Chicken Soup

(I wrote this for an old blog that I abandoned. So I'm repurposing it here. Don't be mad)

It's chicken soup, you've probably eaten any number of versions; mom's, dad's, grandma's, Campbell's, and there's nothing special about this recipe, other than the fact that chicken soup is special on its own.

So, if you've never made this classic, I'm here for you, and we can do it together and then you can spread this bowl of love to everyone around you.

As Sean Carter once said, "what more can I say"...about chicken soup? Well, there are a few things that we can talk about when it comes to making a nice, comforting pot of chicken soup, but I'll just stick to the chicken (if this chicken talk bores you,  just skip ahead to the super simple recipe that follows).

I use a whole chicken for this soup and the thing about a whole chicken is that you can get more chicken flavor the longer you cook it (to a point), but the other thing about that same chicken, is that the longer you cook it, the dryer the chicken meat becomes.

Now you might be saying, "hey, my chicken meat can't be dry if it's swimming around in water!", and I might say "you're wrong", and that's how that conversation might go.

Sure the meat is surrounded by liquid but when you end up chewing on a nice meat morsel that's been cooked for three hours, any fat or moisture will have been cooked out, leaving you something very dry and stringy, no good.

The other thing about a whole chicken, is that it has much more meat than you will need for this soup. That means "two meals, one bird...two birds, one stone", whatever the saying may be, you can use that extra chicken to make this delicious chicken salad that I also happen to have a recipe for. Imagine that.

In a perfect world, you already have some delicious, golden chicken stock and you would use that in place of water to cook your whole chicken. And there you have it, super flavorful chicken soup in no time.

If that's not the case, here's what we can do. We're going to add lots of vegetables and aromatics to cook along with our whole chicken, in essence creating a flavorful vegetable stock (which requires much less time), with a nice balance of chickeny flavor as well as nicely cooked chicken meat, all in one step.

Whatever you end up doing, you will be making a flavorful broth, followed by the addition of small pieces of vegetables, chicken, noodles, rice, matzo balls, or whatever your heart desires.

Chicken Soup

•1ea                               Chicken, whole
•4ea                              Carrots, 2 small diced & 2 in large chunks
•4ea                              Celery Stalks, 2 small diced & 2 in large chunks
•2ea                              Yellow Onions, quartered
•1bunch                       Thyme, some leaves reserved for garnish
•4ea                              Garlic Cloves
•10ea                            Black Peppercorns
•2ea                              Bay Leaves
•1bunch                       Parsley, chop and reserve a small handful of leaves for garnish
•1ea                              Lemon, halved
•1sheet                         Kombu (optional)
•2c                                Peas
•TT                               Salt & Pepper

1. Place whole chicken in a large pot and cover with cold water or stock by about 2 inches.
2. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-high heat then reduce heat to low, such that you have a “lazy bubble”. Skim any scum and oil that rises to the surface.
3. Add the large chunks of carrot, celery, and onion, as well as thyme, garlic, peppercorns, bay leaves, parsley, half of the lemon, and kombu if using.
4. Gently poach for 45 minutes to an hour, continuously skimming any scum that rises to the surface.
5. Remove the chicken to a bowl and allow to cool enough that you can remove the meat from the bones. I prefer a shredded chicken in my soup, but cube it up if you prefer. (I believe that a whole chicken has far too much meat for one pot of soup, so I would suggest saving at least half to use in another dish, like chicken salad perhaps).
6. Strain your broth, and return it to the pot (feel free to use those cooked carrots, celery, and onions if you'd like).
7. Return your soup to a simmer and season with salt and pepper. Then add the peas, diced carrot, and celery and simmer for 3-10 minutes depending on how soft you like your veg.
8. Finally, add your desired amount of chicken, taste and season with lemon juice, chopped parsley, thyme, and additional salt and pepper. Serve as is or over noodles, rice, matzo balls, etc.

Recipe Notes:
*Kombu is an edible kelp often used in Japanese cooking. You won't get a strong or very distinct flavor if you use it, but it will add some additional depth of flavor and more umami to your soup, a certain je ne sais quoi if you will, and I think you will.

*Skimming scum; do it, and do it often.

*You may also have noticed that this is a recipe that requires almost no measurements! You're welcome! Really easing you guys into it.

*This soup goes great with a drizzle of chili oil.