Thai Chicken Soup

If you are a fan of thai, this soup is right up your alley! It is a nice change from a plain old chicken and vegetable soup and makes a lot so can easily be frozen or eaten as leftovers for a couple of days. The original recipe that I worked from called for a jalapeno pepper, but I decided to leave it out so it wouldn't be too spicy for my 2 year old son, Charlie.  I also put in only a fraction of the fish sauce because I didn't want that flavor to be too strong.  

I made this soup first thing this morning when I got up and let it simmer while I  prepared and ate breakfast with Charlie. I tossed it in the fridge and and just simmered it on the stove to re-heat it at dinner time. This could definitely be made the day before as well. If you haven't gathered from previous posts, pre-making dinner as much as possible is kind of my thing!

Thai Chicken Soup

Ingredients

2 Tbsp canola oil
1 cup green onions, sliced into 1/4 inch pieces
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 cup organic carrots, finely chopped
1 cup fresh mushrooms (I used cremini)
1 jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced (optional)
1/3 cup organic green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 pound organic free range chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes
4 cups organic chicken stock
1 can (14oz) organic unsweetened coconut milk
1 tsp fish sauce, or to taste
1 cup sugar snap peas, julienned
Salt, to taste
2 limes, one juiced and one cut into wedges for garnishing
Fresh organic cilantro and basil leaves, for garnishing

Directions

1. Heat canola oil in large pot over medium-high heat. 

2. Reduce heat to medium and add green onions, garlic and ginger and cook until softened, about 4 minutes, stirring constantly. 

3. Add carrot, jalapeno (if using), green pepper and mushrooms and cook until softened, about 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

4. Add chicken, stock, coconut milk, and fish sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes.

5. Add sugar snap peas and lime juice.

6. Serve hot, garnished with cilantro, basil and lime wedges.

(Recipe adapted from doortodoororganics.com)

What are the nutritional benefits of this soup? Green onions are rich in vitamins A, C and K. Garlic contains flavonoids (a type of antioxidant), and is a great source of vitamins C and B6, and the mineral manganese. Carrots are very high in vitamin A (with one cup providing over 400% of the daily value), and they are also an excellent source of vitamin C and fiber. Mushrooms  are an excellent source of minerals selenium and potassium as well vitamins riboflavin, and niacin, and are the only item you will find in the produce section that supplies some vitamin D! Bell peppers are one of the best food sources of vitamins A and C. Chicken is an excellent source of protein and is rich in B vitamins. Coconut milk is abundant in vitamin C and E, as well as several B vitamins. Sugar snap peas are a great source of fiber, as well as folate and vitamins C and K.