Yam Chicken Stoup

Modified from Rachael Ray's "Smoky Sweet-Potato Chicken Stoup"
http://www.rachaelray.com/recipe.php?recipe_id=935


Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

2-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) (or canola oil)
4 medium carrots
4 ribs celery
2 large onions, peeled and halved
4 cloves garlic, chopped
Salt and black pepper
1-2 teaspoons dry thyme (eyeball it)
2 bay leaves
10 cups chicken stock (I use less--just enough to cover the veggies)
2 large sweet potatoes, yams or equivalent amount of potatoes
1 1/2 -2 pounds chicken tenders, cut into bite-size pieces (or use shredded bottled chicken)
8 scallions, white and green parts thinly sliced
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, a generous handful, roughly chopped, optional
1 cup sour cream, for garnish, optional

PREPARATION

Heat a soup pot over medium-high heat with two to four tablespoons of EVOO.

While soup pot heats, chop carrots in half lengthwise then slice into thin half moons. Add the carrots to the pot while it heats, stirring to coat the carrots in the EVOO. Chop and drop in celery and onion, chopping as small as you can, but don't make yourself crazy. Add the garlic and stir to combine. Season the veggies with salt, pepper, thyme, and bay leaf. Cook the veggies together for one minute. Add the stock to the pot, cover the pot, and raise heat to high. Bring the stoup to a boil, remove the cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into quarters lengthwise, then thinly slice into bite-size pieces. Add the cut chicken and sweet potatoes and simmer five minutes until sweet potatoes are tender and chicken is cooked through. Turn the heat off and add the scallions and cilantro. Serve each portion of stoup with a dollop of sour cream on top.