MEDICINAL BROTH & HEALING CHICKEN SOUP RECIPES

Bone broth is prepared in cultures around the world. It is an easily digested medicinal food. The prolonged cooking of the bones in water, with an added acid (vinegar), draws the minerals out of the bone. This process creates a broth that is rich in nutritional constituents. It promotes strength, tones the blood, is nourishing during illness, supports bone health and promotes gut healing. This broth is also a wonderful addition to your program.

If you are making bone broth – you are not making a meat or poultry soup (meaning that, you are not making this broth starting with a meat filled carcass). You are using bones only and making a bone broth – simmering bones for 6-72 hours. You may then use this bone broth as a sipping broth OR as a base for a soup.

If you want to make a chicken soup (recipe on next page), you would not simmer the meat on carcass for 6-48 hours, as you are doing to the bones here. It will dry out the chicken meat.

Choosing bones and flavorful ingredients The bones and cartilage of most meats can be used, including poultry, beef, lamb or fish (not pork). Choose bones from organic meats, and natural, grass-fed beef, with the fat and most of the meat trimmed off.

Chicken carcass is a good choice as it has a high concentration of red marrow. Beef and lamb bones give a nicer broth if they have been roasted in the oven first, until browned (400 degrees F or 200 degrees C for 45-90 minutes). If possible, use kitchen scissors to break the bones into smaller pieces, ideally 2-3 inches long, increasing the surface area of bone exposed to the boiling water therefore increasing the quality and nutrient value of the soup. For larger bones, your supermarket butcher will usually cut them for you.

COOKING AND STORING THE BROTH Heat the stock very slowly, gradually bringing to a boil, then turn heat down and simmer for at least 6 hours, removing the scum as it arises. 6 – 48 hours is an ideal cooking time for chicken bones and 12 – 72 hours for beef. If the bones are cut into smaller pieces first, this will reduce the necessary cooking time. You do not want to rapidly boil these. If more water is needed to keep the bones covered, add only hot water, not cold or lukewarm.

Cooking in a crockpot on low setting is an easy way to cook broth for a prolonged time. Though it is not necessary to remove the surface scum that arises, doing so occasionally during the cooking process will result in a nicer tasting broth.

After simmering the bones for several hours, other vegetables may be added for the last 1-2 hours of cooking. This adds to both the flavor and nutritional value of the broth. When finished cooking, the bones and vegetables can be removed and discarded, and the liquid strained through a colander. For the purpose of this program, you do not need to have a perfectly clear broth. Simply skim the scum that arises, remove the bones and strain the vegetables and remaining bones/ meat pieces.

The broth should be set to cool until the fat hardens on top (do not skim the fat off the top) and refrigerate the broth. It will keep for about 5 days in the refrigerator, or 10 days if it is boiled again in 5 days, and can be kept for months in the freezer. Properly prepared broth will cool to a rubbery, jellylike consistency due to the high gelatin content of the collagen. It can be re-heated and used as a simple nutritious drink.

MEDICINAL BONE BROTH RECIPE

• 1-2 pounds of bones (lamb, chicken, or beef), chopped into large pieces 1 T extra virgin coconut oil
• 2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and halved 3 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 medium white onion, chopped (include the rind)
• 1 medium celeriac root, chopped
• 1 stalk lemon grass, cut in half 2 carrots, roughly chopped 5 whole sprigs of parsley
• 1 tablespoons peppercorns 1-2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS

If using beef or lamb bones, preheat oven to 400° F. Place bones on a foil-lined tray. Roast bones, uncovered, until brown on all sides, turning every 20 minutes. (Approximately 1-2 hours, depending on amount of bones.) If using chicken bones, you do not need to roast these first.

In large stock pot, over medium heat add 1 T add coconut oil, garlic and onions.  Sauté 2-3 minutes, until you smell garlic and onion then: Add bones to stockpot with 1 1/2 quarts of cold water, or enough to cover the bones. Slowly bring to a boil, then turn down and simmer gently

Add peppercorns and 2-3 teaspoons vinegar and lemon grass.

