My kids ask me to make this soup all the time. It comes together so easily with a little extra prep time. I like to cook up a whole chicken and make the broth at the same time. Be sure to use lots of herbs to add flavor and healthy phytochemicals!

Recipe

Cook the chicken and make the broth by placing a whole organic chicken in a large pot covered with about 10 cups of water. I like to add the following veggies and herbs to the water, roughly chopped:

2 carrots
2 celery sticks
1 large leek
1 onion
2 bay leaves
A few sprigs of thyme and rosemary each
1 tablespoons sea salt
10 whole peppercorns

Simmer the chicken covered for about 2 hours until tender. Strain the broth into a bowl and save for the soup. Shred the chicken with 2 forks and set aside.

For the Soup:

1 large onion, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
6 carrots, chopped
1 fresh leek chopped or 1/2 cup dried.
1 tablespoon thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried

Saute all the vegetables together in olive oil in a large Dutch oven pot for about 10 minutes until the onions become translucent and slightly caramelized.

Add the chicken stock (8 cups) and cook until the carrots are almost soft. Add 1 cup of your favorite pasta and finish cooking until soft. Add the shredded chicken and 1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley. Season and enjoy.

One of my all time favorite meals!  This soup will win anyone’s heart with its hearty, full flavor!  Try doubling the meatball recipe and saving half for another meal.  From Barefoot Contessa’s Back to Basics cookbook.  Serves 10-12.

Recipe

For the Meatballs

3/4 pounds ground chicken

1/2 pound chicken sausage (I like the Italian flavored)

2/3 cups fresh bread crumbs

2 teaspoons minced garlic

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

3 tablespoons milk

1 large egg beaten

Kosher sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

For the Soup

2 tablespoons good olive oil

1 cup minced onion

1 cup 1/4-inch diced carrots

1 cup 1/4-inch diced celery

10 cups organic chicken stock

1/2 cup white wine

1 cup small pasta such as tubetini or macaroni

1/4 cup minced fresh dill

12 ounces baby spinach, prewashed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  For the meatballs, place the ground chicken, sausage, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, cheese, milk, egg, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and combine gently with a fork.  With a teaspoon, drop 1 to 1 1/4-inch meatballs onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.  (You should have about 40 meatballs.  They don’t have to be perfectly round).  Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned.  Set aside.

In the meantime, for the soup, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large dutch oven.  Add the onion, carrots, celery and saute until softened, 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the chicken stock and wine bring to a boil.  Add the pasta to the simmering broth and cook for 6-8 minutes, until pasta is tender.  Add the fresh dill and then the meatballs to the soup and simmer for 1 minutes.  taste for salt and pepper.  Stir in fresh spinach and cook for another minute, until spinach has just wilted.  Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle each serving with extra grated Parmesan cheese.

Rich, creamy and comforting! Perfect soup on those cold winter days!

Recipe

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

4 carrots, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup flour

2 breasts chicken

1 lb. gnocchi

4 cups chicken broth

1 and 1/2 cups half and half

4 cups fresh spinach

1 tablespoon fresh basil

Parmesan

Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

In a skillet or shallow pan melt butter and add olive oil. Saute the onion, carrots, celery and garlic.  Add a 1 teaspoon salt. Once the onions are translucent add the flour. Cook for one minute stirring constantly. Add 1 of the cups of chicken broth and mix until thickened.  Transfer to the slow cooker.  Add the remaining chicken broth, gnocchi, half and half and chicken.  Cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3-4.  Add the spinach and basil. Heat through for a few minutes, add salt if needed, pepper and Parmesan cheese. Serve.

I love this soup! I love the process of it too! From cooking the whole chicken for a few hours during the day with organic vegetables and herbs to actually making the soup itself. This soup is nutritionally dense, supports the immune system and digestion. We love to eat it with homemade sourdough bread!

Recipe

For the Chicken and Broth

1 whole organic chicken

10 cups purified water like Reverse Osmosis

1 tablespoon sea salt

1 teaspoon peppercorns

1 onion, quartered

2 ribs celery

2 carrots

1 leek

1 small 3×5 or 4×6 muslin bag or mesh tea ball filled with 1 tablespoon each of all or your choice burdock root, dandelion root, milk thistle seeds, astragalus root, echinacea root. (you could even throw in the herbs and then strain. I like to put them in a bag because I throw it into the soup for a second decoction).

Cook the whole chicken with the salt, peppercorns, veggies and herbs on medium heat simmering for a few hours until the chicken meat is tender and falls off the bone. Strain into a bowl and shred the chicken. Set the chicken aside and measure out 8 cups of broth. Set aside.

For the Chicken Soup

2 tablespoons avocado oil

1 small onion chopped

1 head garlic chopped (set half aside)

2 tablespoons ginger finely chopped

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1 large celery root chopped (or parsnips or even potatoes if you want)

6 large carrots chopped

4 celery stalks chopped

1 bunch flat leaf parsley chopped

On medium heat add the avocado oil to a large dutch oven pot. Saute the onion, half the garlic, ginger, salt and pepper for a few minutes. Add the carrots, celery, celery root and saute for a few more minutes. Add the broth and the muslin bag of herbs again. Simmer on medium until the vegetables are tender. Remove the bag of herbs and add the chicken and chopped parsley. Check to see if the soup needs more salt. Serve warm.

 

 

 

One of my all time favorite meals!  This soup will win anyone’s heart with its hearty, full flavor!  Try doubling the meatball recipe and saving half for another meal.  From Barefoot Contessa’s Back to Basics cookbook.  Serves 10-12.

Recipe

For the Meatballs

3/4 pounds ground chicken

1/2 pound chicken sausage (I like the Italian flavored)

2/3 cups fresh bread crumbs

2 teaspoons minced garlic

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

3 tablespoons milk

1 large egg beaten

Kosher sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

For the Soup

2 tablespoons good olive oil

1 cup minced onion

1 cup 1/4-inch diced carrots

1 cup 1/4-inch diced celery

10 cups organic chicken stock

1/2 cup white wine

1 cup small pasta such as tubetini or macaroni

1/4 cup minced fresh dill

12 ounces baby spinach, prewashed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  For the meatballs, place the ground chicken, sausage, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, cheese, milk, egg, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and combine gently with a fork.  With a teaspoon, drop 1 to 1 1/4-inch meatballs onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.  (You should have about 40 meatballs.  They don’t have to be perfectly round).  Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned.  Set aside.

In the meantime, for the soup, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large dutch oven.  Add the onion, carrots, celery and saute until softened, 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the chicken stock and wine bring to a boil.  Add the pasta to the simmering broth and cook for 6-8 minutes, until pasta is tender.  Add the fresh dill and then the meatballs to the soup and simmer for 1 minutes.  taste for salt and pepper.  Stir in fresh spinach and cook for another minute, until spinach has just wilted.  Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle each serving with extra grated Parmesan cheese.