This soup was named by Molly, who, upon tasting this soup said, “It’s so good, and it’s so sagey, baby.” She was correct. Anyway, it’s cold outside and you need this soup in your life.
Here’s what you need:
4 skin-on chicken breasts
8 chicken drumsticks
1 whole leek
1 bunch of green onions
1 large sweet brown onion (white is fine if that’s all you have)
6 carrots
4 parsnips (only if you’re bored and love parsnips)
4 stalks of celery
1 large handful of parsley
1 large handful of cilantro
1 small palmful of oregano leaves
8 sage leaves
1 bay leaf
1 shitload of garlic
1/2 a lemon, delicately juiced
20+ tiny potatoes
Lots of salt
Lots of pepper
Olive Oil
Apple Cider Vinegar
64-96oz of chicken stock (or double stock or chicken “bone broth” or whatever honestly it’s fine just figure it out)
Also, have a big bowl handy
1 large pot to make soup in. Make sure you have this or else the rest of this is pointless. I used a big Le Creuset 7.5qt Dutch Oven, but you can make it in anything, as long as it’s big
Here’s how to make it:
Wash and trim your vegetables. Listen to me. Do this first. Just take 10 minutes and peel your carrots and parsnips, wash all your herbs, scrub your potatoes, and peel your garlic. Some people like to do this as they go. That is wrong. Don’t do that. Just focus on prep and then the rest is a breeze.
Cut your carrots and parsnips and leek into rounds and your celery into tiny c’s (for celery) and finely dice your sweet onion. Coarsely chop your garlic and herbs. Keep it coarse, baby. This shit is rustic. Don’t be fancy.
Heat up your pot over medium heat and throw in some good olive oil. Lay the chicken breasts in there, skin side down and surround them with the drumsticks. Leave it there for a few minutes until the skin starts to brown. Add salt and pepper to the side that is facing up and then flip. Cover and wait about 5 minutes, so the chicken is just barely cooked through.
Take out the big bowl I told you about and use tongs to remove all the chicken from the pot. Let the browned bits on the bottom of the pot stay there. Set the chicken aside to cool down
With the heat still on, add in the chopped onion, celery, and carrots. Add a little more olive oil and sauté all of this together for 8-10 minutes to get things a little softer.
Add in the parsnips, leeks, and green onion, as well as your entire shitload of garlic. Keep combining for about 5 more minutes AND THEN…
Add the broth or stock or combo or whatever you’re using. The temperature will drop, so now is a good time to bring it up to medium high and let it get back up to boiling.
Now, throw in a bay leaf, chop up 4 sage leaves, half of your oregano, half of your parsley, and half of your cilantro. Stir it all up, add a bit of salt (unless your broth is super salty, in which case, don’t), and let the heat rise.
As you’re waiting for it to boil, go back towards your chicken. Remove the skin and chop up all the meat, coarsely (no fancy shit), into bite-size pieces. Once you’re ready, add the meat back into the pot and one again, bring the soup up to a boil.
Add in about 2 tablespoons (4 splashes?) of Apple Cider Vinegar.
Add in all of your potatoes.
Once the boiling is happening, drop the heat to a simmer. Partially cover it and let this just cook down for an hour or two (taste it occasionally to make sure the salt level is right. Adjust as needed by adding more salt. If it’s too salty, add a little water).
Do the dishes. Clean this place up. By the time the soup is ready, the kitchen should be spotless. All that should be left on the counter is a small cutting board where half your oregano, half your sage, half your parsley, half your cilantro, and half a lemon are waiting.
Now, kill the heat, juice half a lemon into the soup, and then add in the rest of your waiting herbs. Stir it all up and serve it. Give people a side of bread. Something nice like a sourdough or a rye or a nice piece of challah.
Blow on the soup while it’s in your spoon. Some people say this is a display of bad manners, but I think it’s very cool and very legal.
Enjoy the soup, sagey babies