Santa Fe Chicken Soup
It may not cure Covid-19, but it sure as shit tastes great.
This dish is based on a Southwestern soup known as a cocido. Cocido means “boiled”, so as you can imagine there are countless versions of “cocido” across the Spanish-speaking countries of the Old and New worlds.
In New Mexico, it means green chile stew.
My usual version of green chile stew includes no potatoes, just onion, chiles, pork and spices. There really is no reason to fuck with it. I mean, it’s so damned delicious!
But, just hypothetically, let’s say someone you know and love has a bad virus and feels like 5 pounds of shit in a 2-pound bag. And you think, “I need to make some chicken soup for him.” Let’s say you don’t have those thick egg noodles you would want to use. But you do have potatoes. And some green chiles in your freezer. And you remember that comforting bowl of green chile stew, and you think, “Why not green chile chicken soup?”
And what if, hypothetically speaking, right next to those green chiles in your freezer was a bag of bacon ends?
Hot damn and hold the phone. Now you’re on to something. Hypothetically speaking.
Chicken soup, yes. But spicy, and smoky, and creamy.
Just what the doctor (me!) ordered.
Shit You Need
For the chicken:
One whole roasting chicken, spatchcocked. Why spatchcocked? Easier to cook, for one, but mostly it gives you the opportunity to say “spatchcocked” a lot. Another option is to roast a regular chicken like this or this. Yet a third option is to pick up a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store - and it’ll be our little secret, okay?
Bacon ends from below
Two shallots and three cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 cup white wine
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
He got spatchcocked. That poor, delicious bastard.
For the soup:
4 slices thick-cut bacon, one inch cut from each end and reserved, the rest chopped
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano ( if you have fresh, use it! You’ll need about a tablespoon of it, minced)
1 teaspoon ground coriander. Extra points if you have whole coriander: toast it in a small pan, then get your mortar and pestle out and grind the shit out of it. Very therapeutic.
4 cups chicken stock
3 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and sliced
1 cup roasted green chiles, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup heavy cream, creme fraîche, sour cream, or Mexican crema. Yay for options!
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Optional garnishes: minced onion, more fresh cilantro, and/or a wedge of lime to squeeze on top.
Grinding toasted coriander seeds.
Keep Calm and justeffingcook
Make the chicken:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Dry the chicken all over. Lift the skin overlying the breasts and lay the bacon ends between the skin and meat
Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper
Scatter garlic and shallots in the bottom of a baking dish just large enough to fit the chicken. Place the chicken on top.
Roast for 30 min, uncovered. Halfway through, pour the wine in the pan (not over the chicken) and roast another 10 to 15 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 155 degrees.
Remove from oven, let rest under foil until cool enough to handle, remove the meat, shred, and set aside.
While the chicken is cooling, start the soup:
In a Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the bacon until most of the fat renders and the bacon begins to brown.
Add the onion, garlic, oregano and coriander. Add a pinch of kosher salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook until the onion and garlic soften and become translucent, 5-10 min. People driving by your house will stop and ask what you are cooking and if they can please have some.
Add the stock, green chile, and potatoes and simmer 45 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender but not falling apart. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
Stir in the chicken and heat through.
Remove from the heat, add the creamy compound of choice and combine. Stir in the cilantro.
Serve in a comfy bowl with optional garnishes alongside. Eat while wearing pajamas or a bathrobe. Extra points for bunny slippers.
