Chicken Soup and Bone Broth

 

Chicken soup was introduced to me by Mrs. Cohen who lived down the block from me as I was growing up.  Mrs. Cohen called it Jewish penicillin which would cure any cold, flu, or ailment you have during the winter months. She was right on the money because it does cure all. It’s also the best cozy comfort food for any cold, wintery night when you just need something to eat that feels like a cozy blanket wrapped around your cold and weary body.

Whenever I make soup, I always make bone broth first. In this case, Chicken bone broth by using the carcass of a chicken cut up and boiled in water for at least an hour or so. Then I drain the broth and use that broth as the basis for my chicken soup. So first things first, Did you know that bone broth is not only delicious but also packed with nutrients like collagen, amino acids, and minerals? It's a great way to support gut health, joint health, and overall well-being. Contrary to popular belief, bone broth is not the same as chicken stock or broth. While they may be similar in some ways, bone broth is typically cooked for a longer period to extract more nutrients from the bones.

Bone Broth

 

Ingredients:

Rotisseries Chicken cut up or 8 thighs bone-in or 8 breasts with bone in

10 cups of water

3 or 4 tablespoons of Chicken bouillon crystals

2 bay leaves

 Cook on the stove for 1-2 hours, drain broth and reserve. Let cool then remove meat and set aside.

 Next time you're making soup or stew, consider using bone broth for an extra boost of flavor and nutrition. You can easily make your own bone broth at home using leftover bones from meals or by purchasing them from a butcher. Give it a try and experience the pure loveliness of homemade bone broth! 

Now let’s make the soup.

 Ingredients

Since I was a young teenager, I love making homemade soups from leftovers. The one I make the most is Homemade Chicken soup. I make this soup often because I love roasted chicken from a whole chicken as pictured above.  When whole chickens are on sale, I try to buy 3 or 4 of them when I have the excess funds to do so. This allows me to make a huge dinner on Saturday night, then save the carcass to make soup with the next day.

The recipe is pretty simple and very easy to make. Could take up to 3 or 4 hours to make, but well worth it. It’s perfect for when you have that bad cold, or flu and don’t want anything but soup and ginger ale or hot tea. Always great to have on hand in the freezer for a quick meal at lunch or even dinner time.

This is the same recipe that my mother used to make while she told me stories of the Depression era and how her mother used to stretch that dollar to feed her 12 kids. Soup was the best way because you used leftovers and veggies to create a healthy meal for your family while making sure you had enough to feed everyone with leftovers to use for another meal. It was also a cheap meal to produce. 

Ingredients Whole chicken completely cooked, save the pan juices for soup. Remove a large piece of chicken for another meal, then boil the carcass until everything falls off the bones. Save the juice. Cover the carcass and let cook so you can remove the meat off the bones without burning your fingers. 

6 cloves of garlic, minced or 1 ½ tablespoons of store-bought minced garlic

1 yellow onion, diced

2 large carrots, thinly sliced or buy carrot sticks in a bag use half the bag

2 celery stalks, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger (or 1 teaspoon ground ginger powder)

2 tablespoons of Mrs. Dash seasoning

8 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon freshly chopped rosemary

1 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme, stems removed

½ teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 billion 

2 bay leaves

1 cup of instant rice

2 cups of water

Oriental or Moraccon Curry powder (optional) 

 

Instructions

 

1.   Place a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat add garlic, onion, carrots, and celery into chicken stock from boiling the chicken carcass; cook veggies are all cooked through and become translucent.

2.   Next add in grated ginger and grated turmeric. Sauté for 30 seconds to let the spices cook a bit, then add in the chicken meat you’ve rescued from the carcass. If you don’t have much, throw in a chicken breast cut into cubes, then add the rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper.

3.   Bring soup to a boil, and test to ensure all chicken is cooked. Then stir in the instant rice and one cup of water plus the chicken bouillon cubes. You’ll want the chicken to be covered by the broth so make sure you stir them down to the bottom. 

4.   Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked.

5.   Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary. Enjoy.

 

 

Note: I personally like curry power added as I serve the bowl of soup. It gives a great taste and a little extra heat to ensure whatever is ailing you, will be kicked out of your system quickly. 

Elizabeth Kilbride is a Writer and Editor with forty years of experience in writing with 12 of those years in the online content sphere. Author of 5 books and a Graduate with an Associate of Arts from Pheonix University in Business Management, then a degree in Mass Communication and Cyber Analysis from Phoenix University, then on to Walden University for her master’s in criminology with emphasis on Cybercrime and Identity Theft and is currently studying for her Ph.D. degree in Criminology, her work portfolio includes coverage of politics, current affairs, elections, history, and true crime. In her spare time, Elizabeth is also a gourmet cook, life coach, and avid artist, proficient in watercolor, acrylic, pen and ink, Gouache, and pastels. As a political operative having worked on over 300 campaigns during her career, Elizabeth has turned many life events into books and movie scripts while using history to weave interesting storylines. She also runs 6 blogs that range from art to life coaching, to food, to writing, and opinion or history pieces each week.