As you know, we are off and heading to Strasbourg on our boat, Virus. I threw everything from our home freezer into the ice chest in hopes of rejuvenating it on the boat into something beyond amazing. One of the labeled packages was pulled chicken from my lovely air-fried whole chicken we had enjoyed a few weeks ago. Since my freezer on board is the size of a shoebox, I had to make some hasty decisions and decided to leave the cooked chicken to further thaw in the small fridge and continue freezing the other surprise leftovers in the freezer.
I saved the right thing! The weather has been cool and cloudy and just right for a warm bowl of soup. I had also planted my herb garden just before we took off as well, so I was ready for anything!
If you’re not feeling up to speed lately, just look at the picture, and you’ll be feeling you’re oats again. This soup is so delicious I even ate it for breakfast…light and lemony but with a lavender touch. Just amazing.
Here are a few options for the recipe below:
- Broth: 4-6 cups of homemade/ organic store-bought chicken bone broth OR, use fresh bone chicken and stir fry with 2 tablespoons of ghee or avocado oil until browned. Add 4-6 cups water to create a broth OR, as I did, I thaw the precooked pulled chicken in ghee and brown it up a bite, then added 4-5 cups of water.
- Chicken: precooked from the store, leftovers from dinner the night before or from the grill, OR stir fry some fresh diced boneless chicken.
- Seasonings: I used fresh herbs, but you can always use dried or ground seasoning as well. I used a whole bud of the lavender diced very fine. If using ground herbs, I’d start with a pinch. You can always add more! The same with the thyme, rosemary, sage (careful it’s strong), and oregano.
- Brown Rice: I used born rice, but you can always use gluten-free pasta, cauliflower rice, diced potatoes, or nothing! I usually add the rice in the last 30 minutes, so it doesn’t absorb all the broth. The same with the pasta if using.
There is really no right or wrong in this recipe. It’s really the seasoning that gives this the delicious lemony yumminess with a hint of lavender. So let’s get going! This is how I made my Lemon Lavender Chicken Soup…
Oh here’s a great tip: I’ve made this several times and added a tablespoon of my Macadamia Bärlauch Pesto to this yummy soup. It gives it a nice hint of garlic and nutty flavor!
Lemon Lavender Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp of ghee or organic butter
- 3-4 cups cooked bone chicken
- 4-6 cups bone broth or water
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves diced
- 1-2 carrots diced
- 1-2 celery stalks diced
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley diced
- 1/3 cup brown rice
- 1 lemon- juiced and the zest from half
- 1 lavender bud diced
- 1” stalk of rosemary stemmed leaves and diced or a dash of ground rosemary
- 3” stalk of thyme leaves stemmed and diced or a dash of dried or ground thyme
- 1/2 leaf of sage (it’s a strong herb)
- 1” stem of oregano diced or a dash of dried or ground.
- Himalayan salt and ground pepper to taste
Directions
- Step 1 I like to prep everything before cooking. So I have my veggies all diced and seasoning prepared. It makes this recipe zip by and so easy to create.
- Step 2 In a large saucepan on medium, melt the ghee or organic butter. Add the pre-cooked chicken. Cook until it starts to brown. You might need a bit more ghee.
- Step 3 Add the diced onions, garlic and salt, and pepper. Stir continuously for about 2 minutes to saturate everything.
- Step 4 Then add all the seasonings: lavender, thyme, rosemary, and a bit more salt and pepper. Stir for 2 minutes.
- Step 5 Turn to low and add chicken broth or water, the lemon juice, and zest,
- Step 6 Add the parsley, carrots, and celery.
- Step 7 Simmer for 30 minutes. If you’re going to eat this in 30 minutes, add the rice. If not, add the rice 30 minutes before serving and cook on low. This is AMAZING the next day as well.
I'm Melinda Stevens and living the life of a beach bum was inevitable since my father was a lifeguard for the city of Los Angeles. My memories of growing up on John Street in Manhattan Beach, California were filled with joy, excitement and adventures; until my world, as I knew it, fell apart when we moved to Del Mar, California. My father was offered the position as Captain of the lifeguards and we started the slow migration to the small deserted stretch of beach in 1963. At twelve years old, this seemed like the end of my life. Remember, I’m writing with clear hindsight now, ok somewhat clearer… Little did I know this would be the beginning of a new journey and give a bit more clarity to many of the events that led me to this new cooking adventure.
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