Chicken Asparagus Soup

Thanksgiving 2021. Twenty-six people, record attendance, the house so full of noise and warmth that it felt like the family expanding to fill the space the pandemic had temporarily compressed. Gary's whole family. My parents. Neighbors. The graduate students who've now been coming for three years. Debra came with her family for the first time — she'd been at her own family's the previous years and this year she could come, and she sat at the long table and looked around and said, "This is your best recipe." I understood what she meant.

The turkey was perfect. The cranberry sauce I'd started two weeks before was perfect. Mason made the dinner rolls — entirely his territory now, he's taken ownership — and they were fluffier and more golden than mine and everyone told him so and he said, "I've been working on the technique," with the same tone he uses for everything: matter-of-fact pride.

After dinner, after the dishes, after the guests had gone, Gary and I sat on the back porch in the November cold with wine and blankets and were quiet for a long time. He said, "I like our life." I said, "Me too." He said, "Not in spite of everything. Because of everything." I knew he meant the years, the grief, the therapy, the hard parts we'd worked through together. Because of everything. I kept that sentence for the book. I'll use it in the final chapter.

I made turkey soup Sunday. Twelve quarts. The season is turning. The soup will last us through December.

The turkey soup I made that Sunday was really about not wanting it to end — the warmth, the noise, all twenty-six people who’d filled our house. When the soup ran low in February I found myself wanting to recreate that same feeling of something sustaining simmering on the stove, and this Chicken Asparagus Soup became my answer for the rest of the season. It has that same quality the best post-holiday cooking always has: it asks almost nothing of you, and gives back a great deal.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 35 min | Total Time: 50 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
1 lb fresh asparagus, woody ends trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces
8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Instructions

Sauté the aromatics. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 6–8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more until fragrant.
Add broth and chicken. Pour in the chicken broth and nestle the whole chicken breasts or thighs into the pot. Add thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Cook uncovered for 18–20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and registers 165°F internally.
Shred the chicken. Remove the chicken to a cutting board and use two forks to shred it into bite-sized pieces. Return the shredded chicken to the pot.
Add the asparagus. Bring the soup back to a simmer over medium heat. Add the asparagus pieces and cook for 4–6 minutes, until just tender but still bright green. Do not overcook — asparagus softens quickly.
Finish and season. Stir in the lemon juice and taste for salt. Ladle into bowls and finish each with fresh parsley. Serve with crusty bread or dinner rolls if you have them.

Nutrition (per serving)

Chicken Asparagus Soup — The Pot That Carries the Warmth Forward