I made this delicious dish just as spring was arriving.  There was still a nip in the air and the wind was blowing something fierce.  I put the pot on and within an hour my home began to smell like family.  Once it was finished and assembled, the taste was healing and warm.  The Asian 5 Spice, made with cinnamon, cloves, star anise, Sichuan pepper and fennel seeds has a sweet, but rich  aroma and reminded me of evenings sitting around the dinner table while my brothers regaled wild stories of their day.  I would roar with laughter as they spun their wild tales.  It was a very fond memory!

Meat Stock is very healing for your gut.  It’s lower in histamine levels than bone broth and better for children to consume.  It can bring powerful healing to those with leaky gut and other gut issues.  I try to eat meat stock at least 3 days a week in the winter.  It can be made with any sort of meat on a bone.

This dish is very simple, really. It’s a one pot dish!  I took a pasture raised chicken out of the freezer the day before so that it could defrost most of the way, but it can be done frozen too.  I prefer organic veggies, but do the best you can afford.

1 pastured, organic chicken
3-4 carrots
1-2 stalk of celery
1 onion cut in half
1 – 2 tbsp Asian 5 Spice
1 package of rice noodles
1-2 avocados
Green onions
Creme Fraiche, Sour Cream, Yogurt Cheese or Kefir Cheese
Salt and Pepper

Put the whole chicken in a large pot and cover it with water.  Set the pot on the stove to boil. Once the water is boiling (turn it down so it doesn’t splash everywhere), let it boil for a minute or two until you see scum rise to the top.  Use some sort of strainer to remove the scum.  Turn the temp down to a light simmer.    This is when I add the carrots, celery, onion and 5 spice.  It’s easier to skim the scum without any veggies in the pot, but you can add them before if you like.  DO NOT add salt at this stage.  It will make the meat rubbery.

Once the water is skimmed and the veggies are added, put the lid on the pot.  Let the chicken cook anywhere from 1.5 – 3 hours depending on the size of your bird.  Check it periodically to make sure it’s only simmering.  Once the meat it cooked, it will fall off the bone.

Once the chicken is finished, remove it and all the veggies from the pot, set aside.  Bring the broth to a boil and cook the rice noodles according to the directions on the box.

Pull the finished noodles out with tongs and put them into serving bowls.  Place portions of meat, veggies and avocado into each bowl.  Ladle broth over the top.  Add a scoop of creme fraiche and green onions.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

If you are single, like me, you can use the left over chicken in fajitas, chicken salad and chicken wraps to name a few!  The broth is amazing at any time of day with some butter and salt in it.

The recipe is based on a technique taught by Monica Currado.