Food You Can Eat: Chicken, Leek and Asparagus Soup

First things first:  When you have an asparagus patch, it quickly becomes a priority to find new and interesting ways to eat it.  I mean, sure, you can just steam it and eat it that way all the time, but I get bored easily.  So, this is the latest attempt at finding a new use for the asparagus while simultaneously finding a new soup for the leeks, because potato-leek soup is just fucking over already.

A caveat before we get started:  Two caveats, really.  The first is that I needed to thin the leeks as I usually do so that the remainders can get nice and fat, so what’s in this soup is not what you will find in a store.  The second is that I wanted to use orzo, but the only way Mrs. Butcher would eat it is if I used some Very Special Orzo that cost a goddamned mint.  Because this was my first time making the soup, I was unfamiliar with how the orzo would behave and it turned the soup into…something much thicker.  So, if I do this again (which I probably will, next year) I’ll be sure to just turn the burner off immediately after adding the orzo, and letting it slowly cook and hopefully not suck up all of the liquid.

Here’s what you’ll need:

8 Cups Chicken Broth

1 Lb. Boneless Chicken Breast or Thigh Meat, visible fat removed

1 Bay Leaf

¾ tsp. Salt, divided

4 Carrots, scrubbed and sliced ¼-inch thick

4 Celery Ribs, sliced ¼-inch thick

1 Lb. Leeks, white and light green parts only, washed well, halved and then thinly sliced

½  tsp. Thyme

¾ cup Orzo

12 Asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths

Spice House Homestyle Herbs Soup Blend, to taste (the original name for this was Pot Herbs, but they probably got sick of all the cheap jokes and changed the name)

Freshly ground black pepper

In a large pot over high heat, heat the chicken broth. Cut the chicken pieces in half or thirds crosswise. Add the chicken, bay leaf and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Stir once or twice, cover and bring to a gentle simmer. Reduce the heat to medium or medium-low, cover and gently cook for 10 to 12 minutes. Do not allow the chicken to boil. While the chicken is cooking, prep your veggies.

Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let it cool to the touch, then slice and shred with a fork or your fingers, breaking it into bite-size pieces.

Once the chicken is removed from the broth, increase the heat to medium-high and add the carrot, celery, leeks, thyme, soup herb mix, and the remaining salt and cook until the vegetables have softened, about 10 minutes.

Add the chicken, orzo, and asparagus and cook until the orzo is tender and the asparagus is crisp-tender, about 7 minutes, stirring two or three times to prevent the orzo from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Taste, and add salt and pepper, as needed. Stir well to redistribute some of the orzo that may sink to the bottom, then ladle into bowls.

This is a good soup, but I definitely need to refine my technique.