Creamy Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Chicken Soup (paleo, GF)
I’m interrupting the cranberry chronicles to bring you this Creamy Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Chicken Soup (Paleo, GF) recipe. I originally had another cranberry recipe that I planned to post, but then it got really cold outside. And then I got a craving for broccoli soup. Around the same time, I walked by a Chinese grocery store and found coconut cream (without any preservatives)! (major Yay!) Which I saw to be a sign that I needed to make a Paleo broccoli soup ASAP.
So I brainstormed and then I bought some broccoli and cauliflower at the grocery store… and also some chicken and carrots for good measure. And a few hours later, this thick, creamy, and flavorful soup was born.
I feel like I need to explain my excitement for finding coconut cream.
I recently moved to Northern Ireland and all of my regular go-to paleo products that I was used to using were not as easy to find as I had hoped.
I’m pretty picky when it comes to coconut milk and coconut cream, as I do not want to use any with preservatives in it. I find it tastes bad and defeats the purpose of using it.
I had found coconut milk that I liked here, but had really been missing the creamy texture and amazingness of coconut cream. Plus, I can’t really imagine making a creamy paleo soup without it!
So, when I found coconut cream (Arroy D) at the store, it was the highlight of my day!
I didn’t really know how I’d go about making this broccoli soup, but I did know that I wanted it to have a bit of sweetness to it.
Which you get from the cauliflower. I wouldn’t actually say it is sweet, per say, but there is a satisfying creamy sweetness to cauliflower. Maybe it is just me.
I also added carrots because… crunchy sweetness!
And I figured protein would be good, which is where the chicken comes in.
I used chicken stock to add extra flavor. I actually didn’t have ready-made chicken stock on hand.
So I just put 2 bouillon cubes into 3 cups of water. Either option would work.
And to start everything off, I boiled the cauliflower and broccoli in water to soften them.
I didn’t want to blend the broccoli and cauliflower, because I like thicker, chunkier soup.
Huge fan of creamy chunky soups, actually!
Which is why this soup is so great. Also, the flavors of the coconut cream, cauliflower, broccoli, chicken, and carrots, couldn’t have melded together better.
The onions and garlic are key here too because I think they add make the coconut cream taste more like real cream, if that makes sense.
Anyways, if you want a warm, satisfying, soup, I highly recommend this one!
Creamy Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Chicken Soup (paleo, GF)
Ingredients
- 1/2 of a large head of cauliflower
- 1 small head of broccoli
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 3 Tbs of diced garlic ( this was 5 cloves for me)
- 1/2 cup of diced yellow onion ( this was 1/2 of a yellow onion for me)
- 3 cups of chicken stock (or 3 cups of hot water with 2 chicken bouillon cubes melted into it)
- 3/4-1 lb of diced chicken breast
- 14 ounces coconut cream (this was 1 can for me, and a small 1 cups worth) (make sure the ingredients are only coconut and water; Aroy D and Savoy are great options)
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 2 tsp salt (start with 1 and add more to taste)
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 Tbs coconut flour
- 1 1/2 cups of sliced carrots
Instructions
- Cut the cauliflower and broccoli into smaller florets, and place into a pot of boiling water. Cook for 15 minutes, strain, and set aside.
- Put 1 Tbs of olive oil into a large pot and heat over medium heat. Put the diced garlic and onions into the pan, mix, and cook for 2-3 minutes, until they become clear and tender.
- Add the broccoli and cauliflower to the pot, and mix (try to break the broccoli and cauliflower into small pieces while mixing), and cook for 5 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Add the chicken stock (or 3 cups of hot water with 2 cubes of chicken bouillon mixed into it), diced chicken, and coconut cream to the pot. Mix everything together.
- Put the nutmeg, salt, pepper and coconut flour into the soup and mix again until everything is dissolved. Cook for 25 minutes (the soup should be boiling in the center of the pot, so that the water evaporates).
- Add the carrots, mix, and cook the soup for another 20 minutes.
- Let sit for a few minutes, and enjoy.
Nutrition
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13 Comments on “Creamy Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Chicken Soup (paleo, GF)”
Decent flavor but a little too much coconut taste
for me. (And I can tell way too much for my husband 🙁 I only used 13 oz total.
This was amazing!!! Most healthy soups aren’t this good. Thank you!
PS – I didn’t have coconut flour but almond flour worked just fine
I’m so glad to hear it!
It was really really good.
Happy to hear it!
Have you tried freezing this? Was wondering how it would hold up. It is just me so I like to meal prep and freeze what I am not going to use in 2-3 days.
No I haven’t tried freezing it. I imagine it would freeze fine, you may just need to add a bit of coconut milk as you reheat it. Let me know if you try freezing it! 🙂
This recipe is so good! This was my first time using coconut cream. What a huge difference it makes when making creamy soups. I can’t believe I never used it. Thank you for posting 🙂
I’m glad you liked it! Coconut cream really does make a difference, works great in creamy paleo “alfredos”. Yum!
did you use RAW CHICKEN or cooked?
I used raw chicken so that it would be softer. I was inspired by this recipe : http://allrecipes.com/recipe/12992/cheese-and-broccoli-chicken-soup/ 🙂
did you use COOKED CHICKEN??? or was it raw, boneless….
Perfect way to bring the old chicken soup to date… Love it.