Chicken and Quinoa Soup

I’d been wanting to try quinoa for a long time now and since it is a gluten free grain I thought it would be a fantastic addition to a soup. I’ve based this recipe on a chicken and barley soup (which isn’t gluten free) and it is just as good as the original idea.

You need to make sure to prepare your quinoa before you make the recipe. I’ve used Trader Joe’s Organic Fully Cooked (frozen) Quinoa. It was easy to prepare, I just popped it in the microwave for a few minutes then it was ready to add to the soup.

You also want to cook your chicken in advance. What I like to do is when I’m cooking chicken in the crock pot I add a few extra chicken breasts. I cook them until done then shred it. I set aside what I need for another recipe. If I’m going to use the chicken in the next week I will store it in the refrigerator. If it is going to be longer I will freeze it. This works very well. You just want to unfreeze the chicken before adding it to any recipe.

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Chicken and Quinoa Soup:32oz Chicken Broth2 Carrots (chopped)2 Celery Stalks (chopped)1 Green Onion (chopped)½ Cup Onion (diced)3 Minced Garlic Cloves14.5oz can Diced Tomatoes (drained)8oz Prepared Quinoa2 Cups Shredded Chicken1/8 Teaspoon Salt¼ Teaspoon White Pepper¼ Teaspoon Thyme1/8 Teaspoon RosemaryDash of Nutmeg

Prepare your quinoa according to the directions on the package.

Combine the chicken broth, carrot, celery, green onion, onion and tomatoes in a large dutch oven and heat until boiling.

Add the seasoning, chicken and quinoa and bring back to a boil.

Serve immediately.

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