Chicken

Chicken Soup Roast Vegetables

by:
September 27, 2011
4
1 Ratings
Chicken Soup Roast Vegetables
  • Serves 4-6
Author Notes

One of the great surprises of my marriage (apart from the amount of sports that one can watch on television) was that there is a right way to make chicken soup. Chicken soup, according to my husband, has to be made with the contents of a cellophane wrapped package of vegetables--an onion, a few carrots, a parsnip, a turnip, an anemic piece of celery or two, a limp handful of dill. (For those of you who don't shop in Long Island grocery stores, I tried to find a little package and take a picture, but there were none to be had this close to the Jewish holidays. Think cellophane package of carrots, only with all the other stuff in it. It's called "soup greens." This is the only place I've seen it.)

My husband's version of chicken soup (and his sister's, his mother's and god knows how many generations before them) tastes really good -- even if the vegetables are of questionable quality--and the chicken broth infused vegetables are also delicious, wonderful, flavorful, a surprise.

So this year I decided to make roast vegetables flavored with chicken soup (instead of the other way around). But here's the great thing: There's not a right way to do this. You want to add garlic? Be my guest. Mushrooms? Fine. Vegetable stock instead? No problem. A little white wine? Sounds amazing.

Have fun, enjoy and happy new year. —drbabs

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1/2 lb Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut lengthwise into 2 inch wedges
  • 1 large onion, cut pole to pole and sliced
  • 2 parsnips, peeled and cut lengthwise into 2 inch pieces
  • 1 lb carrots, peeled and cut lengthwise into 2 inch pieces
  • 1 small head celeriac, peeled and cut lengthwise into 2 inch pieces
  • 1 small rutabaga, peeled and cut lengthwise into 2 inch pieces
  • 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
  • ~1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  • ~½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
  • ¼ cup rich chicken stock or 2 cups of good quality low sodium chicken broth
  • 1-2 TB chopped fresh dill
  • ½ fresh lemon (optional)
  • sprinkling of red pepper flakes or Aleppo pepper (optional)
  • salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Directions
  1. Heat oven to 425. Toss onions and potatoes with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil so that they’re well-coated. Roast in a single layer in a large baking pan for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes and onions are slightly softened and browned.
  2. Add the rest of the vegetables to the baking pan. Toss with another 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, a little more salt, and a few grinds (about ½ teaspoon) of fresh-ground black pepper. Continue roasting for about 20-30 more minutes, stirring occasionally, till all the vegetables are softened.
  3. If you’re using chicken broth, heat 2 cups of broth in a saucepan over high heat till it’s reduced to about ¼ cup. When I make chicken stock, I usually reduce it by at least half and store it concentrated in small containers in the freezer. If you’ve done that, you may not have to reduce it much for this recipe. You want a very concentrated chicken flavor.
  4. When the vegetables have softened and slightly browned, sprinkle chicken stock and about a tablespoon of chopped dill over them, stir, and roast another 5-10 minutes till all liquid has evaporated and vegetables are soft and tender.
  5. Place in a serving bowl and sprinkle with more chopped dill. Add salt and/or pepper as needed. I like a squirt of lemon juice and a pinch of red pepper flakes or Aleppo pepper, but that’s not traditional, so do what you like. Serve hot.
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14 Reviews

healthierkitchen
healthierkitchen September 28, 2011
Love this and your headnote! I think they sell those packages in DC area too - in Giant and the kosher markets. While I don't use those, and don't use exactly the same ingredients, my family's soup is quite similar (and quite delicious:)). And I still tinker with it...
 
Niknud
Niknud September 28, 2011
Hahaha - I've seen those packages! They are so depressing. Not the vegetables themselves but the quality of them. It's like being wrapped in saran wrap just saps their will to live. Love your recipe. Must try it for the husband who has a violent aversion to soup that isn't thickened to the consistency of wet cement!
 
drbabs
drbabs September 28, 2011
I'm sure you can imagine the conversations...Thanks for commenting!
 
Midge
Midge September 28, 2011
What a great idea. Sounds so comforting and delicious.
 
drbabs
drbabs September 28, 2011
Thank you--it reaaly is vegetables that taste like chicken soup.
 
EmilyC
EmilyC September 27, 2011
You're too funny...loved your headnote. And what a smart idea to turn chicken soup on its head...the vegetables are the yummiest part in my opinion! In the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic, I've never seen those cellophane packages you've described! : )
 
EmilyC
EmilyC September 27, 2011
Sorry, forgot to comment on the best part...your tags! : )
 
drbabs
drbabs September 27, 2011
Thanks, Emily. I promise to post a picture as soon as I can find them.
 
boulangere
boulangere September 27, 2011
LOL!
 
boulangere
boulangere September 27, 2011
Wow! Serious "brilliant" candidate. Along your same lines of tradition, my sister dutifully made creamed onions every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas for her husband just because. Until finally she declared that if he was going to be the only one eating them, he could damn well make them himself.
 
drbabs
drbabs September 27, 2011
You're the sweetest. I actually like the chicken soup. It's just that I can think of so many variations....
 
boulangere
boulangere September 27, 2011
Yes, and I love the inversion here.
 
lapadia
lapadia September 27, 2011
Agree, love the chicken soup, but this is a labor of love, drbabs! Do it with turkey and beef too?
 
drbabs
drbabs September 27, 2011
@lapadia, anything you like!