What's your secret to a good chicken soup?

MagentaYenta

Wed, Nov 02 2016, 2:54 pm

PinkFridge wrote:

So nu, what does come later?
I've heard about using roasted chicken or bones to give a rich soup, and I tried it once, too much of a patchke. Like a lot of other posters, I just pack the pot with chicken/turkey and/or parts.
(Which IMO are salty enough that I never add salt, and not everyone salts it at the table, either. I do add dill seeds.)

If we're in the mood for meaty soup, I'll add some shredded roasted chicken breast or thighs, always carrots, celery and borettane onions (they stay crispy). I tend to add the celery for the last 30 minutes. This level cooks for an hour on a low simmer. I'll move on from there to noodles, dumplings or a matzoh ball made with matozoh meal and kasha. If I'm in the mood for an Italian style chicken soup I'll make tiny chicken meatballs, with lots of garlic and basil. Sometimes I'll flavor the broth with soy and sushi vinegar and add chicken stuffed wontons, or Chinese dumplings (veggie or meat). I always cook my dumpling, wontons, noodles etc separate and add them to the bowls prior to serving. Or quickly reheat them in the soup before serving. I don't enjoy soggy noodles or dumpling so they don't linger in the soup.

PinkFridge

Wed, Nov 02 2016, 3:15 pm

MagentaYenta wrote:

Cool. I'm still a fan of traditional though.
What's sushi vinegar? In my cupboard I have white, red wine, cider, and brown rice vinegars. (Someone vetoed balsamic.)

cbsp

Wed, Nov 02 2016, 3:39 pm

MagentaYenta wrote:

Thank you for explaining further. This sounds delicious.

Do you roast the chicken specifically for the purpose of the soup?

Are the veggies added whole? Chunked? Diced?

Do you sauté them first? (I can't handle onions that are boiled (nor the liquid) but for some reason sautéing takes care of that problem)

Do you bring the stock to a boil before adding the veggies?

Are the matzoh balls also cooked separately?

etky

Wed, Nov 02 2016, 3:45 pm

Something I learned from my sister - lately I've been bringing the chicken (or turkey necks which I often use instead), covered with water, to a boil and then I discard the water from this initial boil, rinse the chicken and start over again with fresh water.
This results in a clearer soup with fewer impurities than the skimming method, but more importantly IMO it also produces a 'cleaner' taste.

MagentaYenta

Wed, Nov 02 2016, 9:46 pm

cbsp wrote:

Thank you for explaining further. This sounds delicious.

Do you roast the chicken specifically for the purpose of the soup?

Are the veggies added whole? Chunked? Diced?- Depends for plain old chicken soup they are chunks, Italian takes an even dice and Hot and sour takes a oblong semi thin slice.

Do you sauté them first? (I can't handle onions that are boiled (nor the liquid) but for some reason sautéing takes care of that problem) I don't but I can understand how it's your preference, it heightens their sweetness and tempers their texture.

Do you bring the stock to a boil before adding the veggies? No I don't boil any soup. They all cook at a low simmer.

Are the matzoh balls also cooked separately?

Yes, I will boil them in water just til almost done (to fix the starches) and then add them to the soup to finish.

3mitzvos

Thu, Nov 03 2016, 3:22 am

I've tried many different things throughout the years to get a "perfect" chicken soup with lots of flavor. In my experience, using just bones never gave me enough of the flavor I was looking for.
My secret -- half a chicken (one breast, one wing, one thigh, one pulka), turkey necks, and 4 onions

I start off with a very big pot and put in a few turkey necks and half a chicken (skin taken off). Then I bring it to a simmer and skim off all the "ichy" grey foamy stuff. (Dipping in a strainer to skim gets great results, btw). Then, once all the "ichy" stuff is gone, I add:
4 medium onions, whole, peeled
1 very large zucchini, cut up
4 large carrots, cut up
1 medium celery root
1 small kohlrabi
1 medium parsley root
a bunch of fresh parsley
a bunch of fresh dill
2 cloves fresh garlic
salt and pepper, to taste (~ Tbsp salt)
1 medium sweet potato (if I have one at the time)
Then, I just bring it to simmer and cover it almost all the way. I let it simmer like that for a few hours. It comes out great every time.

Roots

Thu, Nov 03 2016, 12:18 pm

I thnk im not the only one that has a bunvh of littke ones and can only make with what I already have at home. so for soup I use what I have chicken and veggie wise,
but IMHO the secret ingredient is fresh chopped parsley or corainder or both together while its cooking. it gives off a great taste and also a nice color

I never heard of putting dill, but hey ill try it out this week..

as for simmering for so long, does that take out the nutrients from the veggies? does anyone know?

be te'avon!

