Happy 2020!
It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten the chance to be on the blog and I am excited to get to bring you a new recipe!
Super Bowl Sunday is coming up soon and football has been a long family tradition. Each year for game day we make chili or taco soup. I think between my mom and sister and myself we have a dozen different awesome recipes for the occasion. Whether the main course is taco soup or chili we serve it with all of the fixings, and usually a side platter of veggies and of course some other snacks.
This taco soup is so delicious you won’t remember you have SIBO and none of your guests will notice it is low FODMAP. If you have a party you can serve it with corn muffins or corn chips for those non-SIBO friends. Whenever corn bread is around, I always make a batch of my Banana Nut Muffins so I can partake too. While it is not quite the same it’s nice to have a “carbohydrate” that is slightly sweet like a corn muffin and light yellow in color.
The soup is based with chicken broth and chopped tomatoes. For my chicken broth I like to roast a chicken on the weekends and make the broth and meat to place in the freezer for later use. Or, if I have the time I try to whip up two or three soups right away and get those meals in the freezer for the busy nights during the week. This is the best method I have found for my family to make sure we are getting the nutrient rich broth and also ensure we have easy, safe meals for those unexpected, hard days.
If you are new to SIBO it is recommended to use meat-based broth only and not the skin and bones from chicken. If you have ever made chicken broth before you know the fat at the top can be a bit slippery if rubbed between your fingers. That slipperiness is caused by the nutrients from the skin and tendons which is so so nutritious but can be a little bit harder to digest than just straight marrow broth or meat broth. So, if you are at a place where symptoms are crazy awful, please stick to meat broth or marrow broth only.
For the tomatoes I like to save the chopping and use Pomi brand tomatoes (affiliate link and always in my pantry). It is the best brand for avoiding citric acid and other preservatives that can cause irritation to the gut. This taco soup is filled out with roasted chicken and low FODMAP veggies like green and orange bell peppers as well as green onion, chives, and even some yellow summer squash for that traditional corn-yellow color. Season it up with some cumin, smoked paprika, and oregano and you have a beautifully mild but flavorful soup. You can always spice it up with some added cayenne but let’s be real- most SIBO friends would run in fear. Instead, we top ours off with lactose-free sour cream or 24-hour yogurt, fresh chopped cherry tomatoes, cilantro and a squirt of lime. Serve with aged cheddar cheese and a SIBO-friendly muffin if desired.
Chicken Taco Soup
Ingredients
- 4-5 cups chicken broth (SIBO Friendly)
- 26 oz chopped tomato (I use Pomi brand)
- 4 cups roasted chopped chicken
- 2 cups chopped yellow summer squash
- 2 cups diced green bell pepper (capsicum)
- 1 cup diced orange bell pepper (capsicum)
- 1 cup chopped green onion (green part only)
- 1/3 cup minced chives
- 3/4 cup cilantro
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 Tbs cumin
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 Tbs oregano
- 1 tsp salt + more to taste
Instructions
-
For this recipe, I roasted a whole chicken and pulled the meat off and then made chicken broth. See the links below for recipes. You can also use a store bought SIBO-friendly chicken broth, or meat-only broth and cook 3-4 chicken breasts for the meat if you don't want to make everything from scratch. Or make the broth and chicken ahead of time and freeze until use.
-
Chop, dice, and mince all of the vegetables and chicken if you have not done so already.
-
Place the oil in a large soup pot over medium high heat.
-
Add the green onion, chives and cilantro and cook until wilted.
-
Add the remaining veggies and cook until soft. Depending on how juicy your vegetables are you may need to add a cup of broth to help them stay moist and cook.
-
Add the spices and gently mix to coat all of the veggies.
-
Stir in the chicken.
-
Add the tomatoes and remaining chicken broth.
-
Add the salt. If you use mineral rich salt you will need to double it.
-
Simmer for 10-15 minutes to let all of the flavors blend together.
-
Taste your soup and see how you like it. Add additional salt if desired. If you have reached this step and your soup isn't spicy enough, you can more of the spices (cumin, smoked paprika, oregano) 1 tsp at a time and add 1 tsp cayenne pepper or more. But be sure to know your tolerances so you don't cause symptoms with the cayenne!
-
Serve with lactose-free sour cream, 24-hour yogurt, sliced cherry tomatoes, chopped chives, green onion and/or a squirt of lime.
Low Histamine Chicken Broth Recipe
26