Culinary Guides

There is a reason people reach for chicken soup when the weather turns. This one skips the whole bird and uses chicken breast, so it comes together in well under an hour but still tastes like it simmered all afternoon. A good base of onions, leeks, and carrots does most of the work. Serve it with crusty sourdough for dunking.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons cooking fat (butter, ghee, bacon fat, or oil)
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 large leek, finely chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 2 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
• Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• Hefty pinch of salt and pepper
• 2 medium-sized carrots, chopped
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped
• 2 medium-small potatoes, cut in half or quartered
• 4 cups chicken broth or water
• 1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast

Directions

1. Heat the cooking fat in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and leek and cook until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in the garlic, thyme, red pepper flakes, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Cook about 2 minutes, until fragrant.
3. Add the carrots, celery, and potatoes. Stir to coat and cook about 5 minutes.
4. Pour in the chicken broth or water and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce to a simmer, add the chicken breast so it is fully submerged, cover, and cook gently about 10 minutes, until cooked through.
6. Remove the chicken, let it cool slightly, then chop or shred into bite-sized pieces and return it to the pot.
7. Taste and adjust the salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Keep warm until ready to serve with crusty bread.

Grower's tip: Carrots for soup only get sweeter in cold weather. If you grow your own, leave the roots in the ground through the first light frosts and pull them as you need them; the cold turns their starch to sugar and gives the broth a deeper sweetness.

This soup keeps for three days in the fridge and freezes well, and the flavor only deepens overnight.

Almost everything in the pot is easy to grow. Start a row of onions, carrots, and celery, and keep a pot of thyme by the kitchen door for soups all winter.