This slow cooker turkey chili is pretty mild and paleo friendly. It makes a ton of leftovers, which I love, plus it’s light and healthy, and made without beans or dairy. I wanted a diet friendly chili that was easy to make for Shameer, who is currently on a diet, and I’m really happy with the results. I can definitely see myself cooking this on a regular basis, which is high praise, since I try to create new recipes for you guys as often as possible.
This chicken and zoodle soup is made with homemade chicken bone broth. I normally make this dish without the zoodles, but there was extra zucchini in the fridge and I didn’t want it to go bad. The broth is the real star in the this dish, I roasted a whole grass fed chicken, that wasn’t pretty enough to make it to the blog, and threw the carcass in the slow cooker for two rounds of bone broth. Then, I stored the broth in the freezer, until Shameer and I wanted an easy meal for the week. I’m trying to do more recipes and prep work in the kitchen, that I easily store in the freezer and/or fridge, to make cooking during the week easier.
On a baking sheet covered in aluminum foil for easy cleanup, add olive oil to prevent sticking, then add chicken breast sprinkled with a pinch of sea salt.
Make a foil tent over chicken breast to capture steam, to keep chicken moist, and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
Peel carrots with a vegetable peeler, then chop about an inch thick.
Julienne zucchini with a julienne peeler, or use a spiralizer, to make zoodles.
In a large pot or dutch oven, add broth and carrots and cook until soft about 25-30 minutes.
Pull chicken out of the oven and shred with a fork. Then add shredded chicken to soup.
Throw in zucchini noodles at the end and let them cook in soup for ten to fifteen minutes before serving.
Taste test soup and see if it needs more sea salt. I under-salt my homemade broth to adjust easily for recipes.
Garnish with finely chopped parsley and fresh ground black pepper.
I used the marinara from my previous post to make zoodles and marinara. This meal is both paleo and vegan friendly. It makes great comfort food, so don’t be afraid to give yourself a crazy big portion. There is nothing in here, but healthy vegetables from the sauce to the noodles. You could easily add some protein either to the sauce or on top. Chicken, fish, or Italian sausage, would all taste delicious with this meal.
On a side note, I recently got an off-camera flash for my birthday that I’m currently loving! It lets me take pictures right after I’ve cooked dinner, which is great since my cooking and blogging schedule has always revolved around daylight. So everyone should look forward to more easy paleo dinners.
The marinara sauce is really simple and quick to make, as well as vegan friendly. It would also taste great on pizza. Make this sauce ahead and freeze, or jazz it up a bit with some Italian sausage and spinach, and throw it over zoodles, for an easy weeknight paleo dinner. I normally buy organic marinara all the time, because I’m really lazy, but this recipe was so easy, I doubt I will again. It only took a half hour to make, and I’m thrilled with the results.
Add peeled tomatoes to a blender to puree. Skip this step if you bought pureed tomatoes.
In a large saucepan or dutch oven, add finely chopped onion. Saute until soft for 2-5 minutes, then add garlic and chopped fresh basil.
Saute until it smells delicious for about another minute.
Then add pureed tomatoes, sea salt, fresh ground black pepper, and one bay leaf.
Bring to a simmer, and let sit simmering for 30 minutes, with the lid covering most of the top, leave lid a little to the side to let the steam escape.
