I make this soup so much my kids are totally sick of it. But I don't care 'cause I can eat it twice a day all winter! And I've probably already blogged about it. Oh well. It's a classic chicken noodle/rice soup.
I use a roaster or broiler chicken - take all the innards out and dispose of however you want. Then place the chicken in a big pot of water that is heating up. How much water you use just depends on how much soup you ultimately want. Use a big pot! Bring water to a boil and then let simmer for about 45 minutes. You will notice that the chicken sort of begins to bob to the top of the pot - its done! I had always skimmed off the foam that appears on the water as it cooks - but then I read that this is full of protein so last time I made it I left it in and just stirred it to reincorporate it into the soup. Worked fine. Once chicken is finished cooking, turn off heat and remove the chicken from the water. Be careful to make sure there is no water in the cavity of the bird. Let chicken sit in another large bowl until cool enough to handle.
Cover the pot of water and let it sit until you add vegetables and chicken back in. Tear apart all meat from bones. This takes a bit of time and there is A LOT of meat on a chicken. Place torn chicken meat in yet another bowl and start to chop carrots and celery. I use about 10 carrots and 5-6 celery stalks. Again it really just depends on how much of each vegetable you want. I love carrots in my chicken soup - so I add a lot. And that's all that goes into it veggie-wise. Simple is best in my opinion. Bring the water back to a simmer, generously salt and pepper and add some chicken bouillon. About 1-2 tablespoons. I really like to use Better Than Bouillon. You can find it in the soup section of the grocery store. It's a concentrate in a paste form. Easy to use.
Mix to incorporate and then add veggies and chicken. Heat until carrots and celery are firm but tender and you are done!! Serve with bread, rice or pasta. ENJOY OFTEN. And in the winter I store the whole pot on my screened-in porch. No need to put in fridge!
Very interesting website I found about bone soups - let you know when I try one!
Labels: yum
