Creamy Chicken & Kale Soup (dairy free)

Dairy free creamy soup...Yes, please!!

I'm not much for soup, unless it's creamy soup. Cream of broccoli, cream of mushroom, creamy potato, clam chowder, shrimp bisque. Creamy soup = Laura's undying love and devotion.

Enter problems with dairy. I actually ate cheese & heavy cream in moderation for a long time after going Paleo. I started having pains in my stomach to the point that I was getting tested for gall bladder problems. When multiple tests came up normal, I decided to see if cutting dairy would help. Fortunately (and unfortunately) the problem was solved. Dangit. Milk I can take or leave, but heavy cream & cheese-- that was hard.

Thankfully, there's an easy way to get creamy soups while being dairy free. The base is simple-- purée cauliflower with broth and full fat coconut milk. You can make it as thick or thin as you want-- simply add more or less broth. I do this all the time, and it completely satisfies my craving for cream based soup, and I get more veggies in the mix. Score!!

For this soup I boiled a whole chicken to get both meat & broth. You could say that I KILLED TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONE. Ahahaha! Punny! It's easy, and the soup is still a one pot meal. I give instructions below, but you could also just use some broth you already have & any chicken meat-- baked or roasted.

This is an easy, rich and delicious soup that I'm sure your family will love!

Creamy Chicken and Kale Soup

Ingredients:

1 whole uncooked chicken
Water (amount depends on size of chicken & pot)
2 heads cauliflower chopped
1 yellow onion chopped
8 cloves garlic
1 can full fat coconut milk
3 cups chopped kale
2 tsp ground thyme
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

For Broth & Meat...

Place whole chicken into a large deep pot. Add water to cover. Sprinkle in a little salt. Bring water to a boil. Cover and let boil for anywhere from 1.5 hours to 4 hours. The chicken will be cooked after about 45 minutes, but the longer it boils, the more flavorful the broth. When done, remove chicken from broth and set aside. It will fall apart as you remove it, so have a strainer handy to remove any bones or cartilage from the broth. If you want a thicker soup, set aside some of the broth. The less broth, the thicker the soup.

For the Soup...

To the broth, add cauliflower, onion, & garlic. Allow to boil until cauliflower is soft & falls apart easily. While the vegetables are cooking in the broth, use two forks to remove the chicken meat from the bone and shred.

Once the cauliflower has cooked, remove from heat. Add the can of coconut milk. Using either a submersion blender (easiest option) or a regular blender, purée the vegetables, broth & coconut milk until smooth and creamy. Add the shredded chicken, thyme, and more salt and pepper to taste. Mix in the kale. Return to heat and simmer until the kale is wilted.

Pour yourself a hearty bowl and garnish however you wish-- hello crispy bacon!! ENJOY!