What should you do with all of those wonderful summer zucchini squash you’ve got from the local farmers market or your family’s backyard garden? Most people would say to make zucchini bread, which I think is an absolutely fabulous idea! But, I also think making soup is another great idea, too, and I mean a hearty one!
I love this type of weather we’re having right now near Chicago- that steamy hot and humid and wet summer is nearing its end (I hope) and it’s cooling down just enough so I can start to imagine wearing my favorite tall boots, turtlenecks and sweaters again. I just love wrapping myself up and having something nice and warm to eat like a bowl of soup, but not when it’s too cold so this soup is a great reminder that we’re still able to enjoy the hot summer vegetables, too. The addition of chicken makes it a real meal that can be satisfied by itself with a bit of rustic bread or tortillas on the side, whichever you like more.
It uses up about 3 large zucchini and makes about 8 servings, which is quite a lot. I add one Yukon gold potato because they’re soft and cook fairly quickly but they also add starch to the soup, which thickens it slightly.
To make it, I cook the chicken in a separate pan because it’s just easier and cleaner to pull out and chop that way. The first recipe I tested, I used split chicken breast pieces then once they were cooled I de-boned the meat and then shredded it with a fork. The next test I did differently and it was much better. I used boneless skinless chicken breast, boiled it and then once removed from the water and cooled, I chopped it finely with a knife.
The result is that it was so much better because in every bit of the soup there is a generous amount of chicken, which I know most people love. It’s also rich in broth because I used the water that I boiled the chicken in, AND a carton of the Artisan Roasted Chicken Broth by Saffron Road.
*NOTE ABOUT THE BROTH IN THIS RECIPE: It seems as though the Saffron Road halal chicken broth and other broths are not available, so you can replace it with an organic vegetarian broth like this one for this recipe. 
The basic ingredients are simple and easy to get – in addition to what I mentioned, I also added garlic, frozen spinach, salt, pepper and a bit of fresh parsley. At the end, I topped it off with Parmesan cheese (you can find varieties that are suitable for vegetarians at Trader Joe’s stores), which I have to do because that satisfies the Italian in me…
And so does this soup- it’s hearty and rich in flavor yet it’s inexpensive, easy to make and fairly quick. You could easily pre-chop al the ingredients (zucchini, garlic and potato) then come home after work and make it in no time. Seriously…that’s how good home cooking should be, right?
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