TuBlanc Chicken Soup

My husband and I have this ongoing game of “chicken” where we see just how long we can go without going to the grocery store and we only go when we literally have nothing to eat. This ridiculously good chicken soup is a product of using the last ingredients in the fridge and my Hail Mary to put the dreaded chore off for a couple more days.

~ Perfect for busy weeks when you need a meal to last several days & leftovers get better each day ~

~ Great as a covered dish for friends who just had a baby or feeling under the weather ~

~ Freezes really well so pack it for lunch or unexpected late nights ~

TuBlanc Chicken Soup

1 whole chicken, pat dry and sprinkle with kosher salt while you prep veggies
Don’t you dare get a cut up chicken or just breast/thighs. You need bones to build a yummy stock.
2 onions, diced
3 carrots, sliced
3 ribs celery, sliced
3 cloves garlic
1/2 bottle Barefoot – Pinot Grigio
2 heaping spoons Better than Bouillon
2 bay leaves
1 tsp Nature’s Seasons seasoning
2 tsp herbes de provence
Orzo pasta
1 tsp turmeric
fresh lemon

1.Drizzle about 2 tablespoon olive oil in pan and then lay chicken backside down in a cold pan. Turn stove to medium-high & let chicken brown, and render fat for 8-10 minutes. Once the skin turns a caramel brown, flip over to breast and let brown for about 5-8 mins. Take out of pot and set aside. It will splatter oil, so have a splatter guard on the pot if you have one.

2.Turn heat down to medium & add onions. Sprinkle with a little kosher salt to sweat. Distribute the onions into a thin layer and let them slightly caramelize, stirring every 5 mins.

Look at those brown bits. That’s where all the good flavor lives.

3. Push onions to the outer rim of the pot and let the pot heat up a little before adding the sliced carrots in the middle of the pot. You want to hear them sizzle. Cook for 5 mins then stir in with onions. Cook for 5-8 mins more or until the carrots start to caramelize.

4. Add celery & garlic. Cook until celery starts to become transparent but still firm.

5. Turn up the heat and deglaze pan with half bottle of wine.

6. Put chicken back in the pot, breast side up, and shimmy it down into the veggies.

7. Add water to cover then add a spoon or two of Better than Bouillion. No, not chicken stock or bouillon cubes. Better. Than. Bouillon. Got it? Good.

8. Add bay leaves, herbes de provence & Nature’s Seasons.

9. Bring to a boil, cover and turn heat down to a simmer for 45 mins.

10. Carefully take whole chicken out of pot and place on a rimmed baking sheet. It’s very tender and will likely fall apart on you.

11. Pour half a bag of orzo pasta into the pot and simmer while you let the chicken cool enough to pick meat off the bones.

12. Throw the chicken meat back to the pot.

13. The orzo should be tender by now so stir in turmeric and the juice of half a lemon (not required but does add brightness)