Lentil soup with chicken
- Nutrition Facts
- Calories: 38
- Protein: 4.5
- Fats: 0.7
- Carbohydrates: 3.2
To date, the number of varieties of cereals and pasta on the shelves of shops and supermarkets is impressive. Thanks to this diversity, the diet and recipes for first and second courses are expanding significantly. However, many housewives are still lost from the assortment and cook "the old fashioned way", using the usual pasta, rice, buckwheat. But very few turn their attention to lentils. But lentils are truly a noble, satisfying and very healthy product from which you can cook a wide variety of dishes. It comes in brown, red, green, black and has many different varieties. But the most popular is red lentils, it boils much better and is great for cooking cereals and mashed soups, while requiring much less cooking time.
History of the dish
Lentils are a plant of the legume family, very rich in protein and have been known to be used in the diet of the population since prehistoric times. Archaeologists have discovered flat grains of lentils in Switzerland, in buildings belonging to the architecture of the Bronze Age. It is also known that in ancient Egypt various dishes were prepared from lentils, as well as flour was ground and fragrant lentil bread was baked.
In ancient Rome, lentils were used as a medicine. There are mentions of lentils in the first books of ancient Roman cookery, and there is also a legend in the Old Testament of the Bible about the sons of Jacob, where βlentil dishesβ are mentioned, namely: βAnd Jacob gave Esau bread and dishes from lentils; and he ate and drank, and got up and went; And Esau neglected the birthright.β Some Dutch artists, inspired by this legend, painted pictures depicting this scene, for example, the artist Jan Viktors in 1953 painted a picture that was called βLentil Chowderβ with a bowl of soup depicted on the table. Since then, there has even been a second name for lentil soup - biblical soup.
Among the ancient Jews, lentils were considered mourning food, they believed that the shape of a grain of lentils - a circle - symbolizes the cycle of life and death, and at the wake they prepared lentil soup. However, today lentil soup puree is gaining more and more popularity. It is known that various variations of this dish are prepared in Turkey, one of which is Merdzhimek chorba soup (where merdzhimek is lentils, chorbasi is soup) - this is a thick warming stew, served with lemon and mint, giving the stew a special unique taste.
Dishes from lentils began to be prepared in the 14th century and they even called it βthe queen of lentilsβ. It was distributed mainly among poor peasants and ordinary workers. They prepared soups, cereals, used it as a filling for pies and fed soldiers with lentils. Lentil soup with chicken has many recipes, but today we will publish a fairly simple recipe with photos and step-by-step cooking.
Ingredients:
- Red lentils - 200 g.
- Water - 2 liters.
- Carrot - 1 pc.
- Potatoes - 4 medium pcs.
- Bulb - 1 pc.
- Chicken fillet - 250 g.
- Salt and pepper - to taste.
Sour cream or cream and herbs for serving
- How to cook lentil soup with chicken? To do this, first we will prepare all the necessary ingredients for cooking the soup - we will wash the vegetables, and if necessary, defrost the chicken fillet in advance.
How to cook lentil soup with chicken? To do this, first we will prepare all the necessary ingredients for cooking the soup - we will wash the vegetables, and if necessary, defrost the chicken fillet in advance.
- We wash the lentils and pour hot water for a few minutes so that it swells slightly.
We wash the lentils and pour hot water for a few minutes so that it swells slightly.
- My potatoes, peel and cut into pieces of arbitrary shape.
My potatoes, peel and cut into pieces of arbitrary shape.
- We take a cooking pot and put the pieces of potatoes washed from excess starch there again. We cut the carrots into circles of any thickness, chop the onion also into pieces of arbitrary size, add all this to the potatoes.
We take a cooking pot and put the pieces of potatoes washed from excess starch there again. We cut the carrots into circles of any thickness, chop the onion also into pieces of arbitrary size, add all this to the potatoes.
- Drain the water from the lentils and send it to the pan with the rest of the vegetables. Pour the vegetables with two liters of clean water and put on a strong fire.
Drain the water from the lentils and send it to the pan with the rest of the vegetables. Pour the vegetables with two liters of clean water and put on a strong fire.
- Chicken fillet (it is better to take chilled, not frozen), cut into cubes.
Chicken fillet (it is better to take chilled, not frozen), cut into cubes.
- After boiling and active boiling of vegetables with lentils for 10 minutes, add chicken fillet to the pan, and then pepper and salt to taste.
After boiling and active boiling of vegetables with lentils for 10 minutes, add chicken fillet to the pan, and then pepper and salt to taste.
- Reduce the heat by half and continue to cook the lentil soup with chicken for about 20 minutes. Potatoes should be crumbly, lentils should melt in your mouth, and chicken fillet should remain tender, in no case be digested to the state of hard fibers. The color of the stew at the same time will become dark, almost brown, potatoes and pieces of chicken meat can also turn dark.
Reduce the heat by half and continue to cook the lentil soup with chicken for about 20 minutes. Potatoes should be crumbly, lentils should melt in your mouth, and chicken fillet should remain tender, in no case be digested to the state of hard fibers. The color of the stew at the same time will become dark, almost brown, potatoes and pieces of chicken meat can also turn dark.
- We make the soup from the stove, cool a little and puree it with a blender until smooth.
We make the soup from the stove, cool a little and puree it with a blender until smooth.
- We decorate the finished lentil soup with mashed chicken with herbs, your favorite spices, add sour cream or cream and serve.
We decorate the finished lentil soup with mashed chicken with herbs, your favorite spices, add sour cream or cream and serve.
The value of the dish
By itself, the method of preparing puree soup is favorable in that its homogeneous consistency allows all the components of the dish to be better absorbed by the digestive tract, since everything is crushed until smooth. Therefore, this soup is very useful for nutrition in hospitals, childcare facilities, as well as for recovery from illnesses, and, in addition, due to the content of easily digestible iron and folic acid in lentils, it is very useful in the treatment and prevention of iron deficiency anemia.
All useful substances from the crushed products are absorbed much faster, and toxins and toxins are removed. In addition, the low calorie content of the dish allows it to be used in the construction of proper nutrition rations and special diets. Lentils are a protein-rich product, while containing practically no fat, normalizes blood cholesterol levels and strengthens the heart muscle. Thanks to chicken meat, the dish helps to normalize the entire digestive process, as well as improves blood circulation, strengthens nails and hair. Chicken meat contains a large amount of vitamins and useful amino acids.
This puree soup is very useful in the season of colds and beriberi, as well as for nourishing a growing child's body. Due to the absence of gluten-containing cereals and products in it, lentil soup with chicken is perfect for patients with celiac disease and gluten intolerance.
