Advertisement

Dinner tonight! Moroccan chicken soup

Moroccan chicken soup.
(Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)
Share via

Tonight’s dinner suggestion is a reader request from our Culinary SOS column. Melinda writes:

“The Moroccan chicken soup at Cayenne Restaurant on Beverly Boulevard is absolutely delicious and unlike any other chicken soup I’ve ever had. It is so good that I find it takes great effort for me to order anything else from the menu. Can you get the recipe?”

Cayenne was happy to share its recipe for this rich, yet delicately spiced and easy-to-make soup; the recipe comes together in less than an hour.

Advertisement

Click here for more Culinary SOS recipes. If you have a favorite restaurant recipe you’d like to request, feel free to email me at noelle.carter@latimes.com. I’ll do my best to track it down.

ALSO:

Mac ‘n’ cheese recipes galore!

Advertisement

Go behind the scenes at the Test Kitchen

134 recipes for your favorite restaurant dishes

You can find Noelle Carter on Facebook, Google+, Twitter and Pinterest. Email Noelle at noelle.carter@latimes.com.

Advertisement

Cayenne’s Moroccan chicken soup

Total time: 45 minutes

Servings: 6

Note: Adapted from a recipe by executive chef Noura Elnasser of Cayenne. Cracked wheat can be found at select cooking and health food stores, as well as online.

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 red onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 carrots, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

1 cooked boneless and skinless chicken breast, diced (about 2 cups)

1 cup cooked garbanzo beans

1/3 cup diced tomato

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon basil

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup cracked wheat No. 1 (fine grind)

4 to 5 cups chicken broth, more if desired

1. Add the oil to a large pot heated over medium-high heat until hot. Stir in the onion and sauté until softened and starting to color, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic.

2. Stir in the carrots, celery, chicken, garbanzo beans, tomato, bay leaves, basil, curry powder and cinnamon. Season with one-half teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Stir for a few minutes to warm the vegetables.

3. Stir in the cracked wheat and 4 cups broth, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.

4. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, loosely covered, until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust the seasoning as desired; we added an additional three-fourths teaspoon salt (seasoning will vary depending on the chicken broth used and personal taste). The soup may be a bit thick; add more broth to thin if desired. This makes about 1½ quarts soup.

Advertisement

Each serving: 148 calories; 11 grams protein; 18 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams fiber; 4 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 18 mg cholesterol; 3 grams sugar; 1,186 mg sodium.

Advertisement