Chicken and Vermicelli Soup With Lime

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp butter or olive oil
• 1 yellow onion (small or ½ large, finely chopped)
• 0.5 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 Yukon Gold potato (medium, diced into small cubes)
• 1 carrot (large, finely chopped)
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 chicken breast (boneless, skinless)
• 2 tsp Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal; plus more to taste)
• 0.25 tsp black pepper (plus more to taste)
• 0.75 cup broken wheat vermicelli noodles (broken angel hair pasta or fideo (not rice vermicelli))
• 1 tbsp parsley (chopped, plus more for serving)
• 1 tbsp lime juice (or lemon juice, plus more as needed)
• 6 cup water (plus more for reheating if needed)
• lime slices (for serving)

Steps

1. 1

   In a large pot, melt the butter (or heat the olive oil) over medium heat.

2. 2

   Add the finely chopped onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Do not let the onion take on any color.

3. 3

   Sprinkle in the turmeric and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

4. 4

   Add the diced potato and chopped carrot, then stir and cook for 2 minutes.

5. 5

   Adjust the heat to medium-low and add the tomato paste. Cook, stirring frequently, until the tomato paste releases its color into the oil, about 2 to 3 minutes.

6. 6

   Place the whole chicken breast on top of the vegetables and season with 2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

7. 7

   Add 6 cups of water and stir the mixture.

8. 8

   Partially cover the pot, increase the heat, and bring the liquid to a boil.

9. 9

   Once boiling, cover the pot completely, adjust the heat to low, and simmer gently for 40 minutes.

10. 10

    After 40 minutes, transfer the chicken breast to a medium bowl. Shred the meat with two forks while the soup continues to simmer.

11. 11

    Taste the soup broth and adjust the salt as needed.

12. 12

    Add the shredded chicken and the broken vermicelli noodles back into the pot. Stir to combine and increase the heat to bring the soup to a lively simmer.

13. 13

    Cover the pot, adjust the heat to low, and simmer until the noodles soften and the flavors meld, about 10 minutes.

14. 14

    Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley and 1 tablespoon of lime juice.

15. 15

    Let the soup sit, covered, for 5 to 10 minutes to allow the noodles to finish absorbing the broth.

16. 16

    Taste and adjust seasoning with more lime juice, salt, or pepper as needed. Serve hot with lime slices and a garnish of fresh parsley.

Notes

The soup will thicken as it sits because the wheat vermicelli continues to absorb liquid. When reheating, you can adjust the consistency by adding a little more water. Note that this recipe uses wheat vermicelli (or fideo/angel hair), not rice vermicelli.

Nutrition per serving

• soup
• main course
• chicken
• vermicelli
• comfort food
• one-pot
• healthy
• winter