On a cold day, when you are feeling a little low and do not have the energy to get up and prepare a meal for yourself, making a bowl of chicken soup is a great idea. It is nutritious as well as a filling food and tastes superb. It also has medicinal properties, so next time if you suffer from cold or flu, have chicken soup. This soup will surely make you feel better, cure your cold and give you the much-needed energy. The warmth of the bowl and the steam from the soup will give you a great feeling. The tasty soup can be enjoyed as a wholesome meal by the family. So, here’s a simple recipe to prepare chicken soup at home. Read on.
Complexity Level: Basic
Time Required: 40 minutes
Resources Required:
- 3 to 4 pounds of chicken
- Parsley
- 2-1/2 quarts of water
- 2 cubes of chicken bouillon (optional)
- Salt to taste
- 1 onion (chopped)
- 2 stalks of celery leaves (chopped)
- 2 carrots (chopped)
- 1 bay leaf
- Pepper
Instructions:
1. Prepare the chicken broth
Wash the chicken properly and remove all the extra fat. Cut the chicken and put it in a big soup pot. Add water, salt and bay leaf to the pot. Cover it and boil.
2. Remove the froth and simmer
When the water starts boiling, uncover the pot and take care to keep removing the froth from the top at regular intervals. Simmer it until the chicken is cooked and falls off from the bones.
3. Remove the bones
Remove the chicken from the broth and separate it from the bones. Cut it into small pieces. Meanwhile, let the broth simmer on low flame. Put the small pieces of chicken back into the broth and continue to simmer.
4. Add vegetables
To the above broth, add onion, carrots, celery, chicken bouillon and parsley. Simmer it for around 30-35 minutes. Sprinkle some pepper over the soup and serve it hot.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. How to make chicken noodle soup?
Chicken noodle soup is basically the chicken soup with noodles in it. To make it, you require noodles in addition to all the above ingredients. In order to prepare chicken noodle soup, after the preparation of chicken broth by the method mentioned above, you need to add noodles along with the vegetables and simmer it on low flame for around 30-35 minutes. This will allow the noodles to become soft and they will be cooked properly along with the vegetables. Your chicken noodle soup is now ready. Sprinkle some pepper and serve hot.
2. How to make clear chicken soup?
You will need 2-1/2 cup chicken cut into pieces, 2 eggs, 1 spring onion (chopped), pepper, salt to taste, 1/2 tsp of sugar and 3 tsp of butter. Heat butter and fry the chopped onion till it becomes golden brown. Then add the chicken pieces and fry it along with the onion. Add water and cook the chicken. When the chicken is cooked, remove the bones and extra fat. To the boiling soup, slowly add egg white and keep stirring it continuously. Simmer it for a few minutes. Add sugar, salt and pepper. Serve hot.
Quick Tips:
- It is better to use fresh chicken to get a proper flavor. Do not use the frozen chicken.
- Always dissolve the chicken bouillon in hot water before adding it to the soup.
- To make the initial chicken broth, always use chicken with the bones. This enhances the flavor.
- The longer you simmer your soup, the more intense the flavor will be.
- Instead of cutting the chicken into small chunks, try shredding it by pulling it with your fingers. This will give your soup a good texture.
Things To Watch Out For:
- Never bring the soup to boil. Allow it to simmer slowly. This helps the chicken to remain soft and the soup will not become cloudy.
- Take care to keep removing the froth. This will remove the extra fat and give a good taste.
- Simmer the soup without covering the pot. This will give good results.
- While preparing soup, take care to remove all the skin or cartilage from the chicken.
