homemade chicken stock + soup

GAPS diet.  Day 2.  Intro Diet.  Stage 1.

Things in our house are going pretty well so far.  No real signs of "die off" [detox] save for Mike's caffeine headaches.  And we have accomplished a lot in the past 48 hours.  Here's how much:

• made chicken stock
• washed pots and pans
• made chicken soup for breakfast
• washed pots and pans
• made chicken soup for lunch
• washed pots and pans
• made chicken soup for dinner
• washed pots and pans
• made chicken stock
• washed pots and pans
• made chicken soup for breakfast
• washed pots and pans
• made chicken soup for lunch
• washed pots and pans
• made chicken soup for dinner

...I'll let you figure out what our next move might be.  I think we need to invest in some kitchen gloves.  And a dishwasher.  The upside is that by the end of the week, we'll be able to show off our forearms of steel.  Ha.

Why chicken soup?  Well, it's more about the chicken stock, which is the basis of the intro to the GAPS diet, a starting point for those of us who are newbies until we are ready to be full-fledged GAPS dieters.

The goal is to slowly ease your body into detox mode, allowing yourself to eat only those foods that are super easy to digest and full of nourishment.  Chicken soup is the epitome of the intro.

So here we are, getting super creative with chicken stock soup.  You can use many different types of vegetables, as long as they are low in fiber and starch.  Fibrous and starchy veg such as cabbage and potatoes are not only hard to digest, but they also feed the bad bugs in the gut that we are trying to get rid of.

After six meals, I have made chicken + soup six different ways.  Here is one:


chicken stock soup w/ carnival squash, carrots and baby kale
serves 4

6 cups homemade chicken stock
2-3 carrots, diced
1 small carnival squash [or any type], peeled and diced
1 large handful baby kale [if fibrous stems/veins exist, remove]
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 tbsp ghee [clarified butter]
celtic mineral sea salt

1. Saute the onion in ghee over medium heat in a heavy pot with a lid until onion is translucent
2. Add the carrots and squash, sprinkle with sea salt and saute for a few minutes more.
3. Add the chicken stock and bring soup to a boil.  Lower to a simmer.
4. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until carrots and squash are very tender.
5. Add kale and continue to simmer until kale is very well cooked.
6. Season with sea salt if needed.  Serve alone or over cooked chicken used to make the stock.

homemade chicken stock
makes 8-10 cups

1 pasture-raised chicken
1 onion, quartered
2 carrots, cut into large chunks
1 bulb fennel, quartered [optional]
spring water

1. Place whole chicken and vegetables in a large crock pot or pot with lid.  Cover with water.
2. If using a crock pot, cook on low for six hours or until meat falls easily off the bone.
3. If using a pot on the stove top, bring water to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook, covered, for 4-6 hours or until meat falls easily off the bone.
4. When done, remove chicken from the stock and allow to cool before pulling all meat off the bone.  Use the meat in your favorite chicken recipe or add back in when you make your soup.  You can discard the skin, bones, and other parts of the chicken if you like, but I would recommend putting these into a freezer bag and storing in your freezer for bone broth.
5. Strain out carrot, fennel and onion and discard.
6. Pour stock into glass mason jars and store in your fridge or freezer.  Stock will last in the fridge for 3-5 days.  If you store it in the freezer, make sure to leave an inch or two of space in the top of the jar.