Looking for an easy recipe that is a one pot and a complete meal? Most Sunday nights I make a big batch of soup. I make sure that the soup will have lots of veggies, good fats and protein. That way I can be sure that everyone eats their daily quota of veggies. I will also sometimes bake some homemade gluten free bread for the family. Chicken and vegetables are a common theme for the soups. Sometimes I will add thai flavors and make a Tom Yum Chicken Soup while other times it will be me basically just throwing whatever veggies I have into the pot along with some herbs and spices and wait for the magic to happen. 99.9999% of the time the soup turns out great! I think chicken has so much flavor in itself that whichever way you cook chicken soup, it’s always delicious. Many a times, I also add sweet potato noodles to the chicken soup and make my Instant Pot Chicken Noodle soup that has become a family favorite!
Well last weekend, since I had lot of mushrooms left over, I decided to decided to make a creamy chicken and mushroom soup. Well I guess I started with that thought and then kept building on it adding veggies one after the other that I felt would go well in the soup. So along with mushrooms, went celery, carrots, kale and sweet potato! And the other thing about this recipe is that this is a ‘quarantine’ recipe since it doesn’t have any fresh herbs or spices. I was out of fresh garlic so I used garlic salt and I didn’t have any fresh herbs with me except for the mint that just started growing in my garden. So I ended up using only dried herbs.
And the soup was not only delicious but quite filling too! We all loved it except my daughter who took offense to my adding kale (her not so favorite vegetable) in the soup. Anyways, this was one large batch of soup and it served as a main meal for our family of four and then we had leftovers that we used as a side serving for one more meal. And making it was a breeze!
- 2 tbsp avocado oil or olive oil
- ½ of a large onion, chopped fine
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 1 carrot, peeled and diced
- 1 white sweet potato, peeled and diced (you can use regular sweet potato too)
- 1½ tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp italian seasoning
- ½ tsp white pepper powder (omit for AIP)
- ½ tsp black pepper (omit for AIP)
- 1½ lbs chicken breasts or skinless chicken thighs
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup coconut milk ( I like to use Aroy D brand)
- 2 cups fresh Kale leaves chopped
- 3 tbsp arrow root starch mixed with ¼ cup water
- Press Saute mode in the Instant pot.
- Add the oil. Let heat for 30 secs and then add the onion and celery. Saute for 1 min and then add the carrot and the sweet potato. Add the salt, thyme, garlic powder, italian seasoning, white pepper (if adding) and black pepper (if adding). Stir to mix well with the veggies. Then add the chicken pieces. Pour the water and close the lid. Make sure valve is in sealing position.
- Press Cancel and then press 'Pressure Cook' and set pressure cook time to 5 minutes.
- Once pressure cooking time is done, release pressure manually and then open the lid. Using a large ladle, transfer the chicken pieces onto a large mixing bowl.
- Using two forks, shred the chicken completely. Transfer back to the Instant Pot.
- Add the coconut milk and the kale. Stir to mix and press saute button again. Let cook for 5 mins (uncovered - do not place lid back).
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the arrowroot starch with the water until it forms a smooth slurry.
- Pour this slurry into the Instant Pot and stir slowly using a wooden spoon for about 2-3 minutes until you can feel the sauce thicken. Press 'Cancel' button.
- Check soup for seasoning and add more salt if needed. Transfer soup to serving bowls.
