Ingredients:
1 large Stewing chicken/hen
1 Package(s) Chicken feet
2 small Turnips
2 medium Parsnips, firm
6 medium Onions with a lot of skin
2 Bunch(s) Fresh parsley
2 Bunch(s) Fresh dill
6 medium Carrots cut in half, peel
6 Stalks celery
2 Cubes KnorrŽ bullion |
Directions: Take your chicken and clean it! Get those red glops out of the indentations
inside the chicken! Throw away the liver and keep any other parts that came
with the chicken. Now you are going to need kosher salt. Table salt is
*not* a substitution. Put the clean chicken in a pot of ice cold water [I
even add ice cubes]. Use a pot large enough so the water will completely
cover the chicken with room left over for more water.
Pour [freehand] kosher salt into the pot. I really use a lot!! I imagine it
could be close to a cup, but precision does not matter here as we are not
going to use this water and will rinse the chicken. Give the water a few
good swirls [by spinning the chicken around] to dissolve the salt. If you
were lucky enough to find chicken feet [the supermarkets here carry them
off and on. When they have them I buy a few packages and keep them frozen -
a kosher butcher usually has them as well] rinse them and add them to the
pot. Also add any extras that came with the chicken (gizzard, etc). Let
this sit at least an hour.
I believe this process is called koshering the chicken [I just do it cuz it
makes my soup taste yummy]. Now that you finished watching your soap
opera... come back to the kitchen and take the chicken out of the pot.
Rinse it well and place on a large piece of foil on the counter. *Now look
at that water. Yuk!!! See all the blood it drew out of the chicken and
parts? Take kosher salt and pour a blanket of salt all over each piece
[front and back]. Let it sit a half hour at room temp or you can
refrigerate it overnight in ziplocks.
Rinse it well and place it into the pot you are going to use to make the
soup. Continue to rinse everything well and add to the pot.
Now we have our chicken and other parts sitting in an empty pot. Take about
six medium to small onions [you want ones with a lot of skin] and cut off
*just* the root. Throw them in the pot. Add two (2) KnorrŽ chicken bullion
cubes. Fill the pot up with *cold* [very important] water. Again, I am not
sure I remember [I can find out if you want to know], but I think if you
add a chicken to hot/boiling water it will seal the juices/flavor into the
chicken so while the chicken might taste okay... your soup tastes like
water.
Carefully [it should be pretty heavy] carry the pot to the stove. Now you
can add table salt [I am not one to really cook with salt, but when it
comes to chicken soup... I just freehand it!!!! I have the Calphallon
professional size salt and pepper shakers so there must be 60+ holes at the
top of the salt shaker and I turn it upside down and let it pour!]. I also
add fresh ground pepper [according to your taste].
Let the soup come to a rapid boil and turn the heat down slightly. Skim the
foam off the top and discard. Allow the soup to cook at a rapid boil for 1
hour.
Add two small turnips [peeled and root cut off], and one large or 2
small/medium parsnips [peeled and root and tip cut off- if large cut in
half]. Continue cooking for another hour. If the water level reduces then
add more hot water from the tap.
Time for the carrots and celery. If you are going for the clear broth: Peel
about 6 carrots cut off tip and end and cut each in half. Throw [okay
gently place] them into the soup. I guess you can use about six stalks of
celery as well. Leaves and all. Wash it well, cut in half and add to soup
[usually I never use the bottom piece of the celery for anything, but it is
just great for the soup].
If you want to eat the carrots and celery: Still add the carrots the same
way as they will be easy to pick out of the soup and can be neatly sliced
when cool. As for the celery, you *must* slice the stalks into about 3/4"
pieces [remember celery shrinks when cooking].
Lower the flame to medium and cook another hour.
Come back. Now really clean the parsley under water *very* well. I know of
nothing that is as dirty as parsley and dill. You can literally see all the
dirt washing out. As for the dill: If you bought it with roots, cut just
the dark [dirt] tip off and wash well. Add all to soup alternating between
a handful of dill then a handful of parsley so it is all mixed up. Use a
spoon and mix the soup and try to push a lot of the greens under the
chicken. I again add salt at this point. [I swear.. I rarely ever cook with
salt, but it is a must here]. On your first try don't get too heavy handed
[even though there are tricks to fixing it if it is too salty].
Cover the pot [completely] and simmer for 45 minutes. Turn off stove.
Remove cover and allow to cool.
Now if you want just a clear broth: Dump the contents of the pot through a
strainer into another pot. I then press down on the chicken, greens and
onions in the strainer to release some very tasty juices that are hiding. I
then throw all the things in the strainer out.
If you want chicken soup: Using a slotted spoon [don't use your hand as the
oil in the pot is hotter than you can imagine - speaking of which be VERY
careful when dumping the soup into the strainer. I have burned my hand on
many an occasion!] and remove the carrots to a separate place. Take out the
chicken as well. When you start to strain the soup you are going to have to
pick out the pieces of celery.
Cut the chicken into chunks, slice the carrots and add the celery. I keep
this is a separate container from the soup in the fridge [people like to
eat the onions and the greens as well.]
Now you need to find containers to put the soup into. You want to use
containers that do not have a very large mouth. The reason for this is that
the fat will congeal and you need to remove it. If the opening is not too
big then the fat will congeal in a thick piece and is easier to remove then
if it is a very wide mouth container [do not use a container too small to
be able to remove the fat].
After pouring the broth into containers refrigerate. You will need to let
the soup at least overnight [maybe longer] until all the fat has risen to
the top and has formed a hard solid piece. Remove the fat and discard [or
you can save it for some very yummy but unhealthy recipes I have - also if
you plan to make balls the chicken soup fat is a must!].
What *I* do at this point is pour the soup through a funnel into empty
plastic EvianŽ water bottles. Fill one inch from top and freeze. It seems
to last forever and is just as good when defrosted [you can also nuke the
frozen soup for ten minutes which will give you enough liquid for a couple
of servings].
And that my dear friend is how to make the BEST chicken soup. Now you need
to decide what to do with it. Soup noodles satisfy me just fine [if you
make extra - again keep this in a separate container from the soup]. You
can make balls and other endless possibilities.
NOTES : *SECRET NOTE: I always believed the most flavor in the soup came
from the fat/skin on the chicken. Over the years I have learned that not to
be the case! So, now what you do is strain the soup. Keep all chicken,
bones, and feet. Return them to the pot and start a second batch of soup
adding to the leftovers from the first batch. It is so good I promise
everyone you serve it to will swear it is the best they ever had!!!
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