Ingredients
Vegetables
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- 1 zucchini, chopped
- ¼ small head of cabbage, chopped (about 4 cups)
- 4-5 red potatoes, large diced (about 1 lb)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
Meat
- 4 chicken drumsticks
Liquids & Oils
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 6 cups chicken broth
Seasonings
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 2 bay leaves
Optional
- 1 stone (washed thoroughly, optional for traditional stone soup)
Instructions
- Prep: Wash and prepare all vegetables by dicing the onion, peeling and chopping the carrots, dicing the celery, chopping the zucchini and cabbage, and dicing the potatoes. Mince the garlic cloves. If using a stone, wash it thoroughly before use.
- Add Stone: Place the cleaned stone into the stock pot to start the traditional stone soup preparation.
- Sauté Mirepoix: Add olive oil to the stock pot and over medium heat, cook the diced onion, carrots, and celery along with salt, ground black pepper, dried thyme, Italian seasoning, and bay leaves. Sauté until the vegetables are glossy and beginning to soften, releasing their flavor.
- Brown Chicken: Temporarily move the sautéed mirepoix to the side of the pot and add the chicken drumsticks to the bottom. Brown them on all sides to develop rich flavor and color.
- Add Vegetables and Broth: Add the chopped zucchini, cabbage, diced potatoes, and minced garlic to the pot with the browned chicken. Pour in the chicken broth to cover all ingredients.
- Boil: Bring the contents of the pot up to a rolling boil over medium-high heat to kickstart the cooking process.
- Simmer: Reduce the heat to low and maintain a gentle simmer for 1 hour. This allows the vegetables to become tender and the chicken to reach safe internal temperatures of 165℉. During this time, the flavors meld beautifully.
- Remove Chicken Meat: Once cooked through, remove the chicken drumsticks and pull the meat off the bones, discarding the bones (or saving them for stock). Return the shredded chicken meat to the soup if desired.
- Season and Serve: Taste the soup and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper as necessary. Remove the stone before serving if you used one. Serve hot and enjoy.
Notes
- Ensure the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165℉ for safe consumption.
- The stone is purely traditional and optional; if using one, wash it thoroughly before adding to the soup.
- You can save the chicken bones and vegetable peelings to make homemade chicken stock.
- This recipe serves about 9 generous portions, perfect for family gatherings.
- Feel free to substitute chicken drumsticks with other bone-in chicken parts or remove meat for vegetarian adaptation by omitting chicken and using vegetable broth.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
