Leftover Chicken and Roasted Vegetable Soup

Need a recipe to use up the leftover rotisserie chicken from last night’s dinner? This soup combines roasted vegetables and leftover chicken to make the perfect “comfort food” for your dinner! Easy, so yummy and warms you up on a cold winter night too!

Leftover Chicken and Roasted Vegetable Soup

Yield: 2 quarts of soup... 6 - 8 servings

Ingredients:

2 medium onions, rough chopped
3 large carrots, peeled and sliced ~1⁄2 inch thick 1⁄2 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
3 tablespoons olive oil
1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt
Few grinds fresh black pepper
1/2 leftover Rotisserie Chicken carcass with meat (or 2 cups cut up chicken)
5 cups chicken stock, homemade or store bought
1/2 cup small soup pasta, such as Ditalini
1 tablespoon chicken soup base
3 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon each thyme, parsley, oregano and sage
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 – 3 cups fresh kale (or any greens), chopped
Season to taste

Equipment needed:

Large 6-quart soup pot Cutting board
Chef knife
Half sheet baking pan
Tongs
Food processor or blender
Dry and liquid measuring cups
Rubber spatula
Paring knife
Soup ladle

Soup is such a great, balanced food to eat for lunch or dinner! This soup is the perfect way to use up the rotisserie chicken from last night’s dinner! It’s a shame when people throw away the carcass with so much meat left on it or don’t know what to do with 1⁄2 a chicken. I always make soup! Often, I boil the vegetables in the broth, but in this recipe, I decided to roast the vegetables first. Gives a different texture and flavor to the soup too! Start by peeling and chopping your veggies as shown above. (Pieces should be about 3⁄4 -1 inch cubes)

Preheat oven to 400 F.

After squash, carrots, sweet potatoes and onion are chopped, place them on a half sheet baking pan. Drizzle with about 3 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. Using your hands or tongs, toss veggies until all are evenly coated and spread out to cover surface of pan. Vegetables should lay flat on the pan surface in a single layer. Place pan in preheated 400 F oven and roast vegetables, uncovered until they are fork-tender and lightly browned, 25 – 30 minutes.

I’m all about efficiency in cooking, so dovetailing food preparation is key! While your veggies are roasting, pull the chicken off of the bone and chop into pieces the same size as the vegetables, 3⁄4 - 1 inch size. Gather and prep the seasoning ingredients, garlic and pasta. Bring broth, chicken, pasta and seasonings to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer while finishing vegetable processing and allow pasta to cook.

When vegetables are roasted, place 1⁄2 of them in a small food processor or blender with 1 cup of the broth. Blend until smooth. Add the blended and whole vegetables into the simmering broth. Stir well. Continue to heat and bring soup back to a simmer.

Doesn’t it smell divine? Soooo colorful too! Last step is to chop the kale or greens of your choice. I use kale as I always have a bunch from the garden, but any green will do. Remember that greens will shrink dramatically as they cook, so 2 – 3 cups isn’t that much, even though it may look like a bunch when added to the top of the simmering pot. Stir in greens well and continue to simmer for about 5 minutes.

Your meal is ready! Ladle soup into large bowls and serve with warm bread or rolls... or try my Cheddar Cheese Biscuits from blog recipe from November 7th ... great accompaniment! Open-faced sandwiches or a salad are also a great side too! Enjoy!!

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