Good Soups to Make With Chicken Stock : Traditional, Thai, Mexican (and some Pho tips)
Mexican Chicken Soup
When Jesse (my 19 year old son) came home for a few days (having been super careful in his social isolation) I asked him to pick his favorite meal for me to cook while he was here. He didn’t hesitate.
”Chicken soup.”
“No lasagna, or risotto or roast chicken?”
“Chicken soup, please.”
If made with homemade stock, there is really nothing more nurturing and satisfying than chicken soup. And there are so many possibilities! I go back and forth, cooking one of these every few weeks, all spring, fall and winter.
These recipes make enough soup for two with lots of leftovers, or for 4 with maybe a small leftover. I always try to make enough for two meals.
Traditional Chicken Soup
2 onions, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
4 bone-in chicken breasts (I prefer using skinless thighs actually)
4 garlic cloves, minced (more if you are have a cold)
2 1/2 quarts of chicken stock
Sea or kosher salt, and pepper, to taste
3-4 cups of prepared brown rice, white rice or noodles. I use brown rice or rice noodles.
Preheat oven to 350.
Put a light layer of avocado oil or ghee on the chicken breasts or thighs (skin up if they have skin,) salt and pepper them and cook them on a roasting pan for 30-40 minutes, until done.
When a bit cooled, remove the skin and bones and shred or chop into bite sized pieces.
While chicken is cooking, with heat set to medium, heat up a few tbls. of avocado oil or ghee (don’t cook with olive oil unless cooking with low heat) in a soup pot. After a minute, add the onions, celery, garlic and carrots and saute until the onions are translucent.
Add the chicken stock.
Bring it to a boil and then immediately turn down the heat to a low simmer. I add a lid. You don’t want to boil it for long as this can kill some of those amazing nutrients.
Simmer for at least 25 minutes.
Add rice or noodles to bowls before adding soup.
Thai Chicken Soup
1 tbls. avocado oil
1 cup of shitake (or other) mushrooms, sliced
1 red pepper, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion thinly sliced
1 stalk of lemongrass, halved lengthwise, outermost set of leaves removed.
(optional) 1 carrot, peeled and grated
(optional) 2 cups of sliced sugar snap peas
2 tbls. curry paste (green is used traditionally, but I have used red or even sri lankan as well)
6 cups of chicken stock
1 can of coconut milk (the 14-15 ounce one)
1 tbls. fish sauce
1 tbls. coconut sugar (or regular)
2 chicken breasts (about 1 lb.) cooked in oven, with a bit of salt and pepper and oil for 25-30 minutes until done. Then shredded or chopped into bite size pieces.
3 green onions, cleaned and sliced
1 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tbls. lime juice
(optional) 1 jalapeno, thinly sliced, or minced, with or without seeds - I never use the seeds. It is plenty spicy for me without them.
Several leaves of thai basil (if you can find it)
Rice noodles (any kind you like - try to get organic) or brown rice
Saute the onion in the oil for about 5 minutes, until it is wilted and getting translucent. Turn the heat to low. Add the garlic, mushrooms and curry paste and saute another few minutes, stirring constantly so as not to burn the garlic.
Add the stock, coconut milk, lemon grass, fish sauce and jalapeno (if using.) Bring to a boil and immediately turn down to a simmer. After 10 minutes, add the bell pepper, the carrots and sugar snap peas (if using) and the cooked chicken.
Cook until the chicken is heated and the vegetables have softened.
The rice noodles - I like to cook mine (I’ve used both thing and the thicker pad thai style noodle) ahead of time and then rinse and drain them to get rid of some of the rice starch, for taste. You can also just put them into the broth for a few minutes (follow your noodle package timing) at the end of the cooking.
Add the cilantro, lime juice and green onions to each bowl. Give an extra lime wedge to each person.
Mexican Chicken Soup
2 onions, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2-4 (to taste) jalapenos, seeded and minced
4 bone-in chicken breasts. If using breasts the bones add flavor. You remove the bones after cooking, before adding to soup. If you prefer dark meat, like me, you can use skinless, boneless thighs as they have more flavor on their own.
4 garlic cloves, minced (more if you are have a cold)
2 1/2 quarts of chicken stock
Sea or kosher salt, and pepper, to taste
3-4 cups of prepared brown rice, white rice or noodles. I use brown rice or rice noodles.
1 28-ounce can of whole, crushed or diced tomatoes in puree. I use whatever i have in my pantry. If buying them, the whole may give more substance. But I don’t know.
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, keeping a few tbls. aside for garnishing
1 avocado, sliced
Prepare the rice or rice noodles and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350
Rinse and dry the chicken. Add a bit of salt, pepper and a bit of ghee or avocado oil and put in oven on roasting pan or sheet. Check it after 30 minutes. It could take up to 45 minutes to cook through. When it has cooled, shred it with two forks or chop it into bite-sized pieces.
In the meantime, saute onion, celery and carrots, in oil, for about 8 minutes. Lower the heat and add the garlic for a minute, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
Stir in the cumin and coriander for a minute.
Add the stock, the tomatoes and their juices, and the jalapenos
Add the stock, the canned tomatoes with their juices, the jalapenos and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then immediately bring to a low simmer for 25 minutes.
Add the cooked, shredded (or chopped) chicken.
Place noodles or rice in each bowl, then add soup.
Add avocado slices, chopped cilantro and squeeze a lime wedge into each bowl.
This is a blog that emphasizes good health so I am not including the usual grated cheese, cut up corn tortillas or sour cream. It really is delicious without all of that. I had eaten it with lots of dairy for years and was surprised, the first time, by how good it is on its own.
A note about Pho:
I always make a stock with turkey bones after Thanksgiving. Last year I used it to make this Turkey Pho recipe, from the NY Times. It was amazing! You can make pho, as I’ll show you below, with chicken stock. But to me, the turkey stock enhances the star anise and other pho spices much richly than the chicken stock. I have not created my own Chicken Pho recipe and have not yet landed on the one that I feel is my favorite. At the least, the recipe should call for using star anise and for holding ginger over a flame - these are what , in my opinion, give the soup that unique pho taste.
