soup

CHICKEN SOUP

I don't have a recipe, but it's hard to go wrong. Your soup will be delicious!

General: I freeze both home-cooked and rotisserie chicken carcasses. It's fine to squash them and keep putting more in the same bag to save space in the freezer. You don't need to put a whole chicken in a pot because the flavor comes from the bones. All of the stock's ingredients will be thrown away, so don't waste the chicken meat. I don't roast the bones, but if you want to, go ahead. I put leftover pieces of vegetables in the freezer, but you don't have to.

Add chicken bones to a big stock pot to make stock. (There were maybe 4 or 5 bodies) Put water on top. I add any leftover pieces of vegetables from the freezer. If I don't have much, I'll put in one or two quartered onions, four cut-up carrot and celery stalks, corn cobs, parsley stems, or anything else I have. I add bay leaves, whole peppercorns, whole allspice, and sometimes whole garlic cloves. IMPORTANT: Pour in a good amount of vinegar. This time I used apple cider, but it doesn't matter. The vinegar doesn't add flavor, but it does help get the minerals out of the bones, which is what gives the dish its flavor. Stir this for a long time to get rid of the $hi+. All of the bodies should be falling apart, and the bones might even be falling apart. Great! This was on low heat for about 12 hours. I've done more and less. If you want to add salt, don't use much. I like to add it at the table or at the end of cooking.

Remove large solids. Cool it down so that the fat will solidify on top and be easy to remove. Take the fat off the top. Use a sieve to remove the smaller solids from the stock. This can be made into soup or put in the freezer for later. If it gets gelatinous when it's cold, that's a good sign. All of this is done the day before.

 

Soup: Chop an onion, a carrot, and a stalk of celery and put them in a pot with some oil. Cover and stir every so often to soften. Can add some stock if it gets dry. When the vegetables are soft, add as much stock as you want for the amount of soup you're making. I made this soup and put stock in the freezer. Do you want more soup or other things? Add frozen peas, beans, corn, Napa cabbage, and other vegetables. Add new chicken. (The chicken used to make the stock has lost its flavor.) I use boneless breasts, but sometimes I use thighs. I used egg noodles in this dish, but ditalini or other small pasta is my usual favorite. No matter what you want or have.... (Many people like to cook and add carbs separately so that the food doesn't get too soft.)

Enjoy!

Summary:

Simmer bones + saved vegetable scraps to make stock

Sauté onions, carrots, and celery until they are soft.

Add stock, simmer, add other desired vegetables.

Add pasta/carbohydrate. (Egg noodle, cous cous, ditalini, rice, …)

Eat and have fun!

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