Green Chicken Soup (Swamp Soup)
This viral chicken and rice soup, dubbed as the Swamp Soup, gets a fresh jolt of flavor from garlic and ginger, plus a shower of parsley, jalapeño peppers and scallions. Cilantro would make a great addition or swap for the parsley — and don’t sleep on the recommended citrus garnish for an even livelier bowl. If you wind up using less than the full amount of blended aromatics, it would make a punchy sauce for steak, chicken or fish. White beans or chickpeas in place of the chicken and a vegetable stock makes this meatless.
The original recipe called for pre-cooked chicken and cooked rice. We adapted it by cooking the rice and chicken in the broth, which cut down on dishes. It helps to prep ingredients while the soup is simmering; it will make the recipe go faster.
Storage: Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Ingredients
- 5 cups unsalted or low-sodium chicken stock or broth
- 4 cups (2 3/4 ounces) loosely -packed baby spinach
- 1/3 cup long grain white rice
- 2 small skinless, boneless chicken thighs (6 ounces total)
- 1 cup loosely -packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, plus more for serving
- 4 medium cloves garlic
- 2 to 3 jalapeños, stemmed and seeded, plus more thin slices for serving
- 2 scallions or stalks green garlic, roughly chopped
- One (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt, plus more as needed
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Soy sauce or tamari, for serving
- Lemon or lime wedges, for serving
Directions
Step 1
To a large pot over high heat, add the chicken stock and bring to a steady boil, adjust the heat as necessary. Add the spinach and cook until wilted and shrunken, 1 to 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon or spider, transfer the spinach to a heatproof blender.
Step 2
Add the chicken to the stock and return it to a boil. Reduce the heat so the broth is simmering and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board, let cool slightly, then use two forks to shred the chicken.
Step 3
Add the rice to the pot, cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook until the liquid thickens and the rice begins to break apart, about 30 minutes.
Step 4
Meanwhile, add the parsley, 1/4 cup of the stock or broth, the garlic, jalapeños, scallions or green garlic, ginger, and salt to the blender with the spinach. Cover loosely (see Notes), gradually increase the speed to HIGH and blend until smooth, about 1 minute, adding more chicken stock, a little at a time, if the sauce is not blending well.
Step 5
Return the chicken to the pot, add half of the herb puree and stir to combine. Taste, and add more of the herb puree and/or salt, as desired. Season to taste with pepper. If the soup is not hot enough to your liking, briefly reheat over medium heat until hot, stirring frequently.
Step 6
Ladle into bowls and serve with soy sauce or tamari, parsley leaves, jalapeño slices, and lemon or lime wedges, as desired.
Substitutions
To make this vegetarian >> replace the chicken with white beans and use vegetable stock.
To reduce the heat >> use a single jalapeño or go without.
Instead of parsley >> try cilantro or fresh mint.
Notes
When blending the hot puree, be careful to not fill the blender pitcher more than halfway. Remove the center ring from the lid and place a kitchen towel over the opening as you blend. This will allow steam to escape and protect you from splatters. If you’re not sure your blender is heatproof or you don’t have one, you can use a heatproof food processor or immersion (stick) blender instead.
To ensure the soup is gluten-free, use tamari, not soy sauce.
