Spicy Chicken and Escarole Soup
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
- 2 ½ lb. bone in skin on chicken thighs
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 large onion thinly sliced
- 1 bulb of fennel cored and thinly sliced
- 4 stalks of celery thinly sliced on a bias
- 5 cloves of garlic thinly sliced
- 3 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp chopped Calabrian chilis more to taste if you want it super hot
- 7 cups low-sodium chicken stock homemade or store-bought
- 3 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 2 bay leaves
- A small bunch of thyme tied together with butchers twine if you have it
- 2 parmesan rinds optional
- 6 oz chopped escarole or any leafy green you’d like (kale, spinach, etc.)
- Cooked farro I cooked 1 ½ cups dry farro
- Fresh dill for serving
- Sliced chives for serving
- Freshly grated pecorino romano for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 F.
- Season chicken thighs all over with salt and black pepper. Add oil to a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add chicken thighs skin side down, and sear until deeply golden, about 8-12 minutes. Flip and cook the second side for about 3 minutes more.
- Remove chicken to a plate and carefully (it will be hot!) peel off skin and place on a lined sheet tray.
- Transfer the chicken skins to the oven and cook until very crispy, about 40-45 minutes. Flip skins over halfway through the cooking process. Set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, add sliced onions, fennel, celery, and garlic to the pot with the chicken fat. Cook for about 5 minutes, until softened.
- Add in tomato paste and Calabrian chilies and cook, stirring, until the tomato paste browns a bit, about 2-4 minutes.
- Pour in broth and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Return the chicken to the pot along with the dried mushrooms, bay leaves, thyme, and parmesan rinds.
- Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Simmer on low for 40-45 minutes until chicken is cooked and shred-able (at least 185F).
- Remove the bay, thyme, mushrooms, and parmesan rinds. Discard. Remove chicken from the soup and shred.
- Add the shredded chicken back in along with the escarole.
- Cook until the greens are just wilted, about 2 minutes. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. Add in more Calabrian chilis at this pint if you want it spicier.
- Serve soup over the cooked farro, topped with dill, sliced chives, grated pecorino, and some crushed pieces of crispy chicken skin.
Video
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
This was amazing! I didn’t have Calabrian chiles so I used sambal oelek. I also kept the mushrooms and thyme in. Really solid recipe 🙂