Easy Chicken Buckwheat and Pea Soup

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, cut in half (or ¾ large quarters)

4/5 tbsp olive oil

2 yellow onions, chopped

2/3 celery stalks, chopped

1 leek, green part and 1 outer layer removed, then chopped into thin discs

1 whole head of garlic, with the top sliced off (you should be able to see all the cloves after chopping, and leave the head completely unpeeled)

2 large carrots, cut into rounds

1 ½ cups of buckwheat

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

3 bay leaves

1 tbsp ground cumin (optional)

1 tsp fennel seeds (optional)

2 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped

1 package of frozen peas

Salt and pepper

1 Lemon

Olive oil to finish

*Fresh soft herbs to finish are also a micro-nutrient booster- chopped fresh coriander/cilantro, dill, or chives would all go great here, if available.

Method:

Heat a large pot with the olive oil, and add the onion, leek, and celery. Sauté on low heat for about five minutes until softened. Add the chicken, bay leaves, and the whole garlic. Add about 1 liter/ or 3 ½ pints of water to the pot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 1 hour. Make sure to skim the surface every so often, and discard. Leave the chicken in the broth to cool, and then remove the chicken. Discard the skin and remove from the bones. Shred the chicken slightly and return to the broth. Add the buckwheat, thyme, vinegar, fennel seeds, cumin, and the peas. Cook another 10 minutes, or until buckwheat is al dente, or cooked to a very slight crunch. Season with salt and lots of black pepper. Add a dash of olive oil and squeeze the lemon to finish. Add your chopped fresh herbs if available.

*This soup is incredibly nutritious as you are cooking with the chicken bones, which contains 

collagen, trace minerals, amino acids, and is very good for gut health. 

*Make this more nutritious by adding more vegetables. Add things like broccoli and cauliflower florets, rounds of corgette/zucchini, or anything seasonal. Add them in when you add the buckwheat and peas. Just cook until desired tenderness. This will add about ¾ minutes more of cooking time, so instead of ten minutes, it may be 13-15. 

*This soup will freeze very well. Put into 1 serving containers and defrost overnight to consume the next day.