Tuscan Chicken Soup

There is no better time than right now to make a chicken soup. Whether you are trying to stay warm during the winter months or warding off a cold, chicken soup is always the answer.

For this super easy recipe I used a store bought rotisserie chicken but you could use the carcass of an already cooked bird.

Here is what I used:

1 store bought rotisserie chicken with most of the meat cleaned off the bones

2 cups of meat from the bones

3 large carrots, peeled and chopped

3 large celery stalks, chopped

1 onion chopped

2 cans of cannellini beans, drained and washed

4 cups of roughly torn kale

Lots of water

Salt and pepper to taste

Here is what I did:

1. I allowed my rotisserie chicken to cool and then stripped most of the meat off the bones. I used some of the meat for meals throughout the week but also made sure to save about 2 cups of it to put back inside the soup. I put the somewhat naked carcass in a stock pot, filled it with water, and bring it to a boil. This isn't something I usually measure, I just make sure the bones are covered. The amount also depends on how long you plan to simmer the bones....the longer the better and the longer you simmer the more water you will need.

2. While the water was boiling I chopped the veggies and drained the beans. Once the water came to a boil, I added the onions, celery, and carrots and allowed to simmer for at least 3.5 hours. As I mentioned though, the longer the better because you will get more of the healing goodness out of the bones.

3. After 3.5 hours I removed the carcass (I am always extra careful that no tiny sharp bones fell off during the simmering process) and allowed it to cool. When it was cool enough I stripped off any remaining meat and added it back into the broth. I then added the kale, beans, salt, and pepper.

This makes enough to last me a whole week!

If you make it be sure to post pictures and tag me in your social media @meredithevangelisti