Tis the season! Tis the
cold and flu season that is, and while flu shots are available at doctor
offices and pharmacies, not so for colds. What to do to battle a cold; why
chicken soup of course! Chicken soup is comfort food and a folklore cure for
whatever ails you. In 2007, the University of Nebraska analyzed research
studies to find that chicken soup's medicinal properties were
"inconclusive". You ask anyone who doesn't feel well, depressed,
tired or just all around blah; they'll tell you to take all the research and
shove it where the sun don't shine.
Here in Monticello, Utah
the weather has finally taken a turn towards the cold; several times it has
gotten very windy, darkly clouded over and snow was anticipated. Then my son
calls me up one day and says, "Mom, I don't feel well, you have anything I
could eat?" Regretfully I had no chicken soup made, but he said that my Paella
made him feel so much better; he did a three hour workout at the local gym.
Well of course it would, it had chicken in it!
Anyway, I took no further chances, decided to make soup and took out a container
of chicken stock from the freezer.
Homemade Chicken Stock is
an essential main ingredient for this soup; you want all the richness of flavor
from the chicken, vegetables and seasonings, cooked together to create
perfection. When I say "chicken carcass" in the recipe, basically you
want to buy a whole chicken, remove the legs, thighs and breasts; what is left
is what goes into the soup pot and remove as much skin as you can too.
Why make your own stock?
You know exactly what is in the stock,
it’s clear, not cloudy because of preservatives added in. When making your stock, besides the bird
carcass, you'll be adding in the "holy trinity" of cooking: carrots,
celery and onion. With the onion, leave
the skin on to add a more golden color to the stock; it will all be strained
later on, so no need to worry about onion skin floating in it. I also add salt, ground black pepper and
cloves of garlic for aroma and taste; so when making soup later on, be careful
adding more of these ingredients.
Taste!!! You can always add, but
you can't take away if you add too much before tasting.
With the Thanksgiving
holiday coming up fast, remember to keep the turkey carcass (leave a little
meat on) and transform it into a wonderfully roasted turkey stock. The carcass can be wrapped in plastic, placed
into a freezer bag and frozen for later use, but don’t go past three
months. You don’t use it, you’ll lose
it!
Homemade Chicken Stock
Ingredients:
3 to 4 lbs. of chicken
carcass (legs, thighs and breasts removed)
3 large celery ribs,
chopped
3 large carrots, peeled
and chopped
1 large leek, washed
thoroughly and chopped; include most of the green section as well
2 medium onions, unpeeled,
but remove the root end
1 (8 oz.) container whole
mushrooms; dirt brushed off
6 cloves of garlic,
unpeeled
2 whole bay leaves
1 Tbsp. whole black
peppercorns
1 Tbsp. Kosher salt
5 quarts cold water
Preparation:
Place all ingredients in a
large stock pot (10-12 quart); bring to a boil on high heat and skim off any
frothy residue. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 3 hours.
Secure cheese cloth inside
a large plastic bowl and strain the stock into the bowl; discard all the solid
material captured in the cheese cloth.
Place the plastic bowl inside the freezer for one hour; the fat will
solidify and then can be easily removed.
The stock is now ready to be used, can be refrigerated for up to 3 days,
or stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Makes about 4 1/2 quarts.
Now for the Chicken Noodle
Soup itself; personally I use only the meat from the breasts; the legs and
thighs I save for other recipes.
Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients:
4 qts. of turkey, chicken
or combination of both stocks
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup diced celery
1 cup diced red bell
pepper
5 boneless, skinless
chicken breast halves; trim off fat
Pinch of salt and ground
black pepper
1 tsp. crushed, dried
thyme leaves
12 to 16 oz. homestyle egg
noodles (dependent on how much noodles you like in your soup)
Preparation:
Add the stock, onion,
carrots, celery and bell pepper to a tall stock pot; set on medium heat to
begin simmering.
In a large pan, add the
chicken, cover with water and set on medium-high heat. Let cook for 10 minutes, any fat will foam at
the top; rinse off chicken and cut into 1 inch pieces. In a large skillet, medium-high heat, sauté the chicken pieces until no pink is showing.
Sprinkle the salt, black pepper and thyme leaves during the cooking; mix
well.
Add the chicken, and any
juices in the skillet, to the stock pot.
Turn the heat up to high and bring the soup to a boil. Add the egg noodles; they will be ready once
they plump up and double in length; about 15 to 20 minutes. Turn off heat and serve in bowls.
Makes 12 servings.
Mary Cokenour
