Chicken Soup With Toasted Farro and Greens
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 to 6 servings
- 2tablespoons olive oil
- 2medium leeks, white and light green parts only, halved and thinly sliced (about 1½ cups)
- 2medium carrots, peeled and thinly sliced into rounds
- 1celery stalk, thinly sliced
- 3garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1teaspoon fennel seeds, gently crushed or roughly chopped
- ½teaspoon red-pepper flakes
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 1cup farro, rinsed
- 6cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
- ¾pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 5cups stemmed and roughly chopped Swiss chard, or other quickly-wilting greens like kale or spinach
- Lemon zest, for serving (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
273 calories; 9 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 29 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 21 grams protein; 931 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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- Step 1
Heat the oil in a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium. Add the leeks, carrots and celery, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they have softened, but have not taken on any color, 4 to 6 minutes.
- Step 2
Add the garlic, fennel seeds and red-pepper flakes, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Season well with salt and pepper.
- Step 3
Add the farro and cook, stirring frequently, until slightly toasted, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the stock and chicken thighs. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until the chicken has cooked through and is no longer pink, 10 to 12 minutes, skimming any bits of foam that float to the surface, if desired. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, transfer the chicken to a cutting board. When cool enough to touch, shred the chicken into bite-size pieces.
- Step 4
Continue simmering the soup until the farro is tender but still toothsome, about 20 minutes more. Add the chicken back to the pot along with the greens and stir until greens are gently wilted. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Step 5
Ladle into bowls and grate lemon zest over top, if desired.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Riley A.
Really enjoyed this recipe, perfect for big batches and keeps really well in fridge/ freezer. Lemon zest is listed as optional but without it the soup lacked acidity, so much so that I also added juice from half the zested lemon. Great cold weather meal!
Isabelle
A PHENOMENAL soup that was even approved by my Dad (a master in the kitchen). Changed the following amounts but kept prep the same: - 3 medium carrots - 2 celery stalks - 1 large leek - 3 giant (like, “wait, is this GMO?” large) cloves of garlic - regular sodium chicken brother - Doubled the fennel - Doubled the red pepper flakes - Tripled (maybe quadrupled?) the pepper - Upped the salt to taste - MOST IMPORTANTLY, added a good handful of herb de provenance Enjoy!
prunefeet
This is DELICIOUS. The only change I made was to use boneless chicken breast because it’s what I had. I would suggest not making this if you don’t want to include the fennel seed and lemon zest. Especially the fennel. It will not taste like fennel or licorice but it adds something magical to the flavor of the broth. I only wish there was more broth. Next to me I will increase quantities of everything except chicken and farro. This is the best thing I’ve eaten in a while, very enthusiastic.
Brooklyn Cook
I doubled the red pepper as someone else suggested and it was too much heat (and I like a lot of heat). Had my own homemade chicken stock on hand, which added to the flavor depth. Used one large chicken breast instead of the thighs, and added juice of half a lemon at the end, along with spinach. Pretty tasty.
Annie
What a lovely stew. COVID cooking meant a used a parsnip for one of the carrots and onion instead of leeks, and it worked fine. I used leftover braised chicken, adding it at the end with the greens and added the braising liquid to bulk up canned stock. My stock was salty, so I didn't add any more. The cooking time for the farro will vary depending on the size of your grains. My farro piccolo cooked in less than 20 minutes, so keep an eye on it. The lemon is not optional, in my opinion.
Emma
Delicious hearty winter soup. I doubled the recipe and added another 4 cup of chicken stock towards the end after adding the kale. I made a big alteration on used chicken apple sausage instead of chicken thighs and put them in before adding the kale. I also added in a zucchini I had on hand that needed to be used.
Jan K.
Enjoyed the soup - a bit spicy (and I love spicy foods) -- I think it's the amount of crushed red pepper. Beware.
fblueher
I just made this soup—-totally followed recipe. It was fantastic and a great foil to watching the super bowl. The fennel is lovely, the farro flavorful, and the greens a vibrant touch. The lemon peel and bit of juice made it pop!!!
