In Israel, this chicken and vegetable couscous soup is beloved by children. It has orange root vegetables and potatoes, tender chicken and, most importantly, the ability to comfort, which we all need so much right now.
*If you don’t want chicken in the soup, you can leave it out. It’s great without it too.
- Dice the onions, slice the carrots into ⅓-inch (1 cm) thick rounds, and cut the celery into short strips. Chop the leaves. There's no need to chop the vegetables finely; we want relatively large pieces here. - Cut the potatoes and zucchini into ⅓ - ¾ inch (1-2 cm) cubes and cut the cabbage and pumpkin into large cubes. - In a very large pot, the largest you have, heat the oil and cook the celery, onions, carrots and chicken pieces (skin side down) for 15 minutes stirring occasionally. - Add potatoes, zucchini, cabbage, chickpeas (drained of their liquid) and stir. Cook for another 10 minutes. - Add water, turmeric, salt and bouillon powder and cook for an hour. - Add the pumpkin and cook for another hour or until all the vegetables are tender.
Chicken and Vegetable Couscous Soup - don't skip out on the celery, it adds so much flavor.
Notes
– Instead of bouillon powder, you can add a teaspoon of Hawaij for soup (a Yemeni spice mixture available in specialty shops). – You can omit any vegetables you don't have, except celery, which is necessary. You can also add cauliflower.
