Chicken Broth (SCD Intro Diet Soup)
I never realized just how true the saying ‘chicken soup is good for the soul’ is until I started following the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. As a kid my mom would give me chicken soup when I had a cold, but it turns out that chicken soup does so much more than just help with a sore throat.
For anyone following the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, you will know the magical powers of chicken soup. It is the most important recipe for anyone starting the diet and something I always go back to living off of for a few days when I’m not feeling quite right. The soup has so many benefits including being easy to digest which is crucial for anyone experiencing a flare, it is high in anti inflammatory ingredients and it is also rich in nutrients.
The intro diet soup is almost identical to my recipe for chicken stock, with the only difference being the addition of carrots and shredded chicken. This chicken stock is really rich in flavour and a great staple to have in your freezer to use in soups, risotto or stews.
If you are making the chicken stock, don’t waste the chicken! After being cooked in the stock for such a long time it’s incredibly flavourful and delicious shredded and added to salads or soup.
Even if you aren’t following the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, this chicken soup is incredibly comforting and wonderful on a cold winter’s day or which you are sick. For anyone with a sore tummy, I would recommend pureeing the cooked carrots and adding them back into the soup to slightly thicken. I prefer to cut the cooked carrots into small pieces and adding them back into the soup for a bit of texture.
If you make this recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!
SCD Intro Diet Soup
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken 1.5kg
- 3 carrots cut into 2 inch chunks
- 3 celery cut into 2 inch chunks
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 onions cut into large pieces
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1/4 tsp salt
- juice from 1 lemon
- approx 15 cups water or enough to cover the chicken
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients in the largest pot you have. Fill the pot with enough water to cover the chicken.
- Bring everything to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and let it simmer for 4 hours.*
- After 4 hours remove the chicken and vegetables from the pot. Using a fork, shred the chicken into small pieces. If you are experiencing a flare, transfer the carrots to a blender and puree. Alternatively if you can tolerate carrots, cut the cooked carrots into small bite sized pieces. Set both the carrots (either pureed or cut) and the chicken aside.
- Pour the stock through a mesh strainer into a big container. Transfer the container with the stock to the fridge and refrigerate for approximately 2 hours until it has completely cooled and the layer of fat can easily be removed with a spoon from the surface and thrown away.
- Transfer the shredded chicken and carrots back to the broth. The soup can be stored in the fridge for 1 week or for 3 months in the freezer.
Notes
Chicken Broth
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken 1.5kg
- 3 carrots cut into 2 inch chunks
- 3 celery cut into 2 inch chunks
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 onions cut into large pieces
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1/4 tsp salt
- juice from 1 lemon
- approx 15 cups water or enough to cover the chicken
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients in the largest pot you have. Fill the pot with enough water to cover the chicken.
- Bring everything to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and let it simmer for 4 hours.*
- After 4 hours remove the chicken and vegetables from the pot. The chicken can be shredded and saved for another use.
- Pour the stock through a mesh strainer into a big container. Transfer the container with the stock to the fridge and refrigerate for approximately 2 hours until it has completely cooled and the layer of fat can easily be removed with a spoon from the top and thrown away.
- The chicken broth can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for 6 months.
Notes
The pictures of jars with chicken stock is a different recipe right? For if you just want to make chicken stock and save it? I’m a man so forgive my naivety. You skim the fat off the stock when chilled, add the chicken and puréed carrot back into the stock and then store in the fridge for up to a week and reheat each individual portion?
Or you store the stock in jars and dispose of the carrots and just eat the chicken?
I’m struggling to motivate myself to discover a simple way to start the SCD diet or even change my eating habits to just eat more cleanly after the introductory 5 day diet. Your soup seems like the ideal daily nutrition to go along with a mushroom omelette breakfast 🧇
1 tsp of dried thyme or fresh thyme?
Can this recipe be done in a crock pot/slow cooker?
Yes you definitely can! Ive included a note in the recipe with cook times if using a slow cooker.
Can the intro diet chicken soup be made in an instant pot?
Can you make this in a crockpot?
hi did you ever get an answer to your question. ? I wanted to do this recipe today, but wanted to try not heat up the house since my ac is not working.
My apologies for the delayed reply! Yes you definitely can! Cook for 3-4 hours on high heat or 6 hours on low heat.
Hi!! This looks great! Would it work with chicken breasts or do you really need the full chicken? Thanks!
You could use chicken legs and thighs/breasts with the bone, but I would not recommend using chicken that is boneless.
Do you add the pureed carrots back into the broth with the chicken?
Yes you do! Sorry I will update the recipe to more clearly reflect that