This Whole30-friendly Watercress and Chicken Soup is an adaption of my mom’s recipe and it can be prepared in just minutes with grocery store staples!
Move over, kale. Here comes a more versatile, nutrient-dense, and tasty leafy green: watercress!
Seriously: did you know that this unassuming aquatic plant was recently proclaimed the new queen of the produce aisle, with a nutrient density score of 100%? My mom, for one, has long been aware of the nutritional punch that watercress delivers, because she’s been making traditional Cantonese pork sparerib and watercress soup since forever. It was one of my favorite childhood dishes.
When I was brainstorming different ways to cook with watercress, my mom’s soup immediately came to mind. Hers is a traditional slow cooked soup, or lou fo tong (老火汤), packed with tender pork spare ribs, watercress, dried Chinese dates, shiitake mushrooms, and almonds—but patience is not one of my virtues. I was determined to make a fast and easy version.
This Watercress and Chicken Soup is a mod of my mom’s recipe that can be prepared in just minutes, and without having to make a special trip to an out-of-the-way Asian supermarket. The secret? I substitute sliced chicken thighs for the pork, and leave out items I can’t find in my neighborhood grocery. Also, because the watercress I buy at the store is so young and delicate, I stir it in at the end so it remains a vibrant shock of green in the bowl.
I can almost see my mom shaking her head as she reads my recipe, but hey—when I’ve served this soup on a chilly weeknight, my brood has given me a collective thumbs-up. After all, there’s nothing more comforting than a steaming bowl of soup, right? So go grab the ingredients and simmer a big pot tonight!
Cooking Tips, Suggestions, and Substitutions
Can you make this soup in an Instant Pot?
Yes! Here are the Instant Pot pressure cooker directions:
- Use the Sauté function of the Instant Pot to cook the vegetables in steps 3 & 4 of the printable recipe card down below.
- In place of steps 5 & 6, add the broth and chicken to the Instant Pot and program the Instant Pot to cook under high pressure for 2 minutes. Manually release the pressure when the soup is finished cooking.
- Open the lid and stir in the watercress. Season to taste with salt and fish sauce.
I show folks how to cook this soup in an Instant Pot in this old Facebook Live cooking video here:
Can I change the protein?
Yes! Thinly sliced pork tenderloin, chicken breast, or sirloin steak will work! I’ve also used ground pork and ground dark meat poultry and it tastes delicious.
Can I use a different vegetables in this soup?
Yes! Baby spinach cooks just as quickly as tender watercress and tastes great in this soup. Also, you can use regular button mushrooms in place of the fresh shiitake.
Can I leave out the fish sauce?
It will still taste great, but don’t leave it out because you’re afraid of cooking with fish sauce! If you leave out the fish sauce, simply season to taste with a little more coconut aminos or salt.
Time to make Watercress and Chicken Soup!
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- ½ pound fresh watercress (or two containers of Go Green hydroponic/living watercress), washed and drained
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons coconut aminos
- ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon Red Boat fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil, ghee, or fat of choice
- 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
- 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced into ¼” coins
- 4 large shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
- kosher salt, to taste
- 6 cups bone broth or chicken broth
Equipment:
- Cutting board
- Chef’s knife
- Salad spinner
- Medium bowl
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cup
- Large saucepan
- Silicone spatula
- Serving bowls
- Ladle
Method:
Grab your watercress and cut off the root end if you’re using the living stuff.
Rinse the leaves well in cold water and spin dry in a salad spinner. (Or just drain the washed leaves in a colander.)
Slice the boneless, skinless chicken thighs into strips, and put them in a bowl.
Add the coconut aminos, sesame oil, and fish sauce, and stir to make sure the marinade is well distributed. (If you’re a rockstar meal planner, you can marinate the chicken for up to 24 hours in advance. But if you’re like me, you can do this right before you make the soup.)
Heat the avocado oil or fat of choice in a large saucepan over medium heat and chop up the rest of the vegetables.
When the pan is hot, toss in the shallots, carrots, and shiitake mushrooms and a pinch of salt.
Sauté until the shallots and mushrooms are softened (about 5-10 minutes).
Pour in the broth, and bring to a boil over high heat.
