Richest Chicken Soup

We were in Paris in November and had lunch at Banh Mi Angela in the Marais. The sandwiches are incredible, but that soup!

Angela’s soup was served with Vietnamese dumplings with a handful of cilantro leaves over the top. The soup was rich and delicious. Angela shared her recipe with me. She puts a chicken and water in a pot and keeps it on low for three days, and voila.

I have been thinking about making it since November. As the year wound down, I had time to give it a whirl. The soup is incredible, and I learned many lessons.

I put a chicken in a large stock pot and filled it 3/4 of the way to the top. I did not need this much water, so halfway up would have been the right amount. I brought the water to boil to start and then turned it down to low and partly covered for the next few days. There is no need to cover the pot; let the water slowly boil down.

After three days, I realized the soup was not rich enough, so I shifted gears and turned the heat up so the soup could boil down. After a few hours, the soup got very rich. I added some soy sauce and balsamic vinegar (although I would use Black Vinegar if I had it) to give the soup a kick. I also drained the soup and shredded the chicken. The chicken is so good. We used it in the soup, but it would make an incredible chicken salad.

The soup needed some doctoring, but this recipe is to be made again and again and again. It is a heartwarming broth for the records. When we are back in Paris, I plan to go to lunch again at Banh Mi and ask Angelas for a few more tips.