CHICKEN & VEGETABLE SOUP

This is really a 2 day process but it's worth it!  You can skip the first step by buying a cooked chicken but I really recommend you still take the time to make some stock from the carcass, it makes all the difference.  If not, you can always use some chicken bouillon powder instead but it's not quite the same.  The stock created by boiling chicken bones contains the anti-inflammatory properties that make chicken soup not only good for the soul but good for the body too.  It's not called Jewish Penicillin for nothing!  If anyone has a cold, get plenty of hot chicken soup down them and they'll soon be on the road to recovery. 

INGREDIENTS

For the stock:

1 Chicken (approx 3lb) (no giblets)

2 Garlic Cloves

1 Bay Leaf

Sea Salt

Peppercorns

For the soup:

Onion

Carrots

Celery

Dried Mixed Herbs

Fresh Parsley

Olive Oil

Ground Sea Salt

Ground Black Pepper

Chicken Bouillon Powder

There's no hard and fast rules here with regard to quantities, just do it by eye.  You can also add some other vegetables, leeks would make a good addition or any root vegetable.  Soup is a great way to use up odd vegetables that you have left over.  I often add cubed potatoes too which makes it a meal in bowl.

METHOD

1)  Cook the chicken by poaching which also produces some fantastic golden liquor for the soup.  Place the chicken in a big pan, cover with cold water, add the garlic cloves, bay leaf, sea salt and peppercorns.  Bring to the boil and then turn it down a little.  A foamy scum will start to float.  Use a slotted spoon to remove it.  Repeat this until you don't see any more coming up.  Now put the lid on and turn the heat down so that it continues to simmer for 1½ hrs. You'll know the chicken is cooked when all you have to do is touch the skin with your spoon and the skin breaks.  Remove the chicken and set aside in a dish to cool, pouring back into the pan any liquid that escaped.  Strain the liquid and set aside to cool, preferably overnight.

2)  When the chicken is cool enough to handle remove all the meat from the carcass and set aside.  Place all the bones, skin and any other waste into a pan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil then turn down the heat and simmer for at least one hour, preferably two. Keep an eye on it to make sure that it doesn't boil dry and add more water as necessary.

3)  Whilst the stock is simmering prepare all your vegetables, adding all the vegetable peelings and waste to the stock pot (pan with the bones in).  Chop all the vegetables quite small.  I use a food processor and the pulse function so that they are not over chopped. Place all the vegetables in a pan along with a little oil, salt and dried herbs and on a medium heat sweat for about 5 minutes until they start to soften.  Add water, just enough to cover the vegetables, bring to the boil and simmer for about 10 minutes or until they are cooked and a lot of the liquid has evaporated.  Set aside to cool.

4)  Time to turn your attention to the meat that you have set aside.  I usually save the breast meat and use that to make another meal.  It can be used for a quick curry, a pie filling, a salad etc.  The remainder of the meat I shred into reasonably small pieces and reserve some of that for sandwiches, the rest for the soup.  One chicken can provide you with quite a few meals.

5)  Now to the stock pan.  Place a colander over another pan and tip the contents of the stock pan into it to strain the liquid from the carcass etc.  Discard the waste and set liquid aside to cool, preferably overnight.

Note:  The reason I say to let the stock cool overnight is because as it cools any fat and scum sits in a layer on the top making it very easy to remove.  The stock from boiling the bones will cool and form a jelly, again with a top layer of fat and scum which is easy to remove with a spoon.  Any small bits of bone will have sunk to the bottom too and so are easy to discard. If you start the cooking process in the morning then there should be enough time for the stocks to cool and you can serve the soup in the evening.  At this point you should have all the components of the soup set aside ready for assembly later..

Poaching liquor

Stock

Cooked chicken

Cooked vegetables

6)  Take your cooled cooking liquor and stock and remove the top layer of fat / scum that has formed.  Put the cooking liquor, stock jelly and softened vegetables into a pan and bring to the boil.  It is important that it boils.  Add more water if necessary so that the soup has the desired consistency. Add bouillon powder and seasoning to taste.

7) Finally add the shredded chicken and freshly chopped parsley and simmer for a few minutes to make sure the chicken is thoroughly reheated.  Serve and enjoy!

NB:  To make this quickly using bouillon powder and cooked chicken prepare and cook the vegetables as above.  Then just add water until you get the desired consistency and add stock powder and seasoning to taste.  Finally adding the cooked chicken and parsley.  If you use stock cubes instead of bouillon powder buy Knorr stock cubes or similar.  Don't use Oxo chicken cubes, they are better for chicken gravy.

TIP:  This is a great soup if you're on a diet.  There's very little fat, just lots of vegetables and protein and it is very filling.

VARIATIONS

You can make this a Cream of Chicken & Vegetable Soup by turning down the heat at the end and adding a tub of cream.

You can also make Cream of Chicken Soup by leaving out all the vegetables apart from the onion.  Just make sure the onions are chopped extremely finely or when cooked blitz them into the stock using a hand blender directly in the pan.  Then add the cooked chicken and heat through, then turn down the heat and add a tub of cream and fresh parsley.  For Creme of Chicken and Mushroom Soup add some chopped mushrooms before adding the cooked chicken and cook for a few minutes, then add the cooked chicken, cream and parsley.