I love soups and stews.  With this recipe the butternut squash melts  into the stock yielding a delectable thick stock.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 large chicken breast, bone-in, skin on (approx. 2 lbs.)
• 3 peppercorns
• Few sprigs of fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, oregano) ¹
• Any combination of the following depending on what you have on hand: ends of carrots or other root vegetables, outer layer of onions, celery stalk, broccoli stalk ²
• 1 bunch kale, washed, stems removed, and torn in pieces
• 1 butternut squash (approx. 2 ½ lbs.), peeled, de-seeded, and cut in 1-inch chunks
• 1 medium onion (approx. ½ to ¾ lb.), chopped in large chunks
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2-3 fresh tomatoes (approx. ¾ lb.), peeled and chopped
• 1 cinnamon stick
• ½ c fresh pressed carrot apple juice (1 medium apple and 1 medium carrot yielded ½ c for me) or ½ c fresh squeezed orange juice
• ½ t dried sage
• ½ – 1 t sea salt
• Coconut oil (opt.)
• Parsley for garnish (opt.)

Directions:

Place chicken breast peppercorns, fresh herbs, carrot ends and onion in a stock pot or Dutch oven.  Add enough water to cover chicken.  Simmer on medium low heat for approximately 30 minutes, until you can easily pull the chicken off the bone.

With a slotted spoon remove chicken, herb sprigs, vegetables used to flavor stock and peppercorns.  Ladle out all but 1 cup stock into a jar for later juice.

Add the kale to the stock pot with the 1 cup of stock.  Heat to boiling on medium heat, then turn down and simmer until almost desired doneness.  I like my kale super soft, so I let simmer about 20 minutes depending on the freshness of the kale.

While the kale is cooking, pull chicken and skin off the bone and cut in bite size chunks. ³

When kale is almost done, add the squash, onion, garlic, tomato, cinnamon stick, juice, sage, and salt.  Continue simmering for 20 – 30 minutes, over low heat, or until vegetables reach desired doneness.

Taste during this time and add more salt as needed.  As well, add more of the extra stock if desired, all depending on your taste.

When all the vegetables are cooked, remove cinnamon stick.  Serve warm.  Add a little coconut oil for flavor and satiation, and chopped parsley as desired.

¹ If you do not want the fresh herbs to meld into the soup itself, tie together or use a spice bag so that you can pull them out.

² Whenever I prep food, instead of discarding the last little pieces of carrots or other root vegetables, broccoli stalks or the outer layer of the onion that is difficult to chew, I put them in a bag in the freezer for when I make meat stock.  They add both flavor and nutrients.

³ What to do with the skin…  Do NOT discard; it is nutrient dense.  If it does not appeal to you to put it back in the soup with the chicken, there are two other options.  1. Fry it in a little fat and enjoy a crunchy treat.  2. Blend it with a little of the stock and add back to the soup that way.