Cook it Fresh

For some time now, I have been searching for a chicken soup recipe that was is little different from the typical chicken noodle. Chicken noodle is probably my favorite variety of soup and a wonderful comfort food, but I wanted to find a chicken soup with new, fresh flavors. I also wanted something that used the bounty of freshly dug potatoes from my Dad’s garden. My answer came, as it so often does, from one of the many lovely aunts I have been blessed with (you know who you are, hello if any of you are reading this!). In this case, my Aunt Bonnie sent me several delectable soup recipes and among them was a recipe for Columbian Chicken Stew. This is just the recipe I have been looking for with its thick, hearty broth and the crisp addition of fresh corn and cilantro. If you are looking for a healthy, filling Fall soup but want something out of the ordinary, this soup is perfect.

Columbian Chicken Stew

I modified this recipe slightly from the original recipe my Aunt sent me. In the original version, you brown the chicken pieces in butter and then simmer it in chicken broth until the meat is cooked before shredding it and returning the meat to the soup. I decided to make my recipe for homemade chicken broth and use the resulting broth and meat from that in this soup recipe. However, if you don’t have the time for that, I think it would be almost as good with a box of chicken broth and the meat from a rotisserie chicken. Also, the original recipe suggested garnishing the soup with chopped cilantro and avocado, but I elected to just stir some chopped cilantro into the pot of soup right before serving.

Serves 6
Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons oregano
salt and pepper
3 medium baking potatoes, peeled and shredded
6 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
meat from 1 whole cooked chicken (about 3 cups), shredded or cut into chunks
4 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
Kernels from 2 ears of corn
1/2 bunch of cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

1. Heat butter over medium high heat in a dutch oven or large pot. Add the onion, oregano and 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Saute until the onions are golden.

2. Add the shredded potatoes, chicken broth, water and chicken. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 25 minutes.

3. Add the cubed potatoes, cover and cook about 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are almost tender. Add the corn, cover and cook for an additional 5 minutes, or until potatoes are done. Taste and season with more salt and pepper as needed.  Stir in the cilantro and serve immediately.

We enjoyed this soup with some crunchy apples slices and freshly baked biscuits on what happened to be the first cool, blustery day of Autumn. A delicious start to the season!