Healthier Chicken Soup (Gluten-fee, Dairy-free, Paleo, Gaps Friendly, Kid Friendly)
You guys, I have been wanting to update my chicken soup recipe for some time now.
I wanted to bring this lovely healthy comfort food to a whole new level of healthy by adding in some of my favorite superfoods. I was a little nervous it might change the flavor too much and be a turn off to my kids, but it was a huge hit with them too. In fact, my son told me it was the “best chicken soup he ever had.” I can’t promise I didn’t tear up a bit. It’s not too often this mama get’s much love and appreciation around here.
So what super-foods did I add to this already delectable meal, you might ask? I added a huge bunch of kale, some turmeric root, parsley and lots of garlic!
Myself and every other health conscious person has probably blabbed your ear off already about the anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, gut healing and immune boosting benefits of collagen in bone broth. But if you have been living under a rock or avoiding Whole Foods at all costs, you can check out all the reasons I love bone broth here.
But seriously, if you are struggling with any gut-health issues, I strongly encourage you to see if adding some homemade bone broth to your regular daily routine would be beneficial for you!
Sure, you can make this recipe with store bought bone broth to save time and there are some really good options out there these days. But I’m telling you, friend, you will be missing out on that homemade feel-good comforting flavor if you do. And plus, its super cheap and easy to make! To make the broth, if you want to skip many ingredients to save time, you can do that too and it will still be better than store bought! Just slow cook some organic bones for 12-24 hours with some onion, salt and pepper and a dash of apple cider vinegar (for nutrient extraction) and viola!
Just one more note - I used ghee and coconut oil instead of olive oil due to all I’ve been reading about how extra virgin olive oil is an unstable oil and how heat can destroy the healthy Omega-3 content of it.
Okay, you’ve waited long enough! Thanks for your patience, friends. Here it is!
INGREDIENTS:
Organic + Grass-fed bones **1 whole organic chicken carcass and bones will do but the more bones, the higher gelatin yield. Chicken feet and beef leg bones typically yield the most gelatin
1 lb shredded chicken
1 large yellow onion, diced finely
4 stalks celery, chopped
4 carrots, chopped into small 1/2 inch squares
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp apple cider vinegar - I use Bragg's
1/3 of 32 fl oz container chicken or turkey bone broth - I use Pacifico
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1-2 turmeric roots (peeled and chopped)
1 handful of lachianato kale, de-stemmed and chopped
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup cooked quinoa or rice
1 tablespoon organic grass-fed ghee or butter
1 tablespoon organic coconut oil
INSTRUCTIONS:
Place the carcass (chicken removed) and all the bones into a large crockpot with a lid. Cover with water, add apple cider vinegar and bay leaf and cover. Cook on low for 12-24 hours, adding water if necessary. Water should only slightly cover the top of the contents.
After 12-24 hours, strain and remove bones and carcass for delicious homemade bone broth. Season if preferred.
In a large pot, heat the ghee and coconut oil over medium heat. Add onions for about 4 minutes until they begin to soften, then add garlic, celery, carrots and turmeric root and cook for about 4 minutes or until they begin to soften.
Once veggies began to soften, add the parsley, the chicken broth (plus 1/3 of the store bought container), the chicken and fresh parsley.
Add all the seasonings and cook on low heat for about 30 minutes.
Add the chopped kale in the last 3 minutes of cooking time.
Add a few remaining sprigs of fresh parsley on top and season with salt and pepper to your taste.
Add a tablespoon or 2 of cooked quinoa or rice to a bowl and then pour the soup over top to serve.
Enjoy!
