Chicken Soup with a Spicy Buttermilk Drizzle

Fall is officially upon us and that means chilly winds, cute sweaters and warms meals.

I have a tendency towards rustic foods and this chicken soup is just that; it's a nice deviation from the typical 'noodle' soup. The base flavor comes from the heavy amounts of seasoning while the touch of spice from the banana peppers is a nice surprise.

Simple ingredients, easy to put together - this is a nice soup to greet the fall weather; a real Fat and Happy fall dish!

Tips and techniques:  Use all the chicken pieces and parts. Even if you don't want to eat them, they will add flavor to this dish. Use any remaining buttermilk sauce on a salad the next day.  For the spicy banana peppers, purchase the jarred variety at the grocery so you can use the juice to deglaze the pan. 

Chicken Soup with a Spicy Buttermilk Drizzle

Rustic Chicken Soup
1/2 - 1 lb whole chicken in pieces, skin removed
olive or canola oil
4 Tbls ground cumin
4 Tbls chili powder
1 Tbls seasoning salt
1 Tbls smoky paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 cup onions, diced large
1/4 cup pepper juice
1 potato, diced

1 carrot, diced
2 cups water

Begin placing all the seasonings (the cumin, chili powder, salt, paprika, cayenne pepper) in a bowl and stir to combine.  Rub the seasoning all over the chicken and then brown the chicken in a pan with a drizzle of olive oil, turn to brown all sides.  Remove from pan and set aside.

In the same pan add the onions and another drizzle of olive oil if needed.  Saute the onions until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes.  Deglaze the pan with the pepper juice.  Add in the potatoes and carrot and cook for a few minutes. Add in the water and return the chicken to the pan.  Cook in a 350 degree oven for about 1 hour. Make the spicy sauce while the soup is cooking (recipe below).

To plate, pull hunks of meat from the bone, place in a bowl,  fill the bowl with the chicken soup and top with fresh parsley and a spoon of the buttermilk sauce.


Spicy Goat Cheese Buttermilk Sauce
5 oz goat cheese
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup spicy banana peppers
2 cups green olives (about 20)
1 tsp garlic powder
handful of chopped parsley
1 tsp fresh ground pepper

Combine all the ingredients in Cuisinart or blender, blend until smooth.