Basic Chicken Soup
Many families have a classic chicken soup recipe that has been passed on for generations, but if you don't, this is a good place to start. Most recipes call for a whole chicken, which can seem a little bit wasteful. Instead, we use chicken legs, which are easy to find and also makes it easier to make smaller amounts if necessary. In our recipe, we used the basic combination of garlic, onion, celery and carrots as our vegetable base, but feel free to add your own based on the flavours you like and what you have on hand. Leek, fennel, cabbage, potato and parsley are all popular choices. A squeeze of lemon adds a bright tartness and a hit of vitamin C. For an Asian twist, try a few slices of ginger, some shiitake mushrooms and season with white pepper.
You can also vary the herbs as well - here we used rosemary and thyme, which pair very well with chicken. Sage, parsley and dill are also popular.
What goes in your chicken soup?
Ingredients (Makes about 12 cups)
- 4 skin-on, bone-in chicken legs, with backs attached (about 1.2 kg)
- 4-5 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 2 onions, peeled and quartered
- 4 stalks celery, halved crosswise
- 2 carrots, peeled and halved crosswise
- 4-5 sprigs of rosemary and/or thyme
- 9 cups of water
- 1 tsp (5 mL) salt
- Black pepper to taste
Method
- Place chicken legs, garlic, onions, celery, carrots and herbs into a large pot. Cover with water. Bring to a boil and let simmer for at least 45 minutes - the longer you simmer, the more flavourful your soup will be!
- Remove from heat. Fish out chicken and vegetables, discarding the herbs. Strain soup, if desired. Remove skin from chicken. Separate meat from bone and cut meat into bite-sized pieces. Chop vegetables into bite-sized pieces. Set chopped ingredients aside.
- If you have a fat separator for gravy, it can be used to remove most of the fat in the soup. Otherwise, if you are not in a hurry, pour the soup into wide, shallow containers and let cool overnight in the refrigerator. Remove hardened bits of fat on the surface of the soup before returning to the pot. If you are in a hurry, let the soup cool slightly and ladle into a large zip-closure bag. Cut off a small corner at the bottom and let the soup drain from the bag, leaving the top fat layer.
- Return broth and chopped ingredients into the pot and reheat. Serve alone, or on top of cooked rice or noodles.
Nutrition Info (per cup)
135 calories, 3 g fat (1 g saturated, 0 g trans), 80 mg cholesterol, 3 g carbohydrate (1 g fibre, 2 g sugar), 21 g protein, 303 mg sodium.
