Cozy Chicken Heart Soup is perfect for boosting nutrient density as the weather cools. Our family seemed to be on the verge of getting sick this week and I have been focusing on cozy favorites like braised roasts, our favorite Pho, marrow, and simple soups. We started this week with this Chicken Liver Mousse, so I didn’t think we needed more liver, but was still focusing on nutrient-density as I scoured my freezer. I found one lone bag of chicken hearts and knew that now would be a good time to use it.
Chicken Hearts as a Great Source of Nutrient-Density
Heart is among the most nutrient-dense organs. When analyzing foods to combat nutrient deficiencies, Frontiers in Nutrition found that liver, spleen, heart and kidney were among the top 8 most nutrient-dense foods in 2022. Heart is high in B-vitamins, Choline, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorous, Potassium, Selenium and Zinc.
It is often accompanied by a rich fat-cap on the top of the heart. This fat can vary in color and nutrients depending on the forage of the animal and the season of slaughter. The fat of pastured animals can be rich in the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K – especially pastured poultry.
Finally, heart is well known for its high levels of co-enzyme Q10 (coQ10). This powerful fat-soluble nutrient is stored in the mitochondria and plays roles in energy production and working as a powerful antioxidant. Our body can make it’s own coQ10, but the ability declines with age. It’s known for it’s heart, brain and reproductive health benefits.
The combination of the nutrients along with it’s familiar meaty texture and flavor make it easy to love.
Cozy Chicken Heart Soup
As our family grows up, I am cooking in larger portion sizes. Actually, I had gotten into a good habit of making large portions with leftovers for many years, but I am finding that these batches are barely serving our family anymore. That said, I only had one pound of chicken hearts so I added chicken breast to this soup. However, if I were making a smaller portion or had more hearts, I would have exclusively used the hearts.
I also seasoned and seared the chicken hearts and breasts in a pan before adding them to the soup. I find that the browning process adds some depth of flavor to the overall soup. However, this is not required. If I had less time, I probably would have just chopped the proteins and cooked them into the soup itself.
To meet the fall season and to fend off any tickles in the throat, I used simple ingredients and plenty of ginger. Cozy Chicken Heart Soup was warmly received and a recipe I’m sure we’ll make again.
Cozy Chicken Heart Soup with Ginger and Rice
Ingredients
- 1 T lard
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 celery stalk, diced
- a 1.5" thumb ginger, grated
- salt
- 1 cup rice, rinsed
- 10 cups seasoned chicken broth
- 1 lb chicken hearts
- 1 lb chicken breast (or an extra pound of heart if available)
- chopped green onion, cilantro or basil to garnish
Instructions
- Add lard to heavy bottomed pot and melt on medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery, and ginger and cook for 6-8 minutes until soft. Season with salt.
- Add rice and broth, bring to a boil then reduce temperature to a simmer. Cover pot and let cook for 15 minutes.
- In the meantime, optionally pan-fry chicken hearts and breast meat.
- Cut meat into small pieces for soup and reserve.
- After rice has mostly cooked, add meats and any juices to the soup, bring soup to a quick boil. If meats have been pre-cooked, the soup is ready to serve. If not, simmer all together for another 5-8 minutes until chicken breast is cooked through (heart is ok rare).
- Optionally garnish with chopped green onion, cilantro or basil. Enjoy!
My very picky daughter loved this. We shaved parm over the top.
Hey Mary, That’s a huge win! Heart has all the B-vitamins and is full of minerals like potassium, phosphorus, zinc, selenium and tons of the super powerful antioxidant coenzyme Q10. Nice work, mama!! I’m so glad you both enjoyed it 🙂
Thank god i found your blog,,, i am grateful that you are celebrating off cuts which in my community is an essential part of our meals, eating and utilising the whole animal as much as we can is what we have learned since childhood. Yes!! Organ meat is the my favourite and thank you for creating such great recipes with it. ❤️🇮🇳
Thank you, Albana! I am so glad you’re here!!