14. Just Add Bacon: Tarted-Up Chicken Soup

From my last post you probably gleaned that I (a) loathe celery, and (2) have bacon.

The other day, I roasted a whole chicken (standard, really, and not worth writing about) and made stock (and plenty of sandwiches) with the leftovers. I think of soup as an excuse to eat buttery grilled cheese sandwiches and try to make it often, but this week my challenge was to come up with a cohesive meal from ingredients I had on hand, lest I brave the outdoors and shopping carts and credit cards and people and all sorts of awful stuff. A terrible frozen green bean-canned red bean-broken spaghetti chicken soup floated around in my head until I remembered two complementary ingredients in my fridge: bacon and cabbage.

It's not the first time somebody decided to put the two together, the briny chew of bacon countering the sweet, yielding green cabbage. As these things go, I thought of an even better way to make the soup after I already ladled it out, but as a first attempt it was pretty damn good. Improved recipe below if you'd like to try.

My bastardized version of a mirepoix: onion, carrot and green onion. 

FIRST: Make chicken stock or buy it (unsalted!). I made about 1/3-1/2 of a large pot. I know this isn't helpful, but it's the only way I know how. Heat it to a simmer. If you want the soup to be more substantial, you can add something grainy. I used a fistful of brown rice.

THEN: Slice one onion, two carrots and whatever unshriveled green onion stalks are in the crisper. Garlic's good too. In another pot or pan, heat (butter and) olive oil on medium heat and add veggies. Cook with salt till it smells great and is lightly browned. Add it to the now-heating stock. 

AFTER THAT: Cut 3-4 strips of bacon into a small dice and add it to the empty pot you cooked the onions in. When the bacon's done to your liking (and who doesn't like crispy?), remove to a paper towel-lined receptacle. Discard most of the grease, but definitely leave a little. Add a half-head of shredded green cabbage to the same pot. I recommend cutting it into roughly 1cm X 3cm strips, or else it tends to want to get away from your spoon as you're eating it. Toss that for a while with some salt and whatever seasonings you like (I used cayenne) and add it to the stock. 

FINALLY:  Add about 1.5 cups of shredded chicken and stir to warm. Check for seasoning and make sure everything is done to your liking. Make some grilled cheese, ladle soup into a bowl, sprinkle with reserved bacon, and remember to bring utensils to the table or you will be sorely disappointed. This makes enough for six regular bowls or four big bowls or two absurdly large bowls or one gigantic bowl. 

Bring spoon to mouth. Chew. Swallow. Digest. Don't dip your grilled cheese in ketchup. Are you a child? Okay, I dipped mine in ketchup.