Homemade Chicken Soup

It’s soup season again. Last night I made the most delicious soup from scratch. I used pastured chicken parts that I had saved when I cut up whole chickens for roasting. I usually save the backs, wing tips, and necks to make stock since they don’t have much meat for eating.

Pastured chicken has a lot more flavor on its own than conventional chicken. But there’s always room to add more flavor and health benefits. Here are some of the health benefits of the ingredients in today’s soup:

Coconut: The coconut oil that I used to brown the chicken has antiviral and antibacterial properties.

Turmeric: A natural antiseptic and antibacterial, Turmeric powder is super spice that can cure just about anything – I love it and try to add it in to most of my savory dishes.

Rosemary: High in antioxidants, rosemary is good for the immune system, increasing circulation and improving digestion.

Sage: Also high in antioxidants, sage boosts brain functioning and contains compounds similar to those developed in modern drugs to treat Alzheimer’s disease.

Ingredients – Broth:

• 4-5 leftover raw chicken parts – backs, wing tips, necks, etc. – trimmed from a whole chicken
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp rosemary
• ½ tsp sage
• 2 tsp salt

Brown chicken parts in a heavy cast-iron pot – cover and let simmer until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Add 6-8 cups water and let simmer for another 30 minutes. As you let the base simmer, you can prepare your veggies.

Add these veggies:

• 4-5 garlic cloves, sliced
• 3 carrots, sliced
• 2 parsnips, diced
• 2 leeks, sliced into half moons and rinsed well
• 1 potato, diced

Remove chicken parts from broth and pull whatever meat you can from the bones. Add the meat back into the soup. Cook until veggies are soft, about 20-30 minutes. Serve and enjoy.