Sicilian Chicken Soup with Tomato, Potato and Garlic

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A brothy, garlicky chicken soup built the Sicilian way: bone-in thighs simmered with crushed tomato, potato, celery and a whole head of garlic until the broth turns golden and sweet. Nothing is thickened and nothing is puréed — the potatoes do that work on their own as the soup sits, which is why the second bowl always beats the first. Cheap ingredients, one pot, and a Parmesan rind doing the heavy lifting.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 lb bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 6)
• 2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 piece Parmesan rind (about 2 inches)
• 1 bay leaf

• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 3 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch coins
• 3 celery stalks, sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 1 head garlic, cloves peeled and thinly sliced (about 12 cloves)
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 can (28 oz) whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
• 1 1/4 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes

• 1 cup ditalini or acini di pepe (optional)
• 3 cups baby spinach or chopped escarole
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan, for serving
• Extra-virgin olive oil and black pepper, for serving

Instructions

1. Pat the chicken thighs very dry and season all over with the 2 teaspoons kosher salt. Let them sit at room temperature while you prep the vegetables, about 15 minutes.
2. Heat the olive oil in a 6- to 8-quart Dutch oven over medium-high. Add the thighs skin-side down in a single layer (work in two batches if needed) and sear without moving them for 6 to 7 minutes, until the skin is deep golden. Flip and sear 2 minutes more, then transfer to a plate. Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of the fat.
3. Lower the heat to medium and add the onion, carrots and celery with a pinch of salt. Cook 8 minutes, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom, until the onion is translucent and the fond has dissolved into the vegetables.
4. Add the sliced garlic, red pepper flakes and oregano. Cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly, just until the garlic smells sweet and is barely golden — do not let it brown. Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute more, until it darkens to brick red.
5. Add the crushed tomatoes with their juice and simmer 5 minutes, stirring, until the raw tomato edge is gone. Pour in the chicken broth and add the Parmesan rind and bay leaf.
6. Remove and discard the chicken skin (it has given up its flavor and will go flabby in the soup), then nestle the thighs into the pot along with any juices from the plate. Bring to a bare simmer, cover partially, and cook at a lazy bubble for 35 minutes.
7. Lift the chicken out onto a cutting board. Add the potatoes to the pot and simmer, uncovered, for 18 to 20 minutes, until a paring knife slides through a cube with no resistance. Meanwhile, pull the chicken meat from the bones in large shreds and discard the bones.
8. If using pasta, cook it separately in salted water until just past al dente, drain, toss with a drizzle of olive oil and hold in a container — this keeps it from turning to mush in the leftovers.
9. Fish out the bay leaf and Parmesan rind. Press about 8 potato cubes against the side of the pot with the back of a spoon and stir them in; this lightly thickens the broth without a roux. Return the shredded chicken to the soup and simmer 5 minutes to heat through.
10. Off the heat, stir in the spinach, parsley and lemon juice. Taste and add salt in small pinches until the tomato tastes bright rather than flat — a soup this brothy usually needs more than you expect, up to another 1 1/2 teaspoons.
11. Ladle over a spoonful of pasta in each bowl. Finish each serving with a heavy shower of Parmesan, a swirl of olive oil and plenty of black pepper.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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