In her popular Instagram series #PretendCookingShow, Jennifer Garner shares her go-to way to repurpose leftover chicken: soup! She uses two secret ingredients to really make her recipe sing: vinegar and honey.
I decided to give the popular Jennifer Garner chicken soup recipe a try—and see if her secret ingredients made classic chicken soup even better.
How to Make Jennifer Garner’s ‘Leftover Chicken Soup’
While making soup is typically a quick and easy dinner, there are a few soup mistakes to avoid. A big one is the vegetables. Chop your vegetables first thing. They will then be prepped and ready to brown, which will produce more flavor than simply dumping everything into a pot at the same time. Once those aromatics are cooked, you can start the rest of the steps.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 1 cup carrots, diced
- 1 cup celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 teaspoons dried thyme
- 3 teaspoons dried oregano
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon white balsamic or champagne vinegar
- Leftover chicken (about 4 cups shredded chicken)
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
- 2 boxes (32 ounces) chicken stock
Directions
Step 1: Cook vegetables and herbs
In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onion and cook over medium-high heat until softened. Add the carrots and celery, and cook until softened. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. A
dd the dried thyme and oregano, rubbing the herbs between your hands to break apart. Stir to combine, then add the red pepper flakes.
Step 2: Add the vinegar and chicken
This is the first secret ingredient! Add the white balsamic or champagne vinegar to the center of the mixture and stir. Then, stir in the shredded chicken.
Step 3: Add the honey
In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, honey, salt and pepper. Make a well in the middle of the Dutch oven by pushing all chicken and veggies to the sides. Pour your honey-lemon mixture into the center of the well. Allow to bubble, then stir for a minute and let reduce.
Step 4: Simmer the soup and serve
Add the chicken stock. Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer until ready to serve. If you like brown rice or noodles, cook as directed, separately, and add to each bowl as they are ladled out.
Here’s What I Thought
At first, I wasn’t sure what to make of the secret ingredients in this Jennifer Garner chicken soup. But as it turns out, adding a splash of vinegar and a spoonful of honey is a great twist! Along with the pinch of red pepper flakes, her soup has the perfect balance of salt, acid, sweet and heat.
Since the soup had a sunny California vibe, I took Jennifer’s recommendation and cooked some healthy brown rice to add to the soup just before serving. I liked how this added another texture and flavor dimension to the soup as well. This Jennifer Garner chicken soup is definitely something I’ll make again, maybe with leftover turkey during the holidays.
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source https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/jennifer-garner-chicken-soup/
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