MagentaYenta

Thu, Nov 03 2016, 2:01 pm

Roots wrote:

...
as for simmering for so long, does that take out the nutrients from the veggies? does anyone know?

be te'avon!

Any water soluble nutrients will transfer to the broth, other compounds will be released and that's why a soup or over cooked veggie gets an off smell. (I find the smell noticeable, some don't.)

iyar

Thu, Nov 03 2016, 3:25 pm

Days ago, and pages back (page 3?), while discussing my favorite chicken soup flavoring- parsley root or parsley leaves, I said that an Israeli might suggest using "coosbera" or cilantro.
And here it is!
Roots (a lady who posted earlier today) uses coriander! -Which is cilantro.
(I have no idea if she's Israeli.)
I had said I don't care for the taste. Obviously some people do. I think the best secret to perfecting your chicken soup is to experiment with a lot of different vegetables and herbs until you find the ones you and your family enjoy most.
Someone had also mentioned she uses celery even though it doesn't give the soup a taste. I've left out the celery when I searched my fridge and came up empty handed, and I found the soup that week uninteresting and definitely missing something, so go figure!
As for the poster who makes a stock first, then cooks chicken soup with the stock, I beg to differ.
Chicken soup IS a rich chicken stock. I use it in cooking other dishes the way stock is used in recipes. If you don't like the "cloudiness" and want a clearer stock the secret is to bring the soup to a simmer, never let it boil, and keep it simmering gently for the duration. You should see a few tiny bubbles rising to the top every few seconds. If you left the flame too high and the soup comes to rolling boil, you can turn down the flame and continue cooking, but you'll notice that cloudiness, and the taste might even be a bit "off".
And when your soup is done, strain it through a fine mesh strainer. You can line the strainer with cheesecloth if you're very particular.
I like to make my soup ahead of time and skim off all the fat, and wonder if I just wasn't patient enough to read through this whole discussion, or if most people don't do that.

SRB

Tue, Nov 15 2016, 5:17 pm

I enjoyed reading thru all the posts as I'm also on a mission to make an amazing chicken soup. I never heard of adding beets - that's interesting. And I wouldn't have thought to add tomatoes.

I wanted to add that my nutritionist suggested I put a very small amount of apple cider vinegar when cooking the chicken bones - not for flavor - it pulls out the healthy minerals from the bones.

daveningwife

Wed, Nov 16 2016, 4:44 am

So interesting to hear everyone's soups and how they are so different!

Chicken with bones in soup grosses me out, as my mom never made it that way. Still, my soup is super delicious!

Carrot, sweet potato, zucchini (peel on), whole onion, and a chicken breast. Can also add in potatoes, just depends on personal taste.

Season with chicken soup consomme (parve) and salt, boil for an hour or two and it's simply delicious!

Fast and easy!!!

JoyInTheMorning

Wed, Nov 16 2016, 8:47 am

MagentaYenta wrote:

Any water soluble nutrients will transfer to the broth, other compounds will be released and that's why a soup or over cooked veggie gets an off smell. (I find the smell noticeable, some don't.)

I agree that this is a hazard of cooking soup for a long time (which I do). The vegetables that I use (thick carrots and parsnips, celery) can stand long periods of cooking. The onion is fine, but I make sure to take it out after the soup is ready because it can lead to an off-flavor if it's kept in too long. I also only add dill for the last half-hour or hour of cooking because it disintegrates too much if it is left in longer. And like the onion, I take the bunch of dill out right after the soup is ready.

amother

Blonde

Wed, Nov 16 2016, 10:56 am

So many variations - wow!

Ive been making chicken soup like this for a long while

4qt pot
3 skined and cleaned chicken bottoms
Fill 3/4 full with water
Boil
Skim
Add in salt to taste (about 1 T)
Pepper to taste
1-2 galic heads, peeled
2 carrots (from bag not loose) cut in chunks
Squash peeled cut in chunks
Whole bunch of cellery , cleaned cut in chunks
Whole onion medium size
Add more water if needed to fill
Simmer for 1 1/2 hrs. shut flame let it cool on stove grate you cooked it on (it continues cooking)
DELISHIIOUS!! Clear mild tasting soup
We always get compliments - nothing left over
Chicken is VERY tasty and moist and enjoyed by all