Crockpot Chicken Veggie Quinoa Soup

• Meat

  • 1 lb (~2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts or 4-6 thighs, large boneless skinless

• Produce

  • 1/2 cup Carrots
  • 1/2 cup Celery
  • 1 can Corn
  • 2 tsp Garlic
  • 1 tsp Oregano
  • 1 can Pinto beans
  • 1 can Tomatoes with green chiles
  • 1/3 cup Yellow onion

• Canned Goods

  • 5 cups Chicken broth or stock
  • 1 tsp Chicken seasoning blend or 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon
  • 1 can Tomato paste

• Pasta & Grains

  • 3/4 cup Quinoa

• Baking & Spices

  • 2 tsp Cajun seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp Paprika
  • 1 Salt and pepper
  • 1 Seasoned salt and pepper

• Nuts & Seeds

  • 1/2 tsp Cumin, ground

• Drinks

  • 1/2 cup Orange juice

• Other

  • 1 2 leaves bay

Found on chelseasmessyapron.com

Description

Directions

• Trim the fat off the chicken breasts or thighs. If using breasts, cut each breast into 3 large even pieces.
• Place the chicken breasts or thighs in the bottom of a large crockpot. I use a 6 quart crockpot.
• Add in the drained and rinsed pinto beans, drained corn, thinly sliced carrots, sliced celery, diced onion, quinoa (rinse if not pre-rinsed to remove the bitter saponin coating), orange juice (or extra broth), undrained can of diced tomatoes with green chiles (such as Ro-Tel), tomato paste, minced garlic, and chicken broth or stock.
• Add about 1 teaspoon seasoned salt (or to taste) and 1 teaspoon pepper (or to taste), bay leaves, chicken seasoning blend, cajun seasoning, oregano, ground cumin, and paprika.
• Stir and then cover and cook on high for 3-5 hours or until the chicken easily shreds and the quinoa has popped. My crockpot takes about 3 hours. The longer it cooks, the more liquid the quinoa absorbs which is why I dont recommend cooking on low unless you are fine with a stew 🙂
• Remove the chicken and shred. Return to the crockpot.
• Remove the bay leaves and then enjoy the soup topped with optional toppings such as fresh cilantro, fresh lime, sour cream (we use low fat), and additional cajun seasoning, salt, pepper.