Warm Soup for Cozy Evenings

A first-rate soup is more creative than a second-rate painting.— Abraham Maslow

My mom was a soup junky and would eat any soup set in front of her. She and my dad would often brag on their infamous ham and bean soup, to which I smiled while inwardly cringing. Now don't get me wrong...I like soup but beans...not so much. I'm also not a huge fan of cooked vegetables. Put a raw one in front of me however and I can't get enough, with a few exceptions. I don't like raw kale. My daughter makes a mean kale salad but I have neither the skill nor patience to seductively massage those leaves. Now that I've dissected my tastes on vegetables...let me start over...I needed to find a way to get more vegetables in my life. Salads were easy but once the air turned a little chilly, cold vegetables were becoming less an option and as I mentioned before...I didn't add that dietary gold (kale) to make my salads healthier. So I turned to soup.

The great thing about soup is you literally can throw in anything. But like any work of art, you need a good canvas to really sell the painting. And in my world, that means the broth needs to be exceptional.

I like to make my own broth. I know that sounds time consuming but it really isn't and it tastes so much better than boxed or canned. I also make my own bone broth. BUT this does take several days and patience. Plan on an upcoming recipe in a future blog!

The first thing I do is boil my chicken in water until the chicken has been completely cooked. This normally takes about 30-45 minutes depending on the size of your chicken.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken to another bowl to cool and lower the temperature on the stock to simmer.

Now we're going to add the vitamins!

So here is where I add everything and the kitchen sink. Peeling the skins of my carrots, turnips, onion skins...yep they go in the pot. I take the leaves off of the kale and throw in the stalks.

I turn up the heat and allow the stock to boil again for another 30 minutes. While the stock is boiling, I debone the chicken. Caution! The chicken could still be hot so don't burn your hands. If the chicken is cool enough to be deboned: add the bones and skin back to the boiling pot.

After approximately 30 minutes of boiling, I strain the scraps and bones from the now fortified stock.

Look at that stock!!! I pour the stock back into my stock pot and add the chopped vegetables.

Allow the stock to return to a boil and boil for another 30 minutes. While the stock is boiling, shred the chicken. Add the chicken to the pot and boil for another 10 minutes to warm.

Ladle in a small bowl. I sprinkle tortilla chips from the bottom of the bag (you know the ones that are too small to eat!!) on top! Unbelievable.

Recipe for Warm Soup for a Cozy Evening

Ingredients

• 6-8 pieces of bone-in Chicken ( I prefer legs and thighs)

• Clean and Washed Root Vegetables - using organic will guarantee no chemical transfer to broth

  • Carrots, Celery, Turnips, Rutabaga, Squash, Sweet Potatoes

• Optional: 1 Tbs Chicken bouillon (I highly recommend Better Than Bouillon)

• Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Place your chicken in a stock pot and cover with water.

2. Heat pot to boil and cover.

3. While chicken is boiling, clean and peel your vegetables; saving peelings in a separate bowl.

4. Clean the kale and separate the leaves from the stalks and add the stalks to your scraps.

5. After the chicken has boiled for at least 30 minutes, turn the burner to simmer and remove the chicken from the boiling stock. Confirm that the internal temperature is 165F. Set aside to cool.

6. Gently add the peels and stalks to the simmering stock and turn the heat back to high.

7. Boil the stock for an additional 30 minutes.

8. While the peels are boiling, chop your vegetables.

9. Carefully begin to debone your chicken. If your chicken is still too hot to debone, allow it to cool until comfortable to the touch. Add the bones and the skin back to the pot and continue boiling.

10. After the fortified stock has boiled for 30 minutes, strain, removing the bones and peelings. The stock should have a rich golden brown color.

11. Return the now broth only stock to the pot and add in the chopped vegetables.

12. Add 1 tbs Better than Bouillon. This is optional but I think it gives than hint of rich chicken flavor.

13. Boil for an additional 30 minutes or until the vegetables are fork tender.

14. Chop the chicken and add to the pot to warm.

15. Salt and pepper to taste.

16. Serve!

As mentioned earlier, I save the crumbles from chips and sprinkle on the top for added texture and flavor. My daughter adds egg noodles for a chicken noodle version. If you want to just make the stock and store the vegetables/chicken for later, allow the stock to cool completely and freeze. This soup will make you want to eat your vegetables.