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Organic Chicken & Vegetable Soup
Homemade chicken soup. Doesn’t just the thought of sitting down with a steaming bowl and a warm roll with butter instantly relax you? Go ahead, close your eyes and imagine it. I’ll wait.
It doesn’t surprise me that several different Universities have done studies on the effects of chicken soup on cold and flu viruses. I mean really, how many of us were raised with mothers or grandmothers who believed that soup was the best possible thing for us when we were sick or tired from an endless week of Mondays? Scientific studies done at the University of Nebraska show that chicken soup is full of excellent nutrition and even has natural anti-inflammatory properties. They believe that chicken soup may actually trigger a cold and flu-fighting reaction in the body, that the steam helps to soothe your sinuses, and when someone you love prepares it for you, you get a therapeutic psychological boost that promotes healing. Wow, all that in a bowl of homemade chicken soup? I’ll take that over a flu shot any day.
Homemade Organic Chicken & Vegetable Soup
1 Whole Organic Free Range Chicken, rinsed, keep innards
3 32 oz. Boxes of Organic Free Range Chicken Broth (gluten free)
6 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Organic Sweet Onion, roughly chopped
1 cup Organic Sweet Onion, diced
3 Organic Carrots, roughly chopped
1 Cup Organic Carrots, sliced bite size
4 Organic Stalks of Celery, roughly chopped
1 Cup Organic Celery, sliced bite size
6 Organic Medium Size Red Potatoes, cut bite size
4 Organic Cloves of Garlic, whacked, peeled and left whole
4 Organic Cloves of Garlic, peeled and diced
10 Sprigs of Organic Thyme, left whole
6 Sprigs of Organic Thyme, leaves removed and saved
1 Sprig of Organic Rosemary, left whole
3 Leaves of Organic Sage, torn in half
3 Leaves of Organic Sage, chopped
2 Whole Organic Bay Leaves
Sea Salt & Pepper To Taste
For The Stock
Drizzle about 3 Tbsp. of the olive oil in a large stock pot, warm on medium-high heat. Add the roughly chopped onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Add the 10 sprigs of whole thyme, 1 sprig of whole rosemary, and 3 torn sage leaves. Saute just until the onions begin to turn translucent.
Next, add the whole chicken with parts (neck, liver, etc.), about 1 tsp. sea salt, 6 grinds of pepper, and 2 boxes of the chicken broth.
Bring to a boil, cover lightly with an opening, lower heat, and simmer slowly for 1 hour and a half. Simmering slowly stops the chicken from becoming overdone and tough.
Next, remove chicken carefully from broth and place in strainer over large bowl. Allow to cool about 15 minutes and remove chicken from bones, discard bones. Place chicken in bowl and set aside.
Pour broth from stock pot into strainer over large bowl, discard stock vegetables. Allow to cool slightly and skim some of the fat off of the top. Set aside.
For The Soup
Drizzle about 3 Tbsp. of olive oil in a large Dutch Oven over medium-high heat. Add the 1 cup diced onion, 1 cup sliced carrots, 1 cup sliced celery, and 4 diced garlic cloves. Saute until onions are translucent.
Add potatoes, thyme leaves, chopped sage, bay leaves, strained stock pot broth plus 1 more box of broth, and bring to a boil. Boil lightly until potatoes are fork tender.
Add chicken pieces, warm for 5 minutes and serve. The leftovers freeze very well. I like to freeze mine in individual sized containers.
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