CHICKEN “WILD RICE” SOUP

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Directions

• Melt the butter in a stockpot over medium heat. Sauté the onions and celery for 5 minutes, or until soft. Sauté the mushrooms for 2 minutes more. Pour in the chicken broth and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low heat.
• Whisk in the softened cream cheese until it is completely incorporated and heated through.
• Cook for 1 hour, covered, with the chicken and seasonings.
• Make the crunchy “rice” while the soup is simmering, beginning with the cracklings: Cut the chicken skin into 1/4-inch pieces and pat it dry with paper towels. In a medium-sized cast-iron skillet, melt the ghee over medium heat. Cover and reduce the heat to low after adding the chicken skin pieces. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, or until a layer of liquid fat forms in the pan.
• Meanwhile, in a large cast-iron skillet, cook the bacon until crispy, about 8 minutes. Remove the bacon from the skillet and set aside until the soup is ready to serve; save the bacon fat for another use.
• Bring the heat back up to medium and cover the skillet after the chicken fat has cooked for 12 to 15 minutes on low. Cook the chicken skin pieces for another 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until they curl up and there is a lot of fat in the pan. Pour the chicken skin pieces and liquid fat into a jar using a colander. Save the chicken fat for later use—and its excellent ketogenic fat—and return the drained chicken skin pieces to the skillet.
• Add the onions, garlic, and sage to the skillet and cook for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cracklings are golden brown and crispy. Turn off the heat in the skillet. Season the cracklings with salt and pepper to taste.
• Ladle the soup into bowls and stir in the majority of the crunchy “rice”—the prepared cracklings and crispy bacon. As a garnish, sprinkle the remaining “rice” on top.
• RECIPE NOTES
  The cracklings can be made up to three days ahead of time. Refrigerate in an airtight container once cool. Reheat the cracklings in a skillet over medium heat for a few minutes, or until warmed through, before adding them to the soup.