Author Notes
This is one of the soups that my mom made regularly when I was growing up. When I asked her for the recipe, she basically told me that there isn't one. The key parts of the soup, though, are the homemade broth and the combination of vegetables used: it's always onion, carrot, celery, tomato, potato, corn, and butter beans. —pantryhero
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Ingredients
- For the broth:
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1
whole chicken
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14 cups
water
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1
medium onion, root end left intact, peeled and quartered
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5
large cloves garlic, peeled and smashed with the flat side of a knife
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2
medium carrots, halved once lengthwise and once crosswise
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3
celery stalks, cut into about 4" lengths
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2
bay leaves
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1 1/2 tablespoons
kosher salt
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1 tablespoon
whole peppercorns, lightly crushed
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1/2 teaspoon
whole allspice, lightly crushed
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a few sprigs
fresh herbs, whatever you have on hand. I used rosemary, thyme, and sage.
- For the soup:
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2 tablespoons
olive oil
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2 cups
chopped yellow or white onion
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2 tablespoons
minced garlic
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3
celery stalks, trimmed and cut into about 1/4" sliced
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4
medium carrots, peeled and cut diagonally into about 1/4" slices
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2
bay leaves
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1/4 teaspoon
dried oregano
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14 ounces
whole tomatoes in juice
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8 cups
homemade broth
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16 ounces
frozen butter beans (lima beans)
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3
medium Yukon Gold or other boiling potato, peeled and chopped into 1/2" pieces
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15 ounces
whole kernel corn
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12 ounces
shredded or diced chicken from the meat you reserved (about 4 cups)
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1/2 teaspoon
kosher salt
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freshly ground pepper
Directions
- For the broth:
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Rinse the chicken and remove the innards.
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Put everything in a large stockpot. I like to use a tea infuser ball instead of cheesecloth for the peppercorns and allspice. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to a bare simmer. Cook for about 2 hours, flipping the chicken once if it won't stay fully submerged.
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Remove the chicken from the pot, but keep the stock at a simmer. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, pick the meat off of it, but do not discard the skin and bones. Refrigerate or freeze the meat; you will use some of it in the soup.
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Put the chicken skin and bones back into the stockpot, partially cover the pot, and continue to simmer for another 3 hours or so. Strain the stock into a bowl or container, let it cool some, and then refrigerate it. The fat on top of the stock will congeal; remove as much or as little of it as you want. I ended up with about 8 cups of stock.
- For the soup:
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In a large stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, celery, carrots, 1/4 tsp. of the kosher salt, and a few grinds of fresh pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, under the onions are soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.
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Add the oregano, tomatoes, and the remaining 1/4 tsp. kosher salt. Break the tomatoes up with the back of a wooden spoon, then add the bay leaves and stock. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes.
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Add the butter beans and simmer for 10 more minutes.
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Add the potatoes and simmer for 10 more minutes,
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Add the chicken and corn, and simmer until heated through, about 5 more minutes.
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Remove the bay leaves and adjust seasoning to taste before serving.
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