Chard Pesto and Chicken Chickpea Soup

Stay warm and start off the New Year with my healthy, hearty, Chard Pesto and Chicken Chickpea Soup!

Grandpa Frank used to grow chard in his garden. The leaves would grow nearly as tall as his waist. Grandma would boil them in water or stock for supper. When I started cooking, I learned to keep the gorgeous dark green color of Grandpa’s lush garden-grown leaves. I loved the flavor far better, too.

This recipe celebrates chard in two ways: as a simple chard-parmesan pesto and to brighten and fortify this simple soup.

I made this soup a few years ago on air with my Hallmark Home & Family family, and they loved it. It is chock-full of other veggies and good-for-you ingredients, like carrots and chickpeas. It’s also loaded with shredded rotisserie chicken purchased at the grocery store.

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Chadwick’s Checklist

What you need to know before you cook.

Grab a large rotisserie chicken at the grocery store
Wash the chard leaves really well. Get the dirt from inside the chard stems
Use a 4-quart Dutch Oven or equivalent pot
You can make the pesto up to three days ahead

SERVING SIZE: 6 PREP TIME: 10 mins COOKING TIME: 35 mins

Ingredients

To make the pesto

5-6 leaves green chard, washed (reserve stems for soup)
5 cloves garlic, peeled
½ cup grated fresh parmesan (do not use shredded, please)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon sea salt

To make the soup

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium sweet onion, finely diced
5-6 leaves green chard, washed + stems set aside during pesto making, thinly sliced
1 15 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 medium carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
½ rotisserie chicken, white and dark meat shredded with fork, skin discarded (about 3 cups)
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1½ teaspoons sea salt
Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Grated fresh parmesan as desired

Directions

To make the pesto

Using a paring knife, cut the stems from the chard leaves and set aside. Place the green leaves in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade.
Add the garlic and parmesan. Pulse until it starts to come together.
Add the lemon juice and slowly stream in the olive oil. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber scraper.
Pulse again until fully blended and creamy. Season with salt to taste.
Place in a bowl or jar and set aside.

To make the soup

Cut the stems out of the remaining 6 chard leaves; slice the green parts to ¼” thick and set the green parts aside. Stack the stems together with the stems reserved from the pesto and thinly slice. Add the olive oil to a Dutch oven or large pot and heat on medium-high for 1-2 minutes until it shimmers. Add the onion and chard stems and cook until soft and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add the chickpeas and stir in ⅓ cup of the pesto. Cook 3-4 minutes to release the flavor of the pesto. Add in the carrots and chicken, and pour in the broth. Stir in the salt. Cover. Bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium and simmer 20-25 minutes. Add the remaining chard greens and remove the pot from the heat. Let sit 5-7 minutes until the chard is wilted, yet is still bright green.
Ladle the soup into bowls. Season with pepper. Sprinkle parmesan on top.
Refrigerate the pesto in an air tight container for up to three days. Slather onto sautéed chicken thighs, spoon over fish or swirl into pasta.