Wholesome Chicken Soup with Rice
My favourite comfort food during cold and flu season is chicken soup. There is a school of thought that insists the chicken be boiled whole and then removed entirely to leave a clear broth with no meat in it and I like making it this way. You can also use a cut-up whole chicken or any combination of white and dark meat your family prefers. As for parsnip, this sweet root vegetable is a mandatory ingredient.
1 -3 lb. whole chicken, preferably kosher soup/boiling chicken, antibiotic free
4 carrots, peeled, cut in chunks or quartered
4 stalks celery, cut crosswise in 1-inch chunks
1 large parsnip, peeled, cut in chunks
1 large sweet onion, peeled, cut in wedges
1 clove garlic, peeled
About 8 – 10 cups water
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill and/or parsley (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup long grain rice or 1 1/2 cups medium egg noodles (optional)
Add whole chicken or chicken pieces to large saucepan along with carrots, celery, parsnip, onion and garlic. Add cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, skimming any foam that rises to the surface at intervals. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, 45 minutes or until chicken is tender and falling off bone. Remove chicken and allow to cool. (I also remove the onion wedges, they get too mushy.)
Pull meat from bones; discard bones and return meat to soup. Stir in dill and/or parsley. Season to taste with salt and/or pepper.
(You can save one tender chicken breast for a club-house sandwich, if you like. Just add bacon, tomato, lettuce and mayo.)
Serve as is or with a spoonful of cooked rice or cooked egg noodles placed in bottom of soup bowl before ladling soup in. Don’t cook the noodles or rice in the soup; it makes it cloudy and starchy.
For rice, in another saucepan, bring one cup of water to boil; stir in rice, reduce heat to low, cover and cook 20 minutes. Let stand, covered, 5 minutes. For noodles, in pot of boiling, salted water, cook noodles according to package direction or until tender but firm; drain. Store leftover soup separately from cooked rice or noodles. Makes about 15 cups/ 8 servings (without rice or noodles).
Filed under: poultry, sandwiches, soup, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
Tags: 45 minutes, chicken, clear chicken broth, cold and flu season, easy, garlic, healthy, home-made, Jewish, Kosher, one pot, parsnip, quick, recipe, rice, soup, whole chicken, yummy
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