Soup's On: Best Ever Chicken Soup

It will be three years ago this upcoming March that Mr. Pickles and I went on our first date. It was twelve years in the making. You see, Mr. Pickles and I went to college together and were good friends. Our lives went in separate directions post graduation and I didn't see him for eight years. I certainly thought about him over the years and was over the moon with happiness when he found me on facebook and we reconnected. I wanted to impress him during those first few months of our courtship, so I would invite him over to my condo for dinner after work a few nights a week. I would fuss over what to cook and hoped that my cooking would impress him. Of course, I always had a fresh vegetable or salad on the table. And Mr. Pickles always ate everything I served to him. Once we got serious after those first few months he dropped the bomb on me: he hated ALL vegetables except for corn and potatoes. I had to inform him that those two vegetables he liked actually fell in the starch category, which meant, in my eye, he hated all edible vegetation. He told me that he choked down the veggies I would serve him because he liked me so much and didn't want to disappoint me. I was devastated. Then I decided that I wouldn't accept the fact that he hated vegetables. I would have to get creative. I would sneak veggies into things (I do it all the time and he never catches me) or sometimes I downright beg him to try them before he passes judgement. So far I have had great success. He now eats asparagus, edamame, spaghetti squash, and he even asked if he could have some of my brussel sprouts last week. I almost fainted. And on Christmas Eve one of his gifts to me was trying broccoli at the dinner table! He calls me a "chef" all the time and I love when he does. I love how endearing he is when it comes trying vegetables. He knows my stance: you can't say that you don't like a particular food until you try it at least once. So far he has been willing to try most veggies I put in front of him.

This winter has been abnormally warm in New England. We had one freak snow storm at the end of October and haven't see more than a few rogue flakes in the air since. It feels strange to me. Thankfully we haven't had to shovel our cars out of snow banks on the streets of Boston yet. As much as I hate cold weather, it does help you to slow down a bit and hunker down near home. It forces you to nest which means cooking to me. And, it's soup season, after all.

Remember the roasted chicken I made last week? Well, I boned the chicken that night and sent the left over meat to the freezer in a storage container. I had plans for the leftover chicken and last night was a perfect night for chicken soup. I love soup but I am not big on plain old chicken soup. This version is anything but plain old chicken soup. You'll never go back to mundane chicken soup again. This recipe is simple, extremely healthy, and low in fat. The addition of fresh dill and parsley are a bonus. Not only does the soup look gorgeous in a bowl with the fresh green herbs incorporated with all of the soup's golden hues, they add a powerful flavor punch. The sweet potatoes and parsnips make such a difference, too. My Pickles once asked me what "the white things were" in the soup. I lied and told him that they were potatoes. So he ate them. They were really parsnips. I confessed a few days later when he was harassing me about something. He still eats the soup, parsnips and all. Maybe he doesn't hate vegetables as much as he claims to.

Use your food processor to slice your vegetables and save time. The best thing about this soup is the fact that you can add rice or a short cut of pasta in the soup with 7 minutes of cooking time remaining if you wanted to add a starch for a bit more substance. Saltines are also a great addition. Make a variation where you think you need to. Or leave it as is. Either way, you won't be disappointed with this recipe. And if you have leftovers, this soup freezes well for up to two weeks. Just make sure to let it get to room temp before you pop it in the freezer to prevent bacteria growth.

Best Ever 

Chicken Soup

1 tbsp. canola oil
1/2 large onion, sliced
2 large carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
2 parsnips, sliced
1 medium sweet potato, diced into 1/2-3/4 inch cubes
2 quarts chicken stock
2 cups chicken, cut into bite sized pieces
3 strands of fresh parsley, leaves finely chopped (no stems)
4 strands of fresh dill finely chopped (no stems)
salt and pepper to taste
rice or pasta (optional)

Heat canola oil in stock pot over medium heat. Saute the onions, carrots, celery, sweet potato, and parsnips for 3-4 minutes until lightly sauteed. Add the stock and chicken. Bring to a boil then immediately turn down to simmer. Cook for 30-35 minutes. Add herbs, salt, pepper, and rice/pasta (if desired). Cook for an additional 5-10 minutes.


P.S. Sorry there aren't many photos, Food Friends. My camera battery died. I will be sure to charge it up before I blog again!