It isn’t often that I make claims, but I do say about today’s recipe that it makes the best chicken soup I’ve ever eaten. It takes a little while to make, but most things that are worthwhile do. (Think the pyramids, Hoover Dam, the rearing of a child.) It’s easier if you make the soup in two steps.
This original recipe was created by Mary Frances Roberts, a member of Overbrook Baptist Church in Greenville. Dale Sutton is her pastor. A relatively new member there, Mary Frances was baptized four years ago. She doesn’t have any real titles, she says, but volunteers with the various children’s programs.
She and her husband Glenn, a fifth grade teacher in Slater-Marietta, don’t have children, but she has a son – Garrison Kirk of Greenville – from a previous marriage. She and Glenn met and dated at Anderson College (now University) many years ago, then went their separate ways. They found each other again, and she and Glenn now have been married 20 years.
For several years, Mary Frances operated Ambrosia, a gourmet take-out food shop on Augusta Road in Greenville. All the food was homemade by Mary Frances. In the deli counter were fresh, whole meals or individual foods, and the freezer held the same. She also did catering. One of her most popular foods was the biscuit from a recipe she developed. During the time she operated Ambrosia, she sold more than 100,000 of the biscuits.
When her father, Junius Garrison, died, she had to help with his business matters, then her mother developed dementia, so she had to close Ambrosia to care for her mother. Mary Frances says her late father was brought up at Pendleton Street Baptist in Greenville, but joined the Methodists at his wife’s insistence!
Mary Frances Roberts
There is another Baptist connection you’ll recognize immediately: Mary Frances’s husband Glenn is the son of John E. Roberts, who was editor of the Courier for 30 years.
We have tried to find a connection between Mary Frances’s Garrison family and my husband’s, but can’t quite get there – she thinks the connection diverged in the 1800s.
Back to the soup. When I made this, I cooked the chicken breasts one day, stored them in a plastic bag with the broth so they wouldn’t get dry, then completed the soup the next day. You can also use leftover roast chicken, Mary Frances said, and this soup freezes well. We didn’t have any left to freeze.
Do try this soup. On a cold February or March day, it will be just the thing for … Sunday Dinner.
Chicken Divan Soup
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups cooked chicken in small pieces
2 heads of fresh broccoli florets,including some stems (may use frozen)
1 cup medium egg noodles, uncooked
6 cups chicken broth (from cooking the chicken or canned)
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 cup milk (anything from evaporated, skimmed, or cream – whatever richness is desired)
Juice of 1 fresh lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese for topping
Sauté the onion in oil over medium-high heat until translucent. Add the broccoli florets and chopped stems, chicken, and curry powder. Sauté another minute. Add chicken broth and noodles. (If you need more liquid, add a little water.)
Bring to a boil and cook noodles. When noodles are tender, add the milk or cream and heat through. Add the juice of the one lemon. Stir to mix well, then add the salt and pepper to taste.
Ladle into bowls to serve and top with parmesan cheese. Mary Frances suggests also placing a dollop of sour cream on top.