This vivid green soup is a celebration of fresh parsley — blended with potato or stock for body and finished with a touch of cream for silkiness. It’s surprisingly substantial, vegetarian, and a great way to use up a big bunch of herbs. Serve with crusty bread and a drizzle of olive oil.
- 2 bunches flat leaf parsley
- 1 T. butter
- 1/2 large onion, roughly chopped
- 4 large Russet potatoes, peeled, and roughly chopped into small chunks
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 C. chicken broth, or more as needed
- 1/4 C. heavy cream
- 1 T. lemon juice
- 1 1/2 C. cooked white rice
- 4 chicken thighs, cooked, then shredded
- salt and to taste
1. Remove 6 attractive parsley leaves from the bunches and set them aside in a damp paper towel for garnish. Place a large pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil. Fill a bowl with ice water and set aside. Holding the parsley by the stems, carefully dip them into the boiling water until they wilt, about 5-10 seconds, then immediately dip into the ice water until thoroughly chilled. Squeeze the excess water from the bunch. Repeat this process with the other bunch of parsley. Cut the cooked portion of the parsley from the stems, roughly chop, and set aside.
2. Place a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter followed by the onion and potatoes. Cook until the onion becomes tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook just until you can smell its aroma.
3. Pour in the chicken broth and season with salt. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, and cook until the potatoes become very tender, about 15 minutes.
4. Add the roughly chopped cooked parsley to the soup. Puree in the soup small batches using a blender or immersion blender. Strain the soup and return to a clean large saucepan.
5. Place the soup over medium heat, stir in the heavy cream, lemon juice, salt, and more broth, if desired.
6. Heat the soup through, then ladle into bowls. Top each soup with an even amount of rice and shredded chicken. Top with a parsley leaf, then serve.
