Roasted garlic soup with hearty chunks of chicken. This low carb chicken soup recipe makes the perfect winter warm up meal!
I feel as though I have gained a much greater understanding of the lack of personal hygiene in centuries gone by, particularly in the winter months. It has been so chilly here in New England lately, I’ve been tempted to sew myself into some winter-weight long underwear and not take them off until the first signs of spring. Whenever I have to dig myself out of my mountain of warm blankets in the morning, I am struck by how warm the jammies that I am wearing are, and how cold the clothes are that I have to put on for the day. Just imagine in the 17th, 18th, 19th centuries, prior to central heating, how nice that warm layer of woolen long underwear would be, how it would provide a buffer against the chilly undressing and re-dressing in the early morn. Sure, you might be a little stinky come April, but you wouldn’t have had the torture of putting on cold jeans in the early morning hours!
Comforting Low Carb Chicken Soup Recipes
Alas, I am fairly certain that such behaviour would get me committed to the nearest psychological ward. So my defense against the cold weather comes in the form of low carb soup. Hot soup and plenty of it, please! I’ve actually been eating a fair bit of soup for breakfast. Or rather, second breakfast, after I come home from dropping the kids off at school and the house has that extra empty, chilly feel.
I pop something like Chicken Roasted Garlic Soup or Paleo Thai Chicken Zoodle Soup into a pot to heat. Then I pour it into a bowl and settle down at my computer, sipping and slurping my way to warmth. A bowl of soup so infinitely satisfying and warms me right down to my toes. It’s like an internal set of woolen long underwear and it has the added advantages of tasting delicious and not offending the olfactory senses of friends and family.
The idea for this Roasted Garlic Soup Recipe actually came to me while I was very sick over Christmas. Sadly, Santa decided to bring me a case of strep throat for Christmas, and I was trying to battle it through natural means, which meant eating a large amount of raw garlic (talk about offending the olfactory senses of my loved ones!).
Health Benefits of Roasted Garlic Soup
Garlic has plenty of antibiotic properties, but only really in its raw form. Still, the idea of roasted garlic as the base of a low carb chicken soup lodged in my fevered brain and I kept mulling it over for a while. I knew I wanted big, hearty chunks of chicken in the soup as well, preferably thigh meat. I came across a recipe on Epicurious.com for the garlicky, creamy base. I made a few changes that suited me and broiled some boneless, skinless chicken thighs to add to the mix. It made an incredibly satisfying, warming dinner. And a great second breakfast the next day…no long underwear needed.
If you have never roasted garlic before, it’s not difficult at all. If you want to roast an entire head of garlic, Crunchy Creamy Sweet has a post that explains how to roast garlic, and Savory Sweet Life has one that explains how to roast cloves of garlic.
Roasted Garlic Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 20 cloves garlic unpeeled
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 medium onion thinly sliced
- 12 cloves garlic peeled
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- 1 ½ lbs cooked chicken thighs or breasts cubed
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and place unpeeled garlic cloves in a shallow baking dish. Add olive oil, salt and pepper and toss to coat.
- Roast until garlic is golden brown, about 35 minutes.
- Cool and squeeze out garlic with fingers into a small bowl.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add onions and cook until translucent, about 6 minutes.
- Add roasted garlic, additional garlic cloves, and thyme and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until fragrant.
- Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Cook 20 minutes.
- Puree using a blender or immersion blender. Stir in whipping cream and cooked chicken and season with salt and pepper.
- Warm through and serve.
