Recipe: ["Shalane's"] Miracle Chicken Soup for Body and Soul

In my house we call this Shalane's Soup because it is adapted from the recipe for Flu-Fighting Chicken and Rice Soup from “Run Fast. Eat Slow,” by marathoner Shalane Flanagan and Elyse Kopecky. (It’s a great cookbook, as is the “sequel, “Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat Slow.”) I have made this soup dozens and dozens of times, and I feel like each time it gets better. It's one of the few true recipes I know by heart.

I love everything about this soup: I love that the chicken cooks right in the broth. I love that you basically just dump everything in. I love how nourishing it is. I love how it makes the house smell ...

The recipe makes a lot, so I usually prepare it for dinner on Saturday. That way, we have leftovers on Sunday, which makes getting ready for the week ahead a little less stressful.

It really is miracle soup--for the body and the soul!)

The recipe is below!

• 6 or 8 big carrots

• 2 celery hearts (Use leaves and all.)

• 2 large yellow onions

• 1 tbsp. crushed garlic (I use the kind in the jar--I know, I know ...)

• 1 tbsp. grated ginger (I grate it fresh.)

• 1 32 oz. container of unsalted chicken stock (I keep another one on hand “just in case” and for the next day, to thin out the leftovers.)

• 4 or 5 chicken thighs (You can use chicken breast, too, or a mix of both.)

• 1 cup long-grain wild rice (This is optional; I don't typically add it in.)

• 5 oz. package English peas (These are tough to find; I’ve used regular frozen peas, too. You can also make this without peas.)

• A couple of handfuls of fresh spinach (I use a whole 5 oz. bag.)

• 1 bunch of fresh parsley (I prefer the curly parsley over the flat--mostly so I don't get it confused with cilantro!)

• ½ lemon

• 1 tsp. or so of browning and seasoning sauce (I use Kitchen Bouquet, which was my mother’s secret ingredient for many things. This is optional, but I find it really makes a difference.)

In a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven (I use my fake Le Creuset), spray liberally with cooking spray, then add a tablespoon or so of olive oil to coat the bottom of the pot.

I cut the carrots into rings and the celery into nice, big (but bite-size) chunks. (Why do I find it so satisfying to cut celery?) Add all of this to the pot on high-ish heat. Cook for about 5 minutes. (You want to try and get them to brown a bit, so the brownish bits are on the bottom of the pot.)

Add the onions and cook for another 5 minutes or so.

Add the garlic and grated ginger. (I add the garlic at this point and not earlier because of Ina Garten’s dire warnings about burning garlic.)

Add a ½ cup or so of stock to the mixture and scrape the brown parts off the bottom of the pot. I do this while the veggies are still in the pot. I’m not sure if this is still considered deglazing, but the process makes the broth really rich and a nice color. (It took me about 10 tries before I figured this out.)

Add the rest of the stock, then add the chicken. Bring to a boil, then cover and turn the heat down so that the mixture is just simmering. Set the timer for 30 minutes, and find something else to do. (Sometimes what I do during this time is make gluten-free cornbread to go with. :)

(Note: If you want rice in the soup, you can add it at this time. It cooks along with the chicken.)

After the 30 minutes are up, take out the chicken (which will be fully cooked at this point) and put it on a cutting board. Shred or cut the chicken up into bite-sized pieces. Add it back to the soup, which should be smelling really, really good!

Add the browning liquid. (Again, this is optional, but I find it really adds color and a little flavor to the soup.)

Add the peas if you are using them.

Cut up the spinach (just a bit--into big pieces). Add it to the soup and stir it in until it is just wilted.

Chop the parsley. Add it to the soup. Stir everything around a bit.

Let the soup simmer for another 5 minutes or so, uncovered, until it thickens up.

Squeeze the lemon half into the soup. (This gives it such a bright flavor and a little tartness!) Give it all a good stir, and soup’s on--literally!

Note: I like my soup more like stew--really thick--but if you like it “soupier,” you can add the stock from that second box/can of stock you got. This soup makes a lot, and it is really good the next day. It gets even thicker the next day, however, so I usually add more broth as I am re-heating it. If I haven't added rice to the soup, I like to serve it over cauliflower rice.