Chicken Soup
A classic chicken soup is an essential skill to have in your kitchen repertoire. Comforting, nourishing and delicious —- this soup can help support you through an illness or build you up to prevent one. I veered this version in the pho direction with rice noodles and my recent pickled peppers. Feel free to keep it classic. The real depth of this soup comes from homemade bone broth. As Ina Garten would say, there really is no comparing homemade to the store bought variety.
I picked up a stew rooster this weekend from the Golden Hoof — I’d never cooked a stew rooster before — which to my understanding is an older chicken that needs to be cooked low and slow. Instead of roasting it, I decided to simmer it in water on the stove with the broth veggies —- an onion, some celery, carrots, garlic and salt and pepper. After a couple hours I removed the bird from the water, took the meat off and added the carcass back to the broth water to cook for a total of 6-7 hours —- making a beautifully gelatinous bone broth. The next day I made this soup. Feel free to use shredded chicken breast instead.
Ingredients:
Shredded chicken, around a pound
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium or 1/2 large onion diced
2 cups diced carrots (3 large carrots)
2 cups diced celery (3 large celery stalks)
6 cloves mince garlic
1-2 inch piece peeled and minced fresh ginger (optional)
2 sprigs fresh chopped rosemary or thyme or both (leaves pulled off stem)
Small pinch of saffron (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
64+ ounces of bone broth
Instructions:
In a large, thick-bottomed pot over medium-low heat, add the olive oil. When the oil is warm, add the onions with a generous pinch of salt and grind of pepper. Sauté for a few minutes. Then add the carrots and celery with a generous pinch or two of salt. Sauté until the mixture begins to soften up and start to take on a bit of color. Stir in the garlic and ginger if you are adding. Sauté for a minute or two until fragrant. Turn the heat to high and add the bone broth. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the shredded chicken and simmer until the veggies become tender —- around 20 minutes. In the last 10 minutes add the rosemary, thyme and saffron.
Serve with rice noodles, basmati rice or whatever you choose. Cook the rice separately and add to individual bowls. Top with pickled peppers if you have them.
Enjoy!
Dr. Jane Litsey