Donna M
Really great flavors! I used arborio rice(1/2 cup) instead of farro as I didn't any...diced up some fennel with the veggies and added a good sprinkling of lemon zest when the soup finished cooking. Served with a squeeze of lemon juice and a shower of parmesan and the kids were in heaven!!
Es
Easy and versatile. I loved the crunch of the farro! I used 3 chicken thighs, skin intact, and cut them up for serving. I did not remove the bones. This gives it more flavor. I imagine that to reheat tomorrow the soup will need some water added. Very filling and delicious.
Caitlin
Delicious! Made to recipe, but added lemon juice to taste at end. Used Aleppo chili flakes
Soup qween
The lemon and fennel seed does something magic here. This is incredible.
Mary D.
This was absolutely delicious. I did not have fennel seed but had a fennel bulb that I diced fine and swapped out for the celery. I used 1/2 tsp of Momofuku's Chili Crunch instead of chili flakes and torn chicken breast from left over roast chicken - just folded it in at the very end. I omitted salt and added 1 TBSP of Better than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base. I have a thing about soggy greens so I lined bowls with fresh baby spinach and poured the soup on top finishing with lemon zest.
LoisS
Oh man is this ever good. I added the juice of a lemon at the end and a dash of Sherry. Also during the vegetable sauté phase, a little fish sauce. Superb
Jess M
I didn’t have chicken or farro so I used Italian sausage and freekah, which worked out great! The smokiness of the freekah and the extra fennel in the sausage added nice depth of flavor
Annie
Surprisingly flavorful considering the short ingredient list, but the lemon is a must. I just squeezed lemon on top, couldn't be bothered to zest and worked great. Changed I made - 1.5lb of chicken because that was the size packet I had, so upped the broth to 8 cups to take into that account, plus rounded teaspoons of herbs/seasoning. Used two cups frozen mustard greens (again, on hand) and skipped the celery because I don't like it. Delicious.
Ross T.
So good! I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out great, served with some toasted sourdough. I only left out the red pepper due to small kids. The kids liked it as well, so it was definitely a win. The leftovers were great for lunch too. I have some extra chicken so I’m going to make a second batch!
CG
Good! Used ground turkey, add herbs de province, add lemon zest plus juice of whole lemon, needed 2-3cups extra water in addition to stock
Spacebabe
Loved this, made basically as directed although I used rotisserie chicken (added at the end) and giant couscous in place of farro. Was really delicious, will make again but toast and crush the fennel next time for a bit more oomph.
Narcissa
So in true NYTimes commentator tradition I made this recipe and then changed it and will assert it was absolutely delicious. I'd poached a chicken for chicken salad so I took some of the chicken I didn't use and saved it for this meal. I used onions instead of leeks because that's what I had. I forgot the greens entirely. Added chickpeas, maybe tomatoes--thinking it was the other farro soup. Husband adored it. I did too. It's very forgiving you see. Lemon& garlic essential.
Kathy
I made this for dinner last night. Followed the recipe pretty much except where I used what I had on hand (like chicken breast for the thighs). It was hearty and flavorful. If I make it again I may alter how much fennel I use as that was the dominant flavor.
Cathy
This was very flavorful. I made it in the instant pot. I love Swiss chard so I sautéed the swiss chard stems with the celery so as not to waste anything.
KatieM
This was delicious and I loved the taste of the farro. I doubled the soup to have extra for later and the farro became quite mushy. Next time, I would toast and cook the farro separately from the soup to retain its texture, especially if I am planning to have the soup for more than one meal. It does need a bit more spice.
stefsquared
Amazing! One pot, minimal prep, simple ingredients, and somehow perfect. Great texture & flavor. And did I mention just one pot?
CvilleMel
This was terrific. I increased the veggies and stock, plus added a thinly sliced fennel bulb. Excellent!
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