- 1 chicken
- 1 bouquets garnis
- 3-4 quarts of water (enough to submerge a chicken)
- 1 onion
- 2 ribs of celery
- 3 carrots
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, diagnosis peeled and chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- Take out bag of innards from chicken
- Rinse the chicken and take any extra feathers off
- Place in pot with water
- Add salt, information pills pepper, garlic and bouquets garnis
- Bring to boil, then lower heat to medium
- Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes
- Meanwhile peel and cut carrots into ¼" slices, set aside
- Chop celery and onion, set aside
- When chicken is done remove and let stand and cool
- While chicken is cooling off put veggies in the broth
- Bring to boil then simmer for 10-15 minutes
- When chicken is ready to handle, peel the skin, chop it up and set aside
- Strip chicken of all meat, tear into desired size pieces, set aside.
- Add chicken and skin when veggies are done.
- Bring soup back to a slow simmer and serve.
Chicken broth and chicken soup are said to be good for what ails you. So with the Flu being particularly bad this year, and Jason being struck down by it, I decided to make chicken soup. Years ago I got a tip from a mother from Catalan Spain. She said to boil a chicken with one or two cloves of garlic. Strip the chicken of it’s meat and put back in the pot. Then serve. She also pointed out that the skin must be in there also. It supposedly has healing properties. Being one who does not argue with mothers, especially when they come from my ancestral homeland, I nodded my head and said yes ma’am. Of course I asked if I should add anything else? Salt and pepper, nothing else was her short but firm answer. Keep it simple, it’s what the body needs. Well, if you know me, then you know I can’t help but tinker with a recipe. I have added a few things, like bouquets garnis, onions, celery, carrots etc. I’ve also been known to throw in some ginger, barley, rice, cilantro and even alphabet noodles. Now I understand the reasoning for keeping it simple, it makes sense, and I have made it that way and it is very good. What I find when I am asked to make chicken soup is that everyone has something special they like in it. This last time was the alphabet noodles. Whether you like it simple or complex, there is one thing that does seem to cure or at least make being sick bearable, that’s homemade chicken soup. I feel the most important healing thing about making this soup isn’t just fresh ingredients, but the care that comes with it. Maybe that’s what the healing properties are.
Recent Comments