Old Fashioned Chicken Soup
Photo Credit: Chatelaine.com
What is it about Chicken Soup that comforts the soul on a cold winter day? Perhaps it’s the steaming velvety broth that fogs your glasses as you bring a spoonful to your lips. The sound of the long satisfying slurp as you drink it all in. Perhaps it’s the bite of freshly cracked black pepper that dances on your tongue. Or the burst of juicy chicken and tender carrot between your teeth. Whatever it is, it just works. There’s a reason why it’s your grandmothers cure-all, and her grandmothers too!.
Now, no offense to Campbell’s, but a bowl of the canned stuff just doesn’t do it for me. Not after I realized how easy and satisfying it is to make from scratch. It’s now become a weekly staple in my house, and my 10 month old son goes nuts for it too!
I use homemade broth as well, and I find it makes a HUGE difference in the taste of the broth. It’s worth the effort and there’s something about creating my own broth, and then a soup from that broth that makes me feel like a pioneer!. It sounds a lot harder than it is, trust me on this.
Now at the risk of sounding all food pretentious on you, I strongly recommend organic, grain fed chicken. Using anything else would be like pouring ketchup on your caviar.
Ingredients
4 cups Chicken Broth
1 cup water
1 cup dry white wine
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 medium celery ribs, sliced
2 medium carrots, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 3-4 pound chicken, cut up, giblets removed.
2 tbsp minced fresh dill
salt and pepper to taste
1. Add chicken pieces to large soup pot, pour liquids over top, place over high heat and bring to a simmer. Skim off any foam that rises to the surface.
2. Add vegetables and garlic, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer slowly for 1 hour.
3. Remove chicken pieces from pot and allow to cool (about 10 minutes) while the soup stays warm over very low heat.
4. Once cool enough to handle, skin and debone the chicken pieces, chop or shred into bite size pieces and add back to pot.
5. Add dill, salt and pepper to taste.
Adapted from the Cooking Know How cookbook.
