This is an old family recipe that I’ve been making for a few years, but Kat’s suggestion really brought it to a new level of greatness!
Ingredients:
- 1 whole chicken (thawed or frozen)
- carrots
- celery
- onion
- very ripe Roma tomatoes
- fresh parsley
- 2-4 cloves garlic
- bay leaf
- dried parsley
- dried basil
- whole peppercorns
- sage
Directions:
The original recipe calls for a 3 lb. chicken, quartered. I tend to use larger chickens (4-6 lbs.) and I usually leave them whole. Place the chicken in a large pot. Cover with water, typically 4-6 quarts. Wrap dried parsley, bay leaves, dried basil, sage, peppercorns (about a dozen) and any other spices you choose in cheesecloth creating a “tea bag” of spices. Put the spice bag in the water with the chicken. Heat on medium-low (err towards lower) and bring to a simmer with the lid askew. This will take a couple hours (particularly if the chicken is frozen). Skim off any foam that accumulates on the top throughout this slow heating. Chop carrots and celery into 1/3 stalks- the leafy parts of the celery stalk yield the most flavor. Halve the onion, quarter the tomatoes. Add the carrots, celery, onion & garlic and simmer with the lid askew for about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and continue to simmer for another 30 minutes or so to create a sweet broth.
Now the “processing”:
Remove the chicken from the pot (I use tongs) and set aside. Put it on a plate or in a bowl as it will leave a puddle of broth.
Using a slotted spoon, fish out the vegetables. Save the carrots, onion & celery. Discard the parsley and tomatoes. Discard the spice bag. It is important to get the big chunks, the smaller bits will be removed when straining.
Strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve. I actually use a grease-catching/splatter-guard pan cover.
Chop the vegetables (carrots, onion & celery) into bite-size pieces. This requires a VERY sharp knife, as the boiled vegetables will tend to just smush under a dull blade. Add the cut up vegetables back to the broth.
Shred the chicken by hand (careful, it’s hot!) creating nice stringy chunks of meat. Add the shredded meat back to the broth.
Salt to taste (Kosher salt is particularly good for this recipe).
Chill in the refrigerator, usually overnight. Remove the 1/4-inch or so layer of congealed fat from the top of the storage container. How much you chase the smaller bits is up to you, I like to leave some fat for flavor, but not removing any makes for a VERY fatty dish.
I like to add rice to my chicken soup. I wait until after the soup is done and strained, then use the broth to cook the rice- very tasty!
Of course, noodles of various shapes go well also and are also cooked separately then added at the end.
The final piece of this recipe are the tiny delicious chicken meatballs. To date I have not yet tried making them… I’ll admit I’m a little intimidated. When I do try, I’ll share what I’ve learned!
It was Kat’s suggestion to add the spice bag. This was our first attempt with the addition and it came out GREAT.