Roasted Chicken & Butternut Squash Soup

Great for a cold, stormy day.

I love this soup because it is so f-ing easy! Oh, and tasty too, of course. If you've never broken down a butternut squash before, don't be scared. It's fairly easy once you get the hang of it. Everyone has their own way of doing it but here's a good tutorial video. Just remember to cut your squash into fairly uniform pieces so they cook evenly. Depending on how large your squash is, and how soupy you like your soup, you may have to add more chicken broth. For a heartier soup, try adding some small pasta, noodles or even rice. I like to eat this soup with some crusty toasted bread on the side. Make a double batch and freeze half for a rainy, lazy day dinner.

Roasted Chicken & Butternut Squash Soup

(4 servings)

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, cored & diced into medium cubes

1 medium yellow onion, medium diced

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

2 tbsp olive oil

salt & pepper

4 cups low sodium chicken broth

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1 lemon, zested & juiced

more lemons, cilantro, green onion, sour cream for garnish

- Preheat oven to 425F. Toss cubed squash, onion & chicken thighs 

with olive oil, salt & pepper. Arrange on a sheet pan in a single layer 

(you may need two sheets to hold everything- if so, place one in the top 

third and another in the lower third of the oven, rotating halfway through cooking)

- Roast 30-35 minutes until chicken is cooked through and squash is tender.

- Transfer chicken to a plate to cool. Discard skin & bone, chop into desired size.

- Combine broth, cooked squash & onion, cumin, lemon zest into a large pot. 

Bring to a simmer & mash the squash to your desire (use the back of your spoon 

or a potato masher). Add the chopped chicken & lemon juice into 

the soup, salt & pepper to taste. Add more broth if you want it soupier. 

- Serve with a dollop of sour cream, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, cilantro & green onions. 

Some crusty bread on the side would be delicious as well.

Garnish to your heart's desire!

Psst! Here's a quick little tip: instead of keeping cans of chicken broth in my pantry, I keep this little jar in my fridge, "Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base". Just add 1 tsp of this paste to 1 cup of hot water et voila, instant chicken broth that allows you to make as much or as little as you need. You can also adjust the concentration of the broth by adding more or less paste. Don't you hate opening a container of chicken stock then not using all of it (then forgetting about it in the fridge...)? One jar makes about 38 cups of broth which at $5/jar turns out to be a huge money saver. You can find this little guy next to the regular chicken stock in any grocery store. Love this product!

Block Party Gazpacho

Last weekend we went to a neighborhood block party sponsored by the company who owns our building and the three other buildings next to us. It was kind of strange to have a block party in the middle of downtown, but the turn out was good and it was an opportunity to meet our neighbors. Everyone was supposed to bring a side dish to share so there were all kinds of dips and such, even homemade blueberry beer from our upstairs neighbor. I didn't make anything that fancy, just a simple gazpacho. I figured a refreshing chilled soup on a muggy summer evening would work well. Of course, it rained just a few minutes before the party was supposed to start and there was a chilly breeze coming through. But nonetheless, the soup was still delicious and so easy to make.

Traditionally, gazpacho is made with completely raw vegetable ingredients. But after surfing the web I found some recipes that actually roasted/grilled the veggies before blending them together. Probably to give the soup a deeper flavor? Well, I don't have an outdoor grill (no back yard!) so I roasted my veggies in the oven until deliciously tender and slightly charred. But to be honest, I couldn't see any distinct difference in flavor. Maybe grilling them over an open fire would do the trick? Well, if you're short on time or just don't want to bother with more steps in a recipe, skip the whole roasting/grilling thing and just follow this recipe:


Gazpacho
(Serves 6)

3-4 lb firm, ripe tomatoes
1 red bell pepper
1 red onion
1/4 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, chopped into small cubes, divided
3 tbsp vinegar
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
3/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or tart hot sauce, like Tabasco)
up to 3/4 cup cold water (optional)
3 green onions, thinly sliced

• If roasting in oven, preheat to 450F. Chop tomatoes & bell pepper in half, chop onion into quarters, drizzle with olive oil, S&P. Roast 10-15 minutes until tender. If grilling, prepare veggies in same manner, heat grill on high and grill until nicely charred all around. Remove skins.
• Coarsely chop the tomatoes, bell pepper, onion and garlic. Place in food processor or blender along with half of the diced cucumber. Blend together until desired consistency - should not be a puree, but a coarse blend that is slightly chunky. Pour into large bowl or container.
• Stir in the olive oil, vinegar, marjoram, paprika, cumin and cayenne pepper. S&P to taste.
• If desired, thin out the soup by pouring in cold water, a little at a time.
• Chill the soup at least 2 hours. The longer it sits, the better the flavor. Before serving, taste the soup again and re-season to taste. Garnish with sliced green onions and rest of chopped cucumber.