Lemony Chicken & Bulgur Soup

Lemony Chicken & Bulgur Soup

Using bone-in chicken breasts helps the soup create its own flavorful stock in the pot.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (125 mL) dry bulgur, use #1 fine
Salt to taste
2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil
2 chicken breasts, skin-on, bone-in, about 1 1/2 lbs (680 g)
2 cups (500 mL) onion, finely diced
1 cup (250 mL) celery, finely diced
2 tbsp (30 mL) garlic, finely sliced
1 tsp (5 mL) ground coriander
1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) lemon zest, finely grated on a rasp
1/2 cup (125 mL) fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
Directions:
In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup (60 mL) boiling water with bulgur and a pinch of salt, and let sit.

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add chicken, skin side down, and cook without moving for 10 minutes or until golden. Flip and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and set aside (it won’t be cooked through).

Add onion, celery and garlic to the pot. Cook until onions are translucent, about 10 minutes.

Add coriander and stir in for 30 seconds. Add chicken back to pot along with 5 cups (1.25 L) water. Bring to a boil then cover and simmer on low for 30 minutes.

Remove chicken and let cool slightly before discarding the skin and tearing the meat off the bones.

Add bulgur and shredded chicken to the pot. Bring back to a simmer, and stir in lemon juice, zest and cilantro. Season generously with salt to taste.    Serves 4