Just the Beginnings Chicken soup is just that, the beginning. You can add to or modify this soup to suit your own tastes
The story behind Just the Beginnings Chicken Soup
Just the Beginnings Chicken soup is just that, just the beginnings.
Once the savory broth is made you can add whatever you want to it…cooked rice (leftover?) and you have a nice Chicken with Rice Soup, cooked noodles make Chicken Noodle Soup.
How about some alphabet shapes? Alphabet Soup. Remember how much fun was it to make words with Alphabet soup when you were a kid…kids still love it!
Add vegetables of your choice … peas, beans, corn…whatever…it’s all good.
Right now I'm in the middle of a cold/flu and needed some comfort food. When I was a child that would be Chicken Noodle Soup. Sometimes mom made homemade, sometimes it was a can of Campbell's, and sometimes it was Knorr or Mrs. Grass' Chicken Noodle Soup.
Of those, I liked Mrs. Grass' Chicken Noodle Soup the best as it had the best noodles, small, vermicelli-like noodles.
As I grew up and learned more and more about my own health and nutrition, I decided that I needed to give up the pre-made soups in favor of homemade soups. Pre-made soups are so high in sodium (and added ingredients you don't need to put into your body).
Why make homemade chicken soup?
Make Homemade Because:
- It is not that hard to make.
- Tastes a whole lot better.
- Gives you the ability to add what you want to it, including holding the sodium to a reasonable limit, AND
- Freezes beautifully so you can thaw and heat and eat. No mother needed. (Although mine is still very much appreciated.)
And if you have a stuffy nose, or the sneezes, or coughs, it’s a proven fact that nothing makes you feel better than a good old bowl of Chicken Soup…well, a little love and care helps too…
This recipe for Just the Beginnings Chicken Soup is written as a "from scratch totally" recipe. Now there are shortcuts you can take if you don't feel like making your own stock right now, and that's especially true if you are wanting some soup because you don't feel good. No time to be standing at the stove making fresh broth. Right?
Right.
How to shortcut this recipe
1. Use your own homemade or low-sodium chicken stock.
2. Add 1 cup of vegetable broth (as you know I don't add aromatics to my chicken broth because I don't want it to taste like soup, so add the vegetable broth to MAKE it taste like chicken soup.
3. Dice your vegetables; then sweat them in a little butter in a saucepan (sweat is when you cook them, covered over low heat for about 10 minutes to release their juices).
4. Add the broth(s) stir and let simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
5. Meanwhile; poach a chicken breast in some slowly simmering salted water until cooked through (or use leftover chicken).
6. After the chicken is cool enough to handle, dice it and add it to the pot.
7. Stir and proceed as written.
I do not add my starch to my soup to cook. I only add cooked starches. In this case, I took some Angel hair pasta nests and broke them into pieces; cook for 3 minutes in boiling water, I add them to the pot at the last minutes to keep them from getting mushy.
Now I had my own, homemade Mrs. Grass' Chicken Noodle Soup.
Always perfect when you're feeling under the weather with some simple saltine crackers. But if you are feeling good and just want delish homemade chicken soup, add a side of Cornmeal Muffins or perhaps some Cheddar Black Pepper Drop Biscuits?
Perfect.
Awchew...
Bless you.
Just the Beginnings Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken cut into 2 legs, 2 thighs, 2 wings, 1 back (halved) and two breasts, as much skin removed as possible
- 3 carrots peeled and cut in half
- 2 stalks celery with leaves, cut in half
- 1 onion quartered
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups low-salt chicken broth or homemade
- 8 cups water
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Place the chicken legs, thighs, wings and back into a pot or Dutch oven (set the breasts aside, we will add those later so they don’t overcook and get all dry, dark meat holds its moisture and flavor much better than does the white meat); add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to a slow simmer and cook for 1 hour, skimming any foam that rises. Add the breasts and simmer for about 15 minutes longer. Remove the chicken to a bowl and strain the broth through a fine sieve.
- When cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones and cut or shred into bite sized pieces. Thinly slice or dice the carrots, coarsely chop the celery and onions. Return all to the pot and heat. Stir in the parsley.
- Now, add cooked rice, noodles, macaroni, orzo, or whatever.Taste and adjust seasonings and serve.
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