Soups with Chicken

Nothing compares to a bowl of hot, tasty chicken soup on a cold winter's day.  Chicken soup is an all-time family favorite and has been served for centuries as a cure for some ailments.  It is soothing and has an amazing aroma that fills the house.  Homemade chicken soup is not that difficult to make, and it may quickly become one of your family's favorite meals.  Let's explore some ways to make chicken stock and various types of soups.

Getting Started

There are two ways to make homemade chicken soup.  You can buy chicken broth and/or cream of chicken soup in the can and add water, noodles and vegetables, and of course, pre-cooked chicken meat.  Or you can make your own chicken stock to create a pot of soup totally from scratch.  The choice is yours.  Making your own stock takes more effort, but is well worth it to achieve the flavor and consistency you desire.

If cooking your own chicken stock, cook the whole chicken or chicken parts with the bone in along with a few savory vegetables such as carrots, celery, onions, peppers and herb seasonings of choice.  Place the chicken or parts in a tall stockpot if available, and then cover the meat with a minimum amount of cold water (not warm or hot).  Add plenty of salt for seasoning.  If on a low-sodium diet, consider salt alternatives; there are many of these on the shelves for people with high blood pressure.

Bring the water to a slow simmer, but avoid boiling.  Simmer gently for one to two hours or until chicken is very tender.  Remove chicken so you can tear the meat from the bones and remove any fat, skin or extra parts.  Add vegetables and seasonings to the water when there's only about 15 to 20 minutes of cooking time remaining. 

Once finished, you can skim the top of the broth to remove excess fat/scum from the stock and make it clearer.  Keep in mind that this is where a lot of flavor comes from, so you can skim all of it or leave part of the fat for better flavoring. You can also leave all of it and then sift the broth using a cheesecloth.  If saving the stock to make soup later, then refrigerate it for several days or freeze it for several weeks.  If storing, be sure to remove all meat and vegetables and only keep the strained liquid.

Dark Meat or White Meat

Although white meat is better for your health and has less fat than dark meat, the dark meat will add the most flavor to your soup.  If you want the flavor but are still concerned about cooking healthy chicken soup, consider adding both dark and white meat (more of the white) to even out the results.  White meat comes from chicken breasts and wings while dark meat comes from legs or leg quarters and thighs.

Creamy Chicken Soup

Starting with the base chicken stock or canned broth, creamy chicken soup can be made by adding butter, heavy cream or milk, flour and cream of chicken soup (from the can).  Creamy chicken soup can be cooked with vegetables such as carrots, celery, onions, peas, etc.  Egg noodles can be added for a better consistency.  Be sure to saute the vegetables for a few minutes in butter before adding broth or stock and the chicken meat.  The meat should already be cooked and removed from the bone before adding to the soup.  Add the cream or milk just moments before completion time to prevent burning.  You can add Parmesan or shredded cheddar cheese for more flavoring, and season the soup to taste with salt and pepper.

Chicken and Vegetable Soup

You can replace the beef in traditional vegetable soup with chicken for a healthier meal. Vegetable soup can be made with chicken stock or just plain water with tomato sauce and diced tomatoes added.  You can be creative with chicken vegetable soup and add just about any vegetables you want, including diced potatoes.  Noodles can be added in place of potatoes-it's a matter of preference.  Whichever you choose, cook the vegetables and potatoes/noodles on medium heat until almost tender.  Then add the cooked chicken meat to finish it out.  Some vegetables to consider for your chicken vegetable soup include carrots, celery, bell pepper, zucchini or squash, onions, green beans, sweet peas and mushrooms, then just salt and pepper to taste or use other seasonings of choice. 

Other Chicken Soup Varieties

You can also make delicious chicken soup with dumplings.  Dumplings are made by rolling flour dough and cutting into small square-shaped pieces.  The dumplings are added to pre-cooked chicken stock while boiling, with a generous amount of salt and pepper.  Another way to create soup is by using chicken and rice.  A few vegetables can be added for variety, or you can make a chicken and rice soup that's creamy using cream of chicken soup, milk or heavy cream, then just salt and pepper to taste.

Whatever type of chicken soup you wish to make, don't be afraid to experiment with various vegetables and seasonings.  The sky's the limit because there are so many ways to make chicken soup.  You can make it spicy or mild; thick or watery.  Serve chicken soup with salad or sandwiches, or add crackers or cornbread.  Chicken soup can also soothe during sickness if you or a family member have a cold or virus. Use a large pot and keep the leftovers for a rainy day!

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