Healthy and Creamy Chicken and Vegetable Soup

It gets harder to be enthusiastic about salads when the weather turns. Fresh, raw vegetables suddenly don’t seem as appetising or satisfying when there’s a chill in the air. But don’t let a craving for comfort food be an excuse not to eat healthy, nutritious food. This chicken soup is an old favourite from a very long time ago when I was in the kitchen at our cafe back in Sydney. This soup is creamy and tasty but not loaded with cream or butter. It is not particularly low in calories mainly due to the creamed corn which is a starchy nightmare – but the addition of my favourite tinned vegetable makes this soup feel substantial and the evaporated milk is an old dieter’s trick of making something creamy without using actual cream.  This isn’t diet food, but it’s perfectly acceptable for a weekday lunch. Fresh is always better – even if there is a little creamed corn in the mix.

soup

Chicken and Vegetable Soup Recipe

Ingredients:
1 x chicken stock pod
Leeks, carrot, sweet potato, spinach, zucchini, corn, celery, brocoli – sliced and diced
1 x can of creamed corn
Chicken – you can use fresh raw chicken as long as you cook it for long enough or break up a pre-cooked chicken from the grocery store.
1 x can Evaporated Skim Milk (NOT condensed milk)

Method:
Saute the leeks and then the rest of the vegetables for a good 5 minutes, this adds flavour.
Pour in a few cups of water, the stock, creamed corn and chicken.
Simmer until everything is cooked and then pour in the evaporated milk. Simmer for another 5-10 minutes.
Season, stir and serve.