Green breakfast soup with whole poached chicken, sweet potato, zucchini, Swiss chard, mushrooms, and ginger broth, from The Autoimmune Wellness Handbook

A soup for breakfast is not what you grew up eating, and that took some getting used to before it started to make sense. Once you compare it to a bowl of something starchy and sweet at 7am, a savory bowl built on real broth and real vegetables starts to make more sense than what you used to reach for.

Putting a whole chicken into a pot and giving it 2 hours is a generous use of one animal. It gives you broth, fat, and meat, nothing wasted, and if you can get a pastured bird, the difference is there in the color and the smell of the broth as it builds. Let the kitchen fill with that smell. Standing in it is part of what this kind of cooking gives you.

The long simmer pulls glycine out of the chicken and into the broth, an amino acid tied to the mucous layer that lines and protects the gut, one of the places Autoimmune work is quietly happening all day. Magnesium comes from the Swiss chard here, involved in hundreds of the body's routine chemical reactions, including some that help settle an inflammatory response that is running hotter than it should.

Make a big pot. It keeps in the refrigerator for days, and having something this substantial already made takes real pressure off a morning when cooking feels like too much.

Ingredients

• 1 large whole pastured chicken (5 to 6 pounds)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sea salt, plus additional to taste
• 2 tablespoons solid cooking fat (lard, tallow, or coconut oil)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup peeled and minced fresh ginger (from a 3 to 4 inch piece)
• 2 large sweet potatoes, chopped into 1 1/2 inch chunks (about 6 cups)
• 2 large zucchini, chopped into 1 1/2 inch chunks (about 2 cups)
• 1 bunch Swiss chard, stems and leaves divided and chopped
• 2 cups button mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 bunch green onions (ends removed), thinly sliced, for serving
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges, for serving

Method

Place the whole chicken in a large stockpot. Cover it with cold water, leaving at least 2 inches above the bird. Add the bay leaf, apple cider vinegar, and 1 tablespoon of salt.

Bring to a boil over high heat. Skim any foam or grey scum that rises to the surface during the first few minutes of boiling. Once the surface is clear, reduce the heat to a low, steady simmer. Cover loosely and cook for 1.5 to 2 hours, until the meat pulls easily away from the bone and the broth has developed good color and depth of flavor.

Remove the chicken from the pot and set it aside to cool. Strain the broth and discard any solids. Measure out approximately 8 to 10 cups of broth for the soup and reserve any remaining broth for another use.

Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred the meat from the bones, discarding the skin, bones, and any cartilage. Set the shredded meat aside.

Return the pot to the stove over medium heat. Add the cooking fat. When it is hot, add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another 2 minutes until fragrant.

Add the sweet potato chunks, mushrooms, and chard stems to the pot. Pour in enough of the reserved broth to cover everything by an inch or two. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sweet potato is just tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes.

Add the zucchini and the chard leaves. Simmer for another 5 to 7 minutes until the zucchini is tender and the chard leaves have wilted fully.

Using an immersion blender, partially blend the soup directly in the pot. Aim for a texture that is partly smooth but still has visible chunks of vegetable throughout. Blend in short bursts and check as you go - you want it to feel substantial, not fully pureed.

Stir in the shredded chicken meat. Taste and adjust salt. Bring back to a simmer if needed to heat the chicken through.

Serve in deep bowls, topped with thinly sliced green onions and a wedge of lemon. The lemon squeezed over the bowl at the table lifts the whole dish.

Instant Pot variation

This recipe works well in an 8-quart Instant Pot. For a 6-quart model, consider cutting the chicken in half to stay below the maximum fill line.

Place the chicken in the pot with the bay leaf, apple cider vinegar, salt, and enough cold water to cover, staying below the maximum fill line. Seal the lid and cook on high pressure for 25 minutes. Allow a natural pressure release for at least 15 minutes before opening.

Remove the chicken and set aside to cool. Pour the cooking liquid through a strainer into a large bowl. Wipe out the pot.

Switch to sauté mode. Add the cooking fat and heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute more.

Add the sweet potato, mushrooms, and chard stems. Return the strained broth to the pot, enough to cover the vegetables. Seal and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes. Quick-release the pressure.

Open the lid. Add the zucchini and chard leaves. Switch to sauté and cook, stirring, until the chard has wilted and the zucchini is tender - about 5 minutes.

Shred the chicken and add it to the pot. Partially blend with an immersion blender to reach a partly-smooth texture. Adjust salt. Serve with green onions and lemon wedges.

*Adapted from gutsybynature.com (Jaime Hartman); original recipe by Mickey Trescott and Angie Alt (The Autoimmune Wellness Handbook)*