Cook half-covered (this will reduce water evaporation). Simmer chicken broth for 6-48 hours. Simmer beef or lamb broth for 10-72 hours. (12-24 hours is a good average cooking time for medicinal bone broth).  Add more boiling water if necessary when simmering, in order to keep bones covered.

Skim surface every half hour to remove scum and impurities – do not stir!

Add the carrots, celeriac, parsley, tomatoes during the last 2 hours of cooking. Then strain vegetables out and store broth.

CHICKEN SOUP RECIPE BASE

• 1 organic whole chicken (about 4 pounds), cut into pieces (including the back)
• 1 T extra virgin coconut oil
• 3 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• 10 cups of water
• 6 carrots, roughly chopped
• 1 medium celeriac root, chopped
• 1 stalk lemon grass, cut in half 5 sprigs of parsley, finely chopped
• 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
• ¼ -½ tsp ground pepper (to taste) 1-2 T white wine vinegar
• Garnish with green onions, chopped fine (green part only)

INSTRUCTIONS

In large stock pot, heat to medium heat, add 1 T coconut oil and garlic and onions. Sauté 2-3 minutes, until you smell garlic and onion aroma. Add chicken and 1 T sea salt to stockpot with 8 cups of water. Slowly bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes.

Remove chicken breast only, and set aside. Add carrots, celeriac root, lemon grass, parsley pepper, thyme and vinegar. Simmer, partially covered, for 40 minutes

Remove remaining chicken; discard back and wings. Let cool slightly. Remove meat from bones, and cut into bite-size pieces. Remove sprigs of thyme and discard.

Stir in desired amount of chicken; reserve the rest for another use. Skim fat. Season with salt. Garnish with green onions, chopped fine (green parts only)

HOW TO MAKE THREE DISTINCT SOUPS FROM THIS CHICKEN SOUP RECIPE BASE

I feel that if you are going to take the time to make a soup, then why not make a double batch? Taking this one more step, why not make a double batch, divide the final soup into thirds and then add a few ingredients to make three distinct soups?

Once you make these three soups, allow to cool overnight in the refrigerator. Then freeze in single servings 1-2 cup servings, in freezer Ziploc bags. Lay flat in the freezer to freeze (these take up very little space in the freezer). To defrost, simply remove a packet from the freezer and place in a warm water bath in a bowl in the sink. The packet will defrost enough to pour the contents out into a pan or bowl, within 5-10 minutes. Reheat on the stove top or in the microwave.

To make three soups from the original recipe: First, make a double batch recipe from above. Then divide final batch into thirds and add the following ingredients per these instructions:

In one third: Add two 28 oz cans of Muir Glen Fire Roasted Tomatoes. Lightly mash these and bring them up to temperature in a separate saucepan, prior to adding to the soup. With the addition of the tomatoes and liquid from the can, this portion of soup can have a heavier amount of chicken in it.

In another third: add 2 cups cooked brown lentils. You may use canned brown lentils. Simply rinse well and discard liquid prior to adding to the soup during the last 5 minutes simmering time. Or, cook 1 cup of dry brown lentils in 2 cups of water. Bring to a gentle boil, immediately reduce to a simmer and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Test for tenderness. Discard liquid (a light strain is fine) and add to the soup.

In the final third of the soup: add kabocha squash. While the soup is cooking, roast a kabocha squash in the oven, as follows:

• 1 medium kabocha squash
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse the squash under running water and pat dry. Using a very sharp knife, brute force AND an eye on safety, cut off the top and bottom. Once you have done this, it is very easy to cut the squash lengthwise. Slice the squash into thin wedges. Toss with coconut oil, sea salt and pepper. Lay flat on a foil lined cooking sheet and pop it in the oven for 30 minutes. Flip them over at midpoint.

Bring them out of the oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes (to cool so you can handle them). Slice off the rind and chop into 1” cubes and add to final third of soup base.

ADDITIONAL VARIATIONS

Thai Chicken Soup:

To the original chicken soup recipe, add

• 1” knob of fresh ginger root, finely chopped
• 1 T curry
• 1 tsp red chili powder (to taste)
• 1 8oz can coconut milk, (unsweetened; no thickener)
• Garnish with cilantro

Celeriac Chicken Soup with Macadamia Nut Cream Drizzle

Another variation is to increase the celeriac (celery root) in the original chicken soup recipe. Add 3 medium celeriac roots, chopped into 1” cubes + 1 extra cup of water. Then make a macadamia nut cream to drizzle on the top.

