iis for Chicken Soup–
for beginners

There are as many methods for making chicken soup as there are cooks in kitchens. This fact, when combined with a little forethought and necessity being the mother of invention, multiplied by the safe leftovers remaining in your fridge and the roasted chicken carcass just begging for a lemon-thyme jacuzzi, is often all it takes to dish up what trendy chefs call the ultimate comfort food.

There are a lot of good reasons to eat chicken soup, the most obvious being hunger and pure sensual pleasure. But there are nutritional benefits as well. Even though it seems watery, the nutrients from the veggies, herbs, and meat are all over the place in that kettle. If you take raw chicken bones and add a glug of your favorite herbal vinegar to the mix, the minerals will be gently coaxed into the broth and you’ll have a terrific “power brew”—and the only way you’ll know is that it Tastes So Good.

It’s Simple

Chicken soup can take all day to prepare or it can take half an hour. It just depends on what ingredients you have, what you want the end result to be, and what your needs are at the time. If I happen to be around the house all day and am in the mood for kitchen windows steamy from simmering broth, I go to the freezer and take out a couple bags of those carefully labeled “parts”—wing tips, backs, trimmed or leftover bones and such—drop them into the pot, fill with cold water, and set it on the stove. I keep it at a low simmer (do not bring to a hard boil) and skim the foamy top when necessary. You can even include an already roasted carcass as part of the potion; this adds a wonderful dimension of flavor. If you have a wood stove to set the kettle on, all the better, but here I wax nostalgic.

There are other times when we’re just plain hungry. That’s when the leftover bird meat and green beans and home fries can all go splishy-splash with those sautéed onions and a dash of white wine. Cover with water, bring to just below boiling, then happily simmer away for half an hour while you fix cheesy garlic bread—easy and delicious. So, no more whining about not having time to make soup!

Quality Ingredients

The first and foremost requirement for making chicken soup is quality ingredients. You cannot take the leftovers no one would eat (with good reason), turn it into soup, and expect anyone to eat it this time either. If you’re making soup from scratch, this would include fresh veggies as well; those limp carrots would better feed the compost pile than your picky kids. So, unless you over-salt, over-cook (such as cabbage into mush), or burn something, it will turn out just fine if you use good stuff. Remember, chicken soup isn’t rocket science, so trust yourself.

The second requirement for making soup is a kettle or pot large enough in which to prepare it. A six-quart pot is probably big enough, but I usually use a larger one, because I make a lot and I’m messy.

Secret Ingredients

There are a few things I do when making soup (or maybe I should call it stock or broth) that are not commonly done in other kitchens. One thing is that I pick a lot of greens to dry just for winter soups—wild greens such as nettles and lamb’s quarters and violet leaves, and cultivated greens such as chard and beet leaf and parsley. You haven’t tasted soup until you’ve had chicken and rice soup with dried nasturtium flowers—unbelievable! When adding the dried greens, don’t overdo it—as I have discovered with nettles, the entire broth can turn rather greenish (although it still tastes good). I mentioned earlier about adding herbal vinegar when setting the pot to simmer. You really can’t taste plain vinegar, but if you use herb-infused vinegar, it will add flavor to the whole. I often add one or two dried whole chilies to the broth, and/or some sliced or powdered ginger root. I have been known to use dried berries in the broth—rosehips, wolfberries, a couple raisins—and ginseng tea. Then there are home-dried tomatoes. And be sure to remember the garlic; it’s good for you and it tastes good. Don’t be afraid to experiment, but do exercise light-handedness when trying out new spices, as you can always add more next time if you decide you like it.

It’s All in the Wrist

When making soup from raw bones, just put them into the kettle and cover with cold water. Bring to nearly a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer; you will need to skim off any foam that comes to the top. Go ahead and add a little salt, but wait until after you skim to add any herbs or seasonings; this could take half an hour. Now would be the time to add some roughly chopped carrot, celery stalk, and onion to the basic broth, and a head of garlic if you have it—yes, I said a head, or at least a few cloves. Add a few whole peppercorns. Stir every now and then, smushing up the garlic cloves as they soften and tasting for salt or any other flavors you might be looking for. Don’t kid yourself about the salt part—soup needs salt; you just don’t want to add too much too soon since it cooks down (concentrates), and you really can’t take it out once you’ve put it in. When the broth is ready three or four hours later, place a colander inside a large bowl or another kettle, and strain out the bones and stuff. The trick to lifting any fat off the broth is to let it cool, then refrigerate until cold; all the fat rises and solidifies on top. This usually means overnight, but if you do it the day before you want to use the broth, it will be ready for you. You could always get one of those handy fat-separator vessels with the spout positioned low and simply pour out the fat-free broth; I have one and it works well for smaller amounts, but it’s messy and it drips and the spout clogs, and you have to be careful of the hot liquid—so, use whatever works for your situation. Now that you have the stock or broth, you can make it into soup by adding meat, veggies, and so on; use your favorites, but don’t overcook veggies such as cabbage or broccoli. Freeze any extra cooled broth in convenient-sized freezer containers (or process it in a pressure canner) and you have a flavorful base for rice, beans, or even plain noodles. It makes preparing risotto easy.

If you are a beginner at cooking, I hope chicken soup is one of the first things you learn to prepare. Not only is it very easy, but the reward of your patience and imagination will become apparent after taking your first tentative sips, culminating in a warm sigh of contentment … ahhh, comfort food.