Skip to main content
Epicurious

Chicken and Spelt Soup With Greens

By Donna Hay

4.4

(6)

Chicken soup with lots of greens and a wooden ladle in a black twohandled pot.
Photograph by Anson Smart, Donna Hay Magazine

This is one of my all-time favorite chicken soup recipes—it's packed with so many nutritious greens as well as wholesome spelt, with a touch of zesty lemon. It never fails to make you feel great from the inside out.

Cooks' Note

Spelt is an ancient wheat grain that is high in fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals. It's also low in gluten, so it's easier to digest than other grains. You can find it in health food stores and supermarkets.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    4–6 servings

Ingredients

1 (3 1/4-pound) chicken, rinsed and drained
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 yellow onion, skin on, quartered
1 leek, chopped
2 fresh bay leaves
1 head garlic, halved crosswise
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
2 liters water
1 cup spelt
2 stalks celery, trimmed and chopped, extra
10 1/2 ounces broccolini, florets trimmed and stalk chopped
Sea salt and cracked black pepper
3 1/2 ounces green beans, trimmed and chopped
1 3/4 ounces baby kale leaves (about 3/4 cup)
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
Baby lemon balm leaves, to serve

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place the chicken, carrot, celery, onion, leek, bay leaves, garlic, peppercorns and water in a large pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover with a lid and simmer for 1 hour 30 minutes.

    Step 2

    Strain the soup, reserving the stock and the whole chicken. Return the stock to a clean pot over high heat, add the spelt and bring to a boil. Cover with a lid, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes or until tender. Shred the chicken, discarding the skin and bones.

    Step 3

    Add the extra celery, broccolini, salt and pepper to the pot and cook for 4 minutes. Add the green beans and shredded chicken and cook for 2 minutes or until the beans are tender. Remove from the heat and stir in the kale leaves and lemon zest. Divide the soup among bowls, top with the lemon balm and sprinkle with cracked black pepper to serve.

Image may contain: Food, Bread, Pancake, Confectionery, and Sweets
Reprinted from Donna Hay Magazine. Published by News Life Media. All rights reserved.
TagsSoupSoup/StewWhole ChickenChickenPoultrySpeltRice & GrainsBroccoli/BroccoliniVegetableMainStarterLunchDinnerDairy FreeNut FreeSimmerDonna Hay Magazine

See Related Recipes and Cooking Tips

Read More
Charred Vegetable Ragù
This sauce is slightly magical. The texture cloaks pasta much like a traditional meat sauce does, and the flavors are deep and rich, but it’s actually vegan!
Frijoles de la Olla Ramen (Mexican Stewed Beans)
Traditionally, this Mexican staple is simmered for hours in an olla, or clay pot. You can achieve a similar result by using canned beans and instant ramen.
Smothered Italian Sausage
This is what I call a fridge-eater recipe. The key here is getting a nice sear on the sausage and cooking the tomato down until it coats the sausage and vegetables well.
Beef Stroganoff Ramen
This traditional dish of beef, sour cream, and mustard may have originated in Russia, but it’s about time for a version with ramen noodles, don’t you think?
Chicken Croquettes
Rather than breaded and fried as you might expect croquettes to be, these are something more akin to a seared chicken salad patty.
Gigante Beans With Seaweed Salmoriglio
Salmoriglio is a Mediterranean sauce with herbs, garlic, and olive oil. In this version, kelp is used as the base of the sauce.
Creamy Fondue Beans
All the cozy vibes of the classic gooey-cheesy dish, made into a 20-minute meal.
Crispy Baked Wings With Berbere Honey Glaze and Fried Garlic
Berbere is a spicy chile blend that has floral and sweet notes from coriander and cardamom, and when it’s paired with a honey glaze, it sets these wings apart from anything else you’ve ever had.