People who are recipients of meal trains can often use a good chicken soup. Nothing against canned or boxed chicken broth—they’ve been lifesavers for all of us at times—but soup made from simmering a chicken in a large pot of water is another thing entirely, and people can really taste the difference. I love adding lots of ginger for both its medicinal properties and fragrance. You can add whatever vegetables you have on hand to this—turnips from your CSA, spinach that’s beginning to wilt, fennel that you don’t know what to do with, etc. Bonus: This recipe will yield extra for yourself.
8-10 servings
- Place the chicken in a large pot and cover with about 6 inches of cold water. Heat on medium-high to slowly bring to a boil. Let boil for 10 minutes, skimming the scum that rises to the surface and discarding it.
- Meanwhile, slice the ginger into thin rounds. Trim the skin and ends from the onion, leek or scallions and coarsely chop. Trim most of the skin from the head of garlic and slice it in half to expose the cloves. Once the water with the chicken has been skimmed, add the aromatics to the pot. Reduce heat to a low simmer and let simmer for 2 hours, partially covered.
- Carefully remove the chicken from the soup and reserve. Strain the soup from the aromatics and transfer it to a clean pot. Add the chopped carrots, celery or fennel and spinach. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, add some shredded chicken meat to the pot. Cover and let cook on a low simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Cathy Erway
Cathy Erway is the author of the cookbooks The Food of Taiwan and Sheet Pan Chicken, and the memoir The Art of Eating In. She co-wrote Win Son Presents: A Taiwanese American Cookbook. She hosts the podcast Self Evident, exploring Asian American stories. She has won a James Beard Award and IACP award for her writing at TASTE.