Chicken Soup For Dummies Food

SIMPLE CHICKEN SOUP

Steps:

• Put the bones and carcass from a leftover chicken (they can be in pieces) in a large pot. Cover with the broth and 4 cups water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Skim any foam or fat from the broth with a ladle as necessary.
• Remove the bones and carcass with tongs or a slotted spoon; set aside to cool. Add the carrots, celery, onion and bay leaf to the broth, bring back to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are about half cooked (they will still have resistance when tested with a knife but be somewhat pliable when bent), about 10 minutes. Stir in the rice (to keep it from sticking to the bottom), and cook until the grains are just al dente, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Meanwhile, when the carcass and bones are cool enough to handle, pick off the meat, and shred it into bite-size pieces.
• When the rice is done, add the meat to the broth and simmer until warmed through, about 1 minute. Stir in the parsley, and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt or more to taste. Serve hot.

BASIC CHICKEN SOUP

Steps:

• Bring chicken, water, and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil in a large stockpot. Skim foam. Add onions, celery, and garlic. Reduce heat. Simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes.
• Remove breast, and set aside. Add carrots. Simmer, partially covered, for 40 minutes.
• Remove remaining chicken; discard back and wings. Let cool slightly. Remove meat from bones, and cut into bite-size pieces.
• Stir in desired amount of chicken; reserve the rest for another use. Skim fat. Season with salt.

CHICKEN SOUP FROM SCRATCH

Steps:

• Place the chicken, celery, carrots, onions, parsnip (if using), parsley, peppercorns, bay leaves and salt in a large soup pot and cover with cold water by 1 inch.
• Bring to a boil over high heat, then immediately reduce the heat to very low. Adjust the heat until the soup is "smiling": barely moving on the surface, with an occasional bubble breaking through. Cook uncovered, until the chicken is very tender and falling off the bone, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• When cool enough to handle, use tongs to transfer chicken from the pot to a container. Taste the broth and continue to simmer it until it is concentrated and tasty. Strain broth through a fine sieve (or a colander lined with cheesecloth) into a separate container. Discard all the solids from the strainer (or reserve the vegetables, chill and serve with vinaigrette, if you wish).
• Refrigerate chicken pieces and broth separately for at least 8 hours (or up to 3 days), until a thick layer of yellow fat has risen to the top of the broth.
• When ready to finish the soup, use your fingers to separate chicken breast meat from bones and skin. Discard bones and skin. Use two forks to pull the breast meat apart into soft chunks, or use a knife and cut into bite-size pieces. (Reserve dark meat for another use.)
• Skim chicken fat from top of broth and set aside. Place 3 tablespoons of the fat in a soup pot with a lid. Add leeks, stir to coat, and heat over medium heat until leeks begin to fry. Then reduce the heat to a gentle sizzle and cook, stirring often, until slightly softened, about 3 minutes.
• Add carrots, sprinkle with salt, stir, and cover the pot. Cook until vegetables are just tender, about 5 minutes more. (Keep in mind that vegetables will continue to cook in the soup.) Do not brown.
• Pour broth into pot with vegetables and heat to a simmer. Add noodles and simmer until heated through, soft and plumped with chicken broth. Add the breast meat, then taste broth and add salt and pepper to taste. For best flavor, soup should have some golden droplets of fat on top; if needed, add more chicken fat one teaspoon at a time.
• Serve immediately, in a tureen or from the pot, sprinkling each serving with herbs.

CHICKEN SOUP FOR DUMMIES

Steps:

• 1. Heat olive oil in a 6-8 qt pot over medium heat. Add minced garlic. Saute until just beginning to brown. Add onions, saute until translucent
• 2. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to medium, add chicken, potatoes, and carrots. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender and chicken is cooked, about 45 minutes.
• 3. Just before serving, add cooked orzo, rice, or other pasta. I used thin spaghetti, broken into 2 inch size pieces. Stir to mix. Serve soup with salt and pepper to taste, and grated parmesan cheese, if desired.

CHICKEN AND MUSHROOM RICE CASSEROLE FOR DUMMIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375.
• Grease 3 quart (13x9x2 ideally) casserole with butter, save remaining.
• In a vessel than can hold and measure more than 4 cups, Mix Hot water with chicken base until dissolved.
• Add cream of mushroom soup.
• Add sliced mushrooms.
• Add water to measure 4 cups total.
• Stir mixture thoroughly.
• Add rice directly into mixture, mix well.
• Pour mixture into greased casserole.
• Press chicken into mixture in casserole until partially covered. (As much or as little as you can fit or want, the rice is great alone as well) I prefer 5-6 frozen chicken thighs.
• Distribute remaining butter over top of casserole.
• Cover with foil.
• Bake for 75 minutes or until chicken is cooked.
• Salt & Pepper to taste, if necessary.
• Optional: If chicken is boneless, cut chicken into pieces with kitchen shears while still in casserole. Stir and serve.

CHICKEN SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-based pan. Add the onions, carrots and thyme leaves, then gently fry for 15 mins.
• Stir in 1.4l chicken stock, bring to a boil, cover, then simmer for 10 mins.
• Add the leftover roast chicken, remove half the mixture, then purée with a stick blender. Tip back into the pan with the rest of the soup, the peas and seasoning, then simmer for 5 mins until hot through.
• Mix the Greek yogurt, garlic and lemon juice together. Ladle the soup into bowls, swirl in the garlic yogurt, then serve.
• If you want to use a slow cooker, gently fry the onions, carrots and thyme leaves for 15 mins, then tip them into the slow cooker with 1 litre stock. If you're using a chicken carcass, add it now. Cover and cook for 2-3 hours on High until the veg is tender. If you used a carcass, remove it now, shredding any remaining chicken from the bones. Stir back into the soup, or add the leftover roast chicken and frozen peas. Cook for 30 mins more. Remove half the mixture and purée with a stick blender, then serve as above.

CHICKEN SOUP FOR DUMMIES

Steps:

• Place chicken and water in stock pot and bring to a boil.
• Reduce to a simmer and add remaining ingredients EXCEPT PASTA; cover.
• Simmer for 45 minutes and then remove chicken to a plate.
• Add pasta to broth and bring back to a boil; reduce to low/med heat, do not cover; let cook for about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, when chicken is cool enough to handle, remove skin and discard; pull bite sized pieces of chicken from bones and add back to soup, discarding bones.
• By this time, your pasta should be tender; if not, allow to simmer a few more minutes.
• Check to see if you need more salt and/or pepper and then serve.