Spicy Chicken Soup

Overhead view of chicken soup in a white bowl with green onions

This unique and comforting sweet and spicy chicken soup is just what you need to chase away the winter chill. It gets its sweetness from goji berries and dates and spiciness from chipotle peppers. It's so simple to make and you will be hard pressed to stop at just one bowl. It's that good!

Prep Time15

Cook Time50

Total Time1 5

Servings: servings

Calories: 305kcal

Author: Heavenly Home Cooking

Ingredients

⅓ cup sliced dates
½ cup goji berries
1 cup boiling water
4 oz. can shiitake mushrooms drained
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium yellow onions coarsely chopped
salt
2½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs chopped into 1-inch pieces
1-2 tablespoons chipotle peppers in adobo sauce chop peppers into 1-inch pieces
1 2-inch piece fresh ginger peeled and finely chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
6 cups chicken broth
¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
2-3 stalks chopped green onion for garnish

Instructions

In a medium bowl, combine the dates and goji berries. Pour boiling water over the top, cover with aluminum foil, and set aside to soak for 20 minutes.
Add olive oil to a large Dutch oven, and heat over medium heat. When it shimmers, add the onions and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Season with salt.
Increase the heat to medium-high, add the chicken, and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes.
Add the chiles, ginger, and garlic, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 5 minutes more.
Pour in the broth and soy sauce, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently.
Drain the goji berries and red dates and add them, along with the shiitake mushrooms, to the broth.
Simmer the soup, with the lid slightly ajar, for 25 to 30 minutes more, until the flavors have merged together.
Serve and garnish with the chopped green onion.

Notes

FAQs

Can I make this recipe in a slow cooker or instant pot?

Yes you can.

To adapt this recipe for the slow cooker:

1. Omit step 1 and add the olive oil to a skillet over medium heat when it shimmers add onions and saute for about 4 minutes.

2. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant for 1 minute longer. Remove from heat and add onions and garlic to the bottom of a large slow cooker.

3. Optional step that will add more flavor: increase the heat to medium-high, add the chicken, and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and add chicken to the slow cooker.

4. Add goji berries, dates, shiitake mushrooms, peppers, fresh ginger, broth, and soy sauce to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Top with green onion for garnish.

To adapt this recipe for the instant pot:

1. Hydrate the goji berries and dates as instructed in step 1 of the recipe.

2. If desired, brown the chicken as noted above. Remove from heat and place chicken in the instant pot. You can omit this step and add the chicken directly to the instant pot. However, taking this step will give you soup more flavor.

3. Saute onions and garlic as noted in the slow cooker method above. Add onions and garlic to the instant pot on top of the chicken.

4. Add goji berries, dates, shiitake mushrooms, chicken, peppers, fresh ginger and soy sauce.

4. Add enough broth to fill the inner pot about ½ to ⅔ full. For cooking time, follow your instant pot manufacturer's directions for cooking chicken (poultry). When finished cooking, remove the soup to a large serving pot and add any leftover broth to finish your soup. Garnish with chopped green onion.

How do I store leftover chicken soup?

Immediately refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container. It will keep in your fridge for 3-4 days. In addition, this soup freezes very well. Portion leftovers in airtight, freezer and microwave safe containers. It will keep in your freezer for at least 4-6 months. Reheat in the microwave on high, beginning with 3-4 minutes. Then check and stir. Continuing heating on high a minute at a time until the soup is heated to your liking.

How do I adjust the spiciness of this soup?

This soup contains chipotle peppers, which provides its heat. If you want to increase the spiciness, be sure that the seeds are included and adjust the amount of peppers up to ¼ cup. I don't recommend going any higher than that unless you really love the heat of peppers. If you want to adjust the spiciness down, remove some of the seeds and decrease the amount to 1 tablespoon, or you can omit the peppers altogether.

Can I make a vegetarian or vegan version of this soup?

Yes you can. For the broth, you can substitute Better than Bouillon, No Chicken Base or a vegetable broth. For the chicken, you can substitute tofu, Tofurky Chick'n (you can usually get this at a health food store or you can ask your local grocery store to order it for you if they don't carry it already), or seitan.

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