Chicken and Vegetable Soup

I mentioned in my last post that I'd made a pot of soup to be eaten when I wasn't in the mood to put something together. This soup is delicious, easy, and made with whole food ingredients, and it can be made on the stove, in a Crock Pot, or in an Instant Pot, if you've jumped on that bandwagon (I own two!). If you want to simplify the recipe even more, use a rotisserie chicken.

(makes 8 servings)

1 lb chicken, grilled and shredded

2 tbsp. lard (or other whole, clean cooking fat)

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 bell pepper, diced

1 medium onion, chopped

1 small zucchini, sliced

3 medium carrots, sliced

2 celery ribs, sliced

1 can diced tomatoes

4 fresh thyme sprigs

2 bay leaves

1 handful fresh parsley, finely chopped

8 cups chicken stock

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a large stockpot, melt the cooking fat over a medium heat, and gently cook the onion, garlic, and chicken for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is nice and tender.

Add the rest of the vegetables, bay leaves, thyme sprigs, and parsley, and cover it all with the chicken stock.

Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Adapted from paleoleap.com.