Chicken and Quinoa 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 it’s boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low, cover it, 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 in the middle—this should take around 5 minutes. Once done, transfer the chicken to a plate and set it aside.

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 red and yellow bell peppers, and garlic. Cook everything together, stirring now and then, until the veggies are nice and soft—about 10 minutes.

Step 4

Pour in the chicken broth, then add the spinach, marjoram, oregano, basil, and bay leaf. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer for around 10 minutes so the flavors can meld together. Stir in the cooked quinoa, then add the chicken back into the pot and cook just until everything is heated through, about 2 minutes.

Step 5

In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with 1/4 cup of cold water until it's fully dissolved. Slowly pour this into the soup, stirring occasionally, and cook for about a minute until the soup thickens up a bit. Give it a final taste and adjust seasoning if needed, then you’re ready to serve!