The secret to this soup is the homemade broth. It seems like a lot of work to make the broth before the actual soup but it really isn't much hands on work at all. You can either watch it on the stove all day or put it in your crockpot for up to 24 hours. I buy chicken necks, backs, and feet from a local organic farm but you don't need them, the carcus alone will still create a very flavourful soup. I just choose to add them because of the health benefits and it helps to produce a more gelatinous broth. Pre roast a whole chicken yourself or, buy a pre cooked one from the store to make this easier!
Serves 6-8 bowls
Prep: 15 min
Cook: 6-24 hour simmer + 1 hour soup cook time
Total: let's just call this one a labour of love
INGREDIENTS
Broth
1 whole chicken carcass, pre roasted, cooled and meat removed (save for later)
1 package chicken backs, necks, feet - optional for a more collagenous broth
1 whole onion with peel left on, roughly chopped
1 whole head of garlic, peels left on, roughly smashed with back of knife
2 carrots, roughly chopped
3-4 stalks celery, roughly chopped
2-3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2-3 L (12-16 cups) water
2-3 tsp sea salt
Soup
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1 onion, finely minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 large carrots, chopped
3-4 stalks celery, chopped
Chicken, that you removed from the whole roasted chicken, diced or pulled
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 cup dill, finely minced
1 cup parsley, finely minced
3 spring onions or chives/green onions, minced
1 cup peas, optional
DIRECTIONS
Remove all meat from the roasted chicken. Save for later. Add chicken carcus, necks, backs, and/or feet (if using) carrots, onion, celery, garlic cloves, 2 full tsp salt, peppercorns, and, 2-3 tbsp apple cider vinegar to a large stock pot. Turn on heat to medium high. Add 3-4 L of water (12-16 cups) and bring to a simmer. Stir, reduce heat to low, and partially cover. Cook for 6-8 hours. Drain through a fine-mesh sieve and discard bones and vegetables. Set broth aside for later.
Alternatively, you can do this in your crockpot. Set on low for 16-24 hours. Strain, discard bones and veg, and set broth aside for later.
In a large pot over medium heat. add olive oil and butter. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 5 minutes. Add celery, carrot, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, about another 5 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add broth. Cover pot and simmer until vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes. Turn heat to low and add your chopped or shredded chicken that you saved from earlier. Simmer for another 5 minutes. We don't want to over cook the chicken! Turn off heat and add peas (if using) dill, parsley, chives, and lemon juice. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if needed.
To serve, ladle into bowls and top with more herbs and freshly cracked black pepper.
TIPS
You can add noodles to this if you wish! Cook and keep them separate so they don't suck up all the broth.
This freezes great and is perfect for pulling out when you feeling under the weather.
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