Chicken Pumpkin Quinoa Chowder
Ingredients
1 whole chicken
12 cups water
1 medium pie pumpkin, peeled, seeds removed, and cut into bite-sized chunks
1 onion, diced
1 cup quinoa
3 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried sage
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups spinach
1 1/2 cups half and half
1 cup pumpkin puree
Instructions
Place the chicken in a large Dutch oven or soup pot, cover with water, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and boil until chicken is cooked through, about 25 minutes.
Remove chicken from the water, and let cool to touch. Once cool, remove meat from the bones and shred.
Meanwhile, add the pumpkin, onion, quinoa, celery, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and sage to the stockpot and bring back to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer until the pumpkin is tender, about 20 -25 minutes.
Add the chicken, spinach, half and half, and pumpkin puree to the soup, simmering until everything is heated through, about 5 -7 minutes.
