Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Chicken, Potato, and White Bean Soup

The little man's favorite food these days -- and probably for all time -- is chocolate. His second favorite? Forget chicken finger or grilled cheese or hamburgers, or all those perennial kid favorites. My little man likes him some beans.

I've made this soup several times, tweaking the ingredients here and there to find what I works best. And each and every time, the little man gobbles this up like it's his first meal in days. Beans first.

The soup starts with bacon, but pancetta would be a fine substitute, or even some ham. Or you can try it without the bacon altogether. Although I'm not sure why anyone would pass up the opportunity to make bacon. (In fact, we usually cook up the remainder of the package of bacon and keep it in the fridge for another of the little man's favorites -- BLTs. With mayo. And minus the L.)

Chicken, Potato, and White Bean Soup
Serves 6-8

4 slices bacon, finely chopped
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 lb. potatoes, cut into cubes
2 carrots, chopped
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
Salt and pepper
1 32-oz. container (4 c.) chicken broth, plus one 14-oz can
1 1/2-2 c. chopped cooked chicken
2 15.5-oz. cans small white beans, drained
Additional salt and pepper, to taste

1. In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes.

3. Add the potatoes, carrots, bay leaf, thyme, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cook until vegetables start to sweat, about 4-5 minutes.

4. Add chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the potatoes and carrots are tender, about 15 minutes.

5. Add the chicken and white beans and cook until heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

5 comments:

Mary Bergfeld said...

It is cold, gray and damp here, so I couldn't have found your blog at a better time. The soup sounds perfect for our winter days. I'm new here but have been browsing through your earlier recipes and must tell you I love the food you feature here. I'll definitely be back. Have a great day. Blessings...Mary

Anonymous said...

I just came across your blog via Tasty Kitchen (we're 'friends' there - I'm speckjoy) and I thought I'd say hey. :) This soup looks delicious!

Cooking.com said...

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My name is Al from Cooking.com. I would like to know if you would be interested in reviewing one of our products or recipes?

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angelinthekitchen said...

I would love to -- feel free to contact me at alericks@yahoo.com.

Ashley said...

I'm making your soup tonight! Decided to use fresh beans instead though, so I'm going to simmer them in the chicken broth and extra water until they're mostly done before adding them in with the veges.