Chickpea and Chicken Soup

Chickpea and Chicken Soup

If there’s one thing I hate, it’s leftovers. Leftovers lurk in the refrigerator and hide in the back, where no one sees them, just waiting for you to discover them when they capable of biting back. Sometimes, I don’t mind leftovers. They’ll get eaten and it’s great to have them when I don’t want to cook. Other times, what’s leftover no one wants. I cook for three – myself, my husband, and my toddler, who thankfully is not picky. He prefers veggies and fruit to candy and chips, and I love it. I usually cook for four people really, as my hubby takes food to work with him rather than eating out of the vending machine.

So I discovered I had lots of leftovers, just little bits of this and that, and I came up with a soup that was filling, healthy, and that everyone loved.

Ingredients:

• 3 cooked chicken thighs, diced
• 1 15 oz can of chickpeas, drained
• 1 cup cooked macaroni
• 2 small tomatoes, diced (save the juice)
• ½ vidalia onion
• ½ red bellpepper
• ½ tsp oregano
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 ½ tsps garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• salt and pepper (to taste)
• olive oil

Directions:

1. In your favorite soup pot, saute the bellpepper, onion, and chicken in olive oil over medium heat, just until the onion starts to color and the bellpepper softens. If you’re using fresh garlic, throw that in with the onion.
2. Once sauteed, add tomatoes. If you feel you need more liquid, add a little water. Add rosemary, garlic powder, and simmer for about 15 minutes.
3. Add 2 cups of chicken broth, chickpeas, and the rest of the spices. Simmer 15-20 minutes.
4. Add macaroni and simmer for about 5 minutes, just to heat it through.
5. Serve with homemade biscuits, cornbread, or whatever else you like. 

Make this recipe your own. Add other vegetables, use chicken breasts instead of thighs, and adjust all seasonings to your liking. This makes a great one pot meal that everyone will love.