I love chicken soup. It's always there at times of need, or need of comfort. My hubby was sick yesterday. Often, he complains about how sick he feels, buy yesterday, he was sick. So, he deserved some extra attention, and some feeling of comfort, so I made him soup. Funny how soup is always the answer when someone needs a quick pick me up. Happy soup. Here's how I make mine:
I grab some veggies. I always have celery, onion, and carrots on hand about a cup of each. They are the base for all of my soup broths, but I add these after I boil the chicken to start the broth. The celery leaves in the bowl, I'll add towards the end to give a nice 'parsley' effect. Now, I buy a couple of fryer or roaster chickens and cut them myself to save some extra cash ($0.88/lb, compared to $2 or $3/lb). I save the backs and sometimes the top of the breast portion and cook them first in a large pot of water, and I simmer them for about an hour.
This might look kind of gross, but the end result is quite the payoff. Boiling the chicken and bones gives great flavor to the broth, and the chicken is so tender! Remove it to a bowl, to let cool, and remove the meat from the bones. Strain the broth and you are ready to make soup!
This is what I got after removing the bones~ a full plate of very tender chicken. I cook the veggies first in the broth until they 'sink' into the pot, and add 2 boullion cubes, the chicken pieces and some more coarsely chopped carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, corn~whatever I have on hand. I add some herbs: basil, parsley, oregeno, thyme, and garlic. Add enough to suit your taste. That's the beauty of soup~ using what you already have.
I also add rice, about one cup to the mix, or noodles. For this soup, it was the rice, a wild and brown rice mix. It's beautiful to look at, and healthier than the white version. It gives a slighty more 'nutty' taste. And it's so pretty! Simmer the soup until the rice is cooked, and it's ready to go.
Now, whether it's coincidence or not, the hubby felt better today...ahhhh the love of soup!
I grab some veggies. I always have celery, onion, and carrots on hand about a cup of each. They are the base for all of my soup broths, but I add these after I boil the chicken to start the broth. The celery leaves in the bowl, I'll add towards the end to give a nice 'parsley' effect. Now, I buy a couple of fryer or roaster chickens and cut them myself to save some extra cash ($0.88/lb, compared to $2 or $3/lb). I save the backs and sometimes the top of the breast portion and cook them first in a large pot of water, and I simmer them for about an hour.
This might look kind of gross, but the end result is quite the payoff. Boiling the chicken and bones gives great flavor to the broth, and the chicken is so tender! Remove it to a bowl, to let cool, and remove the meat from the bones. Strain the broth and you are ready to make soup!
This is what I got after removing the bones~ a full plate of very tender chicken. I cook the veggies first in the broth until they 'sink' into the pot, and add 2 boullion cubes, the chicken pieces and some more coarsely chopped carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, corn~whatever I have on hand. I add some herbs: basil, parsley, oregeno, thyme, and garlic. Add enough to suit your taste. That's the beauty of soup~ using what you already have.
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