I make, well, my mother still makes, quite a decent chicken soup.
It's ...decent, but I'd like some tips to make it really great.

Here's what she does:
Boil a chicken the afternoon before, let cool and set in the fridge to
congeal the fat.
Early next afternoon, remove the fat and debone the bird, and add
carrots, corn, potatoes, onions, a can of rotel tomatoes and enuf water
to cover. Simmer several hours, and serve at supper. (no salt added,
some of the family is salt sensitive, but its still tasty.)

How can I punch this up to be even better?
What herbs/spices would go well here?
Are there some techniques that would liven it up? Would roasting the
chicken instead of boiling add anything? How bout roasting some of the
vegetables first?

Help me make this a dish well worth inheriting.

"Pringles CheezUms" > wrote in message
...
>I make, well, my mother still makes, quite a decent chicken soup.
> It's ...decent, but I'd like some tips to make it really great.
>
> Here's what she does:
> Boil a chicken the afternoon before, let cool and set in the fridge to
> congeal the fat.
> Early next afternoon, remove the fat and debone the bird, and add
> carrots, corn, potatoes, onions, a can of rotel tomatoes and enuf water
> to cover. Simmer several hours, and serve at supper. (no salt added,
> some of the family is salt sensitive, but its still tasty.)
>
> How can I punch this up to be even better?
> What herbs/spices would go well here?
> Are there some techniques that would liven it up? Would roasting the
> chicken instead of boiling add anything? How bout roasting some of the
> vegetables first?
>
> Help me make this a dish well worth inheriting.

if you are saying you put the chicken meat back in with the veggies and
simmer several hours, I think you are cooking the chicken meat to death. It
has already been cooked. Keep it out until close to the end.

On Sat, 23 Aug 2014 20:57:26 -0500, Pringles CheezUms
> wrote:

>I make, well, my mother still makes, quite a decent chicken soup.
>It's ...decent, but I'd like some tips to make it really great.
>
>Here's what she does:
>Boil a chicken the afternoon before, let cool and set in the fridge to
>congeal the fat.
>Early next afternoon, remove the fat and debone the bird, and add
>carrots, corn, potatoes, onions, a can of rotel tomatoes and enuf water
>to cover. Simmer several hours, and serve at supper. (no salt added,
>some of the family is salt sensitive, but its still tasty.)
>
>How can I punch this up to be even better?
>What herbs/spices would go well here?
>Are there some techniques that would liven it up? Would roasting the
>chicken instead of boiling add anything? How bout roasting some of the
>vegetables first?
>
>Help me make this a dish well worth inheriting.

Simmer, don't boil the chicken with onion, garlic, celery, thyme and
a bay leaf. Discard the onion, garlic, celery and bay leaf. The
thyme will almost disappear in the broth. I find it really, really
easy to de-bone the chicken while it is still quite warm. The meat,
bones and fat come apart very easily. It's much harder to do when the
chicken is cold. I still put the liquid in the fridge overnight and
take the congealed fat off the next day. Cover and refrigerate the
chicken meat separately. I would prefer to get all the liquid that I
needed by cooking the chicken in the required amount of water to give
it flavor. I wouldn't add water the next day because I think that
thins the flavor. If you are cooking for yourself and no salt
sensitive folks are eating with you, I would add some salt.
Janet US

On 8/23/2014 10:16 PM, Janet Bostwick wrote:
> On Sat, 23 Aug 2014 20:57:26 -0500, Pringles CheezUms
> > wrote:
>
>> I make, well, my mother still makes, quite a decent chicken soup.
>> It's ...decent, but I'd like some tips to make it really great.
>>
>> Here's what she does:
>> Boil a chicken the afternoon before, let cool and set in the fridge to
>> congeal the fat.
>> Early next afternoon, remove the fat and debone the bird, and add
>> carrots, corn, potatoes, onions, a can of rotel tomatoes and enuf water
>> to cover. Simmer several hours, and serve at supper. (no salt added,
>> some of the family is salt sensitive, but its still tasty.)
>>
>> How can I punch this up to be even better?
>> What herbs/spices would go well here?
>> Are there some techniques that would liven it up? Would roasting the
>> chicken instead of boiling add anything? How bout roasting some of the
>> vegetables first?
>>
>> Help me make this a dish well worth inheriting.
>
> Simmer, don't boil the chicken with onion, garlic, celery, thyme and
> a bay leaf. Discard the onion, garlic, celery and bay leaf. The
> thyme will almost disappear in the broth. I find it really, really
> easy to de-bone the chicken while it is still quite warm. The meat,
> bones and fat come apart very easily. It's much harder to do when the
> chicken is cold. I still put the liquid in the fridge overnight and
> take the congealed fat off the next day. Cover and refrigerate the
> chicken meat separately. I would prefer to get all the liquid that I
> needed by cooking the chicken in the required amount of water to give
> it flavor. I wouldn't add water the next day because I think that
> thins the flavor. If you are cooking for yourself and no salt
> sensitive folks are eating with you, I would add some salt.
> Janet US
>
Oh, absolutely right! (I might add a bit of sage along with the thyme.)

Jill

>>I make, well, my mother still makes, quite a decent chicken soup.
>
>if you are saying you put the chicken meat back in with the veggies and
>simmer several hours, I think you are cooking the chicken meat to death. It
>has already been cooked. Keep it out until close to the end.

That's a good idea. The chicken now is just a different texture, it
doesn't have much flavor when you actually bite a piece of chicken.

>>I make, well, my mother still makes, quite a decent chicken soup.
>>
>>Help me make this a dish well worth inheriting.
>
>Simmer, don't boil the chicken with onion, garlic, celery, thyme and
>a bay leaf. Discard the onion, garlic, celery and bay leaf. The
>thyme will almost disappear in the broth. I find it really, really
>easy to de-bone the chicken while it is still quite warm. The meat,
>bones and fat come apart very easily. It's much harder to do when the
>chicken is cold. I still put the liquid in the fridge overnight and
>take the congealed fat off the next day. Cover and refrigerate the
>chicken meat separately. I would prefer to get all the liquid that I
>needed by cooking the chicken in the required amount of water to give
>it flavor. I wouldn't add water the next day because I think that
>thins the flavor. If you are cooking for yourself and no salt
>sensitive folks are eating with you, I would add some salt.

