Spanish Chicken Soup
Spanish Chicken Soup is a wonderfully warming Spanish or North African inspired stew, loaded with chicken, spicy chorizo sausage, nutty chickpeas and sweet peppers. This delicious recipe for homemade soup is perfect for those chilly winter evenings.
Yes! Another soup recipe! As far as I am concerned, the best thing about winter is all the delicious soups and stews that we get to eat, nurturing both body and soul through the coldest months of the year.
Chicken soup is truly something that transcends cultures, with different versions found in every corner of the globe. While I love a classic Chicken and Noodle soup, sometimes I like to wake my tastebuds up with something new.
What is Spanish Chicken Soup?
Today’s easy recipe for Spanish Chicken Soup is a wonderfully warming Spanish or North African inspired dish, loaded with chicken, spicy chorizo sausage, nutty chickpeas and sweet peppers.
Like all the best stews, my Spanish Chicken Soup is super simple to make, requiring little more effort from you than throwing everything into the pan and letting it simmer and bubble away until the kitchen is full of delicious aromas and the chicken is fall-apart tender.
We all love an easy dinner, and soups are a great way to get delicious food on the table with very little effort.
As with all stews, Spanish Chicken Soup is even better reheated the next day and freezes perfectly, so it’s ideal for batch cooking or preparing in advance.
Is Spanish Chicken Soup spicy?
Not too spicy! I like my tomato-based stews to have a good whack of chilli to banish the winter cold, but you can dial the heat up or down to suit your tastes. This soup is supposed to be comfort food, so no need to make it too spicy! You can always serve it with a bool of cooling sour cream if you find the heat is too much.
What chicken should I use to make soup?
For anything long-simmered or slow cooked, I always lean toward dark meat, so chicken thighs or chicken drumsticks. Chicken thighs are one of my favourite cuts of meat. They are generally inexpensive and are virtually impossible to overcook.
Boneless chicken breast is more suitable for quick cooking as they can get tough. If you’ve got a bag or tray of mixed chicken pieces they will work too. By preference I prefer to use boneless meat, it’s just easier to deal with in this case.
You can also make this soup with rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken if you want to use it up! Remember, with leftover or rotisserie chicken, it has already been cooked once, so add the shredded chicken at the end of cooking time, otherwise it will fall apart too much in the soup.
What to serve with Spanish Chicken Soup?
As with all soups and stews, a good loaf of fresh bread will always be delicious. You could also serve this comforting soup with a big plate of warm corn tortillas or tortilla chips for scooping and dipping. I often serve this sort of soup with a little rice on the side as well.
Ingredient Substitutions
Chorizo isn’t always easy to come by, so if you can’t get hold of it, simply swap it out for another spicy sausage or salami.
Chickpeas give this healthy dinner a really lovely flavour and body – if you don’t have any to hand you could always replace them with any other tinned beans or pulses, cannellini or navy beans are delicious too.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can I cook Spanish Chicken Soup in advance?
Yes! All soups and stews are great recipes to cook in advance, in fact I think they taste better the next day! This recipe freezes very well too, so make up a big batch and you’ll have food to last all week.
I don’t eat chicken thigh, can I use breast instead?
Yes, you can. Chicken breast tends to be a little drier than chicken thigh though, so keep an eye on the liquid in the pan.
Can I double the recipe to feed more?
Yes, absolutely! Recipes with more liquid take longer to reduce, so you’ll need to adjust the cooking time accordingly. Remember not to crowd the pan when you are searing the meat, it’s better to work in batches.
Looking for more classic soups?
Why not try my Chicken and Noodle Soup? Going vegetarian tonight? My Turkish Red Lentil Soup is always a winner. For more even more soups, click here!
Spanish Chicken Soup
Spanish Chicken Soup is a wonderfully warming Spanish or North African inspired stew, loaded with chicken, spicy chorizo sausage, nutty chickpeas and sweet peppers. This delicious recipe for homemade soup is perfect for those chilly winter evenings.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 kg chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
- 1 large red onion, halved and sliced
- 1 red pepper, sliced
- 1 yellow pepper, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, finely diced
- 125 g chorizo or spicy salami, chopped
- 400 g can of diced tomatoes, chopped
- 400 g can of chickpeas, drained
- 500 ml vegetable or chicken bouillon / stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp spicy paprika or chili powder
- 20 green olives, pitted
- 1 Tbsp runny honey
- sea salt & black pepper
To thicken:
- 2 tsp cornstarch / cornflour
TO SERVE:
- small bunch parsley or fresh cilantro, coriander, chopped
- rice, couscous or crusty bread
Instructions
- BROWN THE CHICKEN: Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Cut the chicken thighs into large chunks, then brown well in the oil, working in batches if necessary so as not to crowd the pan. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- SAUTÉ THE VEGETABLES: Add the remaining oil to the pan (if necessary) and cook the onions for 5 minutes until beginning to soften but not brown. Add the peppers to the pan and cook a further 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir through the garlic and chorizo or salami and cook for 1 minute.
- COMBINE INGREDIENTS: Add the chicken to the pan along with the tomatoes, chickpeas, stock, bay leaves, oregano and paprika powders. Bring to a simmer over a medium-high heat, then turn the heat to low and simmer, loosely covered for 30 minutes.
- ADD OLIVES AND HONEY: After 30 minutes, remove the lid, stir through the olives and honey and simmer a further 10-15 minutes until slightly thickened. If you’d like a slightly thicker stew, mix the cornflour with 3 Tbsp of cold water, then pour into the pan, stirring until thickened.
- SERVE: Divide between bowls, scatter with chopped cilantro (coriander) or parsley and serve immediately with rice, couscous or crusty bread. Serve with sour cream on the side, if using.
Notes
Spanish Chicken stew can be made with a whole chicken, cut into 6-8 pieces instead of using just chicken thighs. Alternatively, you can use chicken legs, cut into thighs and chicken drumsticks.
Garlic lovers, I have added the amount of garlic that I like to this recipe but if you are a big fan you'll want to add more to suit your personal preferences.
Recommended Equipment
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Nutrition
Serving: 1bowl | Calories: 823kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 55g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 23g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 228mg | Sodium: 1387mg | Potassium: 1068mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 2095IU | Vitamin C: 105mg | Calcium: 113mg | Iron: 5mg
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