A recent low temperature in Denver of -7F broke the previous record of -4F set way back in 1899! Cold fronts are part of life on the front range in Colorado, but we’ve had a bunch of them this winter and they’ve each lasted a longer than usual. I’m cold!
There is something very comforting about a steaming bowl of soup inside when it’s colder than a polar bear’s toenails outside. It’s like a giant food hug.
Last week, my son caught a nasty virus. When he wasn’t sleeping on the couch, he had his head over a big bowl. Parents know how hard it is to see your kids sick. It breaks your heart. I knew he was through the worst of it when, in his faint and tired voice asked, “Mom, can you make me some chicken soup?”
Absolutely, Sweet Boy.*
Many cultures around the world have their own unique version of chicken soup—from Mexican pozole and Vietnamese pho, to Brazilian canja and Malaysian laksa. What makes it so universal? Chicken is a versatile meat, widely available, and generally an inexpensive protein source. This is my version.
Kristin’s Colorado Chicken Soup
Prep time: ~30 mins
Cooking time: 45 mins, give or take, in batches
Servings: Enough for your whole family, maybe for a few days
Comfort Factor: 10/10
Ingredients:
5 or 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, salted and peppered on both sides
4 medium carrots, peeled and diced
4 stalks of celery, diced
1 medium onion, diced or 1 leek (the white part), sliced thin
1 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
¼ c of cooking sherry or white wine
2 x 32-oz containers of low-sodium chicken stock
5 oz mushrooms, chopped (I buy the 5-oz container of pre-cut mushrooms)
1-2 bunches curly kale, chopped
1-2 Tbsp of flat-leaf parsley
Salt and pepper
Optional flavor bomb: Organic Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base
Preparation Steps:
In a ginormous Dutch oven or pot, heat olive oil and butter over medium/medium high heat. Add onion, carrots, celery. Saute until onions are just translucent and there is a little browning on the bottom.
Scooch all the veggies around to the edge of the pot and place chicken meaty side down to brown, maybe 4-5 minutes. Flip and brown the other side. We’re not trying to cook the chicken here, just brown it. Pour the mushrooms over the top.
After the second side of the chicken has browned, add the sherry or wine to deglaze all that savory yumminess at the bottom of the pot. It only takes a few seconds. This is the gold!
Add both containers of chicken stock. Bring to barely a boil then turn it right down to a low simmer** for 30 minutes.
After ~30 minutes, pull out the chicken thighs and let them cool a bit on a plate. Turn the soup way down to just stay warm.
When the chicken thighs have cooled enough to handle them, discard all the chicken skin, bones, and fatty bits. Pull apart the tender chicken into spoon-sized pieces. Put the chicken back into the soup and bring to a low simmer. Add kale.
Let simmer for 15-20 minutes. I add a few teaspoons of Better Than Bouillon here because I love the savory, umami flavor it imparts. If you’re limiting your sodium intake, you can skip the bouillon.
Add parsley. Season to taste. Serve and enjoy!
Bon Appetit,
—Kristin
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Nutrition info: ~12 ounce serving. Take this with a grain of salt because, duh, it’s soup, and who knows how much salt you used, or how much chicken and kale you pile into your bowl. If you’re like me, a lot of chicken and kale!
Kcals: 170-200
Protein: 18-25g
Carbohydrates: 10-15g
Fiber: ~5-7g
Fat: 7-10g
Vitamin K: ~355mcg; Vitamin A: ~6600IU; Sodium 600-900 depending; Calcium: ~150mg
*He’s fine now. It’s the soup 🙂
**If you let anything fatty boil for any length of time, it renders the fat out of the meat and leaves you with an oil slick at the top. I, personally, don’t care for this, so you just gotta watch when you’re heating things up that they don’t go into a rolling boil.