Slow Cooker Quinoa, Chicken and Kale Soup

By rbotzl01

12.18.2013
Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (raw)
• 1 1/4 cups chopped yellow onion (1 medium onion)
• 1 cup chopped celery (about 3 stalks)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4 cup dry quinoa
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
• 4 (14.5 oz) cans low-sodium chicken broth (7 cups)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 (15.5 oz) can Great Northern or Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 cups packed kale, roughly chopped (thick ribs chopped and discarded)
• 3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• Finely shredded parmesan cheese, for serving

Details

Adapted from cookingclassy.com

Preparation

Step 1

Add chicken to a 6 or 7 quart slow cooker, then add onions, celery and garlic, then drizzle with olive oil. Add quinoa (for a more firm textured quinoa add during last 30 minutes to 1 hour of cooking, per reviewers comments), thyme, rosemary and pour in chicken broth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook on HIGH 3 1/2 - 4 hours or LOW 7 - 8 hours.
Remove chicken, let rest 10 minutes then cut into bite size pieces and return to soup. Meanwhile, add in beans, kale, parsley and lemon juice, then cover and continue to cook on HIGH heat another 10 - 20 minutes until kale has reached desired doneness. Serve warm topped with parmesan cheese.