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Mary Chris
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| Posted: Jan 23 2009 at 7:40am | IP Logged
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How do you cook up a really yummy chicken soup? I am looking for something that will knock the cold germs off their feet and send them packing. Alot of recipes I have read call for chicken base(??) is that the secret? If you have a good recipe, please share.
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guitarnan
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We make our own stock, which really boosts flavor and nutrients. It's easy - we bake whole chickens and then freeze the bones/skin/leftover bits until we have enough (for us that is 3 chickens) for stock.
Take your chicken bones and place them in a large stockpot and cover them with water. Bring to boil, then take the pot off the stove and drain out the water. Rinse the bones with cold water. Return to pot and add 6 quarts of water, one onion (quartered), a couple of carrots and celery stalks (cut in 3-in. pieces), a few peppercorns and some thyme (maybe a teaspoon?). Bring to boil, then simmer for a couple of hours, skimming fat off the top every half hour. Strain stock through a sieve. You can freeze the stock.
Once I have stock, I make soup by again adding a couple of chopped carrots, celery stalks, an onion (cut up), peppercorns, maybe a bay leaf or two, parsley - it's pretty free-form! I simmer all of that until the veggies are tender, then add cut-up chicken (usually saved from leftovers), a bag of egg noodles and perhaps some corn kernels. Quantities depend on your preference. Soup is done when noodles are cooked.
I don't salt my soup until we serve it - dh hates salt - but you can add salt whenever you like.
This sounds complicated, but the hardest part, really, is hefting those bones out to drain and rinse them in step 1. After that, it's just babysitting.
We have colds, too - maybe I should make soup!
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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Mary Chris
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| Posted: Jan 23 2009 at 8:11am | IP Logged
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So you don't boil a whole chicken? That is what I usually do. I have this whole chicken phobia thing, so I rarely roast a whole chicken.
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Blessings, Mary Chris Beardsley
mom to MacKenzie3/95, Carter 12/97 Ronan 3/00 and wife to Jim since 1/92
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jnasmamma
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| Posted: Jan 23 2009 at 8:23am | IP Logged
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I have a post on my blog from last year on making soups. There is my recipe for chicken soup on there. I love making chicken soup and really yummy chicken broth. My recipe sounds very similar to the one above. Cooking the bones is super important because of the minerals in the bones. If your broth gels after it has cooled that means you did a good job getting the minerals out of the bones. We love our chicken soup over brown rice too. Happy cooking, makes me hungry just thinking about it.
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mimmyof5
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guitarnan wrote:
Take your chicken bones and place them in a large stockpot and cover them with water. Bring to boil, then take the pot off the stove and drain out the water. Rinse the bones with cold water. Return to pot and add 6 quarts of water, one onion (quartered), a couple of carrots and celery stalks (cut in 3-in. pieces), a few peppercorns and some thyme (maybe a teaspoon?). Bring to boil, then simmer for a couple of hours, skimming fat off the top every half hour. Strain stock through a sieve. You can freeze the stock.
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I think this is probably a 'stupid' question, but why do you boil the bones twice? You cover the bones with water, bring to a boil, and then dump the water? You don't keep it? Then you cover them again and make your stock from that?
I've made stock before, but never drained off the water. I would like to start again, especially since I have 10 chickens in the freezer. We somehow ended up with all roosters last spring, so we butchered them. Chicken soup sounds good right now.
Janet
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guitarnan
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| Posted: Jan 23 2009 at 8:33am | IP Logged
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Yes, that's exactly what I do.
This is a French thing - you kind of "scald" the bones and that removes any bad stuff - but it's quick, so you still have all the things that give great flavor.
I thought it was wacky, too, but it works. We got the idea from Pierre Franey's Cooking in France, but I've seen it in many other cookbooks since.
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missionfamily
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I make my own stock...if I'm boiling a whole chicken for the soup, I cut it up and boil it for the stock, but often I do this with the bones after eating a chicken, then use the stock and boneless thighs for soup.
One of our favorites is chicken thighs cooked down in stock then shredded, then add the rest of the stock for soup, add any veggies you have--in this recipe we like red pepper, carrots, celery, but I have used others--fresh cilantro leaves, seven grain rice, and a turmeric for seasoning--it gives the soup a lovely golden hue and a pleasing aroma, plus a nice flavor. It is a favorite when everyone is sick.
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Matilda
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We make stock the same way without the first boil and dump. Husband and I get tired of Chicken Noodle so for variety we make Chicken Tortilla Soup. I take the stock with chicken meat and add sauteed onions, garlic and bell peppers, celery, black beans, cilantro, and cumin. We serve it with crushed up taco chips. Yum!
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guitarnan
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| Posted: Jan 23 2009 at 10:37am | IP Logged
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We like Tortilla Soup, too.
This week my husband made it with the leftover broth (vegetable stock and water, plus spices) he had from making pork carnitas. I was very dubious but it was excellent!
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organiclilac
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I don't boil twice, but I do skim off the foam. I was told that you can get any bad stuff out that way.
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JodieLyn
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Add LOTS of onion and garlic.. those will help with knocking out the germies. 
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Lori
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I cheat with using purchased Organic chicken broth, and use that with several chicken breasts (even frozen) and 1/2 cup of barley, celery, carrots, onions...cook up in the crockpot for 8-10 hours, then shred the chicken and mix it back in...if it's soaked up too much of the broth, simply heat some more up and add it in.
My kiddos love this with pepper sprinkled on top!
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Lori B
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| Posted: Jan 26 2009 at 8:18am | IP Logged
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I just posted my husband's favourite chicken (or turkey) soup on our food blog.
He makes it every year that we have turkey leftovers from Thanksgiving or Christmas, but I make it quite often with chicken pieces for a week-night meal.
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4Real Forums : Our Lady's Loom, Larder, and Laundry
Topic: Chicken Soup Recipes??
