Hearty Chicken Soup

an original recipe by Kristin

Sorry, I don't have any pictures of this one. I'll take them next time I cook it.

Have you ever had one of those days when chicken soup just sounds sooooo good and you're not too sick to cook? Canned soup has so much salt it's ridiculous, and it never has exactly what you want in it. Here's a recipe for good soup made from fresh ingredients that's very flexible so you can put whatever you want in it.



You will need (things you might not have on hand or need to wash first):

• a large pot (mine is 5 quarts) with lid
• a cutting board and knife
• a ladle and a stirring spoon
• olive oil
• boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• lots of veggies

Before you start:

• This is a slow recipe. Use it on a day you feel like chopping vegetables for like half an hour and dropping them in a pot leisurely as you finish each one.
• If you are using any kind of nonstick pot, DO NOT heat above medium heat. More information will be posted on a separate page; until then just Google the reason.

Ingredients

Soup base:

• 2 1/2 quarts water (no need to measure; just half a pot)
• 1 tsp olive oil (garlic infused extra virgin olive oil is heavenly)
• 1/2-1 tsp salt
• 1-2 tsp pepper (freshly ground if you have a grinder)

Broth flavoring fresh ingredients/whole spices (use at least one of these):

• 1/4-1/2 inch ginger
• 2-10 garlic cloves (I always put a TON of garlic in everything)
• 1 bay leaf

Veggies (use anything you like, this is what I put in there):

• 1-2 carrots
• a large handful of green beans (or 1 small can)
• 1-2 stalks of celery
• 2 large bell peppers or 10-15 multicolored mini bell peppers
• 3-4 green onions
• 1-2 onions

Meat or vegan substitute:

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 4 of those tiny organic ones
• for vegan soup: add fresh parsley, basil, and thyme and another bay leaf; include celery leaves

Directions

1. Fill your pot half full with water. If your pot is smaller than mine, use fewer ingredients (common sense). Add salt, pepper, and olive oil and put on low heat.
2. Chop ginger and garlic however you like them. I like the ginger diced as tiny as possible, but this is very time consuming. The garlic will not be strong by the time it is served regardless of size. Add these and the bay leaf (and vegan substitute herbs) to the water and raise heat to medium. Cover.
3. Cut carrots, celery, and green beans into bite-sized pieces. Larger pieces = longer cooking time; smaller pieces = shorter cooking time. Add these to the soup and cover. You can also add other veggies that take a long time to cook, like broccoli, corn, or asparagus, at this time.
4. Use a different cutting board and knife for this step. Dice chicken and add to the soup if the water is at a simmer or boil. Otherwise, wait for bubbles. Chicken is tricky to cook for health reasons; it's best to shock it with heat. Again, larger pieces will take longer to cook so if you're in a hurry, cut them small.
5. Cut bell peppers into bite sized pieces and chop green onions however you like them. Add these to the soup and cover. Now is a good time for other veggies with medium cooking times, none of which I can think of at the moment.
6. Chop onion(s) into bite sized pieces, along with any other veggies you want that have short cooking times, like tomatoes. Add these to the soup and stir. Leave the soup at a low boil or high simmer for at least 5 minutes.
7. When onions are transparent, the soup can be served. For melt-in-your mouth chicken and veggies, let it cook longer. I usually give it at least 15 minutes so I don't have to chew much. Make sure to remove the bay leaf.

Notes

Take your time cutting veggies. The timing of the soup is measured by the time it takes to cut everything.

If you want pasta or rice, cook separately and add around the same time as the bell peppers if you like it soft, or at the end if you like it firm. I know how that sounds, you with the dirty mind.

If you want to be careful with raw chicken and save dishes, cut all vegetables first and set aside (I put them in the bowls we'll later use to eat the soup). Then use the same cutting board for chicken. Add ingredients in the same order, leaving a few minutes between additions. Why not play cell phone games or check Facebook?

For tips on how to use chicken in your cooking safely, Google it for now. I'll make a page with safety tips on this blog later.