Chicken Soup Recipe

In addition to being good for cold and flu sufferers, chicken soup is delicious. Served with GF noodles or matzo balls (see chapter 9). It is a wonderful way to start a meal. I also love chicken soup with cooked kasha (buckwheat groats). The vegetables in the soup add flavour and nutrition, but by the time the flavour has been cooked into the soup, they are quite mushy. Many soups and casseroles call for broth, and none is as good as homemade. To have chicken broth on hand, strain it well and let it come to room temperature. Remove any fat that rises to the top, then freeze in appropriate containers.

Ingredients:

1 stewing chicken (use the largest you can fit in your pot)
Water
2 teaspoons salt
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 large carrots, peeled and Chopped
1 parsnip, peeled
2 celery stalks, strings removed and chopped
2-3 fresh parsley sprigs
Pepper (to taste)
1 quart GF canned chicken broth (optional)

Makes 4 servings

Note: When my mother wants an especially wonderful soup, she makes what she calls
Double Chicken Soup. For this soup, she makes the chicken soup and strains it carefully. She then uses the broth (instead of water) to cook a second chicken, prepared as above. Soup prepared this was is so rich it is nearly brown, and is particularly flavourful.

Variation: For a child who is extremely reactive to foods and pigments, a white version of the soup can be made by omitting the carrots and parsley and adding 4 stalks bok choy cabbage (white part only)

  1. Rinse chicken thoroughly, then place in a large pot and cover with water. Add salt and bring to a boil (Be sure to include the giblets).
  2. Let chicken cook for about 20 minutes on low heat, skimming the foam off the surface of the water as it collects. When very little foam is collecting on the surface, add remaining ingredients to the pot (except carrots and celery).
  3. Lower the heat and simmer the soup for approximately 2½ hours, checking occasionally to make sure there is enough liquid. If needed, add water or canned chicken broth.
  4. Taste and correct seasonings, then strain the broth carefully and return the clear soup to the pot.
  5. Return some of the cooked chicken to the soup, if desired, and increase the volume by adding more canned broth if necessary. Add carrot and celery and cook for another 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender but not mushy.
  6. Refrigerate the soup until fat congeals on top. Skim off the fat with a spoon.
  7. Reheat soup before serving. Matzo balls, GF noodles, or kasha may be served in the soup, but should be cooked separately. Place these in the bowl, then ladle soup to cover.