Gut Soothing Chicken Miso Soup
Great for improving your digestion & easing your anxiety!!
You could technically make this “meatless” if you do- I would highly urge you to make homemade slow simmered mushroom stock if you can to get the most nutrients as possible!
Personally my body was eagerly asking for old school type of slow simmered whole chicken- like my mom used to make growing up. I love cooking an entire chicken this way to really take advantage of the whole - chicken.
Now on to one of the key pieces to this - Miso!
Have you ever tried miso??
Ingredient info: Miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning produced by fermenting soybeans (my favorite- fermented chickpeas) with salt and kōji and sometimes rice, barley, seaweed, or other ingredients. If you are GLUTEN FREE- Make sure you find Miso that says GLUTEN free. As some might have barely.
Miso contains a particular strain of probiotics that supports your gut’s natural good-bug bad-bug balance.
Miso fermentation process means that miso is rich in enzymes. Fermentation enhances the number of beneficial bacteria in the food. These bacteria are known as probiotics and are thought to help a wide range of health issues, especially for digestion, absorption and assimilation of nutrients.
White Miso can be found at Japanese markets, natural foods stores, and in the refrigerated section of some supermarkets. I prefer the chickpea miso and it is so tasty! Miso is a nutrient RICH food and is packed with yummy benefits and flavor- note: Miso is naturally very salty so be gentle on the salt while seasoning your veggies.
The ubber fun fact with Miso is some research has shown it can carry up to 161 different bacteria and yeast. Including L. Plantarum which has been shown to help downgrade histamine - so helpful with anyone with allergies.
Miso - Because of the fermentation - Miso must NOT be boiled so make sure to see my notes on how to safely incorporate the miso so you don’t lose it’s beautiful nutrients!!
Deets://
If you can find a Pasture Raised Whole Chicken -
1 Tablespoon Sea Salt
Bay Leaf
Process://
Remove any gizzards
In a large stock pot; place chicken in pot, add sea salt, bay leaf and fill with cold filtered water. Fill to cover the chicken.
Bring to a boil- and reduce heat and simmer for 1.5 hours to 2 hours. At this time the meat on the chicken will start to be falling off of the bones, however I still like to check the temp in the chicken breasts to assure it is to temp at 165 degrees.
Gently remove cooked chicken from pot and place in a pan to cool. Once cool- remove chicken and place in a bowl. KEEP THE BONES, FAT and everything as we’re going to use that to cook down for hours for a powerful bone broth- to let this chicken keep on giving!!
Do not toss the water that the chicken was cooked in! We’re using that for the base of the soup- Strain approx. 6 Cups of Chicken stock.
The rest of the deets for the soup://
4 Stocks Celery Chopped
1 Tablespoon Fat (I use duct fat)
2-3 Cups of Mushrooms I used Shiitake - sliced
1/4 Cup sliced green onion
3 Heads of Bok Choy- cleaned and sliced
1 “patty” Lotus Foods Brown Rice Noodles
1 inch peeled fresh ginger- to grate
6 Cups Chicken Stock * Use Mushroom Stock to make it meatless
Few handfuls of chopped chicken *Omit to make meatless
Sea Salt to taste
White Miso- I love the chickpea miso
Toppings://
Yellow bird hot sauce
Avocado
Cilantro
Process://
In your stock pot heat duct fat, add green onions, celery sprinkle with sea salt, sauté for 3 or so minutes, add mushrooms and a pinch of sea salt and sauté from an additional 5 minutes. Add in grated ginger.
Chicken- you will likely have enough chicken to use some for an entire different meal- I grabbed about half of it- roughly chopped and placed into my stock pot. And then poured in my 6 cups of chicken stock.
Where, I brought it up to boil and reduced heat to slow simmer the flavors for almost 30 minutes.
Add in Bok Choy & noodles, cook until both are soft.
Here is the KEY information for the MISO!!
Remove soup from stove and dish into bowls, and let them cool down!
Once the soup has been cool (you don’t want it cold- just not HOT), add in your miso past. I used about 1 tsp for each bowl. Gently stir in- it will clump some so stir, stir.
Enjoy- I topped with hot sauce, cilantro, avocado and enjoyed mindfully.
