Chicken Meatball Soup
This delicious and hearty chicken meatball soup is based on one of my mom’s traditional Russian recipes, and it is healthy, packed with veggies, and super easy to make! The vegetables are super customizable, you can work with whatever you have in your fridge or freezer. You can also feel free to add rice or noodles if you want a carb in there.
The first step is to boil the water, then gather all your vegetables. You can really use anything, but most important are the potato, the sweet potato, and a variety of green veggies (peas, green beans, asparagus, broccoli, etc). This process takes the longest, but you can always prep the vegetables in advance. Cut them into small chunks and set them aside, keeping them in cold water to stop the browning process.
Add them all to the boiling water in order, taking into account which takes the longest to cook (potatoes) and then the shortest at the end (peas). Let the soup come back to a boil while you prep the chicken.
Next, make the meatballs. We grind our own meat, but you can buy ground chicken in the store if you don’t have access to a meat grinder. Grind the chicken along with onion and bread for moisture then season. Drop golf ball-sized meatballs into the boiling soup and let them cook. When done, serve with sour cream!
Check out another soup recipe here: delicious, fresh tomato soup!
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breasts
- 5 slices white bread (optional)
- 1 medium red or russet potato, peeled
- 1 sweet potato, peeled
- 1 medium zucchini, peeled
- 1/2 head of cauliflower (2 cups)
- 3 medium carrots, peeled
- 1 tsp sunflower oil
- 2 1/2 white onions
- 1 cup red lentils
- 1 cup frozen green beans
- 2 cups frozen peas
- 1 cup frozen asparagus, cut in half
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh dill
- 2 tsp chopped fresh oregano
- 3 1/2 liters water (14 cups) plus additional 1/2 cup
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 egg
- 3 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
- On the stove, heat the 3 1/2 liters of water until boiling. Meanwhile, prepare your veggies (after they are all peeled, keep them in a bowl of cold water so they don’t turn brown). Cut the potatoes, sweet potatoes, and zuchhini into small chunks; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
- Into the water, add your bay leaves, lentils, 1 whole white onion, chopped potatoes, and chopped sweet potatoes. Also, add the dill, oregano, and thyme (parsley and/or basil will work).
- Break the cauliflower into chunks and add it to the soup alongside the zucchini. Keep the soup on a medium low heat so it doesn’t boil over. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes while you prepare the chicken.
- Also, grate the carrots and saute them on a nonstick sauce pan with the oil for 5-7 minutes as well alongside the soup. When softened, add them to the boiling soup with the frozen vegetables (asparagus, green beans, peas). Then, add about 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper.
- For the meatballs, chop the remaining onion, chicken, and white bread into relatively large chunks. The bread and onion make the meatballs super soft and moist, which is crucial. Soak the bread in 1/2 cup water (or milk) to make it softer, then mash it up. If you don’t use the bread, the meatballs will still taste good but may be slightly dry.
- Push through a meat grinder until you have an evenly ground mixture. Add the egg to bind the mixture. Season with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.
- Wet your hands, then shape golf ball sized meat balls and drop them into the soup. Remove the onion to make extra space in the soup. Use up all the meat.
- Once the soup comes back up to a simmer, let it boil for another 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then serve with sour cream and enjoy!
Chicken Meatball Soup
Equipment
- meat grinder
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breasts
- 5 slices white bread optional
- 1 sweet potato peeled
- 1 medium red potato peeled
- 1 medium zucchini peeled
- 1/2 head cauliflower 2 cups
- 3 medium carrots peeled
- 1 tsp sunflower oil
- 2 1/2 medium white onions
- 1 cup red lentils
- 1 cup frozen green beans
- 2 cups frozen peas
- 1 cup frozen asparagus cut in half
- 1/3 cup fresh dill chopped
- 2 tsp fresh oregano chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 3 1/2 liters water (14 cups) plus additional 1/2 cup
- 1 egg
- 3 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
- On the stove, heat the 3 1/2 liters of water until boiling. Meanwhile, prepare your veggies (after they are all peeled, keep them in a bowl of cold water so they don't turn brown). Cut the potatoes, sweet potatoes, and zuchhini into small chunks; it doesn't have to be perfect.
- Into the water, add your bay leaves, lentils, 1 whole white onion, chopped potatoes, and chopped sweet potatoes. Also, add the dill, oregano, and thyme (parsley and/or basil will work). Break the cauliflower into chunks and add it to the soup alongside the zucchini. oy!
- Keep the soup on medium-low heat so it doesn't boil over. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes while you prepare the chicken.
- Also, grate the carrots and saute them on a nonstick saucepan with the oil for 5-7 minutes as well alongside the soup. When softened, add them to the boiling soup with the frozen vegetables (asparagus, green beans, peas). Then, add about 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper.
- For the meatballs, chop the remaining onion, chicken, and white bread into relatively large chunks. The bread and onion make the meatballs super soft and moist, which is crucial. !
- Soak the bread in 1/2 cup water (or milk) to make it softer, then mash it up. If you don't use the bread, the meatballs will still taste good but maybe slightly dry. Push through a meat grinder until you have an evenly ground mixture. Add the egg to bnd the mixture. Season with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.
- Wet your hands, then shape golf ball sized meat balls and drop them into the soup. Remove the onion to make extra space in the soup. Use up all the meat.
- Once the soup comes back up to a simmer, let it boil for another 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then serve with sour cream and enjoy!