Chef Paul: Chicken Soup for the Cold
January 20 2011
By now you’ve probably heard about my big bird…
the chicken I roasted a couple weekends ago.
Well, what I forgot to mention is that I also made some chicken stock using the bones of said chicken. I got about 4 liters of stock which I then froze for later use. I’m sure it sounds like we’ve got the world’s biggest chest freezer but I assure you that it’s a regular ole freezer. What is special about it is that when something goes in, we always try to take something out. Things can easily get lost at the bottom of a chest freezer.
But enough about my appliances (for now), let’s talk chicken (it’s not as formal as talking turkey).
It’s January…which means it’s also cold and flu season. So, while some of you are off sick or just not feeling 100% I thought I’d pass along a chicken soup recipe from our site. No one is quite sure why chicken soup helps fight colds and flu but we do know that warm stock helps ward off chills; its vapors help loosen nasal and respiratory congestion; and it’s an easy way to get some calories and nutrients into your system when your appetite is feeling low.
So without further ado here’s one to warm you…and feel free to use 5 cups of your own homemade chicken stock and omit the water if you have it. (Water is added because even low sodium store bought chicken broth is heavy on the sodium.) Also, if you’ve got chicken leftover from a previous meal you can add that instead of cooking the chicken thighs in the broth.
Potato, Leek and Chicken Soup
Ready-In Time: 40 mins Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 30 mins
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, yellow, finely diced (~2/3 cup)
- 1 clove garlic, minced (~1 tsp)
- 3 cups chicken broth, canned, low sodium
- 2 cups water
- 1 lb potatoes, small red (baby), cut in half
- 8 oz chicken thigh, skinless, boneless
- 8 oz beans, green, cut into 1″ pieces
- 2 carrot, slice into 1/4″ rounds (~1 cup, strips or slices)
- 2 leek, washed, sliced (~2 cups)
- 1 cup tomatoes, plum, diced
- 2 tbsp parsley, fresh italian / flat leaf, chopped
- 1 tbsp thyme, fresh, chopped
- 1/4 tsp pepper, black freshly ground
Instructions:
1. Cooking
1. Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat.
2. Add the onion and cook stirring until softened, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add the broth, water, potatoes, chicken, green beans, carrots, leeks and tomato.
5. Simmer, covered for 15 minutes, until vegetables are tender.
6. Remove the chicken from the pot and shred it.
7. Return the shredded chicken to the pot and simmer for another 5 minutes.
8. Stir in the parsley, thyme and pepper.
