Chicken Soup for the Healing Soul
Chicken Soup is one of those dishes that is ubiquitous and often quite bland or gross, yet when done right it truly is delicious and nourishing. I used to only make it when someone I love had a cold. Last year, it became our son’s #1 lunch request, so I began making a batch every few weeks. Literally a chicken, 5 carrots, 5 stalks of celery, 3 onions, 3 bay leaves, salt and pepper come together with water in 2 hours to yield a flavorful, protein-rich and easily digestible meal. A few extra steps really make a difference in building flavor, so follow along.
Chicken Soup
2 tablespoons olive oil
Antibiotic-free chicken, quartered
5-6 carrots, half cut into 2” chunks & remaining diced and set aside
5-6 celery stalks, half cut into 2” chunks & remaining diced and set aside
3 yellow onions, half quartered & remaining diced and set aside
3 bay leaves
Salt and pepper
Optional aromatics - bunch of flat leaf parsley, 3-4 sprigs of thyme, fresh dill
Heat a large stock pan over medium-high heat with olive oil. Generously salt and pepper chicken portions. Add chicken to hot pan and let pieces brown thoroughly before turning, about 3-5 minutes per side. You are trying to create a base of flavor by developing the fond (the little brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan).
Add the large chunks carrots, celery, and onion and wedge them under the browned chicken. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Let the vegetables cook until tender to allow them to sweeten and bring out flavor about 5 minutes.
Cover with 3-4 quarts of fresh, cold water. Add in bay leaves and optional handful of parsley (save some to mince and add to finished soup) and thyme sprigs. Add a few additional teaspoons of salt. I like to use Himalayan Pink Rock salt for the added mineral benefits. Taste broth once the chicken is cooked through and adjust accordingly.
Reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for 90 minutes. Remove chicken from liquid and pick meat off bones and cut into large pieces. The chicken should be tender and fall apart easily. With a fine strainer, strain liquid to remove debris and impurities. If you don’t have a fine sieve, line a strainer with a few layers of cheese cloth to strain out excess bits. Straining makes a big difference!
At this point if you plan on eating soup right away return strained broth and cleaned chicken to pot along with diced carrots, celery, and onions - and let cook until tender. If you plan on freezing, I tend to portion out uncooked veggies into my storage containers, add chicken and ladle broth to fill. Let cool before freezing. As you reheat soup the vegetables will cook and not be as mushy as they would be otherwise. Garnish with minced fresh parsley or dill if you desire.