So add a whole onion, some cloves of garlic (I'll probably throw in a
whole head. I like garlic.), several stalks of celery, and bunch of
thyme, a bay leaf, (and some sage) while cooking the chicken rather than
when cooking the whole soup? Plus, don't re-cook the chicken, like
PicoRico said.
Definitely worth a try.
And I think she adds a box a stock rather than just all water. It
doesn't taste much thinned out. But point made. Thanks.

On Sat, 23 Aug 2014 21:52:33 -0500, Pringles CheezUms
> wrote:
>
> So add a whole onion, some cloves of garlic (I'll probably throw in a
> whole head. I like garlic.), several stalks of celery, and bunch of
> thyme, a bay leaf, (and some sage) while cooking the chicken rather than
> when cooking the whole soup? Plus, don't re-cook the chicken, like
> PicoRico said.
> Definitely worth a try.
> And I think she adds a box a stock rather than just all water. It
> doesn't taste much thinned out. But point made. Thanks.

What volume are you talking about? I think an entire head of garlic
will be way too much unless you're making gallons - and I'm not afraid
of garlic.

I like the Rotel idea, but next time try using medium heat salsa from
the refrigerator section - it will make a huge difference for the
better, IMO.

PS: I'm not in the bay leaf camp simply because I wasn't brought up
with it in soup, so I don't think it adds anything and I certainly
don't think my dish is missing anything if it's not there. I do
require thyme, but IMO sage is mandatory with saltimbocca, not soup.
Also, the flavor of most herbs is lost with long cooking so add them
in the last 30 minutes or so - otherwise you're just wasting your
money.


--
Avoid cutting yourself when slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them.

On Sat, 23 Aug 2014 20:57:26 -0500, Pringles CheezUms
> wrote:

> I make, well, my mother still makes, quite a decent chicken soup.
> It's ...decent, but I'd like some tips to make it really great.
>
> Here's what she does:
> Boil a chicken the afternoon before, let cool and set in the fridge to
> congeal the fat.
> Early next afternoon, remove the fat and debone the bird, and add
> carrots, corn, potatoes, onions, a can of rotel tomatoes and enuf water
> to cover. Simmer several hours, and serve at supper. (no salt added,
> some of the family is salt sensitive, but its still tasty.)

My method is entirely different. Simmer (I do it overnight in a slow
cooker now) chicken with onion, celery and carrot. Strain liquid and
discard the vegetables, separate meat from bones and set aside.
Separate fat from stock by whatever method you like. When ready to
make your stock into soup, add vegetables that have been cut to the
desired size (staggered according to how long they take to cook) and
desired seasonings. Simmer until vegetables are tender crisp, add meat
and serve. Salt is added at the table, if anyone wants it.
>
> How can I punch this up to be even better?
> What herbs/spices would go well here?

The Rotel and corn tells me you're looking for Southwest flavor,
probably New Mexican because of the potato. So, roasted and chopped
fresh chili would punch it up. Look up recipes for chicken tortilla
soup and posole to figure out the seasonings you might like. Oregano,
cumin and garlic come to mind.

You could use this recipe for ideas because it's pretty close to what
you're describing except it's not from scratch.
http://www.elpinto.com/recipes/green...hicken-chowder

> Are there some techniques that would liven it up?

Don't cook the meat to death. Make a basic stock by a long simmer
with the basics of (tomato) onion, carrot and celery.

> Would roasting the chicken instead of boiling add anything?

You could buy a rotisserie chicken, strip the meat (set aside) and
then use the carcass to make your stock. There's no law against it.

> How bout roasting some of the vegetables first?

I always "pan roast" my corn (to blacken the kernels, but keep it as
raw as possible) and cut it off the cob to use in soups, stews or
salad.

>
> Help me make this a dish well worth inheriting.

It would help to know what kind of chicken soup you wanted to make.
There's Jewish Penicillin, American style chicken vegetable soup and
chicken soup with Southwest flavors. Of course, there's more to the
world of chicken soup - but your can of Rotel and added corn didn't
shout Chinese, Thai or Indian to me.


--
Avoid cutting yourself when slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them.

On Sat, 23 Aug 2014 20:57:26 -0500, Pringles CheezUms
> wrote:

>I make, well, my mother still makes, quite a decent chicken soup.
>It's ...decent, but I'd like some tips to make it really great.
>
>Here's what she does:
>Boil a chicken the afternoon before, let cool and set in the fridge to
>congeal the fat.
>Early next afternoon, remove the fat and debone the bird, and add
>carrots, corn, potatoes, onions, a can of rotel tomatoes and enuf water
>to cover. Simmer several hours, and serve at supper. (no salt added,
>some of the family is salt sensitive, but its still tasty.)
>
>How can I punch this up to be even better?
>What herbs/spices would go well here?
>Are there some techniques that would liven it up? Would roasting the
>chicken instead of boiling add anything? How bout roasting some of the
>vegetables first?
>
>Help me make this a dish well worth inheriting.

I'd not add water. I'd put enough water to start rather than dilute
later.

First thing I'd do is put a little butter in the pot and cook up the
chopped onions, carrots, celery. Get a little color on them and you
add flavor. Cut the chicken into 8 or 10 pieces and add that in and
cover with water. Don't boil, but simmer. Add the rest of the
veggies and simmer until they are cooked.

For seasoning, a big pot like that needs at least a little salt to
enhance the flavor and add a bay leave, parsley, thyme, garlic.pepper.
Chill, then next day skim the fat and reheat to serve. It will be
better the next day. Grate some cheese on top when serving.

