Chicken Soup to warm the soul

Prep Time: 15 to 30 minutes

Cooking Time: At least 2 hours

Total Time: 2 ½ hours or more

I know it's late in the winter, but cold season isn’t over yet. Chicken soup can be found the world over and is known to be a great comfort food in the winter and a cure for the common cold. This is my basic recipe
and works with noodles, barley, rice, matzo balls, other grains and starches. Add them to the soup or prepare them separately, as you like.

Ingredients:

1 Rotisserie or Broiled Chicken

1 Quart of Low Sodium Chicken Broth or Stock

1 or 2 Quarts of boiling water

1 Large or 2 medium yellow onions, 1/2-inch dice

3 cloves of minced garlic

4 to 6 carrots, peel and cut into ¼ inch slices

6 sticks of celery 1/3-inch slices

8 to 12 White or Cremini Mushrooms, ¼ inch slice

3 tbsp of dried dill, crushed to a finer consistency

3 tbsp of dried parsley, crushed to a finer consistency

1 tbsp of Soy or Fish Sauce

1 tbsp of Lemon or Lime juice (fresh is preferred)

Better Than Buillion (Chicken)

Cooking Instructions:

Boil a kettle of water

Sauté the onions in a large soup pot, preferably a shorter one with more cooking surface on the bottom. Grind salt and pepper over the onions.

After 1 minute add the garlic and stir for 1 more minute

Add the Carrots, salt and pepper to taste for one minute

Add the Celery, salt and pepper to taste for one minute

Add the Mushrooms, salt and pepper to taste for one minute

Add the Chicken, enough broth and water to cover the chicken, Soy / Fish Sauce, Lemon / Lime juice and bring it to a boil. It is preferable to use boiling water, so you don’t drop the cooking temperature

Once it reaches a boil drop the temperature to a simmer for about 2 hours

After 2 hours, remove the chicken from the liquid if you prefer not to serve whole pieces of chicken. Let the chicken stand in a bowl to cool off

Add the Dill and Parsley and simmer for 30 minutes

Check the seasoning now, you may want to add more Soy / Fish Sauce and Lemon / Lime juice.

Sometimes the vegetables and liquid overpower the flavor of the Chicken. It is at this point that I add 1 tbsp or more of the Better Than Bullion if it is needed. Keep in mind it can be salty so add the first tbsp and then a little more at a time but let it cook a minute or two before adding more

If you are using barley, rice or some other grain, add it and allow it to cook in the soup long enough to cook thoroughly

Debone the chicken once it has cooled and put the meat back into the soup and simmer for a few minutes, you can simmer for if you want the flavors marry even more

If you are adding egg noodles, put them in about 10 minutes before you finish cooking the soup or prepare them separately and add them to each bowl

Background Story

My mother was raised in a nice, Jewish family from Queens, NY. Naturally I grew up with Chicken Soup and Matzo Balls. I have also enjoyed this recipe with barley and egg noodles. What I have discovered since moving out of the house is that the key to a good soup is use a piece of fully cooked meat with the bone in. Somehow more of the flavor comes out of the bones this way. The best chicken to use is rotisserie chicken. The other choice is roasted. It comes out so much better than searing it in the soup pot. There is something about using a fully cooked bird that simply enhances the flavor.

It is much more universal than we generally think. So many cultures have at least one version. Iranians have it with lentils, potatoes, and tons of herbs. In Thai cuisine there is Tom Yum Gai, a sure way to clear out your sinuses and it does it every time!