Brazilian Chicken Soup with Yucca & Yam

A delicious Brazilian Chicken Soup recipe with yam, yucca root, and shredded chicken. It’s hearty, gluten free, delicious and easy to make – just in time for National Soup Month!

After months of splurging for the holidays, it’s time to refocus on healthy eating. In that spirit, I have an amazing recipe for you today from Ladle & Leaf. If you haven’t heard of them, Ladle & Leaf is a San Francisco-based restaurant group offering healthy lunch options in downtown and the Financial District. They are absolutely my go-to lunch place when I’m in downtown SF.

All of their soups are made fresh right here in the city, even the stocks. They use fresh, seasonal ingredients and the menu is constantly changing based on the best of what’s available. Since it’s soup weather year round here in San Francisco, Ladle & Leaf is always a good choice when you need a quick lunch. They have the combo of healthy and fast casual perfected.

The actual experience in the store is amazing too. I’ve been to multiple locations in the city and I’m always blown away by how happy and genuinely friendly the employees are. I can’t emphasize how important that it! The line moves quickly and your food is served with a smile.

For all of my UCSF peeps, there’s also a fifth location tucked inside the nursing building on the Parnassus campus. That one also serves breakfast! You have to try the kimchi bowl with the fried egg.

One of my favorite Ladle & Leaf soups is the Brazilian chicken yucca stew. It’s satisfying to eat and the flavors are so unique! I don’t know about you, but I haven’t eaten or cooked a lot of Brazilian food. It’s always fun to explore new cuisine, so I really enjoyed replicating this soup at home.

The recipe starts with red palm oil, which is a new ingredient for me. It’s a beautiful deep red and high in antioxidants and beta-carotene, which gives it a mild carrot flavor. Make sure you buy a fair trade version.

Another unique ingredient was yucca root, also called cassava, manioc, or Brazilian arrowroot. This starchy root vegetable is a healthy alternative to the potato. Look for it at a specialty or Hispanic grocery store. If you have trouble, malanga, or even potatoes, will work as substitutes.

The finished soup is hearty and unique. It also keeps well for a few days so you can keep the leftovers to heat up all week long.

P.S. – Did you know you can make pulled chicken in a slow cooker? It only takes a few minutes to prep and can be made a day or two in advance to make things even easier.

Thank you so much for reading A Side of Sweet! For more Sweet in your life, you can find me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube, Bloglovin‘, Snapchat (@asideofsweet), or Twitter. You can also subscribe to receive a weekly email with new posts.

Brazilian Chicken Soup Recipe with Yucca & Yam

Ladle & Leaf Brazilian Chicken Soup

Print Recipe

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5 from 3 reviews

A delicious Brazilian Chicken Soup recipe with yam, yucca root, and shredded chicken. It’s hearty, gluten free, delicious and easy to make. Recipe from Ladle & Leaf

• Author: Kelly Egan - A Side of Sweet
• Prep Time: 40 minutes
• Cook Time: 35 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings 1x
• Category: Soup
• Method: Stove
• Cuisine: Brazilian

Ingredients

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• 3 tablespoons red palm oil
• 1 medium (9 ounces) yellow onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons (1.4 ounces) chopped garlic
• 1/2 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 3 tablespoons (1.4 ounces) tomato paste
• 2 1/2 quarts chicken stock, divided
• 1 pound yucca root, peeled and diced into 3/4” pieces
• 12 ounces yam, peeled and diced into 3/4” pieces
• 20 fluid ounces coconut milk
• 1 pound cooked pulled or shredded chicken meat (recipe here)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• Cilantro and lime wedges, for serving

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Instructions

1. In a 5-quart soup pot, warm red palm oil over medium heat until heated through.
2. Add the onion and garlic to the soup pot; sauté for approximately 10 minutes, until soft and translucent.
3. Add the spices and tomato paste; cook and stir for 2 minutes.
4. Add all but 2 cups of chicken stock (reserved for slurry), yucca, yam, coconut milk, and chicken; cook for 25-30 minutes until the yucca and yam are tender when pierced with a fork.
5. Stir the cornstarch into the remaining stock to make a slurry.
6. Add the cornstarch slurry to the soup and cook on low heat until it thickens.
7. Add the lime juice and salt and adjust seasoning to taste. Garnish with cilantro and lime wedges.

This post is a collaboration with Ladle & Leaf. Check out one of their five San Francisco locations! Wondering why I do sponsored posts? Read more here.