"sf" > wrote in message
...
> On Sat, 23 Aug 2014 20:57:26 -0500, Pringles CheezUms
> > wrote:
>
>> I make, well, my mother still makes, quite a decent chicken soup.
>> It's ...decent, but I'd like some tips to make it really great.
>>
>> Here's what she does:
>> Boil a chicken the afternoon before, let cool and set in the fridge to
>> congeal the fat.
>> Early next afternoon, remove the fat and debone the bird, and add
>> carrots, corn, potatoes, onions, a can of rotel tomatoes and enuf water
>> to cover. Simmer several hours, and serve at supper. (no salt added,
>> some of the family is salt sensitive, but its still tasty.)
>
> My method is entirely different. Simmer (I do it overnight in a slow
> cooker now) chicken with onion, celery and carrot. Strain liquid and
> discard the vegetables, separate meat from bones and set aside.
> Separate fat from stock by whatever method you like.

you made broth, not stock.

To improve on this, make both broth and stock. Debone the chicken and make
stock, taking many hours to do so. Gently cook the meat, making broth.

add the broth to the stock, carry on with the veggies, and add the meat
toward the very end.

Sweet Marjoram would be a good herb to use.



When ready to
> make your stock into soup, add vegetables that have been cut to the
> desired size (staggered according to how long they take to cook) and
> desired seasonings. Simmer until vegetables are tender crisp, add meat
> and serve. Salt is added at the table, if anyone wants it.
>>
>> How can I punch this up to be even better?
>> What herbs/spices would go well here?
>
> The Rotel and corn tells me you're looking for Southwest flavor,
> probably New Mexican because of the potato. So, roasted and chopped
> fresh chili would punch it up. Look up recipes for chicken tortilla
> soup and posole to figure out the seasonings you might like. Oregano,
> cumin and garlic come to mind.
>
> You could use this recipe for ideas because it's pretty close to what
> you're describing except it's not from scratch.
> http://www.elpinto.com/recipes/green...hicken-chowder
>
>> Are there some techniques that would liven it up?
>
> Don't cook the meat to death. Make a basic stock by a long simmer
> with the basics of (tomato) onion, carrot and celery.
>
>> Would roasting the chicken instead of boiling add anything?
>
> You could buy a rotisserie chicken, strip the meat (set aside) and
> then use the carcass to make your stock. There's no law against it.
>
>> How bout roasting some of the vegetables first?
>
> I always "pan roast" my corn (to blacken the kernels, but keep it as
> raw as possible) and cut it off the cob to use in soups, stews or
> salad.
>
>>
>> Help me make this a dish well worth inheriting.
>
> It would help to know what kind of chicken soup you wanted to make.
> There's Jewish Penicillin, American style chicken vegetable soup and
> chicken soup with Southwest flavors. Of course, there's more to the
> world of chicken soup - but your can of Rotel and added corn didn't
> shout Chinese, Thai or Indian to me.
>
>
> --
> Avoid cutting yourself when slicing vegetables by getting someone else to
> hold them.

On Sat, 23 Aug 2014 21:47:21 -0700, "Pico Rico"
> wrote:

>
> "sf" > wrote in message
> ...
> > On Sat, 23 Aug 2014 20:57:26 -0500, Pringles CheezUms
> > > wrote:
> >
> >> I make, well, my mother still makes, quite a decent chicken soup.
> >> It's ...decent, but I'd like some tips to make it really great.
> >>
> >> Here's what she does:
> >> Boil a chicken the afternoon before, let cool and set in the fridge to
> >> congeal the fat.
> >> Early next afternoon, remove the fat and debone the bird, and add
> >> carrots, corn, potatoes, onions, a can of rotel tomatoes and enuf water
> >> to cover. Simmer several hours, and serve at supper. (no salt added,
> >> some of the family is salt sensitive, but its still tasty.)
> >
> > My method is entirely different. Simmer (I do it overnight in a slow
> > cooker now) chicken with onion, celery and carrot. Strain liquid and
> > discard the vegetables, separate meat from bones and set aside.
> > Separate fat from stock by whatever method you like.
>
> you made broth, not stock.

Who, me? If you think I did, you're completely wrong.
>
> To improve on this, make both broth and stock. Debone the chicken and make
> stock, taking many hours to do so. Gently cook the meat, making broth.
>
> add the broth to the stock, carry on with the veggies, and add the meat
> toward the very end.
>

Yes.


--
Avoid cutting yourself when slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them.

On Sat, 23 Aug 2014 21:52:33 -0500, Pringles CheezUms
> wrote:

>>>I make, well, my mother still makes, quite a decent chicken soup.
>>>
>>>Help me make this a dish well worth inheriting.
>>
>>Simmer, don't boil the chicken with onion, garlic, celery, thyme and
>>a bay leaf. Discard the onion, garlic, celery and bay leaf. The
>>thyme will almost disappear in the broth. I find it really, really
>>easy to de-bone the chicken while it is still quite warm. The meat,
>>bones and fat come apart very easily. It's much harder to do when the
>>chicken is cold. I still put the liquid in the fridge overnight and
>>take the congealed fat off the next day. Cover and refrigerate the
>>chicken meat separately. I would prefer to get all the liquid that I
>>needed by cooking the chicken in the required amount of water to give
>>it flavor. I wouldn't add water the next day because I think that
>>thins the flavor. If you are cooking for yourself and no salt
>>sensitive folks are eating with you, I would add some salt.
>
>So add a whole onion, some cloves of garlic (I'll probably throw in a
>whole head. I like garlic.), several stalks of celery, and bunch of
>thyme, a bay leaf, (and some sage) while cooking the chicken rather than
>when cooking the whole soup? Plus, don't re-cook the chicken, like
>PicoRico said.
>Definitely worth a try.
>And I think she adds a box a stock rather than just all water. It
>doesn't taste much thinned out. But point made. Thanks.

