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This saffron leek chicken soup is aromatic, rich, and perfect for days when you’re feeling a little under the weather.

Rich chicken broth with saffron and leeks, this chicken soup is the perfect midweek pick-me-up.

I’ve been sick the past week, so I’ve been eating every variation of chicken soup known to man. When I’m sick, chicken broth is the only thing I want to eat. It’s so rich and perfect for when you’re feeling under the weather. Even if you’re not sick, this saffron leek chicken soup is a great choice if you just need something a little comforting. I served it with my Never Fail Rolls. They were perfect for soaking up that rich, golden saffron broth.

How to make this saffron leek chicken soup

What you need

Broth: Use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. You can use a whole chicken or split chicken breasts instead. The thighs are nice because they cook a bit quicker. Be sure to use bone-in, skin-on chicken as boneless, skinless chicken won’t produce a rich broth. The broth also contains garlic, shallots, and bay leaves. If you don’t want to make your own broth, use 4 cups of shredded meat from a rotisserie chicken along with 8 cups of store-bought chicken stock.
Aromatics: I use leeks–the white and light green parts only–along with celery, garlic, and carrots.
Pearl couscous: I use pearl couscous for this soup, but your favorite small pasta will work here. Try it with pastina, ditalini, or mini farfalle.
Finishing touches: I finish the soup with crushed saffron and lemon juice.

How to make it

Step 1: Add the chicken to a large pot with salt, bay leaves, a head of garlic, and the shallot. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour; skim the surface to remove foam periodically. Remove the chicken from the pot and strain the broth through a sieve. Discard the spent aromatics. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, pick the meat from the bones and discard the skin and bones. Shred the meat into bite-sized pieces.
Step 2: Wipe out the pot and heat a little extra virgin olive oil. Add the leeks and celery and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes. Add the minced garlic and carrots.
Step 3: Add the shredded chicken and cover with the chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes until the carrots are fork-tender.
Step 4: Add the pearl couscous and continue simmering for 12 to 15 minutes until the pearl couscous is tender.
Step 5: While the soup simmers, lightly crush saffron threads and steep them in a bit of water. After the soup simmers, turn off the heat and add the steeped saffron along with lemon juice. Let it stand for 5 minutes.

You’re ready to serve it up! Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with fresh homemade rolls or a slice of crusty bread.

Saffron Leek Chicken Soup

This saffron leek chicken soup is aromatic, rich, and perfect for days when you're feeling a little under the weather.

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Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 30

Inactive time: 1 30

Total Time: 2 20

Servings:

Calories: 498kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Chicken broth:

3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
1 head garlic (top cut off)
1 shallot (peeled and quartered)
2 bay leaves
3 teaspoons kosher salt
10 cups water

Soup:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 leeks (white and light green parts only; trimmed and rinsed thoroughly, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced into half-moons)
3 ribs celery (trimmed and diced; leaves minced)
3 carrots (about ½ pound total, trimmed, peeled, and sliced into ¼-inch thick rounds)
4 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
1 cup pearl couscous
1 pinch saffron threads (lightly crushed)
2 tablespoons warm water
1 lemon (juiced; about 2 tablespoons total)
Salt and pepper

Instructions

Make the broth (see Note 1):

Place the chicken in a large pot and cover with 10 cups of water. Add more if needed to immerse the chicken. Add 3 teaspoons kosher salt, a head of garlic, the quartered shallot, and 2 bay leaves. Bring to a boil and skim off any foam from the surface of the broth. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for 1 hour.
Carefully remove the chicken from the broth using tongs. Transfer it to a bowl. Return the heat on the pot of broth to medium and simmer rapidly for 20 to 30 minutes, until the liquid reduces to approximately 8 cups of broth. It’s okay if you have a little more or a little less. Turn off the heat.
Carefully strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl. Set aside. Wipe out the pot used for the broth and return it to the stove. Discard the spent aromatics.
Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, pick the meat from the bones and shred the meat with your fingers or dice it with a knife. You should have 4 to 5 cups of meat. Set it aside.

Sauté the soup aromatics:

Add 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to the soup pot. Turn the heat to medium. Once hot, add the sliced leeks, diced celery, and minced celery leaves. Season with a pinch of salt. Sauté for 6 to 7 minutes.
Add the diced celery, minced celery leaves, and carrots. Season with a pinch of salt. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the garlic to the pot and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the carrots and sauté for 1 minute. Add a pinch of salt and pepper.

Simmer the soup:

Add the shredded chicken and 8 cups of homemade chicken broth. If you have a little more, you can add it to the pot or reserve it for another use. If you have a little less, supplement with water.
Bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 20 to 30 minutes or until the carrots are fork-tender.

Add the pearl couscous:

Add the pearl couscous to the soup and continue simmering for 12 to 15 minutes until tender. Taste and add salt and pepper.

Steep the saffron:

As the pearl couscous simmers, steep the saffron. Add the lightly crushed saffron to a small bowl. Cover with 2 tablespoons warm water. Let it stand for 5 to 10 minutes.

Finish the soup:

Taste the soup and add salt and pepper if needed. Turn off the heat. Add the bowl of steeped saffron and lemon juice. Let the soup stand for 5 minutes.

To serve:

Spoon the soup into bowls and enjoy!

Notes

Note 1: If you opt to skip this step, simply use a whole rotisserie chicken–you’ll need 4 cups of meat total–and 8 cups of store-bought chicken stock.

Nutrition

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Saffron Leek Chicken Soup

Rich chicken broth with saffron and leeks, this chicken soup is the perfect midweek pick-me-up.