Just The Beginnings Chicken Soup Food

SAMGYETANG (GINSENG CHICKEN SOUP)

Steps:

• Clean the chicken. Do not cut off the neck and/or tail, if they are still attached. They help keep the rice inside the cavity. Place the cleaned chicken on a cutting board or a large plate. Clean the inside of the cavity with a paper towel to remove any blood. Fold the attached neck into the cavity to close the hole.
• Stuff the cavity with the sweet rice and a couple of garlic cloves, leaving room (about 1/4 of the cavity) for the rice to expand as it cooks. You can also cut off some offshoots of the ginseng and add to the cavity if you like.
• To keep the rice inside the cavity while being cooked, use of one of these two methods: (1) Make a small cut through the thick skin part between one thigh and the cavity opening, but not too close to the edge. Then, use your finger to expand the hole enough to fit the end part of a leg. Bring the other leg over, and insert the end part through the hole to keep the legs crossed together, tucking the tail in to close the opening (see the photos above); or (2) Simply cross the legs and tie together with kitchen twine. Tightly close the cavity with a toothpick if necessary.
• In a medium size pot, place the chicken and add 5 to 6 cups (or enough to cover most of the chicken) of water or chicken stock. Add the garlic, ginger, jujubes, and ginseng. If the chicken came with the neck that's been cut off, add to the pot. Also add the extra sweet rice to thicken the soup or in a herb bag to cook separately, if desired.
• Bring it to a boil over medium high heat. Skim off the foam on top. Cover, and boil for 15 minutes. You can add more water/broth if needed. Reduce the heat to medium low and boil, covered, for about 25 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken. Turn the heat off and rest the chicken in the pot for about 10 minutes. See note 3.
• Serve piping hot with the chopped scallions and salt and pepper on the side so each person can season to taste.

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.

SUPERFOOD CHICKEN SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the coconut oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the ginger and garlic; cook until the ginger softens and the garlic just starts browning, about 3 minutes. Add the turnip and kale and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale is wilted, about 4 minutes.
• Add the turmeric and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper; stir until the vegetables are coated. Add the chicken broth and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the turnip is just tender, about 10 minutes.
• Add the chickpeas and chicken to the pot. Increase the heat to medium high and return the soup to a simmer. Cook until the chicken is warmed through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. Serve with naan.

BIG-BATCH CHICKEN SOUP

Steps:

• Fry the sofrito mix in the rapeseed oil for about 10 mins until it is really soft and the onion is translucent. Do this over a low heat and don't let it brown. Tip into a casserole.
• Sit the chicken on top of the sofrito, add the bay leaf and stock melts and enough cold water to come most of the way up the chicken. Bring slowly to a simmer and then put a lid on the casserole. Cook for 1 hr then check whether the chicken is cooked through - the meat should have started to pull away from the ends of the legs if it is. Carefully lift the chicken out of the pan and let it cool a little then ease the breast meat from the carcass. (Cool and chill the breasts if you want to keep them for another day, or chop them if you want to make a generous batch of this soup.) Strip the remaining meat off the bones and chop it into cubes small enough to sit on a soup spoon.
• Taste the broth the chicken was cooked in and if it tastes weak, then boil it for 15-20 mins to reduce it then taste again. Don't season it until you are happy with the flavour. If you want to chill or freeze some of the soup base do it now and add the rest of the ingredients later when you reheat it. Stir in the peas and sweetcorn (if using) along with the soup pasta and bring back to a simmer. Add back the chicken meat.

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.