sautéed it till no longer pink, and then removed it from the pan. Next, I sautéed the chicken for about five minutes or so until nicely browned on each side (prior to sautéing, I spiced up the chicken with chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, and salt and pepper). Then I removed the chicken from the pan and sautéed the onions in the same pan I used to cook the sausage and chicken. Next, I added to my sauté pan, all of the remaining ingredients from the ingredients list, (with the exception of the scallions and cilantro), and also added back in the sausage and chicken, and cooked it, covered, until the lentils were soft. Then I removed the chicken breasts from the pan and shredded the chicken in my kitchen aid mixer (with the paddle attachment) and then returned the shredded chicken back into the soup. I then added the chopped scallions and the chopped cilantro to the finished product in the pan.
Makes about 9 cups.
