Chicken Soup

In a rather unusual technique, you will cook this soup in two steps:

1. Chicken Broth

2. Chicken Soup

It is evident that chicken soup requires a good chicken taste in the broth. Chicken stock is cooked for hours to extract all flavors of the bones. What is somewhat unusual is that I cook the bones with the meat on. So, it is technically a broth with stock. The meat will be very soft on the end, and many people do not like this. If you are one of them, roast the chicken first, remove the meat for later use and then boil the bones. However, the chicken meat will taste flat if you choose not to cook it with the bones.

You do not use the vegetables in the final soup since they would turn out mushy or dissolve. I add roots (e.g., turnip, celery root, or parsley root) and celery to the stock. You will discard them later, but they add flavor to the chicken meat. Not adding flavor to the meat will end up in a soup with great broth flavor but a rather dull taste of the actual meat.

You can make stock from a whole chicken, chicken pieces, or even a leftover chicken carcass. This is an important step and a significant selection since it mainly influences the all-over taste of the soup. A chicken carcass will transfer all the spices and flavors used to make the chicken. If the carcass does not deliver enough chicken meat, you can combine it with fresh chicken. In this example, I used a leftover carcass from a chicken I had smoked with apple wood and another whole chicken. I don't need all the meat, but it intensifies the stock flavor. And, if you have giblets and neck parts, add them to the stock as well. In particular, chicken liver adds some mild nutty flavor and enriches the stock.

Once the chicken has cooked for hours, the meat will be very soft and fall apart. The soup has somewhat stringy chicken meat in it, not the nice cut cubes with some bite. Remember, this is comfort food. It was not designed to be very pretty.

You will not use all the chicken meat in the soup, but you can use leftover chicken meat later for a chicken salad or something else.

The choice of vegetables is unlimited. Almost everything goes. I listed here my preferred vegetables for this soup, but I change this often depending on what is available fresh. It is critical to have some root vegetables such as carrots, turnips, celery roots, parsnips, or others. It adds a slightly earthy flavor to it.

Furthermore, you need another Allium besides Garlic. I prefer leek, but you can use onions, shallots, chives, or a combination. Keep in mind that onions and shallots are much more robust in taste and will alter the soup taste significantly.

Potatoes are an excellent starchy filler. Do not use Russet potatoes since they are too starchy and will fall apart too much. I prefer either Yukon Gold or, even better, Sweet Potatoes.

The lemons are used not only for the juice. One of the lemons will be added to the soup in slices, including the pith and peel, and cooked with it. Lemon pith and peel give the soup a slightly tart flavor, which is what we want!

The entire cooking process will take some time. So don't think you can whip this soup together for lunch, starting at 11:00!

Ingredients for broth

• 1 whole chicken (or leftover carcass or both)

• Water, as needed

• 1/2 Parsley Root

• 2 stalks of Celery

• 1 Tbsp Whole Peppercorns

• Salt to taste

• 2 Bay Leaves

Ingredients for soup

• Chicken stock (above)

• Vegetables of your choice

  • Kale

  • 2 cups chopped Rapini (substitue with Broccoli)

  • 1 large-size Leek

  • 1/2 large Zucchini

  • 2 medium Carrots

  • 1/2 Turnip

  • 8 large or 12 small Brussel Sprouts

  • 2 medium size Yukon Golde Potatoes (or 1 large Sweet Potato)

  • 6 large cloves of Garlic

• Juice of 1-2 large Lemons

• 1 large Organic Lemon sliced (see notes)

• 1 Tbsp Caraway Seeds

• Salt to taste

• Pepper to taste

The process (broth)

1. Take the whole chicken from the package. Do not wash the chicken. It is not necessary (see Myths). Just pat it dry. Cut the legs and the wings off and split the rest in half. Put the chicken pieces in a large pot. Add other chicken parts you have, such as a carcass or others.

2. Fill with fresh water until all the chicken pieces are completely submerged, plus one or two inches of water.

3. Take the stock vegetables and cut them into one or two inch pieces. The size doe not matter since they will be cooked for a long time and later discarded.

4. Add the whole peppercorns, bay leaves, and salt.

5. On a medium-high temperature, bring to a boil.

6. Cover the pot and reduce the temperature to low. (It should still simmer)

7. IMPORTANT STEP: Grab a good book. You will have a lot of time now.

8. Simmer the broth for 3-4 hours. The longer you simmer, the more taste you cook out of these chicken bones.

9. When done, pour the soup through a colander into another pot. Discard all vegetables, bay leaves, and peppercorns.

10. When chicken is cool enough to handle, separate meat from bones and skin. Watch those little bones or bone fractures! They can hide very well, and you don’t want to have them in your final soup. Discard bones and skin. Set chicken aside.
    

The process (soup)

1. Pour the stock back into the large pot.

2. Cut all soup vegetables into comfortable bite sizes. Carrots should be half slices approx. 1/4” thick, turnip into small pieces approx. 1/8”, small brussel sprouts cut in half, or quarter if they are larger, potatoes into pieces approx. 1/4” thick and Kale into 1” size strips. Garlic can be sliced or smashed and cut. (This is only a guideline. You decide what size you like.)

3. Slice one lemon approx. 1/4” thick. Discard the end slice with the stem.

4. Add vegetables and lemon slices to the pot.

5. Squeeze the juice of an entire lemon into the soup. I usually use even two lemons, but that is a matter of taste. You can always add it later when the soup is done.

6. Add caraway seeds.

7. Tear chicken pieces into bite sizes and add them to the soup. I usually use roughly 1/2 - 2/3 of the chicken meat. You can adjust this to your liking. The amount of chicken will not change the taste anymore.

8. Bring soup to a boil over medium-high temperature. Once it is boiling, reduce it to medium-low.

9. Cover the pot and simmer the soup until the vegetables are soft enough for 20-30 minutes. You can simmer it longer if you like the vegetables softer. The critical vegetables are brussel sprouts and potatoes. Make sure those are soft enough.

10. Add salt and pepper to taste.

11. You can leave the lemon slices in the soup when you serve it. However, they will not be for eating. Lemon slices will taste tart and have a weird texture.

12. Serve soup in a bowl and decorate with some chopped parsley. Add some sour cream if you like. Enjoy your creation together with a slice of good sourdough bread.

Guten Appetit!

Notes: I recommend using organic lemons since they will not be peeled but used entirely. Regular lemons could be treated with pesticides which may stay on the peel. If you cannot find organic lemons, then wash the lemons thoroughly under running water using a brush. Do not use any soap or other cleaners.

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Wine Pairing

Grüner Veltliner.

- Domäne Wachau Grüner Veltiner from Austria or

- Abbazia di Novacella Grüner Veltiner from Italy

Why:

Generally, it offers tastes of bright citrus fruits such as lemon and lime. This complements the lemon undertone in your soup. Often there will be a hint of herbs and peppercorns, a perfect addition to the soup’s character.

Music Pairing

Tim McGraw – I Called Mama.

Why:

Chicken soup reminds you of the comfort of your home growing up. Mom cooked it with the special ingredient: Love. Feel the memory when you listen to Tim McGraw’s lyrics - and - maybe it makes you call Mom.