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Classic Chicken Soup

Source of Recipe


From "The Ultimate Cook Book" by Bruce Weinstein



List of Ingredients



• One 1½-pound whole bone-in chicken breast
  
• 2 pounds bony chicken parts (wings, backs, necks, etc.)
  
• 2 medium onions, quartered
  
• 12 cups (3 quarts) water
  
• 4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
  
• 4 ribs celery, cut into 4-inch pieces
  
• 1 medium parsnip, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
  
• 4 whole cloves garlic, peeled
  
• ¼ cup roughly chopped dill fronds
  
• 1½ tsp salt, plus more as needed
  
• 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
  
• 1 bay leaf
  






Instructions



1. Place all the chicken and onions in a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Pour in the water and set the pot over high heat. Bring to a full simmer; cook for 5 minutes.
   
   
2. Use a large spoon to skim any foam or scum off the top of the soup. Add the carrots, celery, parsnip, garlic, dill, salt, peppercorns, and bay leaf. Reduce the heat to low and cook, uncovered, for 25 minutes.
   
   
3. If necessary, skim the soup a second time. Remove the chicken breast and half the carrots from the pot. Cover the pot, reduce the heat even more, and simmer very slowly over very low heat for 1½ hours.
   
   
4. Meanwhile, when the chicken breast is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and take the meat off the bone; chop the meat into bite-sized pieces. Thinly slice the carrots. Place both in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.
   
   
5. Set a large, fine-mesh sieve, chinois, or strainer over a large bowl in the sink. Ladle the soup into the sieve, straining it into the bowl and emptying the sieve as it fills with solid materials. The soup can be made up to this point ahead of time; cover the strained soup and refrigerate separately from the chicken and carrots for up to 2 days.
   
   To serve, skim any fat from the top and pour it back into a pot. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add the sliced carrots and chopped breast meat; reduce the heat to low and simmer slowly to heat through, about 5 minutes. Check for salt before serving.
   
   Makes 6 servings
   
   






Final Comments


For Chicken Noodle Soup:
Cook 3 ounces small, thin egg noodles or rice noodles in the soup when it's been put back on the stove to be reheated after straining.