Matt’s Chicken Soup

STORY

In February of 2008 I almost died. I know, I’m prone to hyperbole, but I was really, really sick with the flu. I lost 15 lbs in two weeks. True, I needed to lose the weight, but losing it to a 104°F temperature probably wasn’t really the best method. The flu was bad, and while I was making plans to leave this earth, my friend Matt, a former chef, showed up with a vat of homemade chicken soup lovingly prepared. He and his wife, Nadia had cut the shapes of hearts and stars into the carrots. That soup was love, man. And it is my duty to honor the memory of that soup by sharing his recipe. I promise, it’ll cure whatever ails you.

This recipe yields a lot of soup. Freeze it. It’ll keep up to three months. I like to have some on hand to share with sick friends during the winter months.

Note: Don’t get nervous about the salt or the fat in this recipe. It’s necessary for medicinal purposes (think about how many chemicals are in ibuprofen and acetaminophen – and you take those!). Don’t cheap the recipe by cutting the salt and don’t strain all of the fat out of it. Sick people need this stuff to get better.

RECIPE

• Prep Time: 5 Minutes
• Active Cook Time: ~2 hours, 15 minutes
• Total Time: ~2 hours, 20 minutes

TOOLS

• chef knife
• stock pot
• wooden spoon
• strainer and tongs
• freezer-safe containers

INGREDIENTS

2 onions, chopped

3 carrots, chopped

2 stalks of celery, chopped

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp of  thyme leaves, chopped

3 tbsp of sweet paprika

5 bay leaves

1 chicken, cut in half

~1 handful of salt

2 tbsp of black pepper

Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

1. Chop 2 onions, 3 carrots, and 2 stalks of celery.
2. Add 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil to large stock pot and bring to a medium/high heat.
3. Add chopped onions, carrots and celery and cook for 5 minutes.
4. Add 2 tbsp of  chopped thyme leaves, and 3 tbsp of sweet paprika to vegetables and cook for an additional 10 minutes until the juices grow dark and syrupy.
5. Add chicken halves to the pot and enough water to cover the chicken.
6. Bring to soup to a boil and once the soup is boiling, reduce to a simmer.
7. Cook soup for 2 hours stirring occasionally, gradually adding adjust salt to taste. Simmer until meat is tender (~2 hours).
8. Remove the bones and skin of the chicken using a strainer or tongs.
9. The soup is finished when the chicken meat shreds.