How to Make Chicken Soup and Chicken Stock

Chicken Noodle Soup by Cindy Feingold of Salt and Serenity

I recently had the pleasure to learn more about Cindy Feingold and her food blog - Salt and Serenity from a casual email discussing soup. Cindy passionately stated that "making your own stock seems to be be a lost art these days and while stock in a box is fine, nothing beats homemade stock." As I have been learning through this Soupy experiment that couldn't be more true. Cindy also kindly shared with me a chicken noodle soup recipe and easy chicken stock recipes -- taking the mystery out of this not-so-mysterious cooking experience. Be sure to check out Cindy's 'Wishing for Chicken Soup' post (including preparation tips through pictures) on Salt and Serenity and of course follow her recipes to make your very own cup of comfort this weekend.


Chicken Soup By Cindy Feingold of Salt and Serenity
Serves 6  

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken

7 pounds chicken bones

12 cups chicken stock (recipe below)

2 medium onions, peeled and quartered

4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch lengths

2 celery stalks (with leaves), cut into 2 inch lengths

2 parsley stems (not the leaves)

10 black whole peppercorns

1 dried bay leaf

salt and black pepper to taste
 
chopped parsley and/or dill
 
cooked egg noodles or white rice, if desired

Directions:
    1.    Pour chicken stock into a large stockpot.  Add chicken bones and whole chicken and bring to a boil.  Turn the heat down to low and, using a slotted spoon, skim off the foam that has risen to the top.  Add vegetables, bay leaf, parsley stems and whole peppercorns.  Let simmer for about 2 hours.
    2.    Strain the soup and transfer it to a clean pot.  I love the flavour of the cooked carrots, so I always save them to serve in the soup.  Using 2 forks, remove skin and bones from whole chicken and shred the meat into bite sized pieces.  Discard all bones and other vegetables.
    3.    Put reserved carrots and shredded chicken into fridge. Let pot of strained soup sit on the counter until cooled a little bit.  Cover pot and chill in fridge overnight.  The next day, remove layer of hardened fat off the top.
    4.    Bring cold soup to a boil. Turn down heat and add cooked egg noodles or rice, reserved carrots and chicken and simmer for about 5 minutes,  Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and/or dill.

Chicken Stock By Cindy Feingold of Salt and Serenity
Makes 12 cups

Ingredients:
8 pounds chicken bones

12 cups cold water

2 onions, peeled and quartered

2 carrots , peeled and cut into 2 inch lengths

2 celery stalks (with leaves), cut into 2 inch lengths

2 dried bay leaves

2 parsley stems (not the leaves)

10 whole black peppercorns

Directions:
    1.    Place bones and water in a stockpot and bring to a boil.
    2.    Reduce heat to a simmer and using a slotted spoon, skim off any foam on the surface.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer, uncovered, for 3 hours.
    3.    Strain liquid and discard all the vegetables and bones.
    4.    Refrigerate stock and remove layer of fat from the top.  Use stock as needed, or freeze in small containers for a later use.  Stock keeps well in the freezer for 4 months.


Cindy Feingold is a passionate foodie that runs the popular blog Salt and Serenity, both of which she states she craves. She had had a passion for food since high school in Toronto but never considered a culinary career until after she received her MBA. Cindy later went onto the Culinary School in Toronto and worked for several years in the industry, cooking at restaurants, gourmet take-out food shops and catering.  In 1989 her and her husband started a family and shortly after that they moved to Ottawa.  Now that her kids are almost grown up (20, 19 and 17), Cindy has been slowly easing her way back into the food world and writing writing a food column in Ottawa.  She also recently decided to start Salt and Serenity after joining the Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge as a way to chronicle her baking journey.  After the challenge was over, she was hooked and decided to continue exploring her love of food through blogging.

 

Citrus Barley and Chicken Soup

 Citrus Barley and Chicken Soup—Adventures with Barley-Part One

Citrus Barley and Chicken Soup

You may be asking yourself, what exactly prompted me to make a chicken soup with citrus? Well, basically the answer to that would be barely. I love this hearty grain and I especially wanted to test out a soup with it since one of my dearest, but not so nearest friends-Creative Flutter created a recipe using it as well. So instead of featuring one barley recipe this week I thought it would be interesting to feature two recipes that used a similar combination of ingredients, but that were prepared in two totally different ways. Where the citrus part came from, I haven't the faintest idea. I did know that I wanted to create a twist on a chicken soup and lemon chicken in a soup sounded interesting to me, so that was it. I then decided to include oranges, cranberries, and lemons as the base of the soup, hoping to create a tangy/semi-sour/savory soup with a zip without having any idea if this was even possible! Although I didn't know what the concoction would turn into, I enjoyed the process of trying to figure out the right level of citrus/sour, while attempting make it well, taste good! Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this tangy and refreshing little citrus soup, although other people (Lonnie Feldman-occasional soupy writer) begged to defer by stating "I don't get why these flavors are put together." Oh well, to soup his own. Be sure to check out another variation of a chicken and barley soup tomorrow by the extraordinary Creative Flutter. Until then, here's how to create your own citrus soup:

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken
6-8 cups of water
2-3 cups of barley
1 zucchini, cut up
2-3 oranges, cut up into thick strips
2 lemons, cut up into thick strips
1/4 bag of fresh cranberries
1 leek, cut up
1 yellow onion, diced into squares
1 stalk of celery, cut up
1/2 bag of carrots, cut up
1 parsnip, cut up
dill, bunched together by string
parsley, bunched together by string
approximately 1 tablespoon of sea salt
1 teaspoon of pepper