A whole head of garlic is too much. Assuming a 4 pound chicken, I
would use 2 large cloves of garlic, 2 stalks of celery (leaves
included), maybe 3, 4 stems of thyme about 4 inches long and probably
one carrot, oh, and 4,5 peppercorns (no need to chop anything) 1 bay
leaf. A box of stock to boost the flavor and liquid is fine.

Janet US

"sf" > wrote in message
...
> On Sat, 23 Aug 2014 21:47:21 -0700, "Pico Rico"
> > wrote:
>
>>
>> "sf" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> > On Sat, 23 Aug 2014 20:57:26 -0500, Pringles CheezUms
>> > > wrote:
>> >
>> >> I make, well, my mother still makes, quite a decent chicken soup.
>> >> It's ...decent, but I'd like some tips to make it really great.
>> >>
>> >> Here's what she does:
>> >> Boil a chicken the afternoon before, let cool and set in the fridge to
>> >> congeal the fat.
>> >> Early next afternoon, remove the fat and debone the bird, and add
>> >> carrots, corn, potatoes, onions, a can of rotel tomatoes and enuf
>> >> water
>> >> to cover. Simmer several hours, and serve at supper. (no salt added,
>> >> some of the family is salt sensitive, but its still tasty.)
>> >
>> > My method is entirely different. Simmer (I do it overnight in a slow
>> > cooker now) chicken with onion, celery and carrot. Strain liquid and
>> > discard the vegetables, separate meat from bones and set aside.
>> > Separate fat from stock by whatever method you like.
>>
>> you made broth, not stock.
>
> Who, me? If you think I did, you're completely wrong.

based on your description, you made broth, not stock.

On Sat, 23 Aug 2014 21:04:56 -0700, sf > wrote:

snip
>
>You could use this recipe for ideas because it's pretty close to what
>you're describing except it's not from scratch.
>http://www.elpinto.com/recipes/green...hicken-chowder
>
snip
I've saved this recipe. It's just enough different than my chicken
tortilla soup. Thanks
Janet US

On 8/23/2014 6:57 PM, Pringles CheezUms wrote:
> I make, well, my mother still makes, quite a decent chicken soup.
> It's ...decent, but I'd like some tips to make it really great.
>
> Here's what she does:
> Boil a chicken the afternoon before, let cool and set in the fridge to
> congeal the fat.
> Early next afternoon, remove the fat and debone the bird, and add
> carrots, corn, potatoes, onions, a can of rotel tomatoes and enuf water
> to cover. Simmer several hours, and serve at supper. (no salt added,
> some of the family is salt sensitive, but its still tasty.)
>
> How can I punch this up to be even better?
> What herbs/spices would go well here?
> Are there some techniques that would liven it up? Would roasting the
> chicken instead of boiling add anything? How bout roasting some of the
> vegetables first?
>
> Help me make this a dish well worth inheriting.
>

My mother would try to get a roasting chicken instead of a fryer. A
stewing chicken would even be better, but I don't think they are
available anymore. If possible, she would also get some extra necks and
backs. She would cut up the chicken into parts. She would also pull
away and discard any visible fatty tissue.

Mom would cut the following vegetables into chunks: celery with leaves,
parsnip, carrot, garlic (not too much), onion (again, not too much) to
cook with the chicken. She always added salt, not to taste but to draw
the "goodness" out of the chicken.

In a large pot, she would cook the chicken and vegetables with enough
water to cover everything but not enough water for anything to float.
This would be at a low boil long enough to turn the vegetables to mush
and for the chicken meat to fall off the bones. While this boiled, a
scum would form on top; Mom would remove the scum with a large spoon.
She said leaving the scum would result in a cloudy soup.

I followed this unwritten recipe with some additions. After the mush
and falling-off-the-bone stage was reached, I strained the soup. After
the solids cooled enough to handle, I brushed the vegetables off the
meat as I pulled the meat off the bones.

Since I really do not like to eat over-cooked vegetables - especially
not liking biting into a chunk of vegetable -- I grated more carrot and
celery (without leaves) and cooked them in the clear soup with the
addition of the chicken meat. Yes, all the flavor is cooked out of the
meat and vegetables; but the point is to make soup.

Chilling the soup overnight, I easily scraped away a layer of fat. (I
left a little bit of fat because it too has flavor). What was
interesting is that the soup below the fat had jelled. Mom said that,
if it did not jell, three things were wrong: It did not simmer long
enough, there was not enough chicken bones, and there was not enough salt.

--
David E. Ross

Visit "Cooking with David" at
<http://www.rossde.com/cooking/>

Pringles CheezUms > wrote:
> I make, well, my mother still makes, quite a decent chicken soup.
> It's ...decent, but I'd like some tips to make it really great.
>
> Here's what she does:
> Boil a chicken the afternoon before, let cool and set in the fridge to
> congeal the fat.
> Early next afternoon, remove the fat and debone the bird, and add
> carrots, corn, potatoes, onions, a can of rotel tomatoes and enuf water
> to cover. Simmer several hours, and serve at supper. (no salt added,
> some of the family is salt sensitive, but its still tasty.)
>
> How can I punch this up to be even better?
> What herbs/spices would go well here?
> Are there some techniques that would liven it up? Would roasting the
> chicken instead of boiling add anything? How bout roasting some of the
> vegetables first?
>
> Help me make this a dish well worth inheriting.

I've had this hundreds of times. A life time. I say enameled pot due to my
experience.

http://www.pitt.edu/~szekeres/best%20chicken%20soup.htm

Greg

On Sat, 23 Aug 2014 23:14:14 -0600, Janet Bostwick
> wrote:

> On Sat, 23 Aug 2014 21:04:56 -0700, sf > wrote:
>
> snip
> >
> >You could use this recipe for ideas because it's pretty close to what
> >you're describing except it's not from scratch.
> >http://www.elpinto.com/recipes/green...hicken-chowder
> >
> snip
> I've saved this recipe. It's just enough different than my chicken
> tortilla soup. Thanks
> Janet US

I've taken to adding (pan) roasted corn to practically everything
Southwesty, now that it's summer and we have lots of fresh corn in the
grocery store. Potatoes say New Mexico to me and I use the yellow
waxy variety for soup. Have you ever roasted your own chiles? Once
you do that you won't want to go back to canned.


