The Honey, I’m Healthier series continues! I also found out that January is the official #NationalSoupMonth, so I figured my Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup with Grilled Chicken Dippers would fit in perfectly. How does one keep up with what special day/month it is? I always feel like I’m behind!
In contrast to many of the other HIH soup recipes, which were created to feed a whole crew of people, this one is made for two! Of course, you can easily scale the recipe using the nifty scale feature in the recipe block if you’ve got a crowd to feed.
I love this soup. LOVE IT. I started making the early versions of this soup in an even smaller portion when I lived alone in Kansas City. Now, I make the version of the recipe in this post for me and my husband. The perfect, healthy meal for two. Also, a fantastic meal for when I need to use up produce and don’t have extra room for leftovers. You only need so much frozen soup.
I know I’ve said that soup needs crusty bread for dipping in other soup posts. When we’re trying to include more lean protein, the chicken skewers do the trick! Swap the empty bread calories and carbs for chicken and skewers add lots of lean protein while satisfying the need to dip. For under 300 calories you get 1.5 cups of soup with 4 oz of chicken. The roasted red pepper and tomatoes add 6g of fiber to each serving to help you stay feeling full. Lots of nutrition without breaking the calorie bank! Winner winner, soup and chicken dinner!
Keys to Success – Soup
- Taste. I probably sound like a broken record, but it’s so important to taste as you go and especially at the end of the cooking process so you can make any adjustments. Everyone’s taste buds are different, so your preferences may differ from mine. Just remember you can always add more, but you can’t take away.
- Blend with caution. I talked about blending hot liquids in my Easy Roasted Sweet Potato Soup post. Remember not to overfill your blender. Cover the hole in the top of the blender with a towel instead of the plastic plug to allow steam to escape, and start with lower setting. You could use an immersion blender, but the risk of spraying soup all over your kitchen is too high for my liking!
- Skins. I almost always leave veggie skins on when I make soups to keep the waste low and nutrition high. The skins will create a more rustic texture in the soup. If you prefer an extra smoot soup, the skins of the peppers and tomatoes will remove easily after roasting. Just make sure you let them cool a bit before handling so you don’t burn your self.
Keys to Success – Chicken Dippers
- Skewers. If you’re using a grill pan like the recipe calls for, you probably don’t need to soak your chicken skewers before skewering the chicken tenders. If you’re an outdoor grill master and choose to use an open flame to grill your chicken, I do recommend soaking the wooden skewers in water for a few minutes so they don’t catch on fire.
- Leave it alone! To get the perfect grill marks, once you lay your chicken into the pan, press firmly on the top to ensure strong contact with the grill pan and then leave it alone for 3-4 minutes before turning. Resist the urge to stand over the chicken and move turn it constantly.
- Could I use my air fryer? If you have a great chicken tender recipe for your air fryer, go for it! I don’t have room on my counter for an air fryer and I haven’t jumped on the air fryer bandwagon yet! I’ve heard great things. I’m hoping to find one I like to start sharing great air fryer recipes with you soon!
Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup with Grilled Chicken Dippers for Two
Equipment
- 1 10-12" high sided oven safe skillet
- 1 kitchen knife
- Measuring cups and spoons
- 1 blender
- 1 grill pan
- 4 wooden skewers
Ingredients
- 3 red bell peppers stems and core removed, roughly chopped
- 3 roma tomatoes cored and halved
- 1 small yellow onion peeled and quartered. 1/2 medium yellow onion will also work.
- 4 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon black pepper plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes ½ teaspoon if you like it spicy
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 oz boneless skinless chicken tenderloins
- 2 cups chicken stock
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F
- Add olive oil and the prepared tomatoes, red bell peppers, garlic and yellow onion to the high sided oven safe skillet. Add the crushed red pepper flakes and one 1/2 teaspoon each of the salt and black pepper and toss to evenly coat all ingredients.
- Place the skillet in the oven and roast at 400°F for 40 minutes.
- While the soup ingredients are roasting, skewer your chicken tenderloins and season both sides with remaining salt and pepper.
- Heat a grill pan over medium high heat and spray with non-stick spray. Once the pan is hot, grill the chicken skewers for 4-5 minutes a side, until the juices run clear and the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Once the soup ingredients finish roasting, add the entire contents of the pan to your blender, followed by 2 cups of chicken stock and blend. Since you're using hot ingredients, make sure you do not fill your blender over 1/2 full.
- Once blended to your desired consistency (this soup will be more rustic in texture because we left the skins on the veggies) return to the high sided skillet and heat over medium heat until the soup comes to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and allow to simmer for at least 15 minutes.
- Taste, adjust for seasoning adding ¼ teaspoon salt and/or pepper until you have the perfect level of seasoning for your tastes. Serve with the chicken skewers for dipping and enjoy!
Nutrition
Happy National Soup Month! The bowls in the featured photo are my FAVORITE to serve soup. Just in case you’re looking for the perfect soup/pasta bowls here a link!
I hope you love this recipe as much as I do. Who says eating healthier can’t be extra tasty?!? Definitely not me. I hope this Honey, I’m Healthier series has been helpful in keeping your healthier eating goals full of flavor! Let me know in the comments if you’d like me to sprinkle healthier recipes throughout the other 11 months of the year. Thanks for being here!
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