Homemade Chicken Soup

I made Chicken Soup today and it is GOOD!  It is amazing what a good stock can do to a soup, homemade stock has such deep flavor compared to stock from a can.  You can read more about the benefits of stock and how to make it here.

We woke up to the smell of chicken due to the chicken bone stock that had been getting happy all night in my crock pot.  This morning, I strained the stock, this time I threw away all the veggies and bones, but I have read that you can make stock from the same chicken bones 2-3 times, so I will try that next time. The veggies were very spent and I was too lazy to pick through the bones to rescue them (sometimes I do, then I use my hand blender to blend them into the stock) so they got dumped with the bones.

I started my soup with a bit of olive oil and a pat of butter in the bottom of a soup pot.  Adding the butter along with the olive oil gives the soup another layer of flavor, and also allows you to turn up the heat for sauteing the veggies.  If you were to use just olive oil, you would have to keep the heat at medium due to the low smoking point of olive oil.  Adding butter solves this problem. (a tip I leaned from good ol' Rachel Ray)

I threw in some chopped onion and 2 chopped garlic cloves.  I let the onions get nice and soft over med-high heat, about 5-7 minutes.

Meanwhile, I chopped 3 carrots and 2 stalks celery, and then added them to the pot.

I let them cook a bit to draw out their flavors, about 5 minutes, while I chopped 5 potatoes (1 too many, use 4 instead).

Added potatoes and  11/2 cups cooked chicken to the pot.  You can read here how I cooked my chicken.

Added chicken stock (about 6 cups), 11/2-2 tsp thyme, 1 tsp poultry seasoning, 1 bay leaf, salt and pepper to taste.  If the soup is too thick, add more stock.

Stir and simmer 40-60 minutes, stirring every once in awhile.  Could add all to crock pot and cook on low 4-6 hrs or on high for 2-3 hrs.

Sometimes I substitute whole wheat pasta for the potato, depending what I have on hand. My kids prefer the pasta, but will eat both.  I also usually add some frozen peas or corn.  Enjoy!

This post linked to:

Made By You Mondays @ Skip To My Lou

Rotisserie Chicken In The Crock Pot/Healthy Chicken Stock

My oldest girl is home from school with a fever today.  I'm going to make her some homemade chicken noodle soup, but the poor thing will have to wait for a day.  Today I am making Rotisserie Chicken in the crock pot, that will stretch to 3 meals, one of them being Homemade Chicken Soup.  What I like about this recipe is how easy it is, how cheap it is, and how you can use the bones to make a super healthy, full of nutrients and minerals, homemade chicken stock.  If I am going to take the time to make homemade chicken soup, I want to know that it really is going to make a difference in the health of my family.  I have learned that the key to the most healthful soup is not only the veggies in the soup, but the chicken stock itself.  Don't throw away those chicken bones!  By cooking the heck out of those bones, you are extracting the gelatin, which is a nutritious source of protein, as well as collagen, calcium, minerals and amino acids.  I had no idea until recently that bone stock was such a big deal! It strengthens the gastro intestinal tract and the immune system, plus it takes the flavor and texture of your soup and savory dishes to a whole new level.  Chefs world-wide and through the centuries have sought out this marrow bone stock as a very important ingredient for soups, sauces and pilafs.

The stocks you can buy at the store do contain gelatin, but is thinned down with water so the gelatin content is very low.  They have to make up the flavor somehow, so they use additives: salt, yeast extracts and MSG.

Knowing what I know now, I am going to be much more purposeful about saving bones and making my own stock, especially if I can make a whole chicken stretch over a few meals.  My plan for the chicken sitting in my crockpot right now, is to eat some of the Rotisserie-Style Chicken with rice and veggies tonight, then I will cook my (chicken :))bones in the crockpot overnight, to make stock for my chicken noodle soup (stock, some of the chicken meat, potatoes, carrots, onion, peas, noodles and seasonings) and whatever chicken is left will go into chicken fajitas!  (I use this recipe on my sisters blog, but instead of grilled chicken, I use shredded chicken. The seasoning I use is a garlic and pepper grill seasoning called Misty's, it is sold here in Nebraska, but you can order it online) 


Rotisserie Chicken In The Crockpot (recipe from A Year Of Slow Cooking)

--1 whole chicken, skinned (4-5 pounds)

--2 tsp kosher salt (if you'd like it as salty as the ones in the store, add another 1 tsp.)
--1 tsp paprika
--1 tsp onion powder
--1/2 tsp dried thyme
--1 tsp Italian seasoning
--1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
--1/2 tsp black pepper
--pinch of chili pepper (probably not necessary)

--4 whole garlic cloves (optional)
--1 yellow onion, quartered (optional)

The Directions.

I used a 6 quart crockpot for a 5 pound bird. It fit nicely.


In a bowl, combine all of dried spices. Rub the spice mixture all over the bird, inside and out. Plop the bird breast-side down into thecrockpot.

If desired, shove 4 whole garlic cloves and a quartered onion inside the bird.

Do not add water.

Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours, or on low for 8. The meat is done when it is fully cooked and has reached desired tenderness. The longer you cook it, the more tender the meat.


***Upadate:  I just made chicken in my crockpot today, but was in a rush so instead of the above seasonings, I just dumped Old Bay Seasoning all over the chicken and added some pepper.  It really tasted good, it is a great alternative for those days you just don't feel like measuring!

Bone Stock
Chicken bones or carcass
Water to cover (about 6 cups)
1 tsp vinegar for every 4 cups of water (helps extract the good stuff from the bones)
Optional:
onion, cut in large chunks
2 carrots, cut in large chunks
2 stalks celery, cut in large chunks
2 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
1 T. Italian seasoning
Dump all into crockpot.  Cover and cook 8-10 hours.  (I do overnight)  Remove from heat and cool completely.  Strain the stock.  Pour into jars or freezer bags in manageable portions.  If using ziplocks, lay on cookie sheet to freeze flat, they will be much easier to fit into your freezer.  I have also seen people freeze their stock in ice cube trays and dump the cubes into a large ziplock.


There is no salt added to this recipe, but the stock will need salt for flavor.  When I use it in my recipes, I will taste and salt as needed.  The overall sodium content will be much lower than store bought broths/stocks.  


I'm happy to know that there will be healthy, homemade stock in my freezer, so the next time one of my little boos get sick, I will be able to make them soup that same day!

Click here for how-to make the above Chicken Soup.


This post is linked to:
Friday Food @ Mom Trends
Nourishing Crockpot Carnival @ Passionate Homemaking