Seasonal Short Cut Chicken Vegetable Soup

I love to start the week with a fresh and easy chicken soup, using the veggies I already have in my fridge and an already roasted organic half-chicken from the local store.

• Fill a soup pot with filtered water and place the roasted chicken in the pot with some kosher salt to taste.

• While the chicken is simmering, start sautéing your veggies. Use whatever you have. I am using the following:

1/2 red onion -chopped
2 cloves garlic - chopped
3 Jimmy Nardello peppers sliced with seeds - use regular peppers if you have them
4 stalks celery - chopped
3 small zucchini/summer squash
1 Bunch of baby leeks, chopped
3 mushrooms chopped of your choice
1/2 bunch of kale, chopped without the stems
Juice of 1 lemon
Herbs to taste from the garden chopped if you have them
Salt and pepper to taste

• Sauté veggies for about 20 minutes

• Once the chicken has simmered for about an hour. Remove the chicken body from the broth and let it cool on a plate.

• Add veggies to broth and bring to simmer once again.

• Once chicken has cooled, de-bone the chicken and add the meat to the broth and simmer for another 15 minutes.

• Soup is ready to serve!