Moroccan Chicken Soup with Chickpeas is a hearty and flavorful soup that's popular in Moroccan cuisine. It typically contains chicken, chickpeas, vegetables, and a variety of warm spices.
This recipe is part of my collection of soups where you can find recipes to make all year round. However, if you are interested in more dishes made with chickpeas, here are some ideas:
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Moroccan Chicken Soup with Chickpeas is a warming and satisfying meal perfect for chilly days. The combination of spices, chicken, and vegetables gives the soup a delicious and complex flavor unique to Moroccan cuisine.
We live in a very cold climate, so having soup in the fridge every week is something normal in our household. Soups warm you up inside and bring joy to the soul during the cold season.
This Moroccan chicken soup with chickpeas won the award for the best winter soup in my husband's book.
He thinks this is the best soup ever, and while "inhaling" a bowl of it the other night, he even came up with the idea that we should open a restaurant where we could sell only soups like this one.
He might be into something, but I am unsure if I want to open a restaurant and make soups for the rest of my life.
Why should you make this soup
Any chicken soup would provide health benefits due to its nutritious ingredients.
However, there are several reasons why you might want to consider eating Moroccan Chicken Soup with Chickpeas as part of your diet:
- It's delicious: Moroccan Chicken Soup with Chickpeas is a flavorful and satisfying meal that is loved by many. The combination of warm spices, tender chicken, and hearty chickpeas creates a rich and complex flavor that is sure to satisfy your taste buds.
- It's nutritious: This soup is packed with healthy ingredients such as chicken, chickpeas, vegetables, and spices that provide a variety of essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It's also a great source of protein and fiber, which are important for maintaining a healthy diet.
- It's easy to make: This soup is relatively easy to prepare and can be made in large batches, making it a great option for meal planning and batch cooking. It's also a one-pot meal, which means less cleanup and fewer dishes to wash.
- It's versatile: Moroccan Chicken Soup with Chickpeas can be customized to suit your tastes and dietary needs. You can easily add or omit ingredients based on your preferences or swap out the chicken for a vegetarian or vegan protein source.
Overall, Moroccan Chicken Soup with Chickpeas is a delicious and nutritious meal that offers a range of health benefits. It's easy to prepare, versatile, and satisfying, making it a great option for any meal of the day.
Ingredients needed
- Chicken: 2 pounds chicken pieces bone-in chicken thighs, bone-in legs, chicken breast, back of the chicken, wings. (Note: Any chicken part is suitable)
- Carrots: 2 medium ones
- Onion: 1 medium one
- Garlic cloves: 3 pieces
- Green celery: 2 ribs
- Water: 7 cups ( or low sodium chicken stock)
- Vegetable oil: 2-3 tablespoons (or olive oil)
- Ground cumin: 1 ½ teaspoons
- Ground coriander: 1 ½ teaspoon
- Cinnamon: ½ teaspoon ( or a cinnamon stick)
- Turmeric: ¾ teaspoon
- Crushed tomatoes: ½ cup (or a few tablespoons of tomato paste)
- Lemon juice: from one lemon
- Chickpeas (garbanzo beans): use a can of chickpeas with the liquid as well
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional: a handful of noodles or pasta
Note: You can replace the chicken with fresh turkey meat or cooked, making the recipe a good opportunity during the holidays to use leftovers.
If you use cooked turkey or chicken (like roasted), start the recipe with the vegetables and add the meat later in the process, as it is already cooked.
Any kind of chicken or turkey part is good to use in this soup. I personally like to use chicken with the bone-in and skin-on because the soup will have more flavor.
Before you make this recipe, you will need:
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- An affordable soup pot (Dutch oven) - you want it not only for soup but for that amazing homemade bread recipe you can find here.
- A good knife to chop your vegetables like a chef
- And a good collection of spices that will last for a while. Everyone will look at you with respect because a great cook always has the basics in the pantry.
How To Make This Moroccan Soup
Step 1. Chop vegetables. Dice onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. Set aside.
Step 2. In a large pot, heat up the vegetable oil on medium-high heat and add chicken. Cook until it starts to brown, then add the vegetables. Mix them with a spoon until the vegetables develop their flavor and the onions are translucent.
Add spices, salt, and pepper and mix well.
Step 3. Add the water and tomatoes and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer the soup for about 40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked and the vegetables are soft.
Step 4. Add the can of chickpeas together with their liquid, the noodles or pasta, if you use any, and the lemon zest. Simmer for another 7-8 minutes until the pasta is cooked through.
Step 5. Taste for salt and pepper again and correct the seasoning. Add the lemon juice. Serve hot.
More Recipe To Love
📖 Recipe
Moroccan Chicken Soup With Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken parts thighs, bone-in legs, chicken breast, wings or the back of the chicken
- 2 carrots chopped small
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 garlic cloves chopped
- 2 ribs green celery finely chopped
- 7 cups water
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ cup crushed tomatoes
- 1 lemon (use zest and juice)
- 1 can chickpeas use the can liquid as well
- salt and pepper to taste
- Optional: a handful of noodles or pasta
Instructions
- Dice onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. Set aside.
- In a large soup pot heat up the vegetable oil on medium heat and add chicken. Cook until it starts to brown, then add the vegetables. Mix them with a spoon until the vegetables develop their flavor and the onions are translucent. Add spices, salt and pepper and mix well.
- Add the water and tomatoes and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer the soup for about 40 minutes, until chicken is cooked and vegetables are soft.
- Add the can of chickpeas together with their liquid, and the noodles or pasta, if you use any and the lemon zest. Simmer for another 7-8 minutes until the pasta is cooked through.
- Taste for salt and pepper again and correct the seasoning. Add the lemon juice. Serve hot.
Notes
- Meat: You can replace the chicken with fresh turkey meat or cooked, making the recipe a good opportunity during the holidays to use leftovers.
- Spices: The spices in the recipe can be tweaked according to your personal preference.
- Pasta: If adding pasta or noodles, note that they will continue to absorb the liquid as the soup sits. Whenyou reheat the soup, add more water or chicken broth.
- Lemon juice: Don't skip the lemon juice as it adds a necessary tanginess that balances the flavors.
- Storage: Store leftovers in the fridge for 2-3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Cristina says
Wonderful recipe, a hardy soup with an interesting combination of spices. I used fresh chicken parts an 2 small cans of chickpeas. Great soup to have on a cold winter day. Thank you Gabriela!
The Bossy Kitchen says
I like that soup too, it is perfect for using those cans of chickpeas sitting in the back of the pantry. 🙂
Patricia Smith says
Wonderful recipe! I added a couple of small white sweet potatoes 😁 instead of the pasta -- worked really well! Thank you!