Spicy {Or Not} Chicken and Sweet Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 red onion, finely diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 3 ribs celery, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 7-8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 ½ pounds chicken, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (or use about 3-4 cups of shredded, cooked chicken)
- 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2- inch pieces
- 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- In a large pot (4 or 5 quarts), melt butter over medium heat and add onions.
- Cook, stirring often, about 5-6 minutes, until softened.
- Add bell pepper, celery, and garlic. Cook 5-6 more minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender.
- Add remaining ingredients (don't add the cooked chicken, if using, you'll add it near the end), stir well, and bring to a low boil, reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, for about 40-45 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and chicken is cooked through. If using cooked chicken, stir it in at this point and let it heat through.
- Discard bay leaves and serve.
Notes
Heat: increase the red pepper flakes if you like more heat. The 1/4 teaspoon in the recipe will give gentle and flavor but is not overly spicy (as in, my kids ate it with no problem).