Quinoa Chicken Soup

Ingredients

• 3 cups water
• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 5 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cubed
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 cup chopped celery
• ½ cup chopped red bell pepper
• ½ cup chopped yellow bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups chopped spinach leaves
• ½ teaspoon dried marjoram
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• ½ teaspoon crushed bay leaf
• ¼ cup cold water

Step 1

Bring 3 cups of water and the quinoa to a boil in a saucepan. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low, cover, and let it simmer until the quinoa is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Step 2

While the quinoa cooks, heat a teaspoon of olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, season it with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until it's no longer pink inside—this should take around 5 minutes. Once done, set the chicken aside on a plate.

Step 3

Add the remaining teaspoon of olive oil to the Dutch oven and warm it over medium heat. Toss in the onion, carrots, celery, both bell peppers, and garlic. Cook everything together, stirring now and then, until the veggies soften, which usually takes about 10 minutes.

Step 4

Pour the chicken broth into the pot with the vegetables. Throw in the spinach, marjoram, oregano, basil, and the bay leaf. Bring the soup up to a boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer for about 10 minutes so all the flavors can meld. Stir in the cooked quinoa, then add the chicken back to the pot and heat it through for a couple of minutes.

Step 5

In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with 1/4 cup of cold water until smooth. Slowly pour this into the soup while stirring, and cook for another minute or so until the soup thickens slightly. Give it a final stir and it’s ready to enjoy!