--
Avoid cutting yourself when slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them.

On Sun, 24 Aug 2014 05:20:00 -0700, sf > wrote:

>On Sat, 23 Aug 2014 23:14:14 -0600, Janet Bostwick
> wrote:
>
>> On Sat, 23 Aug 2014 21:04:56 -0700, sf > wrote:
>>
>> snip
>> >
>> >You could use this recipe for ideas because it's pretty close to what
>> >you're describing except it's not from scratch.
>> >http://www.elpinto.com/recipes/green...hicken-chowder
>> >
>> snip
>> I've saved this recipe. It's just enough different than my chicken
>> tortilla soup. Thanks
>> Janet US
>
>I've taken to adding (pan) roasted corn to practically everything
>Southwesty, now that it's summer and we have lots of fresh corn in the
>grocery store. Potatoes say New Mexico to me and I use the yellow
>waxy variety for soup. Have you ever roasted your own chiles? Once
>you do that you won't want to go back to canned.

I spent last Sunday roasting, peeling, gutting and wrapping 10 pounds
of Hatch chilis. Ay, caramba! those babies are potent. cough, cough.
The corn from my garden is now coming in and we each have at least two
cobs per night. It is so sweet and tender we put nothing on it. I
just heat it enough to get it hot. I never really have so much that I
want to roast it or freeze it. I've been told that the corn at Costco
is good. Some time I will buy a package and plan on roasting it.
Janet US

On 8/23/2014 11:17 PM, David E. Ross wrote:
> On 8/23/2014 6:57 PM, Pringles CheezUms wrote:
>> I make, well, my mother still makes, quite a decent chicken soup.
>> It's ...decent, but I'd like some tips to make it really great.
>>
>> Here's what she does:
>> Boil a chicken the afternoon before, let cool and set in the fridge to
>> congeal the fat.
>> Early next afternoon, remove the fat and debone the bird, and add
>> carrots, corn, potatoes, onions, a can of rotel tomatoes and enuf water
>> to cover. Simmer several hours, and serve at supper. (no salt added,
>> some of the family is salt sensitive, but its still tasty.)
>>
>> How can I punch this up to be even better?
>> What herbs/spices would go well here?
>> Are there some techniques that would liven it up? Would roasting the
>> chicken instead of boiling add anything? How bout roasting some of the
>> vegetables first?
>>
>> Help me make this a dish well worth inheriting.
>>
>
> My mother would try to get a roasting chicken instead of a fryer. A
> stewing chicken would even be better, but I don't think they are
> available anymore. If possible, she would also get some extra necks and
> backs. She would cut up the chicken into parts. She would also pull
> away and discard any visible fatty tissue.
>
> Mom would cut the following vegetables into chunks: celery with leaves,
> parsnip, carrot, garlic (not too much), onion (again, not too much) to
> cook with the chicken. She always added salt, not to taste but to draw
> the "goodness" out of the chicken.
>
> In a large pot, she would cook the chicken and vegetables with enough
> water to cover everything but not enough water for anything to float.
> This would be at a low boil long enough to turn the vegetables to mush
> and for the chicken meat to fall off the bones. While this boiled, a
> scum would form on top; Mom would remove the scum with a large spoon.
> She said leaving the scum would result in a cloudy soup.
>
> I followed this unwritten recipe with some additions. After the mush
> and falling-off-the-bone stage was reached, I strained the soup. After
> the solids cooled enough to handle, I brushed the vegetables off the
> meat as I pulled the meat off the bones.
>
> Since I really do not like to eat over-cooked vegetables - especially
> not liking biting into a chunk of vegetable -- I grated more carrot and
> celery (without leaves) and cooked them in the clear soup with the
> addition of the chicken meat. Yes, all the flavor is cooked out of the
> meat and vegetables; but the point is to make soup.
>
> Chilling the soup overnight, I easily scraped away a layer of fat. (I
> left a little bit of fat because it too has flavor). What was
> interesting is that the soup below the fat had jelled. Mom said that,
> if it did not jell, three things were wrong: It did not simmer long
> enough, there was not enough chicken bones, and there was not enough salt.
>

It was too late at night when I submitted the reply above, and I forgot
a few things.

After pulling the chicken meat from the bones, I diced the meat before
returning it to the soup.

My mother would add two things to her soup that I do not see in markets
anymore. She would buy about six chicken feet, scrape the outer scales
from the skin, and cook them in the soup. Having bough a whole stewing
chicken, Mom would find immature eggs inside it (mostly just yolk and
definitely no shell). She would carefully remove the eggs and cook them
in the soup a few minutes before serving it. To serve the soup right
away, Mom would wrap ice cubes in a clean dish towel to skim off much of
the fat.

--
David E. Ross

Visit "Cooking with David" at
<http://www.rossde.com/cooking/>

On Sun, 24 Aug 2014 08:31:23 -0700, "David E. Ross"
> wrote:

> After pulling the chicken meat from the bones, I diced the meat before
> returning it to the soup.

I normally use meaty bones to make stock, so my suggestion is to
remove the chicken carcass after an hour, strip it and continue
cooking the bones. Don't put the meat back in your soup until you've
defatted the stock and all the other ingredients have cooked through.
>
> My mother would add two things to her soup that I do not see in markets
> anymore. She would buy about six chicken feet, scrape the outer scales
> from the skin, and cook them in the soup.

