If I am roasting a chicken – particularly in the colder months – I always use the leftover chicken for soup. This involves making a chicken broth with bones that will render a much heartier soup than your standard canned soup.
After a roast chicken dinner, when I am cleaning up I remove as much meat as possible from the carcass to use for sandwiches and soup ingredients. I then wrap the carcass in plastic wrap or a zip bag and refrigerate it to use for the next day – or even freeze it if I plan to make it at a later date. It freezes well and is a timesaver if you want to jump-start a soup in the future.
Once you have established your homemade broth, it is combined with water and a bouillon cube and then mixed with soup ingredients. You could also substitute the water and bouillon for prepared chicken broth, but watch your sodium levels when topping up with prepared broth and the bouillon, as it could get a little salty.
I generally add onions, carrots, and celery and finish with either a small-shaped pasta or chopped potato to add a bit more heartiness to the soup. Serve with crackers and cheese or a nice crusty bread for a very hearty and satisfying meal. This recipe makes about 6 to 8 bowls and freezes well for leftovers.
Homemade Chicken Soup
Ingredients
Preparing homemade Chicken broth
- 1 leftover chicken carcass and bones
- 3 cups water or to cover the carcass - adjust according to your pot
Soup ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 2 sprigs celery finely chopped
- 2 carrots finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 tsp parsley seasoning
- 2 cups water
- 2 or 3 cups homemade chicken broth
- 1 chicken bouilon cube
- 2 or 3 bay leaves
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup ditalli pasta
- 2 cups finely chopped leftover chicken
- 1/2 cup parsley finely chopped
Instructions
Preparing broth from chicken carcass
- Place the leftover chicken carcass in a large pot and add enough water to ensure it is immersed in water. Set on medium-high heat and let simmer covered for 30 to 45 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Place a large strainer over a pot or large bowl. Carefully pour the broth mixture through the strainer to render the broth. Discard the bones and carcass. Set the broth aside to add to soup.
Prepping the chicken soup
- In a separate large pot, add olive oil and bring to medium-high heat.
- Add chopped onions and let simmer until slightly softened. Add in celery and carrots and blend evenly. Let vegetables simmer until softened.
- Pour the water, prepared broth, bouillon cube, lemon juice, pepper, parsley, bay leaves, and poultry seasoning into the pot and stir to blend.
- Add chopped chicken and pasta and let simmer for about 30 minutes or until pasta is soft. Taste to adjust seasoning as needed and serve.
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