Chipotle chicken soup for the soul, remember those books, minus the chipotle? The ones filled with cheesy stories about miraculous happenings like little Timmy’s dog saving his Aunt Wendy from driving off a cliff. I loved those books when I was younger, they were such a source of hope in this crazy world. When cynicism seizes my heartstrings nowadays, I read FML (they’re much more realistic) and I make actual chicken soup (much healthier). Though I do still like a good sappy story every now and again…I should just follow in my mothers footsteps and watch youtube videos of rescue dogs (Fiona‘s story is my favourite) when I need a good sob fest. Anyways…enough with my non-gourmand coping methods, lets get on to this spicy chipotle chicken soup with crispy pumpkin seeds and aged cheddar. It’s been pouring rain here in the Koots, it’s that time of year where my head is literally in the clouds and all I can do is eat soup and read and try and do yoga with a little baby scurrying all over the place.
Every week I roast a chicken and make stock, since there’s only 2 of us we usually get a good amount of leftover meat to add to make a nice soup with. Homemade chicken stock is dead simple and so good for your health, it’s loaded with natural gelatine and minerals and really does comfort ones soul. You can add all sorts of vegetable scraps, herbs and spices to your stock or you can just cover the bones with water and let it simmer for 12-24hrs. It’s really only as complex as you want it to be. Chicken Soup has been called Jewish penicillin, and for good reason, it keeps your immune system super strong. The money saved by roasting a chicken and making your own stock is paramount, not to mention most commercial chicken broth has added MSG, sadly even the organic ones. Just another reason why making your own stock has endless benefits. Adding other goodness like chiles, garlic and squash makes this chicken soup all the more nourishing and mightily delicious.
- 2L Chicken Stock
- 3 C leftover roast chicken or cooked chicken breast, cut into chunks
- 1 Tbs cooking fat of choice (I used bacon fat)
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 1 delicata squash,seeds removed and cut into small chunks
- 2 tsp adobo sauce (sauce from the canned chipotles)
- 1-2 whole chipotle pepper, finely chopped (depending on how spicy you like it)
- 1 tsp sea salt, to taste
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp worcestire sauce
- 1 Tbs molasses or honey
- ½ C pumpkin seeds
- ½ C aged cheddar, grated
- a handful chopped cilantro (for garnish)
- 1 jalapeño, sliced for garnish
- Heat a skillet or frying pan, add you choice of fat or oil and the onion and garlic, all them to cook until garlic starts to brown.
- Add peppers, squash and carrots and turn heat to high, cook for a few minutes just to give everything a bit of colour. Add to the stock.
- Heat stock with added vegetables, add in the chicken, adobo sauce, chipotle, smoked paprika, worcestire, molasses and salt to taste. Simmer on low for 30 minutes.
- Heat frying pan or on a tray in your oven gently roast the pumpkin seeds, they only take a few minutes to start turning golden.
- Serve bowls of soup with a sprinkle of roasted pumpkin seeds, cilantro, sliced jalapeño and some aged cheddar.
What’s your favourite rainy day pass time?
