Homemade chicken soup

Let’s start with the stock

The thought of homemade chicken soup takes me back to my childhood. Mom would have a huge pot of soup simmering on the stovetop filling the whole house with that familiar aroma. Every once in a while, sneaking a little spoonful.

Soup doesn’t need salt to satisfy.

The whole process takes several steps but the time and effort is worth it, in more ways than one. There is also something to be said for having full control of ingredients, spices and the level of salt. As a comparison, one can of condensed chicken noodle soup can contain up to 900mg of salt. Ready to serve soups weighing in at 720mg of salt or more. Making your own soup gives you the ability to add natural flavours. Don’t get me wrong, I love salt, but in my eyes it should be a flavour enhancement, not a substitute. On that note, many reputable brands do offer a low sodium alternative. Kudos to them, but there is still no comparison to homemade soup.

A bone to pick.

Whether they are home cooked whole chickens or store-bought rotisserie chickens they are great for making stock. That being said, I don’t generally feel like breaking out the stock pot right after chicken dinner so I just bag the leftovers and refrigerate. The next day, simply remove the remaining chicken from the bones to reserve for leftovers, lunches etc. Bag the bones, skin, everything else and freeze. You can make stock another day. I usually wait until I have the bones from three whole chickens, this will provide you with enough bones for the stock base.

You’ve got the bones, have you got the time?

By the time you’ve accumulated enough soup bones you’d probably also like to regain some of that freezer space. Coincidentally you are going to need that space for the stock or completed soup. You will need a stock pot or a large dutch oven. Begin by adding ten or so, whole peppercorns. Add the bones of three small chickens. If they are still frozen, don’t worry about it, they will thaw in the pot. For the vegetables, I use one cooking onion, one large carrot (scrubbed) skin on, and two stalks of celery. Roughly chop the vegetables and place them in the pot. I quite often also rob any of the celery I have in the refrigerator of all its leaves and add them also. Fill the pot with water about one inch from the top. Bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and allow to simmer for at least 2-2½ hours. Stir occasionally. The stock should reduce by approximately two inches in this time.

Collecting stock.

At this point your stock is ready to be strained. Essentially, you want to get rid of the bones and yucky bits. This will leave you with a delicious chicken broth that will be the base of an amazing chicken soup.

Start by gathering a large, fine mesh sieve, a large bowl, measuring cup and enough storage containers for the stock. You will also need a bag for waste. Simply ladle the stock into the sieve and trap that flavoursome stock in your bowl. Discard the bones and waste. Divide the stock by filling the storage containers in 1 cup increments. Be sure to keep track of the quantity in each container. You should have about 10-12 cups in total. Allow the stock to cool completely and refrigerate over night. This allows any fat to rise to the surface and solidify, giving you the ability to scrape it off and discard. The result is a rich and delicious chicken stock.

Help…… my soup stock turned to jelly!

When cooled you will notice the stock has turned gelatinous. This is because collagen has been dissolved when simmering the bones. This results in a gelatin that will solidify when cooled. Don’t fret, this will liquefy when warmed. That gelatin is rich in protein and amino acids and is actually a huge benefit of homemade stock. It is good for joint health, and brain function.

When can I actually call it soup?

Now that the chicken stock is prepared, most of the work is done. Finely chop the celery, carrots, onion and green onions to prepare for sautéing. Add these to a large saucepan, sauté until soft and add 6 cups of that delicious chicken stock you made earlier. Bring this to a boil and reduce heat. You don’t want to just drop in the bouillon cube as it won’t dissolve properly. Ladle out a cup of hot chicken stock and dissolve it in a small bowl or mug. Return this to your soup and stir. Depending on your taste, or brand of bouillon cube you may want to use ½ or the full cube. Remember though, those things are full of salt. So if salt reduction is your goal, stick to half. Noodle wise, you have several options. You can cook them separately, (which I recommend) or allow them to cook in the soup. Depending on your choice of noodle, cooking in the soup may be somewhat starchy. Our noodle of choice are yolk free egg noodles. They have no cholesterol and do not break down and swell like pasta based noodles. Adding cooked noodles to your serving bowls allows for equal distribution and saves you from digging around in the bottom of the soup pot. Rice is also a great alternative. Even better, why not rice and noodles.

Now you can call it soup.

In conclusion

In days of being bombarded with opinions of things that are supposed to be good for you, and things that are bad. Eat this, not that. There is one food that stands the test of time and that is chicken soup. It is a revitalizing soup that can bring a smile to your face when you are hungry, or bring comfort to you when you’re under the weather. Making it yourself, like any other dish, gives you full control and the power to make it as healthy as you please.

Enjoy!