8 oz raw macadamia nuts 1/2 cup water 3 tbs lemon juice (about 2/3 of a lemon) 1/4 tsp sea salt

INSTRUCTIONS

Soak the macadamia nuts in filtered water for  30 minutes to one hour. Pour nuts and liquid into food processor or Vitamix and grind down as finely as possible. Add remaining ingredients and blend until creamy.

CHICKEN SOUP RECIPES USING SHREDDED CHICKEN

Most of these soups call for cooked shredded chicken. You can cook up a large batch of shredded chicken and then freeze it in 1.5 – 2 cup serving sizes.

You may also interchange homemade chicken broth or bone broth in these soups (see Broth & Chicken Soup Recipes

 SHREDDED CHICKEN

• 6 -12 organic, free range chicken breast or thigh (use as many as you want)
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 garlic cloves smashed
• 1 medium white onion, chopped coarsely

INSTRUCTIONS

Place the chicken and onions in the crock pot, Mix broth, sea salt, pepper and garlic together and pour over the chicken. Cook on the low setting for 8-10 hours. Remove chicken, shred or pull the meat from bones, removing skin (it should all fall off easily at this point anyway). Discard the mashed garlic and onion.

Use fresh, in a recipe or place meat in individual freezer bags or containers and freeze until needed for recipes. Defrost and add to any recipes that call for cooked shredded chicken.

NO SLOW COOKER?

STOVE TOP:

Place 4-5 chicken breasts or thighs in a large skillet on the stovetop. Add 1 cup of broth, garlic, onion and seasoning from recipe above. Bring to a boil, reduce to medium and let simmer covered for 15-20 minutes (you may need to add more broth).

Then turn to medium low and cook for 40 more minutes, until it can be shredded easily.

OVEN:

• 3 to 4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 T coconut oil
• 2 garlic cloves smashed
• 1 medium white onion, chopped coarsely
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the oven to 325°F. Remove the chicken from its packaging and pat it dry.

In a Dutch oven or heavy pot (with a lid) over medium heat add coconut oil, garlic and onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes (until you smell garlic and onion). Add the smoked paprika and stir. Add the chicken piece by piece, stirring to mix well with the spices. Stir in the salt and a few generous grinds of black pepper.  Turn off the heat.

Cover the pot with a heavy lid and put in the oven. Bake, covered, for 90 minutes, or until the chicken is extremely tender. Remove from the oven and use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken to a large bowl. Use two forks to shred the chicken finely.

THAI COCONUT CHICKEN SOUP

• 2 T extra virgin coconut oil
• 1 cup red bell pepper, chopped
• 4 teaspoons fresh ginger root, minced peeled
• 2 garlic cloves smashed
• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• 1 (3-inch) stalk lemongrass, halved lengthwise
• 1- 2 teaspoons red chili powder (to taste)
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 1/4 cups canned coconut milk (unsweetened, no thickeners)
• 4 teaspoons Thai Kitchen fish sauce
• 1 T raw clover honey
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (about 8 ounces)
• 1/2 cup green onion, strips (green part only)
• 3 T fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 T fresh lime juice

INSTRUCTIONS

In medium sized soup pot, over medium heat, add coconut oil, garlic and onions and sauté for 2-3 minutes, until you smell garlic and onion flavor. Add bell pepper, ginger and lemon grass; cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chili powder and cook 1 minute. Add Chicken Stock, coconut milk, fish sauce, and honey; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low; simmer for 10 minutes. Add chicken and cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Discard lemongrass. Top cilantro, and juice.

Variations:

Add curry powder at the time you add chili powder.  When you serve, pour into a bowl lined with fresh spinach leaves (less than 15) – the hot soup will silt the spinach leaves.

Add celeriac root to the recipe – one medium celeriac root diced. Add to soup with stock. You may need to simmer longer than 10 minutes; until the celeriac if soft and you can pierce it with a fork.

