Chicken Soup

megnbrycesmom's Note:

I have to say this is one of the few things I really think I cook well, though it isn't much of a recipe. I learned how to make it from my grandmother, though interestingly, we somehow use different herbs. As long as you aren't skimpy with the ingredients, you really can't go wrong. You can add noodles, rice, matzah balls, etc., either cooked in the soup or cooked separately and then added.

• Total Time: 2 hrs 15 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 1 whole roasting chicken (can use parts if you use both light and dark meat)
• onion, peeled and trimmed
• celery, trimmed
• carrot, peeled and trimmed
• salt
• pepper
• fresh dill
• fresh Italian parsley (or regular) (optional)
• 1 (28 ounce) can sliced stewed tomatoes, drained

Directions:

1. Place chicken in a large pot and cover with a few inches of water (maybe a little more if you are using pieces).
2. Add onions, carrots, celery, dill. Add parsley if using. Add salt and pepper to taste. In response to reviews, I usually use a minimum of 2 large onions, 3 large carrots, 3 large stalks of celery, and a sprig or two of dill, but it is a very flexible affair.
3. Bring to a boil.
4. Skim off all the gross scum that rises to the top.
5. Add the stewed tomatoes. Adjust salt as needed at this point.
6. Simmer with the pot lid part on (if someone could tell me why you need the lid part on, i'd love to know) for an hour or so until chicken is well cooked and veggies are soft.

Reviews

[Cookin-jo]

Lovely soup! My son had a taste and immediately requested I make it again. The vegetables and tomatoes are a change from the chicken soup I usually make, a very nice change. I used a fryer chicken, a large onion, 3 stalks celery and 3 large carrots. I omitted the dill (for the kids) and used diced tomatoes instead of stewed. I added a bay leaf and some black peppercorns for flavour. Near the end of the cooking time I added lots of egg noodles to cook in the soup. I would have liked a bit more guidance about how much of the vegetables to add, I did guess, but the amounts I used worked very well. Thanks for a great new soup to add to my collection :)

[twissis]

Chicken soup is an almost universal dish & as such is very subject to pers pref. The good thing about this recipe is that it caters to that certainty. It gives you the basic required ingredients, turns you loose w/them to make the soup your way & I did it. I used all the listed ingredients except I found myself w/o celery at the last moment. When the soup was done, I deboned the chicken, added the meat back to the pot & then added raw rice to cook w/the broth & veggies. When the rice was done, I turned it into a lightly creamed soup by adding 1/3 cup cream cheese. Crusty bread & a green salad rounded out the dinner & it was YUM! I think dumplings also would be very good w/this soup. Pls see my rating system - a very worthy 4*. Thx for sharing this recipe w/us.

[puppitypup]

This is THE BEST CHICKEN SOUP I have ever tasted. I added chicken boullion and matzo balls. I'm definitely looking forward to lunch this week!