Chicken and Vegetable Soup

This chicken and vegetable soup is hearty, comforting and nourishing. It’s the perfect remedy to ward off the nip in the air.

The soup gets thicker as it sits because of the starch in the potatoes, so it ends up becoming more like a stew. It sort of reminds me of a hybrid of chicken soup and chicken pot pie. It’s warming, savory, satisfying and filling. It would even work great with leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. You’d have to already have some stock on hand though, use store bought or make a fresh batch from the turkey carcass.

Also, I’ve found that I can tolerate white potatoes just fine, which is exciting, especially after avoiding them for so long. I had to nix them completely when I was treating my SIBO, but after all that was over, I felt scared to try reintroducing them. Anyway, it’s good to have them back in my life, but they’re definitely not an everyday kinda thing.

Meanwhile, I wish all of you a joy-filled Thanksgiving tomorrow. Enjoy it and remember what you’re grateful for (more importantly, do this everyday).

Cheers!

Chicken and Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

• 3-4 lb whole chicken
• Filtered water (enough to completely cover chicken in large soup pot)
• 2 Tbsp sea salt, plus more to taste
• 3 bay leaves
• 4 cloves garlic, cut in half
• 1/2 Tbsp grass-fed butter
• 3 stalks celery, sliced
• 3 large carrots, sliced
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 medium-large white potatoes, peeled & cut into pieces (alternatively, you could use butternut squash or sweet potato)
• 12 oz bag frozen green peas
• 1 tsp ground turmeric (I like this brand)
• Black pepper to taste
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• Bunch of fresh cilantro or parsley leaves, chopped, plus stems for making stock

Directions:

1. Place chicken in a large soup pot and cover completely with filtered water. I usually leave fill it a couple inches from the top. Add the 2 Tbsp sea salt, bay leaves, 1 chopped celery stalk, cilantro or parsley stems and the halved garlic cloves. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and then reduce heat to medium-low, and continue to simmer for about 3 hours.
2. After 3 hours, remove the chicken from the pot and strain the stock through a fine mesh colander. Allow the chicken to cool.
3. Meanwhile, place the same pot back on the stove over medium heat. Add the butter and once melted, add the 2 stalks chopped celery, carrots and yellow onion. Sauté a couple minutes and then add the potato pieces. Stir well and season to taste with sea salt and black pepper.
4. Pour the stock back into the pot and stir in the turmeric and cayenne pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Allow mixture to simmer about 10-12 minutes or until potato pieces are tender. Then, add the frozen peas.
5. Once chicken is cool enough to handle, remove meat from the bones and stir into the pot. I recommend saving the bones and skin for making bone broth. You can even store the bones in the freezer until you’re ready to make broth.
6. Remove from heat and add a generous handful of chopped cilantro or parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve into bowls and garnish with extra cilantro or parsley, if desired.