MOROCCAN AND CHICKEN KABOCHA SQUASH SOUP

• 2 T extra virgin coconut oil
• 2 garlic cloves smashed
• 1 medium white onion, chopped coarsely
• 3 (4-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 3 cups (1/2-inch) kabocha squash, peeled cubed
• 1, 6 oz can Muir Glen tomato paste
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 1/2 cup fresh basil coarsely chopped
• 2 teaspoons grated orange rind

INSTRUCTIONS

In medium sized soup pot, over medium heat, add coconut oil, garlic and onions and sauté powder for 2-3 minutes, until you smell garlic and onion flavor. Add chicken; cook for 6-8 minutes, browning on all sides. Add cumin, cinnamon, and pepper to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add kabocha squash and tomato paste; cook 1 minute.

Stir in Chicken Stock, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes. Add zucchini and salt; cook 5 minutes or until squash is tender. Remove pan from heat. Stir in chopped basil and orange rind.

AVGOLEMONO

• 2 T extra virgin coconut oil
• 2 garlic cloves smashed
• 1 medium white onion, chopped coarsely
• 5 cups chicken stock
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons gluten free cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (about 8 ounces)
• 2 T chopped fresh parsley
• 2 T torn fresh basil

INSTRUCTIONS

In medium sized soup pot, over medium heat, add coconut oil, garlic and onions and sauté powder for 2-3 minutes, until you smell garlic and onion flavor. Add Chicken Stock; bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Combine juice, cornstarch, salt, pepper, and egg in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Slowly pour egg into broth mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Add chicken to broth mixture; cook until mixture thickens (about 3 minutes). Top with parsley and basil.

Variations (if adding grain) can add 1/2 cup uncooked long-grain rice. Stir in rice when you add the chicken stock (use 6.5 cups total chicken stock); reduce heat, and simmer 16 minutes. While simmering, combine juice, cornstarch….etc and pick up the recipe from there.

CHICKEN AND FIRE ROASTED TOMATO VEGETABLE SOUP

• 1 1/2 T extra virgin coconut oil
• 2 garlic cloves smashed
• 1 medium white onion, chopped coarsely
• 1/2 cup chopped carrot
• 1 celeriac root, medium, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 thyme sprig
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can Muir Glen Fire Roasted Tomatoes
• 1 cup green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup shredded skinless, boneless chicken breast or thigh
• 2 ounces fresh aged parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup)

INSTRUCTIONS

In medium sized soup pot, over medium heat, add coconut oil, garlic and onions and sauté powder for 2-3 minutes, until you smell garlic and onion flavor.  Add carrot, celeriac, salt, pepper and thyme; sauté 4 minutes. Add broth and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Add green beans; cook 5 minutes. Stir in chicken, and sprinkle with cheese. Discard thyme.

Variations: can add curry, red chili pepper and some canned coconut milk (unsweetened, no thickeners) to convert this into a Thai soup recipe.

CHICKEN LEMON AND GINGER SOUP

• 2 T extra virgin coconut oil
• 2 garlic cloves smashed
• 1 medium white onion, chopped coarsely
• 1 T white miso (optional, this is soy – or replace with soy free miso made from garbanzo beans, like Miso Master Brand)
• 4 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1.5 cups brown button mushrooms, sliced thin
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cooked skinless chicken breast or thigh
• 3 cups bok choy, chopped
• 1 T wheat free tamari (this is soy – or replace with Coconut Secret brand, Coconut Aminos)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 T grated lemon rind
• 2 T fresh lemon juice
• Garnish with flat leaf parsley or cilantro

INSTRUCTIONS

In medium sized soup pot, over medium heat, add coconut oil, garlic and onions and miso and sauté for 2-3 minutes, until you smell garlic and onion flavor.  Add stock, chicken, and bok choy, tamari, salt, and pepper; bring to a boil. Add the mushrooms. Reduce heat, and simmer 8-12 minutes.

Remove from heat; stir in lemon rind and juice

Variations: (if adding grain) can add 1 (8.5-ounce) pouch precooked brown rice. While soup simmers, prepare rice according to package directions and add to soup.