Chicken Soup with Meatballs and Farro

I have never made homemade chicken soup in my life. But today, I woke up with a cold and figured I'd give it a try. I wanted a really hearty and filling soup that would provide multiple meals. My mom and grandma have always made chicken soup with tiny meatballs, and since meatballs really improve everything, I knew I needed to add some. So I called my mom for some chicken soup advice and she recommended I find a stewing chicken instead of a roasting chicken. Apparently stewing chickens are smaller and have more fat, which makes for a more flavorful soup. She also recommended I puree the aromatic veggies to give it a nice yellow color.

It's traditional to add noodles or pasta to chicken soup, but I find that pasta in soup just doesn't last well. It starts to get really soggy and disintegrate after the first day, and since I knew this soup would make ample leftovers, I wanted something a little tougher. I used farro because it stands up well in soup and is packed with filling fiber. I also added kale to squeeze in some leafy greens.

So how did it turn out? I now know why people go to the trouble of making homemade chicken soup instead of just buying it. It was so good, and warming and comforting. The perfect thing for a cold, rainy day. The hot soup with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes helped to clear up my congestion right away.

Read more for the full recipe!

Chicken Soup Tips:
1. Always add COLD water
2. Do not boil the chicken, this will result in tough meat, instead simmer on low heat
3. Find a stewing chicken, not a roasting chicken
4. Pureed veggies thicken the soup and add complexity to the broth
5. Skim fat globules off the top or sift through a cheesecloth as the soup cooks
6. Cool soup completely before refrigerating or freezing
7. Use fresh herbs, if possible to add flavor

Ingredients:
4 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 medium  yellow onions, chopped into chunks
2 medium leeks, greens discarded, chopped into chunks
4 ribs of celery, washed and cut into chunks
4 whole carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 4-5lb stewing chicken, innards removed and rinsed
3 sprigs of rosemary, rinsed
4 sprigs of thyme, rinsed
12 cups of cold water
1.5 cups of dry farro
4 cup green kale, washed, stems removed and chopped into 1" ribbons
1 tsp red pepper flakes
12 mini meatballs (golf ball sized)


Step by Step Instructions:
1. Add garlic, onions, leeks, celery and carrot to a large pot
2. Nestle the whole chicken in and arrange the veggies around it
3. Pour 12 cups of cold water on the chicken and veggies
4. Add whole sprigs of rosemary and thyme
5. Cover and bring to a boil
6. Immediately reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for 90 minutes (chicken should be falling apart)
7. Remove chicken carcass (and pieces) from the pot and put in a colander
8. Remove sprigs from broth (leaves will have fallen off)
9. Using a slotted spoon, remove the veggies and set aside to cool
10. Carefully pull chicken meat off the carcass, break into smaller pieces if necessary and add to the pot
11. Discard chicken bones
12. In a food processor, puree veggies and return to the pot
13. Add farro, cover and bring to a boil
14. Reduce heat to med-low and simmer 30 minutes, until farro is cooked
15. Add meatballs, kale and red pepper
16. Simmer another 10 minutes
17. Serve!


What are your chicken soup tips? Any family secrets or interesting variations? Tell me in the comments!!!