My Best Chicken Soup - Inspired By My Daughter's Distaste for Carrots

I just made my best soup ever. It’s chicken soup, but I added an extra step and an extra ingredient that took it to new levels of comfort and deliciousness.

Here’s the back story…

I love making super easy chicken soup, as illustrated here in a previous post. Everyone likes it, including my young daughter, but she’s not a fan of carrots. Weird, I know. She loves broccoli and brussels sprouts. But carrots? Meh… she’s not a fan.

I decided to try a trick this time. I blended the soup, which had lots of carrots. And, for extra wonderful-ness, I added a bit of heavy cream.

She loved it. Yay, cuz trying to get her to embrace carrots for their night-vision superpower wasn’t working.

We all loved it. It’s become the new chicken soup staple around this house.

So, here’s the recipe… make it and enjoy.

Recipe: My Best Chicken Soup

2 to 3 cups filtered water
splash apple cider vinegar or superfood cider vinegar
1 small bunch carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
1 orange bell pepper, chopped
1 pasture-raised chicken seasoned with sea salt and pepper
1 sprig rosemary and a handful of thyme
zest from 1/2 an organic orange
1/2 cup grass-fed organic whipping cream (or half-n-half)
1 cup frozen peas

Directions:

Put the water, apple cider vinegar, onion, carrots, and celery in the slow cooker.

Veggie stars and this is the vinegar I used. — Veggie stars … and this is the vinegar I used. Superfood Cider Vinegar.

Chop up the veggies and throw ’em in. I’m using a 7 quart here, but you can use a 6 quart if that’s what you have. I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but size doesn’t matter.

You’re going to blend it up later anyway.

Get the chicken out, clean out the giblets and other prizes inside (I throw most of it away). I put the neck in the slow cooker (don’t forget to take it out when it’s done cooking and throw it away).

Saving the liver to fry up and choke down later. I love/hate myself. — Saving the liver to fry up and choke down later.

I save the liver because I love/hate myself.

Stuff the chicken with the herbs.

Stuffing the chicken with rosemary and thyme. — Rosemary and thyme are good for the immune system.

Season the chicken with sea salt and black pepper. Put it in the slow cooker.

Add the orange zest on top.

That's the neck I'm pointing to and the orange zest. — That’s the neck I’m pointing to and the orange zest.

Cook on LOW for about 8 hours if you have the time, otherwise you can probably do it in 6 to 7 hours.

8 hours later… first things first. Take out the neck.

Get your three dishes out like I showed you in the my other chicken soup recipe (one for chicken, one for bones, and one for meat). Take the chicken out of the slow cooker to get the meat off the bone. Remember… it’s hot! Just let it cool while you work on the next step.

Put the liquid and vegetables in a blender (might do this in batches and be careful blending hot stuff!). Blend it up.

Add a 1/2 cup of grass-fed heavy cream (or whipping cream) or half-n-half.

Yummy grass-fed whipping cream. Once in a while we love us some whipping cream.

Add the pureed soup back to the slow cooker, with it still on LOW.

Add a 1 cup of frozen organic peas to the slow cooker so they warm up.

Stir it up.

Put the shredded or chopped chicken back in the slow cooker. Taste and season with salt and pepper, as needed. Let it all get happy for a bit… maybe 20 minutes or so.

Serve!

My Best Chicken Soup – Inspired By My Daughter’s Distaste for Carrots

Recipe: My Best Chicken Soup

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