Cooking with Kaaleen: Springtime chicken, spinach, sugar snap pea soup

I think it’s important to start spring on the right foot with a delicious recipe to warm up our souls!

For 2015, I challenged myself to learn how to cook on my own. Seeing how I barely left the house this winter, I discovered some great cooking aids! For example I used the 2015 Milk Calendar and decided to try a new recipe every month. The following recipe from the aforementioned calendar, springtime chicken, spinach and sugar snap pea soup, is both delicious and healthy.

What you’ll need:

• 1 tablespoon of butter or margarine
• ¼ of a regular sized onion
• 2 teaspoons of minced garlic
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 box of low sodium chicken broth (900 mL)
• 1 cup/ 2 squares of egg noodles
• 2 boneless chicken breasts diced
• 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
• 1 cup of skim milk
• 1 cup of sugar snap peas
• 3 cups of baby spinach
• Parsley and pepper to taste

What to do:

Step one: In a medium to large pot, melt butter or margarine over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and the bay leaf. Cook these ingredients together until the onion is tender and translucent, which is usually about two-to-three-minutes.

Step two: Add the broth and bring it to a boil.

Step three: Add the eggs noodles and chicken, letting them simmer covered for two minutes.

Step four: Whisk the flour and milk in a small bowl, ensuring the flour is almost fully dissolved. Stir it into the broth mixture, add the sugar snap peas and, continue stirring.

Step five: Bring the contents in the pot back to a boil, then, add spinach and parsley. Stir for another minute or until spinach wilts.

Step six: Find the bay leaf and discard.

Step seven: Season with pepper to taste.

Altogether, the recipe takes about 20-minutes and serves four to six people.

When I tried this recipe the first time, it came out slightly thicker than soup. If you find your soup is getting too thick for your liking, use less flour and less noodles. I assure you, this dish was delicious! My family (and even my super picky boyfriend) enjoyed it.

Try it with your own variations, like adding cooked leftover chicken with the spinach.

Let us know what your finished dish tastes like! Leave us a comment below.