Chicken and Chickpea Soup

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion (diced small)
• 6 to 8 ounces portabello mushrooms (sliced)
• 3 to 5 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
• 64 ounces reduced sodium chicken broth (I used chicken bone broth)
• 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
• one 15-ounce can chickpeas beans (drained and rinsed (I use low or no salt added))
• 1 medium zucchini (diced into bite-sized pieces)
• 1 t 2 teaspoons cumin (or to taste)
• 1 to 2 teaspoons dried coriander (or to taste)
• Red chili flakes (optional and to taste)
• Cayenne pepper (optional and to taste)
• 1 to 2 teaspoons kosher salt (plus more to taste if desired)
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (or to taste)
• leaves from 6 to 8 large stalks of kale (torn into bite-sized pieces (discard the center thick rib))
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (brightens up the flavor)

Instructions

1. 1

   Sauté: To a large Dutch oven or stockpot, add the oil, onion, and sauté over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, or until onion begins to soften. Stir intermittently.

2. 2

   Sauté: Add mushrooms and sauté for about 2 minutes. Stir intermittently.

3. 3

   Sauté: Add the garlic and sauté for another 1 minute. Stir nearly constantly.

4. 4

   Boil: Add the chicken broth or bone broth, shredded chicken, beans, zucchini, cumin, coriander, optional chili and cayenne* (See Notes), salt and pepper to taste, and boil about 10 minutes, or until chicken is warmed through. Tip - At any time, if the overall liquid level is lower than you like and you prefer more broth in your soup, adding a cup or two of water is okay because at the end you will adjust the salt level.

5. 5

   Wilt: Add the kale, lemon juice, and boil 1 to 2 minutes, or until kale has wilted.

6. 6

   Season: Taste soup and add additional salt or spices, if desired, to taste. Amount of salt will vary based on how salty the brand of chicken broth used is, how salty the rotisserie chicken is, and personal preference. Serve immediately. Soup will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 7 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.