CHICKEN AND ESCAROLE SOUP

SERVES 6

I love fresh greens in a good brothy soup, and escarole is one of my favorites. Make the broth on your day off and refrigerate or freeze to make the soup on a busy day.

INGREDIENTS

BROTH

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small chicken

1 large onion, peeled

1 large carrot

2 celery ribs

3 large garlic cloves, peeled

1 bay leaf

3 cans (14.5-ounces each) low-salt chicken broth

Water

Salt and pepper to taste

SOUP

Broth from cooked chicken
1/2 cup dry white wine (optional)
8 large cloves minced garlic
1 small head escarole, washed and coarsely chopped
2 cups reserved chicken
4-ounces uncooked wide noodles
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional garnish)

For the broth: Heat the olive oil in large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic cloves, bay leaf, broth, salt and pepper to taste. Add water as needed to nearly cover the chicken. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is very tender, about 1-1/2 hours. Remove chicken from pot; cool until easy to handle. Pull meat off bones; discard skin and bones. Reserve about 2 cups of shredded chicken for soup, the remainder for other recipes. Remove the vegetables from the broth; skim off the fat. Taste broth for seasoning.

For the soup: Bring the broth and wine to a boil. Add the minced garlic and escarole; cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the noodles; cook until noodles are tender, about 10 minutes. Add the reserved chicken and heat. Serve immediately, passing the grated cheese.

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