This post isn’t as much a recipe as a process. The beauty of soup is that it can be made from whatever you have on hand. That’s what I did a month ago, when I had friends over for a holiday gathering. I was running behind and threw together a chicken veggie soup in about 15 minutes. I had so many compliments on my quickie soup that I realized it would make the perfect Daytime TV segment.
I start by sautéing equal parts of chopped onion, carrot, and celery in a little avocado oil, along with some salt, fresh-ground pepper, and a few minced cloves of garlic. For this batch, which made about 2 quarts, I did about 3/4 cups each of the veggies. You can use olive oil or vegetable oil, but I like the health benefits of avocado oil, its high smoke point, and its neutral flavor. It depends on how much soup I want to make. If you want to save time, some grocery stores sell “soup starters” in both their fresh and frozen food section, where aromatic veggies are precut for you.
After a few minutes, the vegetables get tender, and the onions appear translucent. I add some canned or frozen corn, about the same amount as I did for one of the other veggies. You can add whatever other veggies you like at this point, including frozen peas, chopped cauliflower, broccoli, etc. You can also add a grain like quick-cook brown rice, quinoa, or quick-cook farro or barley. Just remember it will expand and soak up some of the broth. For my 2 quarts of soup, I added about 1/3 cup of quick-cook brown rice.
The star of the show is the chicken, and my time saver and flavor booster is to use a rotisserie chicken. Where I live, it’s actually cheaper to buy a rotisserie chicken than to buy a fresh one and roast it myself. Crazy, but true. And though it’s not quite the same, the meat is tender and juicy. There are still juices you can save from the bottom of whatever container your roasted chicken came in to add to your soup. For the soup above, I chopped one breast, which leaves plenty of meat for other meals.
You can add as much or as little meat as you wish. But when you’ve finished picking off all the meat you want to use, the chicken has another gift to offer. Put the remains in water, or start with boxed chicken broth for even more flavor. Add rough chopped onion, celery stalks, carrots, and a few garlic cloves. Taste for seasoning and let simmer about an hour, covered. Strain and you have the most delicious bone broth to use in a variety of ways. Once chilled, this kind of broth will congeal with the natural gelatin it has, but quickly goes back to liquid once heated.
Speaking of stock, it’s time to add the broth to your soup. Boxed broth is a great time saver, and if salt is a concern, use a low-sodium variety. I added about 6 cups of broth to my soup, but the amount is up to you. Now is the time to add other ingredients, like diced potatoes, orzo or other pasta, lentils, or even couscous. The key is to pick ingredients that will take 30 minutes or less to get tender.
I also add some dried herbs that go with my ingredients. I added marjoram for this soup, but if you want to go more toward Italian flavors, you can add some oregano and rosemary. At this point, I like to taste my broth and adjust the seasoning. If it needs more flavor, I’ll stir in a small spoonful of a quality chicken bouillon paste.
Stir and put on a low simmer for about 30 minutes, covered. Your soup is ready to serve! You can garnish with some chopped green onions or chopped fresh basil to bring a little freshness to this winter favorite.
One delicious option is to add fresh tortellini right at the end of the cooking. It cooks quickly and makes for a filling meal.
The options for soup flavors are endless. And it’s a frugal way to turn whatever you have on hand into a comforting meal.
