Chicken soup - how do I make it (merged threads)

mrsn_2

I add a packet of value noodles (8p)and a little bit of the leftover chicken some cajun spices, and have spicy chicken noodle soup. A big favourite in our house.

terriermama

Last weekend I did a roast chicken, and afterwards, just chucked the leftovers (full carcass with some meat remaining and minus the skin), and gravy into a pot with water. I added various veg - carrots, broccoli, potatoes, peas, onion, garlic, chives, sea salt and black pepper and boiled for an hour. Worked a treat, the soup was very flavourful and didn't need any cubes or added stock.

bonnie_2

can someone tell me how to do it please.

sweetmoneysaver

Get the carcass and place in a large casserol or stock pot. Add in some carrots, garlic and possibly a bit of onion, cover with water and bring to the boil. Then gently simmer for about 1.5-2 hours. Let cool and remove carcass ... you should be left with golden liquid that will slightly 'jellify' on cooling. Remove remains of veg bring to boil and take any 'scum' off of the top. You can save any of the meat that you had on the carcass by the way.
In a new pan put some oil in (not too much), brown off some carrots, onions leaks but do it on a low heat for about 20mins with the lid on. Then add in the stock that you made from carcass, add in meat and simmer gently for about an hour and there you have it. It can be blended or mashed up with a potato masher. It should make enough for several meals (freeze any that you won't use).

recovering_spendaholic

I make it like that too, but I sometimes add some vermicelli pasta to it to give it a bit more substance and filling power.

reverie

I put finely chopped veg so I don't need to blend it, let it bubble away with the stock for a while after I have browned it, then add some cornflour mixed with water to thicken and then add back some chunky pieces of the leftover chicken. I use whatever veg needs using, but mushrooms are very nice in it. hth.

super41

Alternatively put the carcass in a slow cooker with onion and garlic and pour over boiling water. Takes a bit longer but any meat left drops off the bones and is very tender. Also don't have to worry about lots of steam and it boiling dry. Then make soup as others suggest!

purpleimp

Slightly different option in the same vein for you,

when I do southern fried chicken bits, I boil em up in some milk first and remove and leave the milk to cool and putthe chicken on the side, let the chicken bits cool and coat them in flour, dip them in egg and then coat in a mixture of fine oatmeal chille powder paprika, onion powder (and any another seasonings you like ) and then fry up, absoutely gorgeous.

Then with the left over milk, add some onion, garlic and half a punnet of mushrooms finely chopped, boil up for a while and attack with a stick blender, add loads of salt and pepper and ou have the nicest mushroom soup ever! HTH!

Imp

melancholly

we had roast chicken last night and i left it in the SC overnight to make stock. i'm going to deal with it when i get home later, but wanted to ask whether or not i should boil everything up first?! I guess when my mum always made it, bringing it to the boil seemed quite important, but is that just for ease or is it actually for food safety issues?!

susank

Possibly for food safety reasons especially chicken. I dont put in whole carrots and onions in my soup but cut the tops and the bottoms off the carrots and onions also putting the onion skins in - gives flavour and colour tops and bottoms of parsnips too and the bottom off leek and of course celery bits (washed of course) this way you dont waste any good veg on the stock and still get all the flavour. I do mine in the pressure cooker for ages and get all the goodness from the carcass - same thing in your slow cooker I think but dont have one of them. After you have the stock I use lentils and lots of chopped up veg in my soups and dont need to liquidise it - lovely stuff home made soup - would have it every day if poss.
My butcher obviously bones chickens for breasts etc in the shop and sells a fresh chicken carcass for stock bag. This I roast in oven when cooking something else then boil up for stock. Costs about 25p for the bag if I remember right.