Description
Chicken soup comes in all shapes and sizes – but THIS chicken and broccoli soup is so good it has found a permanent spot in our meal rotation! Made with shredded chicken (rotisserie chicken shines here!), soup staples like onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, plenty of broccoli florets, dried spices, chicken broth, and cashew cream to keep it dairy free. It’s simple, but so good everyone will want seconds.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup raw cashews (145 grams)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 2-3 stalks celery, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons all-purpose seasoning
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 6 cups chicken broth, divided
- 3 packed cups diced or shredded cooked chicken – rotisserie chicken works great here (about 1 pound cooked chicken)
- 5 cups broccoli florets
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Soak the cashews. Add raw cashews to a heat-proof bowl and cover with hot (ideally just boiled) water – allow to soak for 15-30 minutes while you start making the rest of the recipe.
- Make the flavor base of the soup. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Sauté for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally – until onions are translucent and veggies are starting to caramelize. Add black pepper, all-purpose seasoning, and nutritional yeast and sauté for 1-2 minutes more – until spices are aromatic and start to stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Add broth and cooked chicken. Add 5 cups broth along with chopped or shredded chicken to the pot scraping up any stuck-on bits from the bottom and bring to a simmer. Simmer on low, partially covered, for about 10 minutes – until veggies are tender.
- Make cashew cream. While the soup is simmering prepare the cashew cream. Drain and rinse cashews and add to a high-speed blender along with the remaining cup of chicken broth. Blend on high until smooth and creamy, with no pieces of cashew remaining.
- Finish the soup. Add cashew cream to the pot with the broccoli florets. Stir to combine and bring back to a simmer. Simmer, partially covered on low, and stir occasionally, until broccoli is tender, and soup has thickened slightly – about 8-10 minutes more. Soup can be thinned by adding a little additional broth if desired.
- Season and serve! Season soup to taste with salt and pepper, serve hot, and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American