Ingredients (9 cups of broth)

• 1 whole organic, pastured chicken (preferably from a local farmer)
• 9-10 cups of filtered water
• 1 yellow onion, sliced into fourths
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, each chopped into halves
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 3-4 crushed bay leaves
• 3-4 cardamom pods, crushed a bit to expose seeds
• unrefined mineral salt (to coat then rinse the chicken before cooking) and to add to broth
• freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

(1) Rinse and salt chicken: First rinse chicken thoroughly under running water, and apply salt generously to skin and rub in. Leave for 10 minutes and then rinse off the salt.

(2) Add to pot with ingredients: I use my stainless steal strainer pot because it it deep, but you can use any pot that would fit the chicken and water without splashing everywhere when it’s boiling. Add filtered water, chicken, onion, garlic, cumin, cinnamon, bay leaves, cardamom, salt and pepper.

(3) Cook the chicken: Bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium and simmer for 45 minutes or so (you may need to cook on low heat for an additional hour or so if the chicken is a pastured one, since the meat tends to be naturally tougher)

*This is where the broth is complete and ready to make into soup. I eat the chicken on the same day but I like to broil it for a bit to get crisp.* Broil: Turn oven on broil to 375F. In a pyrex pan, add cooked chicken and add a tablespoon of grass-fed ghee to rub and cover the top of the chicken. Add any spices you have on hand (I like fresh thyme, rosemary and savory with black pepper). Broil for 10 minutes or until skin has turned a golden brown.

Ingredients (6-7 cups)

• 2 cups cooked organic chicken, diced (I used chicken breast from the whole chicken I had cooked the day before)
• 3 cups of homemade chicken broth (I’d advise making your own a la the recipe here – much more fresh than any store-bought kinds, even if organic)
• 1 tablespoon pastured butter or grass-fed ghee
• 1 cup organic baby carrots, chopped
• 1/2 cup organic celery, diced
• 1/4 cup organic green onion, chopped (you can also just use yellow or red onions instead if that’s what you have on hand)
• 1 cup organic sprouted orzo (with no additives of any kind) – for a gluten-free option, use quinoa or brown-rice orzo
• 1/2 teaspoon organic fresh oregano, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon organic fresh basil, chopped
• 1/8 teaspoon organic fresh sage, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh savory, finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon unrefined mineral salt (or to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 and 1/2 cups organic whole milk (preferably non-homogenized and raw)
• 2 tablespoons sprouted organic flour (use brown rice flour for a gluten-free option)
• fresh lime juice, to taste (after cooking)

Instructions

(1) Chop veggies: Chop carrots, celery and onions and add to a large pot with 1 tablespoon of melted pastured butter or grass-fed ghee. Saute over medium high heat for 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly.

(2) Add orzo, broth, and spices: Stir in a cup of orzo, 3 or so cups of organic chicken broth (hopefully made from scratch at home), and the spices mentioned above (oregano, basil, sage, savory, salt, pepper). Bring to a boil then reduce to medium-low and cook for 5 minutes.

(3) Now for the creaminess: In a blender (I used my dinky bullet blender), combine 1 and 1/2 cups organic whole milk with 2 tablespoons of sprouted flour and blend for 10 seconds to mix evenly. Pour into soup slowly, stirring constantly until mixture starts to boil and get thicker – usually about 2-3 minutes.

(4) Dice chicken and add to soup: You should use cooked chicken, so you can easily use some leftover from the day before (as I did). Cook for a couple of minutes until chicken is hot. If you find that the soup has become too thick, add more broth (from the stock you have left) until you reach a desired consistency.

(5) Enjoy a bowl (or two): Add a few drops of fresh lime juice and enjoy! (I usually end up adding a bit more salt too ’cause it’s tastier that way!)