Hearty Chicken and Kale Soup

Prepare Chicken Stock: Add the chicken, including neck and giblets, to a stockpot and cover with the water. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium and cook for 30 minutes or until the chicken is almost completely cooked through. Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a bowl and place in the fridge or next to a window to cool down. Remove and discard the neck and giblets and skim off any scum from the surface of the stock. Return the stock to a boil.

Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skin and pick the meat from the bones and discard the carcass. Use forks to shred any large pieces of chicken.

Prepare Ingredients: As the chicken is boiling, prepare the remaining ingredients. Peel and dice the onion. Trim and peel the carrots and dice. Trim off the bottom of the celery and rinse. Dice the ribs and roughly chop the leaves. Scrub and quarter the potatoes. Pick the kale leaves from the stems and slice into ribbons.

Prepare the Mirepoix: In a skillet or pot, heat 1 tablespoon oil or butter over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook, stirring often, for 12-15 minutes or until softened and beginning to brown. Season with salt and pepper. Add a splash of water to deglaze the skillet and scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Turn off the heat and set aside.

Blanch the Tomatoes: Combine 12 ice cubes in a large bowl of cold water and set aside. To the pot of boiling stock, add the Roma tomatoes and cook until the skins begin to split. Once the skins split, transfer the tomatoes to the ice bath. Add more cold water as necessary to ensure the tomatoes are completely covered. Once they are cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skins and carefully cut out the core.

Finish the Soup: To the pot of stock, add the mirepoix and the cooked Roma tomatoes along with the quartered potatoes and shredded chicken. Season with salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, garlic powder, and thyme and cook over medium heat or until the potatoes are fork tender. During the last 10 minutes of cooking, add the kale. Before serving, use a wooden spoon to carefully break the tomatoes apart. (Note, you can also mash the tomatoes up a bit before pouring them into the soup.)

To Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese, if desired. Enjoy!