This no water chicken soup will surprise you. A ton of delightfully water-rich vegetables will produce a ton of broth when simmered with a chicken on top. You'll be amazed to see the magic happen, and be even more so at the flavor. Season each bowl with any or all of the dipping sauce ingredients separately, or make the dipping sauce as shown.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion or 2 small yellow onions, diced
- 1 leek, diced
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 carrot, diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 8 button mushrooms, sliced
- 1 large apple, peeled and diced
- 1 head green cabbage, cored, roughly chopped
- 1 head escarole, roughly chopped
- 1 (4 to 5 pound) raw whole chicken
- cayenne pepper to taste
- 6 thin slices ginger root
Dipping Sauce (optional)
- 1 tablespoon garlic
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon minced green onion
- 1 tablespoon sambal chili sauce
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
DIRECTIONS
- Add olive oil to a heavy duty Dutch oven with a tight fitting lid. Turn heat to medium-high, and add onions, leek, and salt. Give everything a stir, and as soon as the vegetables just start to sizzle, place on the lid and let cook for 10 minutes. Uncover, making sure any condensation on the lid drips into the Dutch oven.
- Add carrot, celery, mushroom, apple, cabbage, and escarole and carefully press everything down with your hand so they fit. Place the lid back on and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove the lid, once again making sure that any condensation drips into the pot. Give everything a stir, and make a space in the center.
- Place in the chicken, and sprinkle the top generously with more salt. Sprinkle over some cayenne to taste, and place sliced ginger on top of chicken.
- Cover the pot, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer gently until chicken is cooked through, about 1 1/2 hours. This step may require less or more time, depending on the size of the chicken. During this time, except to check for doneness, do not remove the lid or stir the soup. An instant read thermometer inserted into thickest parts should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
- Taste the broth for seasoning, and adjust if needed. Carefully use tongs to tear off and shred as much chicken as you want, and transfer into a soup bowl. Ladle in broth and vegetables, and serve with dipping sauce alongside.
- Alternatively, the soup can simply be served with condiments stirred into the bowl to taste.