I can buy chicken feet at Safeway (large national chain) and ethnic
groceries. I've used them a few times and - meh. I've been told that
wings provide as much gelatin, so try that. I don't use so much water
that I need to use feet or wings to make a rich stock that gels when
it's cool.

> Having bough a whole stewing
> chicken, Mom would find immature eggs inside it (mostly just yolk and
> definitely no shell). She would carefully remove the eggs and cook them
> in the soup a few minutes before serving it.

Maybe that's why quail eggs are so popular! People do serve eggs with
soup (not me), but I don't know how they are cooked.

> To serve the soup right
> away, Mom would wrap ice cubes in a clean dish towel to skim off much of
> the fat.

We have fat separators now. I ditched two one cup separators (gave
them to DD and DIL) for a larger one.
http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Good-Grips.../dp/B0002YTGIQ



--
Avoid cutting yourself when slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them.

I like to add a couple tablespoons of lemon juice, onion powder, fresh ground pepper, and thyme.

Denise in NH.

Pringles CheezUms wrote:
>
>I make, well, my mother still makes, quite a decent chicken soup.
>It's ...decent, but I'd like some tips to make it really great.
>
>Here's what she does:
>Boil a chicken.

Only Ramen gets boiled, no other soup gets cooked past a low simmer.

On Sat, 23 Aug 2014 20:16:40 -0600, Janet Bostwick
> wrote:

>On Sat, 23 Aug 2014 20:57:26 -0500, Pringles CheezUms
> wrote:
>
>>I make, well, my mother still makes, quite a decent chicken soup.
>>It's ...decent, but I'd like some tips to make it really great.
>>
>>Here's what she does:
>>Boil a chicken the afternoon before, let cool and set in the fridge to
>>congeal the fat.
>>Early next afternoon, remove the fat and debone the bird, and add
>>carrots, corn, potatoes, onions, a can of rotel tomatoes and enuf water
>>to cover. Simmer several hours, and serve at supper. (no salt added,
>>some of the family is salt sensitive, but its still tasty.)
>>
>>How can I punch this up to be even better?
>>What herbs/spices would go well here?
>>Are there some techniques that would liven it up? Would roasting the
>>chicken instead of boiling add anything? How bout roasting some of the
>>vegetables first?
>>
>>Help me make this a dish well worth inheriting.
>
>Simmer, don't boil the chicken with onion, garlic, celery, thyme and
>a bay leaf. Discard the onion, garlic, celery and bay leaf. The
>thyme will almost disappear in the broth. I find it really, really
>easy to de-bone the chicken while it is still quite warm.

I prefer to quarter the chickens prior to cooking (makes for easier
handling throughout) and I carefully remove and discard the TIAD backs
(spinal fluid adds bitterness & disgust). I always use a minimum of
two large roasting chickens... I can't see spending all those hours
preparing a soup and ending up with a measily dwarfish quantity...
chicken soup freezes well. First thing buy your mom a decent 16 quart
pot and a two cup ladle, saves having to lift a large heavy pot to
remove contents.
Excellent quality/value, no stupid glass lid:
http://www.amazon.com/Farberware-Cla...e+16+quart+pot
http://www.amazon.com/Ladle-Stainles...16+ounce+ladle

On Sat, 23 Aug 2014 21:52:33 -0500, Pringles CheezUms
> wrote:

>>>I make, well, my mother still makes, quite a decent chicken soup.
>>>
>>>Help me make this a dish well worth inheriting.
>>
>>Simmer, don't boil the chicken with onion, garlic, celery, thyme and
>>a bay leaf. Discard the onion, garlic, celery and bay leaf. The
>>thyme will almost disappear in the broth. I find it really, really
>>easy to de-bone the chicken while it is still quite warm. The meat,
>>bones and fat come apart very easily. It's much harder to do when the
>>chicken is cold. I still put the liquid in the fridge overnight and
>>take the congealed fat off the next day. Cover and refrigerate the
>>chicken meat separately. I would prefer to get all the liquid that I
>>needed by cooking the chicken in the required amount of water to give
>>it flavor. I wouldn't add water the next day because I think that
>>thins the flavor. If you are cooking for yourself and no salt
>>sensitive folks are eating with you, I would add some salt.
>
>So add a whole onion, some cloves of garlic (I'll probably throw in a
>whole head. I like garlic.), several stalks of celery, and bunch of
>thyme, a bay leaf, (and some sage) while cooking the chicken rather than
>when cooking the whole soup? Plus, don't re-cook the chicken, like
>PicoRico said.
>Definitely worth a try.
>And I think she adds a box a stock rather than just all water. It
>doesn't taste much thinned out. But point made. Thanks.

Can't make real chicken soup without a parsnip, dill, and curly leaf
parsley... no sage in chicken soup, it'll taste like breakfast
sausage.

Janet Bostwick wrote:
>
>A box of stock to boost the flavor and liquid is fine.

Then why bother with the chicken... for more chicken flavor don't be
so cheap, use more chicken.

On Sat, 23 Aug 2014 21:47:21 -0700, "Pico Rico"
> wrote:

>
>"sf" > wrote in message
.. .
>> On Sat, 23 Aug 2014 20:57:26 -0500, Pringles CheezUms
>> > wrote:
>>
>>> I make, well, my mother still makes, quite a decent chicken soup.
>>> It's ...decent, but I'd like some tips to make it really great.
>>>
>>> Here's what she does:
>>> Boil a chicken the afternoon before, let cool and set in the fridge to
>>> congeal the fat.
>>> Early next afternoon, remove the fat and debone the bird, and add
>>> carrots, corn, potatoes, onions, a can of rotel tomatoes and enuf water
>>> to cover. Simmer several hours, and serve at supper. (no salt added,
>>> some of the family is salt sensitive, but its still tasty.)
>>
>> My method is entirely different. Simmer (I do it overnight in a slow
>> cooker now) chicken with onion, celery and carrot. Strain liquid and
>> discard the vegetables, separate meat from bones and set aside.
>> Separate fat from stock by whatever method you like.
>
>you made broth, not stock.

