Classic Chicken Soup (grain-free : gluten-free : nutrient-dense)

Soup is one of my favorite things about the cool months. I love how simple and nourishing soup can be, and how it can be a complete meal in one pot.  It seems like every year, there is one soup I keep coming back to again and again. This year it's Classic Chicken Soup.

Moist, tender chicken with lots of veggies and just enough salty broth - this is my favorite soup this year. My husband and daughter eat this soup just as it is, while my son and I often like to eat it with a scoop of nutrient-dense white rice added in. Either way, this Classic Chicken Soup is super simple and super yummy.

Classic Chicken Soup

• 2 Tb butter, preferably the nutrient-dense yellow kind
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 5 stalks celery, chopped
• 6 large carrots, chopped
• 4 cups chicken bone broth, preferably homemade
• 6 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
• 1/2 pound brown mushrooms, sliced
• 1&1/2 Tb celtic sea salt (or less if your broth is salted) and 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• Optional: nutrient-dense white rice

1. Chop the onion and celery. I always use my favorite Wusthof knife for chopping soup veggies.
2. In a 4-quart, heavy-bottomed pot, melt the butter. Add the onions and celery, and a little sprinkle of salt. Saute for 8-10 minutes over medium high heat, stirring occasionally. A bamboo spatula works great for this step.
3. Meanwhile, peel and chop the carrots. (I love my Rada vegetable peeler!)
4. Add the carrots, chicken thighs, and broth to the pot.  Season with salt and pepper. I use about 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper and 1&1/2 Tb of salt (but use less salt if your broth is salted; my homemade broth is unsalted). Nestle the chicken thighs down into the broth and bring to a low boil.
5. Skim off and discard any foam that rises to the top of the broth.  Then reduce the heat to maintain a low simmer.
6. Simmer for 35 minutes, until the chicken thighs are cooked through.
7. In the meantime, slice the mushrooms. Cook the (optional) nutrient-dense white rice in a separate pot.
8. Remove the chicken thighs from the pot and place in a large bowl to cool.
9. Add the mushrooms to the soup pot. Taste the broth and adjust the salt/pepper as desired.
10. Once the chicken has cooled long enough to handle easily, remove and discard most of the chicken skin. If you like boiled chicken skin, leave the skin on by all means. But I prefer to get rid of most of the skin at this point. (The dog is happy with my decision since it means he gets to eat chicken skin with his dinner.)
11. Use a fork or your hands to remove the chicken from the bones.  (I save and freeze the chicken thigh bones until I have accumulated enough of them to make a pot of homemade chicken bone broth.)  Chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
12. Add the chicken back to the pot and cook just long enough to warm it through.
13. Serve and enjoy! If desired, add a generous scoop of nutrient-dense white rice to each bowl.

What is your current favorite soup? Does your favorite soup change from year-to-year, like mine, or is it always the same?

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