Smoked Chicken Rice and Vegetable Soup

1 3# smoked (fully cooked) chicken

2T EVOO

⅓ lg. yellow onion - minced

1-2 c sliced green and purple cabbage

3 carrots - sliced-chopped

1-2 c chopped celery

½ T whole tellicherry peppercorns

6 cups of fresh cold water

6-8oz. chopped kale - cooked
¾-1c sour cream

Begin by sautéing and stirring the vegetables and pepper in the olive oil.  While that's happening, disjoint the chicken.  Pull off the skin, scrape off any fat on the inside and save this smokey skin.  Scrape fat off the meat, wherever you see it.

Once the vegetables are scenting your kitchen, it's time to add the chicken pieces, rice, remainder of the big onion, cut in chunks, and the defatted skin.  Cover this with about half the water, stir and bring to a simmer.  Cook this, covered, on low heat, stirring and checking it occasionally.  When the celery and rice are done the way you like, remove from the heat.  Pull out the skin and meat.  Add the rest of the water, cover and chill.  Mine is currently doing it's chillin'-thing in a big snowbank on my back deck 😉

Decide how much chicken you want to add to the finished soup.  Pull the leg, thigh and back meat into strips, chunks or cut it into cubes.  I'd suggest saving the breast meat for another recipe.  I'm brainstorming a chicken Waldorf salad recipe right now, which I'll post next.  I might even create another recipe!  I'm shocked at how much meat there is on this little smokey chicken!

Several hours later, or the next day, when the fat has risen and solidified, scrape that all off and throw it away.  Add the chicken,  cooked kale and sour cream. Bring back to just a just low simmer, being careful not to boil the soup.  Check the flavors making any corrections needed. Serve nice and hot, to take the winter chill away.    It would be great with a nice, crispy salad.

Mmmmm. . .It's Soup!! 😃 Come And Get It! . . . Lin