I discovered a recipe for chicken meatball soup for better immunity when searching for “clean eats” for my husband and I while we are on our 3-week detox program. It was a great recipe, but I made some modifications to make it even more flavorful and immune boosting! (Cue extra garlic, basting oil, and Vitality Oils.) The combination of veggies, herbs, bone broth and supplemental Vitality oils makes it so yummy and comforting! Here’s how you make it…
Meatballs:
1 lb Ground Chicken
1/4 c. Fresh Parsley, stems removed and minced
1/3 c. Gluten-Free Bread Crumbs (I like Ian’s Gluten Free Italian Bread Crumbs)
1 small Shallot, finely minced
2 Tb Wegmans Basting Oil
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
Salt, to taste (1/2 -3/4 tsp.)
Ground Pepper, to taste (1/4 – 1/2 tsp.)
Soup:
1/4 c. Wegmans Basting Oil
1 small Onion, diced
3-4 large Carrots, sliced
2-3 stalks Celery, sliced
1 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
8 c. Chicken Bone Broth
1/2 c. Uncooked Quinoa
6-8 cloves Garlic, minced
3 c. Baby Spinach or Baby Kale
1-2 drops Lemon Vitality Oil
1 drop Parsley Vitality Oil
1 drop Laurus Nobilus (Bay Leaf) Vitality Oil
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Additional Parsley, to garnish
Preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly grease. Combine all the meatball ingredients in a mixing bowl. Scoop mixture with a small cookie dough scoop (a little more than 1 Tb and a little bigger than 1 inch – you should have enough for about 24 small meatballs) onto a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until cooked through and lightly browned. Set aside.
In a large pot, add basting oil and heat over medium heat. Then, add onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook until lightly caramelized, about 4 minutes. Add carrots, celery, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.
Cook for 5 more minutes, then add chicken broth. Bring to a boil, add quinoa, then lower heat to a simmer. Cook for 10-15 minutes, or until quinoa is cooked through. Add garlic during the last 5 minutes of simmering. Fold in spinach for the last minute of cook time.
Divide meatballs between four bowls, then add hot soup over the top when ready to serve. Garnish with parsley.
You can store this meatball soup in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for 2-3 months. We recommend keeping meatballs and soup separate until ready to serve.