You may or may not know that Jen Garner is a bit of a foodie. Not only that, she’s firm friends with one of our culinary heroes – Martha Stewart. So when Jen shared her very favourite chicken soup, noting it was “a sure thing” we were all ears … and making a shopping list within minutes!
Chicken soup for the soul
Actor and mum Jen has three kids with her ex, actor Ben Affleck. Son Samuel is 6, daughter Violet is 12 and their other daughter, Seraphina is 9.
Jen’s frequently sharing her foodie adventures on Instagram, but this time she not only inspired us with something healthy and delicious, but she also shared the actual recipe (with props to Martha!)
“I’ve been making this @marthastewart recipe for years—the roast lemon chicken alone is enough to make you sing!” Jen wrote on Instagram. “You can dress it up (homemade stock) or make it in a hurry (broth from a box!), whatever you do, this recipe is a sure thing.”
Here’s the recipe, as posted by Jen. #YUM Don’t forget to follower her on social media for even more of her foodie ideas, courtesy of her Pretend Cooking Show.
Martha Stewart’s Roast Lemon Chicken Soup (a la Jennifer Garner)
Ingredients
2 lemons, thinly sliced 6 small shallots, peeled and quartered lengthwise 1 whole 4 pound chicken (backbone and giblets removed) 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil, divided Salt Pepper 6 cups chicken stock
Method
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Rub chicken with 1 tablespoon oil and season with 1 tablespoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
Brush 1 tablespoon oil in the centre of a rimmed baking sheet slightly larger than the size of the chicken. Slice lemons thinly and lay half of them out in a single layer on the oil.
Place chicken, skin side up, on the lemons. Beginning at the neck end of the breast, carefully loosen skin from flesh of breast and thighs with your fingers. Slide the remaining lemon slices under skin in a single layer. (This isn’t as scary as it sounds, go for it!)
Roast chicken for 20 minutes. Toss shallots with remaining teaspoon oil and scatter around chicken. Continue to roast chicken until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reaches 165 degrees — appx. 25 to 30 minutes more.
Transfer chicken to a carving board and let chicken cool completely. Remove and discard skin, lemon under skin and bones.
Shred meat into bite-size pieces. Mix shredded meat with the pan juices, roasted lemons and shallots from the baking sheet into a bowl. (feel free to stop here, you can’t do better than this concoction)
Bring chicken stock to a simmer in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in chicken, lemons, shallots and pan juices, and simmer 1 minute. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.
Divide soup among 4 to 6 bowls. Add rice (brown is perfect) if you so desire!
YUM.
And look! A bonus recipe for fish fingers, of sorts. (Below) Thank you, Jen!
