Totally Homemade Chicken & Root Veggie Soup
soup
We've all heard that chicken soup is healing... but that's really only true if it's homemade. Homemade chicken soup made with homemade bone broth contains tons of easily absorbed minerals, gelatin to aid in digestion and help heal the gut, and real-food protein necessary for cell repair and creation. The stuff you buy in the store does not. Plus, the store bought stuff has never settled very well in my stomach, maybe because of high-FODMAP ingredients like onions.While I've been making homemade bone broth for a while, last week was my first attempt at completely homemade chicken soup. Wowza. I'm already working on my third batch! I've been eating this soup everyday... sometimes for breakfast. It's so good and so truly nourishing. It is a little time-consuming but it's not hard and I promise you, it's worth it. And when you're done, you'll have a bunch of well-balanced, GP-friendly heat-and-eat meals ready to go!You can use any combination of root veggies that you like and tolerate. I've made it once with white potatoes and once with sweet potatoes. This time I'm making it with both. You could add rice or noodles to the soup, if you want.This is a mild soup, not terribly heavy in spices. Feel free to adjust the spices to your taste and tolerances. I don't tolerate soups with regular onions, garlic, or black pepper, but if you do and you prefer a more intense flavor, you could certainly add those. (Even my husband, a spice-loving guy, really liked it as written though!)
Tools
Large stock pot
Slow Cooker, optional
Fine mesh strainer, cheesecloth or nut milk bag
Ladle and large measuring cup, optional but recommended
Knife, veggie peeler, and cutting board
Storage containers (I use freezer-safe mason jars)
Ingredients
1 whole chicken (I use organic but use whatever is available and affordable for you)
14-16 cups of water
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (use 1 Tbsp if you struggle with reflux)
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 parsnip, peeled and chopped
1 medium sweet potato or 2 medium white potatoes, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup chopped green onions (green part only)
2-inch piece of ginger, peeled
1-2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon basil
1/4 teaspoon oregano
Directions
Place your chicken in the stock pot. (Don't wash your chicken. It's unnecessary and it's a great way to spread salmonella around your kitchen.) Cover your chicken completely with water (about 14-16 cups). Add apple cider vinegar.Slowly bring to a gentle boil. Skim off and discard the foam and fat that comes to the top.Cover and allow to gently boil for 1-1/2 to 2 hours, checking to be sure that your chicken remains covered with water. If not, add more.Carefully remove the chicken. (I use kitchen tongs; it usually falls apart.) Allow the chicken to cool for a few minutes then separate the meat from the bones. Discard skin. Reserve meat to be added back to the soup (I use mostly the breast meat, reserving the rest for another purpose like stir fry for my husband). Add of the bones back to water. You can now transfer the broth to a pre-heated slow cooker or continue to boil on the stove. Simmer either on the stove or in a slow cooker set on high for at least several hours. (I usually do all of this in the evening and allow it to gently boil in the slow cooker for 12 hours over night). Allow broth to cool slightly. In the meantime, peel and chop your carrots, parsnips, sweet potato and/or white potato. Shred or chop the chicken meat you reserved.Once broth has cooled down remove bones (I use a mesh strainer). Strain broth through fine strainer, cheesecloth or a nut milk bag. Skim off visible fat and pour broth back into pot. (Fat rises to the top, so an easy way to do this is to push a ladle straight down into the broth. As it breaks the surface, the fat will flow into the ladle. I place my nut milk bag in a 2-cup measuring cup. Then I remove the bag leaving the strained broth. I use the ladle to remove the fat and then pour that into the stock pot. It takes a little extra time but works really, really well to remove the fat. I usually end up with 10-12 cups of broth.)Add chopped veggies, chicken meat, and spices to the pot. Bring to a gentle boil and cook until the veggies are soft, about 40 minutes.Remove ginger. Let cool and transfer into jars. Store in the fridge for 4-5 days or freeze.