Every home cook deserves a delicious, homemade chicken and vegetable soup for those days when a little extra warmth is necessary. I served this soup throughout the winter for its immune supporting abilities that are achieved through the use of homemade bone broth. Bone broth contains dissolved amino acids and minerals that are capable of accomplishing quite a bit in the digestive system, thus the immune system, although I’ll save that information for another post. For now, you’ll just have to believe me when I say that drinking chicken broth during periods of illness is a real thing with real benefits. It’s also an excellent way to support the growth of strong, yet flexible bones. I explained why that’s important in this earlier post.
What sets this soup aside from other chicken and vegetable soup recipes is the addition of dill. If you’re a dill lover like myself than you’re always looking for opportunities to add this wonderful flavor to most any dish. The recipe originated as a way to use some extra dill before it landed in the compost pile, but it’s a recipe that has stuck and is worthy of sharing with you all. Chicken and vegetable soup with fresh dill is warming enough to serve on any frigid day, but refreshing enough to serve in the early spring season as we make the transition to warmer days.
Please note that this recipe for chicken and vegetable soup yields an enormous quantity of soup. This is only possible if you own an enormous pot. I have a Fissler 10qt stock pot that I absolutely love. I don’t skimp on kitchen equipment since these are tools and gadgets that I really put through the ringer. Fissler stainless steel pots and pans are excellent quality and come with a 50 year warranty. Yes, 50 years! I have a full Fissler set that cost quite a bit of money as you can guess, but I researched brands for months before committing to this brand. Some of the more popular brands such as All Clad and Calphalon have high end and low end products, but all are offered at relatively high prices. I found that it was challenging to know what I was actually getting for my money with these brands. Fissler, on the other hand, appeared to produce high quality products across the board at a lower price than its competitors. I couldn’t be happier with my purchase. Keep in mind that this rather large investment will last a lifetime. (And who doesn’t love a sturdy German product?) You won’t see me buying another set of pots and pan, ever.
If you don’t have a large enough pot you can always half the recipe, but I’m telling you, investing in a large stock pot needs to be on your to do list. If you go too large, you’ll have a pot that’s a pain in the butt to wash and store, which is also why I love this 10qt Fissler pot. It’s small enough to fit into the cabinet with the other pots and pans, and into the dishwasher (MAJOR bonus!), but it’s large enough to accommodate large quantities of food such as this chicken and vegetable soup with fresh dill.
You can always freeze portions of the soup if it doesn’t look like your family will eat it in time, but this isn’t often an issue with the vultures in my house. Sometimes I think I’m raising human vacuums, but that complaint is for another post. Be sure to let me know if you love this soup as much as my family does!
- 1 whole chicken
- 16 cups homemade chicken stock, divided
- 2 onions, diced
- 8 carrots, chopped
- 1 bunch celery, chopped
- 2 red peppers, diced
- 1 bulb fennel, diced (optional)
- 1 garlic bulb, peeled and minced
- 2 tablespoons dried tarragon
- 1 bunch fresh dill, minced
- 1 bunch fresh parsley, minced
- salt, to taste
- Place the whole chicken onto the steam rack in an electric pressure cooker along with 1 cup of chicken stock. Cook the chicken on high pressure for 35 minutes. Release the steam when done and remove the chicken to allow it to cool. Prepare the soup while the chicken cooks.
- Saute the onions, carrots, and celery for about 5 minutes or till they just begin to change color.
- Add in the garlic, red pepper, and tarragon and saute for about 10 minutes more or till the onions are translucent and the vegetables are beginning to soften.
- Pour in the chicken stock and bring the soup to a simmer.
- When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bone and dice the meat into bite sized pieces. Pour any liquid that remains in the pressure cooker insert into the soup. Place the chicken into the soup as well, along with the salt, and bring the soup back to a simmer.
- Add the dill and parsley, and remove the soup from heat. The fresh herbs will initially form a thick layer at the top of the soup, but they'll become more incorporated in time. Just stir the soup before serving into individual bowls till this happens.
- Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to one week. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
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