What to Cook this Spring: Chicken & Fennel Bone Broth Soup

As far as we’re concerned, Soup Season is a year-round affair. From Vegetable Stews to Noodle Bowls, from Creamy Cauliflower to Chili – it’s safe to say we’re a bit biased towards broth-based dishes. If you’re a fellow soup-enthusiast, you already know that Spring soups are some of the best – made with slightly lighter broths and vibrant green vegetables. This recipe combines the freshest in-season greens (like snow peas, fennel, and spinach) with a full-bodied, comforting base made using an antibiotic-free, organic bone broth. Delicate & bursting with flavor, this is the perfect recipe to celebrate springtime.

Ingredients:

• 4 -5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

• Salt and pepper

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 ½ tablespoons grated ginger

• 1 tablespoon mirin (can be substituted with sherry)

• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce (or tamari)

• 8 ounces soba (we love these gluten-free buckwheat noodles from Eden)

• 8 ounces snow peas, trimmed

• 8 cups Bone Broth (we used Pressery Organic Chicken Herb Bone Broth)

• 1 fennel bulb, diced

• ¼ cup white miso, or more to taste

• 4 cups baby spinach

• 4 – 8 shiitake mushrooms, sliced about an inch thick

• Small package of baby corn

• 2 scallions, thinly sliced

For the Soup Base:

Season chicken thighs generously on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium-high. Add thighs and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, reducing heat to keep meat from browning. Turn thighs and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Add garlic and ginger to pan, and let sizzle. Add mirin, soy sauce, and 8 cups bone broth, then bring mixture to boil. Lower heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Take off heat. Remove thighs from bone broth mixture and chop into 1/2-inch chunks, then return chicken to pot. Taste bone broth mixture and adjust salt if necessary.

For Shiitake Mushroom Topping:

Meanwhile, add a tablespoon of vegetable oil to a separate pan over medium-high heat. Add sliced shiitakes & let them crisp for a few minutes. When the undersides of the mushrooms get dark, flip them over and turn down heat. Cook on low heat for about 20 minutes until they are crispy and tender. Set aside.

In a separate pot, cook buckwheat noodles according to package directions, being careful not to overcook. Drain noodles and refresh with cool water, then set aside at room temperature.

For Steamed Vegetable Topping:

In another separate pot with a steamer basket, bring a few inches of bone broth to boil with the lid on tight. Add snap peas, fennel, and baby corn and steam for 3-5 minutes, being careful not to overcook. Set aside.

Returning to your original bone broth mixture, whisk in miso and add spinach to the pot until wilty (2-3 minutes).

To Serve:

Separate the noodles into portions and ladle large spoonfuls of bone broth mixture over the top. Add steamed vegetables and shiitakes. Garnish with thinly sliced scallions to taste.