Broth is simply clarified stock.

On Sat, 23 Aug 2014 22:14:02 -0700, "Pico Rico"
> wrote:

>
>"sf" > wrote in message
.. .
>> On Sat, 23 Aug 2014 21:47:21 -0700, "Pico Rico"
>> > wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> "sf" > wrote in message
>>> ...
>>> > On Sat, 23 Aug 2014 20:57:26 -0500, Pringles CheezUms
>>> > > wrote:
>>> >
>>> >> I make, well, my mother still makes, quite a decent chicken soup.
>>> >> It's ...decent, but I'd like some tips to make it really great.
>>> >>
>>> >> Here's what she does:
>>> >> Boil a chicken the afternoon before, let cool and set in the fridge to
>>> >> congeal the fat.
>>> >> Early next afternoon, remove the fat and debone the bird, and add
>>> >> carrots, corn, potatoes, onions, a can of rotel tomatoes and enuf
>>> >> water
>>> >> to cover. Simmer several hours, and serve at supper. (no salt added,
>>> >> some of the family is salt sensitive, but its still tasty.)
>>> >
>>> > My method is entirely different. Simmer (I do it overnight in a slow
>>> > cooker now) chicken with onion, celery and carrot. Strain liquid and
>>> > discard the vegetables, separate meat from bones and set aside.
>>> > Separate fat from stock by whatever method you like.
>>>
>>> you made broth, not stock.
>>
>> Who, me? If you think I did, you're completely wrong.
>
>based on your description, you made broth, not stock.

You've obviously never made either.

"David E. Ross" wrote:
>
>It was too late at night when I submitted the reply above, and I forgot
>a few things.
>
>After pulling the chicken meat from the bones, I diced the meat before
>returning it to the soup.
>
>My mother would add two things to her soup that I do not see in markets
>anymore. She would buy about six chicken feet, scrape the outer scales
>from the skin, and cook them in the soup. Having bough a whole stewing
>chicken, Mom would find immature eggs inside it (mostly just yolk and
>definitely no shell). She would carefully remove the eggs and cook them
>in the soup a few minutes before serving it.

You must be older than 60, nowadays the only way to get those eggs and
feet is from a fresh kill market or a poultry farm... some ethnic
markets still have them but they're as rare as hen's teeth.

On Sun, 24 Aug 2014 08:09:35 +0000 (UTC), gregz >
wrote:

>Pringles CheezUms > wrote:
>> I make, well, my mother still makes, quite a decent chicken soup.
>> It's ...decent, but I'd like some tips to make it really great.
>>
>> Here's what she does:
>> Boil a chicken the afternoon before, let cool and set in the fridge to
>> congeal the fat.
>> Early next afternoon, remove the fat and debone the bird, and add
>> carrots, corn, potatoes, onions, a can of rotel tomatoes and enuf water
>> to cover. Simmer several hours, and serve at supper. (no salt added,
>> some of the family is salt sensitive, but its still tasty.)
>>
>> How can I punch this up to be even better?
>> What herbs/spices would go well here?
>> Are there some techniques that would liven it up? Would roasting the
>> chicken instead of boiling add anything? How bout roasting some of the
>> vegetables first?
>>
>> Help me make this a dish well worth inheriting.
>
>I've had this hundreds of times. A life time. I say enameled pot due to my
>experience.

Enameled stock pots were from the time before stainless steel.

On Sun, 24 Aug 2014 09:32:44 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:

>I like to add a couple tablespoons of lemon juice, onion powder, fresh ground pepper, and thyme.
>
>Denise in NH.

My mom would add some rind from a tangerine... I do when I prepare a
Chinese chicken soup, then I add ginger and white pepper.

On Sun, 24 Aug 2014 14:38:09 -0400, Brooklyn1
> wrote:

>Janet Bostwick wrote:
>>
>>A box of stock to boost the flavor and liquid is fine.
>
>Then why bother with the chicken... for more chicken flavor don't be
>so cheap, use more chicken.
It isn't what I do. It's what his mother did. He wants to follow her
recipe.
Janet US

On Sun, 24 Aug 2014 09:32:44 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:

> I like to add a couple tablespoons of lemon juice, onion powder, fresh ground pepper, and thyme.
>
> Denise in NH.

Sounds like a Greek twist to me!


--
Avoid cutting yourself when slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them.

On Sun, 24 Aug 2014 08:31:23 -0700, "David E. Ross"
> wrote:

>My mother would add two things to her soup that I do not see in markets
>anymore. She would buy about six chicken feet, scrape the outer scales
>from the skin, and cook them in the soup.

Chicken feet are readily available in many ethnic markets, especially
Asian ones.

Christine

On 8/23/2014 10:04 PM, sf wrote:
> You could use this recipe for ideas because it's pretty close to what
> you're describing except it's not from scratch.
> http://www.elpinto.com/recipes/green...hicken-chowder

One of the truly most atmospheric yet huge Mexican restaurants in ABQ.

Yet still they turn out decent food.

Just don't get there after a tour bus shows up...

Pringles CheezUms > wrote:

> I make, well, my mother still makes, quite a decent chicken soup.
> It's ...decent, but I'd like some tips to make it really great.

You have asked a very similar, if not identical, question almost exactly
four years ago. I posted my recipe that time and don't see why I
shouldn't post it this time, too - maybe you'll try it and, if not,
someone else might... In any case, it was - and is now - an attempt to
answer your question.

Here is a recipe I have used all my life (and posted before). The
chicken should ideally be a rooster, the older the better, or an old
stewing hen. They will add more flavour but should be cooked long
enough to extract all of it. This soup can be made in a pressure cooker
(once the scum is skimmed) in about 45 minutes. If adding starchy
ingredients, such as noodles, matzo balls, Grießklößchen (semolina
dumplings), Frittaten/Flädle (pancake strips) etc., cook them separately
until almost ready, then finish them in the soup. Adding omelette
strips is another option.

