Whenever my late friend Maria served me this soup I would feel a gentle wave of peace and calm sweep through my body and soul.
Chunky soups like this one are a great way of getting high-quality protein (here: chicken & bone broth), vegetables (here: carrots, celery, mushrooms, onion), herbs and spices (here: garlic, thyme, cumin, ginger, sage, and parsley), nutritious fats (here: olive oil, butter, chicken fat) and even some legumes (here: peas & lentil spaghetti) into a meal with minimum effort. Combining everything in one pot and letting the ingredients complement each other in a harmonious symphony of flavors, colors, and textures is, to me, the most satisfying and nurturing way to eat. Among the many benefits: there’s only one pot to wash after dinner!
I’ve taken a few small liberties with Maria’s recipe (replacing matzo balls with noodles and adding shiitake mushrooms, ginger, and a splash of Thai fish sauce), but other than that, it’s the real deal. I hope it gives you as much comfort as it does me. Thank you, dear Maria.
Maria's Chicken Soup
Equipment
- 1 Instant Pot You can cook this on the stovetop; it will take about twice as long.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 3 stalks celery finely diced
- 3 medium carrots peeled and finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic finely minced
- ½ to 1 tbsp fresh ginger finely grated
- 5 oz shiitake mushrooms sliced
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp dried thyme or 1 tsp fresh
- ½ tsp dried sage or 1 tsp fresh
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper freshly ground
- 2½ lbs chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on) remove skin before cooking
- 8 cups chicken bone broth or chicken stock; I use Kirkland's chicken bone broth
- 6 oz egg noodles feel free to use vermicelli, spaghetti, or any other kind of pasta you like (I use Barilla's delicious gluten-free chickpea spaghetti)
- 1 cup peas frozen
- ½ cup parsley chopped
- 2 tsp fish sauce my fave is Red Boat
- a squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Melt the butter and warm the olive oil in a large pot with a heavy bottom (or an Instant Pot/pressure cooker) over medium-high heat.
- Add onion, celery, carrots, garlic, mushrooms, cumin, sage, salt and pepper and saute, stirring, for 8-10 minutes.
- Stovetop: Add chicken pieces and bone broth, bring to a boil, and simmer for one hour. Instant Pot/pressure cooker: lock the lid and program to cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 15 minutes; once cooking time is up, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then quick-release the remaining pressure. Once all the steam has been released, unlock and remove the lid.
- Transfer the chicken portions to a plate using a slotted spoon or kitchen tongs and let them cool. If using noodles, add them to the hot soup and cook over medium heat until soft (about 5 minutes).
- While the noodles are cooking, remove the meat from the bones, shred, and return to the pot. Add peas and parsley and bring once more to a short boil.
- Remove from heat and season to taste with salt, a splash of fish sauce (if using), pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice.