Try this Chicken and Vegetable Soup recipe
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 carrots
- water
- 2 cups frozen corn
- 1 quart chicken stock
- 1 whole chicken or 4 cups shredded chicken or 1 1/2 lbs. c
- 2 celery sticks
- 2 thyme stalks
- 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
- 1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes (try to use the unsalted ve
- 3 cups frozen okra
- 3 cups frozen butterbeans
- 1 cup fresh sliced carrots
- Carbohydrate 22.6200999908364 g
- Cholesterol 7.19999999087021 mg
- Fat 3.35004999636499 g
- Fiber 2.79599999754561 g
- Protein 8.39287499251696 g
- Saturated Fat 0.863227499030214 g
- Serving Size 1 1 -10 serving (379g)
- Sodium 374.623571180073 mg
- Sugar 19.8240999932908 g
- Trans Fat 0.2839499997491 g
- Calories 148 calories
Step-by-step
- Place whole chicken in large stockpot and cover with water.
- Pour in chicken stock.
- Add 2 carrots, 2 celery stalks and thyme, a little salt and pepper, and bring to a boil.
- Cook at a hard simmer for about an hour, until chicken is done and tender.
- Remove chicken from pot and discard the carrots, celery, and thyme stalks.
- While chicken is cooling, add all of the vegetables to the pot along with salt and pepper.
- Shred chicken and add to the pot.
- Bring to a boil, then turn down to hard simmer for an hour, stirring frequently.
- Season to taste.
Ingredient lists rarely account for thermal mass when scaling up root vegetables and legumes in a shared pot. Simmering whole poultry alongside frozen corn, okra, and butterbeans requires careful temperature regulation so that the starches do not scorch along the base of a heavy-bottomed stockpot before the collagen fully breaks down.
Accompaniments and Structure
Pairing a dense, tomato-forward broth loaded with dense butterbeans and okra calls for contrasting textures and sharp acidity. Crusty sourdough bread rubbed with raw garlic provides a structural counterweight to the soft vegetables. Alternatively, a crisp shaved cabbage slaw dressed simply with lemon juice and olive oil cuts through the richness of the poultry fat. Because the soup already incorporates significant starch from the corn and beans, avoid heavy grain sides and instead focus on fermented elements like dill pickles or pickled radishes to brighten each spoonful.
Sequencing and Kitchen Flow
Managing the workflow efficiently involves utilizing the initial simmering phase to prep the secondary vegetables rather than waiting for the chicken to cool entirely. Strain the initial stock through a fine-mesh sieve if a completely clear broth is desired, though leaving the rendered fats intact provides a better mouthfeel for starchy additions like butterbeans. Store leftovers in airtight glass containers for up to four days at or below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, noting that the starches will continue to absorb liquid as the mixture rests.
