Chicken Soup with Millet

It’s all time’s favourite and the ultimate Sunday soup. When I was a child we couldn’t imagine a weekend dinner without chicken soup and my grandmother was the masterchef when it came to preparing it. She had chickens in her backyard so she’d use organic high quality meat she had farmed and the vegetables she had grown.

Nowadays, not many of us can afford such luxury (unless you live in the countryside, of course, and own a farm). Having lived in a big city for nearly ten years now, I really do miss the food from my grandmother’s farm. The juicy and mouthwatering veggies. The hand-picked fruit from the adjacent orchard. The wild fruit and berries we had gathered from the nearby woods. The succulent grass-fed meat and dairy. The list is endless….

Sometimes it’s so hard to believe that people used to be so self-sufficient. Often, we can’t seem to be bothered even to cook our own dinner. But, it’s worth it! It’s so worth it! This soup is just one of its kind and no store-bought substitutes can compete with a home-made version.

On a final note, there are a whole lot of recipes you can find online. But to me, this is the one that combines unique flavours and extracts the most valuable nutrients.

Ingredients: 

• free range or organic chicken carcass, or whole chicken
• 6 large carrots
• 1 parsnip
• 1 large onion
• a half of celeriac
• 1 leek
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 8 bay leaves
• 8 all spice grains
• 1 celeriac leaf + a large bunch of parsley and dill, all tied together with a piece of thin thread
• a few fresh young nettle and dandelion leaves
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• Himalayan salt, herb salt and pepper to taste
• fresh chopped parsley, to serve

Preparation: 

1. Wash and joint the chicken if you are going to use the carcass only. Carefully burn it on the gas ring, put in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to the boil.
2. Turn down the heat and skim the foam that's risen from the meat on the surface.
3. Bring to the boil again, add bay leaves and all spice.
4. Peel the onion and burn on the gas ring until slightly burn. Add to the soup.
5. Peel the parsnip, celeriac and leek, wash and add to the pot.
6. Peel the carrots and cut them into halves. Add to the soup along with garlic and the tied bunch of herbs.
7. Add some salt, pepper, herb salt and the turmeric.
8. When the chicken is tender and the vegetables are cooked, add the nettle and dandelion leaves tied together.
9. Season the soup with more salt and pepper to taste.
10. Serve with millet, or alternatively with vernicelli noodles. Sprinkle the finely chopped parsley on top.