I’m certain that a lot of folks would agree with me that chicken soup is very comforting, no matter what time of year.  It is especially comforting to those who have challenged guts because it is very healing to the lining of your intestines and easy to digest.  (Please visit my post on Bone Broths to learn about or be reminded of the many benefits of consuming them.)

My friend Leslie has asked me to post my recipe for a simple and delicious chicken soup.  Even though I’m a chef, I am always thinking of ways to simplify and not complicate recipes and at the same time enrich the diet of my family and yours with all kinds of nutrient-dense foods.  So over a twenty-four hour period I’ll cook my broth or have it frozen & thaw it out, then that same night I’ll go ahead and chop my veggies like onions, carrrots, celery and garlic so that I’ll have a lot of the constituent parts prepped for the next night’s meal.  You know it’s all in the planning and prepping that makes cooking real, nutrient-dense foods a real pleasing experience.

Alex and I love dark meat so if I haven’t cooked a whole chicken for broth and to reserve the meat for the soup then I just buy boneless, skinless chicken thighs.  Wash off the meat, pat it dry, place in a roasting pan, drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil over it,  sea salt and pepper and bake for 25-30 minutes, let it cool and cut into little bite-sized pieces and set aside.  Again, something you can do the day before.

I love a lot of fresh thyme in my chicken soup but I don’t want to spend the time taking the little leaves off of all the stems so I grab a big bunch from my herb pot, give it a quick rinse and tie it up in a knot with a bit of string so I have a little thyme bouquet to throw into my soup pot.  Because by the end of cooking the soup all of the thyme will have fallen off of the stems, love that!

If you eat grains then you can put a bit of cooked brown rice or quinoa in the bottom of your bowl and spoon the soup over it.  And, if you’re on a grain-free diet, like I am most of the time, then I just add some left-over oven-roasted butternut squash to my bowl and then ladle all the chicken, veggie goodness over it.  I also like to add some small chopped kale or collards at the beginning of cooking to boost the goodness factor.  Oh and don’t forget a nice dollup of cultured cream or sour cream when you serve it because that little bit of creaminess is oh so satisfying.  I am telling you all of this because I want you to have fun in the kitchen and to not be too restricted by a recipe…make it your own and add in or take out what suits yours and your family’s taste buds.  I just want to give you the basic guidelines and then you take it from there.

So let me know about some of your yummy “add-in’s” to your chicken soup recipe!

Chicken and Veggie Soup Goodness Recipe

Yield: 8-10 healthy servings

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons of butter or coconut oil or both
• 4 cups small diced onions
• 2 cups small diced carrots
• 2 cups small diced celery
• 2 heaping tablespoons chopped garlic, more if you like
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 big bunch fresh thyme, tied into a bouquet with string
• 12 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups packed, chopped chicken
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste (so important that you taste your food before you serve it so you can season it properly)

Directions:

1.  In a large soup pot over medium high heat melt the fat and saute the onion, carrot, celery, salt and pepper for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.

2.  Add in the chicken broth, thyme bouquet, chicken and bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and cook without the lid for 45 minutes then add in the parsley at the end of the cooking time.

3.  Serve it up with a little fresh chopped parsley and cultured cream (sour cream).