Jaime’s Creamy Saffron Chicken Soup
We had supper club at my friend Jaime’s last week and she made this amazing soup. It makes a huge batch so I halved the recipe to work with what I had on hand when recreating it. I know saffron is a pricey spice but it completely makes this soup sing! Each step adds layers of flavor; stick with the process and you’ll be blessed. And doesn’t soup say ‘I love you’? Feel loved.
Ingredients
- half of a roast chicken (shredded)
- 4 cups chicken broth
- half a bunch of celery (chopped)
- 3-4 slices of bacon (more if you’re like me and you’re going to eat half before you actually get the soup made)
- 1 head of cauliflower (roughly chopped)
- 2 Tbsp butter
- Pinch of saffron
Steps
- Roast chicken however you like with a generous dusting of onion powder, sea salt and fresh ground black pepper. Depending on schedules, I often roast it in my slow cooker and then immediately remove the meat and toss the bones back in with 8 cups of water. I let this cook overnight so I have yummy bone broth the next morning. Set aside half the chicken for your soup and the other half for whatever you like. OR throw it in the freezer to use for a meal when you’re short on time. Back to the soup...
- Cook up the bacon in a cast iron skillet. Once crispy, remove the bacon. Crumble and set aside.
- Add the chopped celery to the bacon renderings. Add a bit of salt and pepper to the celery. Sauté until celery takes on a translucent look and then turn off burner. Scoop out celery and place in a large Dutch oven.
- Toss chopped cauliflower with the melted butter and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Spread evenly on a parchment lined sheet pan (I love parchment paper.) Roast in a 425 degree oven for 20-25 minutes (until there are little brown bits on the cauliflower).
- Remove cauliflower from oven and place in blender. Add 2 cups of the chicken broth to the cauliflower. Purée a few seconds to get a creamy consistency. Pour this creamy cauliflower mixture over your celery. Add the other 2 cups of chicken broth, the chopped chicken and pinch of saffron. Stir and let simmer on the stovetop about 20-30 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy the goodness now topped with bacon or allow to cool and store in the fridge. The flavors just get better!
