Chicken Brodo with Spring Vegetables and Fried Bread

Photo by Stephen Kent Johnson, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich

If chicken noodle soup is a winter blanket, then this brodo is a light spring sweater. In place of the rich, fatty broth, there’s delicate and lemony soup brimming with asparagus and pea shoots. Where there once were noodles, there’s a slab of irresistible olive oil–fried bread that stays crunchy on the edges even as it gets custardy in the center. If your butcher doesn't have chicken bones, substitute an equal weight of chicken wings.

Yield
4 servings

Ingredients

  1. For the brodo:
    • 4 lb. raw chicken bones
    • 3 spring onions or 4 scallions, chopped
    • 4 garlic cloves, crushed
    • 3 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped
    • 3/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed
  2. For assembly:
    • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
    • 4 (1/2"-thick) slices country-style bread
    • 10 oz. asparagus (about 1 bunch), trimmed, thinly sliced on a diagonal into 1"–1½" pieces
    • 4 oz. button mushrooms, stems trimmed, very thinly sliced
    • 2 cups pea shoots (tendrils)
    • 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
    • Finely grated Parmesan (for serving)
    • Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

  1. For the brodo:
    1. Bring chicken bones and 12 cups cold water to a gentle simmer (you don’t want it to boil) in a large pot. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook at a bare simmer, skimming foam occasionally, until stock is reduced by one-third, 2 1/2–3 hours.
    2. Add spring onions, garlic, prosciutto, and mushrooms to pot and cook another 20 minutes. Strain stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl; discard solids (you should have about 9 cups). Pour 3 cups brodo into an airtight container; reserve for another use.
    3. Do Ahead: Brodo can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.
  2. For assembly:
    1. Heat 1/3 cup oil in a medium skillet over medium. As soon as the oil begins to look glossy, add bread slices and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and season lightly with salt.
    2. Pour brodo into a large saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Taste and season with salt. Add asparagus and cook until tender and bright green, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat; add mushrooms.
    3. Toss pea shoots and lemon juice in a medium bowl; season with salt.
    4. Divide soup among bowls and place a piece of fried bread into each one. Top with dressed pea shoots and Parmesan. Drizzle with lots of oil and season with pepper.

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