Creamy Chicken, Corn & Quinoa Soup with Bacon

Creamy Chicken, Corn & Quinoa Soup with Bacon

Ideally, start this soup (and many others) by slowly poaching a whole chicken or bone-in chicken pieces in water with an onion and herbs.  This will give you enough stock and meat for 2 batches of this soup or many other soups)

3 thick strips of bacon, diced

2 tbsp. butter

1 small onion, finely diced, about 1 cup

1 celery rib, finely diced, about ½ cup

1 ½ tsp. Cajun spice mix

¼ cup quinoa, raw

3 cups chicken stock

3 sprigs fresh thyme, about 1 tbsp., finely chopped

1 cup corn, fresh or frozen

2 tbsp. masa (corn flour) + 4 tbsp. water

½ cup 35% cream

2 cups pulled chicken meat

large handful of parsley, finely chopped, about ¼ cup

juice of ½ lime

2 green onions, sliced for garnish

kosher salt, as needed

• Heat a heavy soup pot over medium-high heat.  Add bacon and butter and fry bacon until rendered, but not too crispy.  Remove bacon, leaving fat behind

• Add onion along with a pinch of salt and sweat until soft but not brown, about 2 minutes

• Add celery along with a pinch of salt and sweat until soft but not brown

• Stir in Cajun spice, and then add quinoa, chicken stock, thyme & corn.

• Bring to a boil, and then turn down to a simmer.  Simmer on low for 10 minutes or until quinoa is tender. 

• Mix masa with water and stir into soup along with the cream, chicken meat and parsley.  Return bacon to pot.  Simmer for 5-10 minutes.  Taste for seasoning, then add lime juice. 

• Serve garnished with green onion