Directions:
Essentially, you are beginning by making a chicken broth. I used Grandma Fay's recipe, but added leeks (had them on hand) and used a whole chicken (as opposed to chopping it up like I did in the past). Let the broth cook for about 2-3 hours, checking on it periodically. I found I had to keep the flame low and add some more water.  Then, cut up and add the oranges and lemons to the pot. While the soup is boiling, start boiling another pot of water (approximately 2 cups) where the cranberries will cook. While they cook the cranberries will make a popping sound as the berries release, so it's best to keep this pot covered as it cooks. I also didn't include the cranberries in the soup pot because I didn't want to add a red color to the soup, but if that doesn't bother you then no additional pot is required. When the cranberries are finished (approximately 10 minutes) add it to the soup pot, along with the barley and let that cook for another 30 minutes. I also added additional carrots, zucchini, and onions since they got very soft after cooking for 2-3 hours. This is completely optional though. Then add salt, pepper, and taste. The soup will be tangy, which is the intent, but if you prefer something a little more subtle, you can add more water and salt to dull some of the citrus. You can also opt to use less lemons/oranges if you like. Lower flame and enjoy!!!

P.S. Although I used chicken, there is no reason why you couldn't omit that part and use a veggie stock. Remember most recipes can be made vegetarian, you just have to tweak them a bit...

Seriously Soupy Serena

Grandma Fay's Matzoh Ball Soup

This weeks soupy experience was full of firsts for me. I made my first broth (finally)! I made my first matzo ball soup (never thought I would)! And I cut up a chicken (more on that horrifying tale later). Although the soup is based on a family recipe from Lonnie's grandmother and not necessarily my own, but it gave me a much-needed boast to actually make my own broth, which along with the backing of a trusted and much-loved recipe to fall back on made this process not as difficult as I thought it would be. I learned that it is possible, and actually not hard at all to create your own broth and you can even vary up your broth by adding matzoh balls, noodles, etc to create your own soupy variations. The only thing to consider with making broth is the additional prep and cooking time, but in the end it is well worth it, especially the difference of what a genuine and traditional homemade soupy really tastes like. Here's how it went when I made Grandma Fay's Matzoh Ball Soup:

Grandma Fay's Matzoh Ball Soup

Part One—Chicken Stock

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken cut into 1/4's (I used a small organic chicken)
  
• 1 large pot almost completely filled (75%) with water
• 4 carrots
• 2 stalks of celery, cut up
  
• 2 small parsnips or 1 large parsnip, cut up
• 1 small yellow onion, diced into small cubes
  
• 1 small bunch of dill tied tied together with white thread
• 1 small bunch of parsley tied together with white thread
• Approximately 2 tablespoons of salt, tasting throughout the simmering process, adding more if needed
  

Directions:

Fill up a pot with water and bring to a boil. Add the chicken and cover. While that is cooking cut up, tie the thread around the dill and parsley, and the clean the vegetables. When the water/chicken starts to boil, clean any bubbles or dirt that acclimates to the surface. Add all of the vegetables and the salt to the pot. Set to a very low flame and allow the water to simmer slowly for two hours. Periodically check the pot and taste the concoction, adding salt if needed. After three hours let the vegetables sit in the pot until they cool. Discard all vegetables except carrots. Depending on when you are making the matzo meal you may need to keep your broth in the fridge or remove the vegetables and place the pot  immediately back on the heat as the matzo balls are added.

Note: This is not just a matzoh ball soup recipe, but a great chicken stock recipe that can be used for any soup base.  I modified it slightly from Grandma Fay's recipe by not throwing away the vegetables and chicken (they were also used in the soup). I also did not add enough water (I added half a pot, since the recipe did not indicate how much to put it), but I found out that the water was quickly absorbed by the vegetables, chicken, and eventually matzoh due to the long simmering process. So, for the recipe I think a whole pot of water will be sufficient. Additionally, the broth cooked for four-five hours, so allot enough time when making your broth.

Part Two—Matzoh Ball Mix

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1/2 cup matzoh meal
• 1/2 teaspoons of salt
• 2 tablespoons of cold seltzer

Makes approximately six medium-sized matzo balls

Directions:

In a medium-sized bowl mix eggs and oil with a fork, but do not beat the mixture. Add the matzoh meal, salt, seltzer, and mix together.  Cover with aluminium foil and place in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Start your pot of broth again and bring it to a slight boil. After 20 minutes remove the matzoh from the fridge and wet hands. Make the balls and place them in the boiling pot.  Lower the flame, cover, and cook for 40 minutes. Remove the matzoh balls and broth with a spoon, place into a soup bowl, and enjoy!

P.S. Timing is everything when you are making a matzoh ball soup, more so because the broth requires a lot of time to cook and retain the flavors from the vegetables and the chicken. For example: I started the broth at 1pm and it finished around 5pm. I then refrigerated the broth and started the matzo at around 7pm and finally ate at 8:30 pm! A full-day's commitment but well worth it, especially since I could really taste the difference in what a homemade broth was and I am finally no longer scared to make my own, and even excited to to this again (or my own verison of it next week).

P.P.S. As I indicated in the intro I gutted a chicken, ok not one that I killed or even got from a butcher. I purchased a medium-sized whole chicken that you would buy at any store, but I guess in cooking them I usually placed it in the oven and that was that. I never had to cut it and remove the skin, and not to mention ever notice that the neck and several hairs were still intact. Maybe not the biggest of deals, but I was a vegetarian for many years and still basically eat fish or don't get down and dirty with meat prep. So, pulling apart the chicken complete with its fat, neck and feathers was simply horrifying...oh, what I won't do for this blog?

Seriously Soupy Serena

How do you make your matzoh ball soup?