I made this soup on the fly one day when I was going through a roasted garlic phase. It was a pretty serious but satisfying several weeks of adding roasted garlic to just about every dish I cooked. I regret nothing. I emerged with this beautiful, healing soup.
The 10-Minute Garlic Rule
Garlic has a ton of medicinal benefits. This is not a health blog, but I do always rely on garlic for its anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties whenever I’m feeling under the weather. There is a compound in garlic called allicin that is released whenever garlic is crushed or chopped. Cooking garlic too soon after its crushed (allegedly) destroys the allicin compound and destroys many of the health benefits that accompany garlic. To avoid this, I cut the garlic for roasted garlic at least 10 minutes before roasting or heating in any way.
The Broth
This is a make-your-own-broth kind of soup. I start by boiling the chicken in seasoned water. I then reserve the broth to use in the soup. The flavors come together quite nicely. In a pinch, good store-bought chicken broth can work.
The Vegan Version
The chicken is completely optional. As an alternative, you can make a veggie broth by boiling onions, garlic, and other veggies you might have on hand (carrots, leeks, scallions, and celery work well) and seasoning with salt, thyme, and a bay leaf. Strain the broth as you would with chicken and proceed with the recipe. If you love this recipe, check out a few of my other comforting soups & stews — my Roasted Red Pepper & Smoked Gouda Soup is a favorite.
Roasted Garlic Soup
I made this soup on the fly one day when I was going through a roasted garlic phase. It was a pretty serious but satisfying several weeks of adding roasted garlic in just about every dish
I cooked. I regret nothing. I emerged with this beautiful, healing Roasted Garlic Soup.
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds chicken thighs or breasts (optional, see above for vegan version)
- Salt
- 3 heads garlic, plus 4 whole cloves
- 5-7 sprigs fresh thyme, plus 1-2 sprigs
- 1 yellow onion, quartered plus 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 5 stalks celery, chopped into ½ inch pieces
- Parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Cut off the tops of 3 heads of garlic exposing the cloves. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and wrap with foil. Rest for 10 minutes before roasting in the oven at 375 degrees for about 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, add chicken to a stockpot and cover with water. Add several pinches of salt, four cloves of garlic, thyme, the quartered onion, and bay leaf to the water. Boil for 75 to 90 minutes until the chicken is tender. Remove chicken from the pot and set aside. Strain the broth through a sieve.
- In the empty stockpot, add several drops of olive oil and sauté chopped onion and celery over medium heat until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Season with 1-2 sprigs of fresh thyme.
- Add broth, 1 cup of water, and roasted garlic cloves to the pot and simmer for a few minutes. Transfer half of the soup to a blender and pulse a few times or blend for 2-3 seconds. Transfer the blended soup pack to the pot. Shred chicken with hands and add to the soup. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley.
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