Ingredients
- 1 head garlic
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), divided
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 3-4 bay leaves
- 1 medium onion, quartered
- 4 carrots, thinly sliced into rounds or matchsticks
- 2 leeks, thinly sliced
- 1 quart chicken stock
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1/4 head savoy or green cabbage, thinly sliced
- 1/2 pound thin egg noodles
- 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup dill, chopped
Directions
- Pre-heat the oven to 400ºF.
- Slice the top quarter inch off the stem end of the garlic head, exposing the cloves. Place the garlic onto a square of foil and drizzle it with about 1 tablespoon EVOO. Wrap the foil up around the garlic to enclose it and roast it in the oven until golden brown and very tender, about 40 minutes.
- While the garlic is roasting, place the chicken into a medium pot with the bay leaves and onion. Fill the pot with water and bring up to a simmer. Place the chicken into the pot and simmer until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove the cooked chicken from the broth, dice into bite-size pieces and reserve. Strain the cooking liquid, reserving 4 cups.
- Place a large pot over medium-high heat with two turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Add the carrots and leeks to the pan and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
- While the veggies are cooking, squeeze the cloves from the head of roasted garlic into a small bowl. Add a splash of stock to the cloves and mash into a paste. To the pot with the carrots and leeks, add the lemon zest, mashed garlic, remaining chicken stock and reserved poaching liquid and bring up to a bubble.
- Add the cabbage and egg noodles to the pot, and cook until both are tender 3-4 minutes. During the last minute of cooking, add the reserved chopped chicken to the pot. Season the soup with salt and pepper and stir in the lemon juice and herbs.