Add the chicken and bring everything back up to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low (or just enough to maintain a simmer) and cook for 5-10 additional minutes, or until the carrots have softened and the chicken is cooked through. Boneless, skinless chicken breast will cook faster than thighs, so you may need to fish out the chicken first if the carrots aren’t yet as tender as you want ’em. Thighs, on the other hand, are more forgiving if you overcook them, so you can leave them in the pot until the carrots are cooked through.
Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the watercress.
As soon as the watercress is wilted, season to taste with more salt and/or fish sauce.
Ladle it up and dig in!
Pro tip: the leftovers taste great for breakfast topped with a fried crispy egg!
Want more inspiration from past January Whole30s? Check out my Day 4 posts from 2018 and 2017!
2018 Whole30 Day 4: Paper-Wrapped Chicken
2017 Whole30 Day 4: Paleo Packed Lunches
(This post was originally posted on Jan 4, 2016.)
A note to my Nomsters: This is one of a series of daily blog posts I’m writing in the month of January 2019 to help those doing a Whole30 to kick off the New Year. Not sure what the Whole30 is, or want info on how to get started? Read my Whole30 prep post—and then come back to Nom Nom Paleo every single day for recipes to inspire, delight, and sustain you on your Whole30!
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2021).
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Watercress and Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- ½ pound fresh watercress or two containers of Go Green hydroponic/living watercress, washed and drained
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons coconut aminos
- ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon Red Boat fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil ghee, or fat of choice
- 1 large shallot thinly sliced
- 2 large carrots peeled and sliced into ¼” coins
- 4 large shiitake mushrooms thinly sliced
- kosher salt to taste
- 6 cups bone broth or chicken broth
Instructions
- Grab your watercress and cut off the root end if you’re using the living stuff. Rinse the leaves well in cold water and spin dry in a salad spinner. (Or just drain the washed leaves in a colander.)
- Slice the boneless, skinless chicken thighs into strips, and put them in a bowl. Add the coconut aminos, sesame oil, and fish sauce, and stir to make sure the marinade is well distributed. (If you’re a rockstar meal planner, you can marinate the chicken for up to 24 hours in advance. But if you’re like me, you can do this right before you make the soup.)
- Heat the avocado oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and chop up the rest of the vegetables.
- When the pan is hot, toss in the shallots, carrots, and shiitake mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Sauté until the shallots and mushrooms are softened (about 5-10 minutes).
- Pour in the broth, and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Add the chicken and bring everything back up to a boil. Reduce the heat to low (or just enough to maintain a simmer) and cook for 5-10 additional minutes, or until the carrots have softened and the chicken is cooked through. Boneless, skinless chicken breast will cook faster than thighs, so you may need to fish out the chicken first if the carrots aren’t yet as tender as you want ’em. Thighs, on the other hand, are more forgiving if you overcook them, so you can leave them in the pot until the carrots are cooked through.
- Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the watercress. As soon as the watercress is wilted, season to taste with more salt and/or fish sauce.
- Ladle it up and dig in!
Notes
- Use the Sauté function of the Instant Pot to cook the vegetables in steps 3 & 4.
- In place of steps 5 & 6, add the broth and chicken to the Instant Pot and program the Instant Pot to cook under high pressure for 2 minutes. Manually release the pressure when the soup is finished cooking.
- Open the lid and stir in the watercress. Season to taste with salt and fish sauce.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Would adding celery to this drastically change the taste? (because…the pre-diced onion, celery, carrot container at TJs 😉 )
Nah! It should be fine!
Soooo comforting and delicious! One of my new go-to easy meals!
Tasty, but the watercress was impossible to find, even at my Asian market. I ended up substituting with spinach.
Dear Michelle and Family,
thank you for another nom nom super yum winter recipe.
We are doing another John and Yoko Day: ok, net precisely spending the entire day in bed. Still, wearing comfy/night clothes.
I’ll do a version of in-house ingredients for this—-
leftover smoked chicken: our area got great news: our local smokehouse will change hands rather than close. i have plenty leftover smoked chicken from them. And some leftover chicken noodle soup from our local Chinese restaurant: so, some broth[will add] some pea pods, carrots, and other veggies. And may add rice noodles and fish sauce. will be an improvisational version of your fine recipe!
May the coming time be filled with your hearts desire—– with moments of joy, delight, and peace. And vibrant good health.
And may goodness ripple out around the world.
💜 Ruth
I need to cook gluten free and lowfod map for different family members. This is a delicious, easily adaptable, comforting soup. Thanks, Michelle!