Succotash soup with cabbage

  A few weeks back I threw together this soup with a bunch of random stuff in my bare fridge.  I really wasn't sure how it was going to turn out, but as soon as I tasted it, I jumped up and grabbed my camera.  It was super yummy and something that I hope I can replicate one day.

  Rotisserie chickens have been saving me lately.  After swim team, we get home around 5:30, so I need to be able to whip up something quick before the meltdowns happen.  And I'm not just talking about the kids and husband.

  Random tip:  if you buy two rotisserie chickens at Whole Foods, they only cost $7.50 each.  And on tuesdays they are only $6.50 and you don't have to buy two!

  This is becoming a rotisserie chicken post!  Anyway, as soon as I buy the chickens, I take the meat off the bones, and keep the white and dark meat separate.  That's 4 days worth of meat ready to be thrown into whatever I'm making.  The thigh meat is perfect for soups and the breast meat is great to throw in burritos,  pasta salad, etc.

  Then, I make chicken broth or stock (what is the difference?) with the bones.  I make chicken broth with whatever I have on hand and don't make any special trips to the store.

My Typical Chicken Broth

Chicken bones from roasted or raw chicken

1 whole onion quartered

1 head of garlic cut in half through all of the cloves

1 big handful or two of baby carrots

Sprig or two of fresh thyme

1 tsp. peppercorns

~1 Tbls. sea salt

6-10 cups water (cover the bones completely)

  Bring it all to a boil and simmer for about an hour.  Strain all of the stuff through and save the broth in jars.  Keep in the fridge to use soon, the freezer to use later!

Succotash Soup

  This is not a recipe as much as a list of ingredients I used.  All of the ingredients I consider pantry items since I most always have all of this on hand and it all lasts a while in the fridge.  I was not planning on putting cabbage into this, but savoy cabbage holds up really well in soups.

1 onion diced

4 cloves of garlic diced

6-8 baby carrots cut up

1/2 box of diced tomatoes (~14 oz.)

8-10 cups of broth

rotisserie chicken thigh meat

1 zucchini cut up

1/3 head of savoy cabbage cut into strips

1 cup corn

salt and pepper

  Saute onions, garlic and carrots until the onions are translucent.  Add in tomatoes, broth, chicken, zucchini and savoy cabbage.  Bring to boil and let simmer for 30-45 minutes.  Add corn in the last few minutes to heat through.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!