Autumn Chicken Soup

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, filled with good food, laughter, family and friends. I was fortunate enough to have the week off, to relax, yoga and spend time with the people I care about. So my Thanksgiving was quite perfect. I even had the opportunity to do a little cooking with my Mom and the recipe I’m sharing today comes straight from her.

My Mom is a really great cook. She doesn’t often follow recipes or worry about measuring her ingredients, instead she does things by eye or by taste. Of the many different foods she has made over the years, her soups are my favorite. This soup, Autumn Chicken Soup, is based on my Great Grandma’s traditional Chicken Soup recipe. It’s been updated a bit with roasted chicken, GF Worcestershire and lots of colorful vegetables, but still has a very classic taste.

I think the true genius of this soup is using a pre-roasted chicken. It adds wonderful depth to the soup’s flavor plus it also speeds up the overall cooking time. The Worcestershire adds a nice kick and the variety of vegetables bring lots of texture and taste to each bit. This soup also serves as the perfect base for a creamy Chicken Pot Pie Soup, which I will share with you on my next blog post… But in the meantime I hope you enjoy this savory delight!

Autumn Chicken Soup
by Laura Friendly’s Mom ;)

Start to Finish: 1 hour and 15 minutes
makes about 12+ cups of soup

• 1 quart (4 cups) gluten-free chicken stock
• 1 quart (4 cups) water
• 1 whole pre-roasted chicken broken into 4 or 5 chunks, with bones and juice
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 2 med onions, sliced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 ½ tbsp gluten & dairy-free chicken bullion
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 1 tsp allspice
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp garlic salt
• ½ tsp roasted garlic, minced (optional)

• 4 to 6 cups vegetables (if using frozen veggies, thaw and drain prior to use)
• 1 to 2 tbsp gluten-free Worcestershire Sauce (optional)

In a 6 quart dutch oven, combine chicken stock, water, roasted chicken, celery, onion, bay leaves, chicken bullion, onion powder, allspice, pepper, garlic salt and roasted garlic. Heat over high heat until liquid starts to boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.

After simmering, remove soup from the stove and strain out the broth into a large bowl, (this is best done in your kitchen sink, making sure to pour away from yourself). Clean out your pot, removing any pieces of bone, and return clear broth to the pot. Add in your vegetables and bring to a low simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes.

While your vegetables are cooking it’s time to work on the chicken. When the chicken is cool enough handle, remove and discard the skin, bones, celery and onion. Shred chicken into bit size pieces and return chicken to the pot. Add in Worcestershire Sauce and stir thoroughly. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste and serve over gluten-free pasta, rice or quinoa.