High-Protein Canja: Cape Verdean Chicken Soup | We the PCOS

chicken

🥗Healthier: turkey

💰Cheaper: chicken thighs

Turkey is leaner and chicken thighs are often more affordable.

olive oil

🥗Healthier: avocado oil

💰Cheaper: vegetable oil

Avocado oil offers health benefits while vegetable oil is cost-effective.

bay leaves

🥗Healthier: dried thyme

💰Cheaper: oregano

Thyme has similar flavor notes and oregano is widely available.

chicken broth

🥗Healthier: homemade broth

💰Cheaper: water with bouillon cubes

Homemade broth is healthier and bouillon is a budget-friendly alternative.

Place the chicken breasts in a large bowl. Use a spoon or spatula to rub the vinegar and lemon juice all over them. Fill the bowl with enough water to cover the chicken, stir a few times and let sit for 2-3 minutes. Drain the water, rinse 1 or 2 times and drain again.

Season the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, paprika, crushed garlic, and a drizzle of olive oil. Add the bay leaves and cover the bowl in plastic wrap. Let the chicken marinate for a minimum of 1 hour (or overnight) in the refrigerator.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in an 8-quart stock pot. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken breasts to the pot and make sure to reserve the bowl that you seasoned the chicken in, including any fluid and the bay leaves. Brown the chicken for 2-3 minutes on each side and then transfer the chicken breasts to a plate.

Add the quartered tomato, chopped onions and the reserved bay leaves to the pot. Saute everything until the onions are clear and the tomato cooks down. Add the chicken back to the pot.

Pour a splash of the chicken broth into the bowl that you used to season the chicken. Swirl the broth around in the bowl so that it loosens any seasonings that were left behind. Pour the seasoned broth into the pot and then add the remaining chicken broth. Top the pot off with enough tap water to fill the pot ¾ of the way up. Bring the pot to a boil, lower the flame and let it simmer for 1 hour.

Taste the broth and adjust the amount of salt and pepper to your liking. Remove the chicken from the soup and shred or break it up.

Add the chicken back to the pot, and add the Shirataki rice and carrots. Let the soup mixture (also known as canja) continue to simmer covered for about 45-50 minutes.

Turn the flame off and stir the canja. Put the lid back on and let the canja sit for about 20-30 minutes.

Ladle the canja into bowls and serve it with hot sauce and chopped parsley if desired.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary