I just about died of happiness when I was browsing the Kitchn and came upon a recipe that combined my two favorite go-to soup recipes: chicken soup and lentil soup. That, my friends, is what we call the best of both worlds.
I knew this one would be a winner even before I began to chop away at the minimal but impactful ingredients. How could it not? The earthiness of the oh so healthy lentils balances out the smoky flavor from the bacon fat and the richness of the dark thighs. A sprinkle of parmesan to round it all out while dunking a warm hunk of this homemade bread?
It just doesn’t get any better.
French Lentil Chicken Soup
2015-02-23 17:13:09
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons bacon fat or butter or evoo or combo (I used 2 TBS evoo and a slice of bacon which I then removed)
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 12 cups chicken stock or water
- 2 cups French lentils
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Grated Parmesan or Romano cheese, for serving
Instructions
- Melt the bacon fat or butter in the bottom of a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the onion, celery, carrots, and garlic. Season the vegetables well with salt and pepper. Cook until the vegetables have softened, about 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir to coat the vegetables for about 2 more minutes.
- Add the chicken stock and lentils and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a very gentle simmer and add the chicken thighs. Cover and continue cooking for 1 hour, checking periodically to make sure the soup isn’t bubbling too much. Remove the chicken thighs and put them on a plate to cool.
- Working in batches, blend about half of the lentil soup until it’s thick and creamy. (You can blend all of it if you like a creamy lentil soup, or none of it if you want it completely brothy. I blended about half.) Stir the pureed soup back into the pot. Using two forks, shred the chicken and return it to the pot. Taste and correct the seasoning.
- Serve with cheese sprinkled over the top of the bowl.
Adapted from the Kitchn
Adapted from the Kitchn
A Life From Scratch. http://a-life-from-scratch.com/
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Courtney
Courtney is a wife to M and a mom of two boys, L (8) and B (3). Most of her blogging is done frantically during nap time in between laundry, cleaning, and the occasional housewives rerun. Or the brief hour or so that she can stay awake after the boys go down for the night. She loves her sleep. Read more...
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Wow, sounds delicious, I’ve been wanting to learn how to make soup ( frightens me) and his is the one I will try in next week or so while it’s still cold outside.
Thank you!
Thanks Catherine!
Twitter: walnutacre
says:
This looks and sounds delicious!!!!
Rose @ Walnut Acre recently posted…Reading Around the Web – Weekly Roundup of Good Reads
Twitter: KitchenChopper
says:
I’m so into soups and this one sounds so creative. I’ve got lentils to use. It’s on my “to do” list. I saw this at Dish of Daily Life Foodie Fridays linky. YUMing, SUing and Pinning.
KC the Kitchen Chopper recently posted…Corned Beef, Cabbage, Potato Soup Chopped
Twitter: WildflowerBed
says:
That sounds really delicious! I just love a nice, warm soup on a chilly night — and we’ve been having a LOT of chilly nights lately!
~ Christine
Christine | Once Upon a Time in a Bed of Wildflowers recently posted…From the Farm Blog Hop… Growing Peas in Your Garden
Twitter: shopannies
says:
great soup to have for supper great warm meal goes great wit ha sandwich and fills one up
come see us at http://shopannies.blogspot.com
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Twitter: beingfibromom
says:
I haven’t seen the two together either. Interesting, but looks yummy!
Thanks for sharing at Inspire Me Mondays!
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Twitter: mstoodygooshoes
says:
I love lentil soup! Looks great! Thanks for linking up at Best of the Weekend!
I need to try this soon, so comforting and delicious! Thanks for linking up with What’s Cookin’ Wednesday!
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I’ve made this twice now and it is amazing! Somehow, I forgot the tomato paste both times and I still love the final product. I blended half of the soup and the texture is perfect. I have added this to my soup rotation. Thanks for this wonderful recipe, Court.