Chicken Soup

3 l (3 quarts) water
1 whole chicken, thoroughly rinsed
2 stalks celery, cut into 8-cm (3-inch) pieces
1 large whole onion, unpeeled
2 carrots, peeled and halved
1 medium parsnip, peeled and halved
1 celery root, peeled and halved
1 parsley root, peeled and halved
1 clove
a bit of allspice
2 tablespoons salt
a few black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1 bunch of dill, cleaned and tied with a string
1 bunch of celery, cleaned and tied with a string

1. Pour the water into a large stockpot, and add the chicken. Bring to
a boil and reduce the heat to bare simmer. As the scum appears, skim it
all carefully, even wiping the stockpot sides with a paper towel, if
transparency is desired.

2. Add all the other ingredients except dill and parsley and let simmer
lightly for 3 hours. In the last couple of minutes, add dill and
parsley. Strain the soup. If desired, rub the cooked roots through a
sieve and add to the soup.

Victor

On 8/24/2014 10:31 AM, David E. Ross wrote:
> On 8/23/2014 11:17 PM, David E. Ross wrote:
>> On 8/23/2014 6:57 PM, Pringles CheezUms wrote:
>>> I make, well, my mother still makes, quite a decent chicken soup.
>>> It's ...decent, but I'd like some tips to make it really great.
>>>
>>> Here's what she does:
>>> Boil a chicken the afternoon before, let cool and set in the fridge to
>>> congeal the fat.
>>> Early next afternoon, remove the fat and debone the bird, and add
>>> carrots, corn, potatoes, onions, a can of rotel tomatoes and enuf water
>>> to cover. Simmer several hours, and serve at supper. (no salt added,
>>> some of the family is salt sensitive, but its still tasty.)
>>>
>>> How can I punch this up to be even better?
>>> What herbs/spices would go well here?
>>> Are there some techniques that would liven it up? Would roasting the
>>> chicken instead of boiling add anything? How bout roasting some of the
>>> vegetables first?
>>>
>>> Help me make this a dish well worth inheriting.
>>>
>>
>> My mother would try to get a roasting chicken instead of a fryer. A
>> stewing chicken would even be better, but I don't think they are
>> available anymore. If possible, she would also get some extra necks and
>> backs. She would cut up the chicken into parts. She would also pull
>> away and discard any visible fatty tissue.
>>
>> Mom would cut the following vegetables into chunks: celery with leaves,
>> parsnip, carrot, garlic (not too much), onion (again, not too much) to
>> cook with the chicken. She always added salt, not to taste but to draw
>> the "goodness" out of the chicken.
>>
>> In a large pot, she would cook the chicken and vegetables with enough
>> water to cover everything but not enough water for anything to float.
>> This would be at a low boil long enough to turn the vegetables to mush
>> and for the chicken meat to fall off the bones. While this boiled, a
>> scum would form on top; Mom would remove the scum with a large spoon.
>> She said leaving the scum would result in a cloudy soup.
>>
>> I followed this unwritten recipe with some additions. After the mush
>> and falling-off-the-bone stage was reached, I strained the soup. After
>> the solids cooled enough to handle, I brushed the vegetables off the
>> meat as I pulled the meat off the bones.
>>
>> Since I really do not like to eat over-cooked vegetables - especially
>> not liking biting into a chunk of vegetable -- I grated more carrot and
>> celery (without leaves) and cooked them in the clear soup with the
>> addition of the chicken meat. Yes, all the flavor is cooked out of the
>> meat and vegetables; but the point is to make soup.
>>
>> Chilling the soup overnight, I easily scraped away a layer of fat. (I
>> left a little bit of fat because it too has flavor). What was
>> interesting is that the soup below the fat had jelled. Mom said that,
>> if it did not jell, three things were wrong: It did not simmer long
>> enough, there was not enough chicken bones, and there was not enough salt.
>>
>
> It was too late at night when I submitted the reply above, and I forgot
> a few things.
>
> After pulling the chicken meat from the bones, I diced the meat before
> returning it to the soup.
>
> My mother would add two things to her soup that I do not see in markets
> anymore. She would buy about six chicken feet, scrape the outer scales
> from the skin, and cook them in the soup. Having bough a whole stewing
> chicken, Mom would find immature eggs inside it (mostly just yolk and
> definitely no shell). She would carefully remove the eggs and cook them
> in the soup a few minutes before serving it. To serve the soup right
> away, Mom would wrap ice cubes in a clean dish towel to skim off much of
> the fat.

Some supermarkets here, carry chicken feet, HEB, Brookshire's. The
Hispanic and Asian markets have them.

Becca

On Sun, 24 Aug 2014 17:12:09 -0500, Becca EmaNymton
> wrote:

> Some supermarkets here, carry chicken feet, HEB, Brookshire's. The
> Hispanic and Asian markets have them.

Even Safeway stocks them now. Maybe not every store, but the big one
I shop at does.

--

Never trust a dog to watch your food.

On 2014-08-24, Victor Sack > wrote:

> someone else might... In any case, it was - and is now - an attempt to
> answer your question.

IOW, I have --again!-- graciously seen fit to bless you with my recipe
provided you experience the proper amount of guilt.

nb

"notbob" > wrote in message
...
> On 2014-08-24, Victor Sack > wrote:
>
>> someone else might... In any case, it was - and is now - an attempt to
>> answer your question.
>
> IOW, I have --again!-- graciously seen fit to bless you with my recipe
> provided you experience the proper amount of guilt.
>
> nb

a Jewish recipe for chicken soup?

On Sunday, August 24, 2014 4:37:03 PM UTC-4, Christine wrote:
>
> Chicken feet are readily available in many ethnic markets, especially
>
> Asian ones.
>
> Christine

Yes. Unfortunately I only get blank
looks when I ask about the ovaries.

http://www.richardfisher.com