This cold and rainy weather has me craving ALL the soups and stews – how about you?
In between jumping in all the puddles with the kids, fishing out worms from the mucky waters, and warming up with hot chocolate – the hubby and I were cooking and stocking up the freezer with all kinds of delicious goodies this weekend!!
He made his world famous (okay, only household famous but it should be shared with the world!) chicken soup that pretty much has a bit of everything in it – big chunks of roasted onion, some sautéed fennel, chopped carrots and celery, and lots and lots of garlic.
And while all of these ingredients seem pretty normal for chicken soup, this time he grabbed a bunch of tomatoes from the garden (yes, we still have tomatoes but not for much longer), gave them a rough chop, a drizzle of olive oil and popped them into the oven to roast. And when they came out, all hot and bubbly, he threw them into the soup too!!
I’m telling you, this was the best version of his chicken soup that he has made yet! But the part that got me the most excited was when he filled up a big bowl, shaved some parmesan over the top and handed me a spoon!! It was so slurpy and delicious – the perfect comfort food for all these fall and almost winter nights!! You guys have GOT to try it!!
XO,
Jenn
roasted chicken and vegetable soup
makes about 6-8 servings
1 whole organic chicken, rinsed and patted dry
1 tablespoon herbs de provence
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons smoked mild paprika
8 ounces cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
2 more tablespoons of olive oil
1 fennel bulb, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium yellow onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 celery stalks, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 medium-large Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
salt
black pepper
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and place the rack into the center of the oven.
In a small bowl, mix the herbs de provence, garlic powder and paprika together until mixed fully. Using your hands, rub the chicken (both inside and out) with the spice mix until coated nicely. Put the chicken into a baking dish or onto a baking rack. Place the chicken into the oven. Roast the chicken until a thermometer set inside the chicken thigh reads at least 165 degrees. Remove the chicken from the oven and allow to rest for 20 minutes.
While the chicken is roasting, you can roast the tomatoes. Place the tomatoes, 2 tablespoons olive oil, garlic and rosemary into a baking dish and toss to combine. Cover the dish tightly with foil and place into the same oven as the chicken. Roast for 20 minutes. Take the tomato dish from the oven, remove the foil, and allow to cool. Set aside.
Once the chicken has rested, carefully cut or pull apart the meat into large-ish chunks. Set the meat aside. Remove the bones from the meat and place the bones into a large stockpot. Just cover the bones with cool water and set the pot over high heat. Bring the stock to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for at least 30 minutes, preferably an hour.
After the stock has had time to simmer, turn off the heat. Carefully strain the stock into a clean pot or bowl and discard the bones. Set aside.
Place a large stock pot over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, fennel, onion, carrots, celery, potatoes and garlic to the pot and cook for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomatoes and juices from the roasting pan to the pot and using a large wooden spoon, scrape the bottom of the pot to remove any browned bits. Add 16 cups of the chicken stock to the pot, stirring to combine. Add the bay leaves and 6 cups of the chicken meat to the pot.
Turn the heat up to high and bring the soup to a boil. Once the soup has boiled, turn the heat down, cover the soup and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Ladle the soup into bowls and top with freshly grated parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.
my notes: If you want a shorter version of the same recipe, substitute shredded rotisserie chicken meat for the roasted chicken and just use store bought chicken stock for the homemade.
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