Chicken soup is a portion of comfort food that’s known for its ability to soothe sore throats, warm the body from the inside out and provide a great taste. There are about as many types of chicken soups as there are chefs. These include brothy Vietnamese Pho Ga, lemony Greek and avgolemono.
It doesn’t matter where chicken soup is made, and it’s the comfort food we long for when we are feeling chilly or under the weather. However, there are no exact rules for making chicken soup, some tried-and-true ways to make it more delicious.
You can use the entire bird.
Andrew Zimmern is the host of Magnolia Network’s Family Dinner series. He suggests starting with homemade chicken stock and then adding chicken necks, backs, and wings.
This tip is also great because it translates to the meat you will use in the soup. You can use the broth’s neck, backs and wings, as well as the rest of your meat. You can save money by buying the whole bird. Also, you get much more meat per dollar. Don’t be afraid of scraping every bit of bone.
A rotisserie chicken is a great alternative to a whole chicken. Kara Brown, the host of Delicious Miss Brown on Food Network and The Great Soul Food Cook-Off, explained to me that she loves making a homemade stock with vegetables and leftovers from a rotisserie bird. You can use the rotisserie parts as you would raw chicken parts. This idea is great, and I find it useful to have a “stock” bag in my freezer. I put vegetable scraps and leftover chicken bits in the freezer-proof bag for a rainy or snowy day.
Two types of fat are used to sear the meat.
Brown prefers a mix of white and dark meat, and she makes sure to sear it in a mixture of oil and butter. “The two fats enhance the flavor,” Brown says. Butter adds a rich flavour to the meat. The oil is equally important. It has a higher smoke level and will not burn when seared. This is the key point: Your chicken will benefit from some browning before it simmers in the broth to perfection. For this, we can thank the Maillard reaction!
Brown the broth ingredients.
To make the best homemade broth, brown the meat and vegetables before adding the liquid. Brown notes that scraping the fond after browning your meat and vegetables will give your broth tons of flavour. You can also add water or white wine to enhance all that flavour.
Take care to eat vegetables in moderation.
When making homemade broth, vegetables are important. Zimmern warns that too many veggies can make the broth taste bland. He adds 2 carrots and 2 onions to 6 quarts of water. Also, 1 tablespoon of whole peppercorns is added. Five pounds of chicken bits are added (those necks and wings).
Don’t you have the time to make it yourself? Make your broth.
Let’s face the facts: Not everyone has the time or ability to make a pot of homemade broth. You can increase the volume of broth by using clever tricks even if it’s already packaged. As the broth heats, you can add fresh or dried herbs. Citrus can also be used to “brighten” your broth, such as avgolemono. To thicken and enrich the broth, eggs can be added to create a dairy-free creamy texture.
A Parmesan cheese rind is a great addition to any soup or stockpot. It adds a pleasant salty flavour and thickens it. Saute chopped onion, garlic cloves and some crushed cloves before adding to the pot.
Use dark meat.
You can make a chicken soup by boiling a few chicken breasts in broth and then shredding them. You can make a better soup with a bit more effort. The most important element in this dish is the chicken. It’s even in the name! It’s important to do it correctly. Chicken soups that are tender and juicy have the best meat. Dark meat from the legs and thighs is a great way to add more flavour to each bite. This slow cooker buffalo chicken soup. A combination of shredded breast and leg meat can also be used. This is a smart way of using whole chickens, which can often be cheaper than buying them separately.
You can also buy a rotisserie bird.
An easy way to enhance the flavour of your soup without doing all the work. You can use a store-bought chicken rotisserie to shred right into your soup. These birds are delicious from the inside out. You can also try it in this rotisserie-chicken-coconut curry soup.
I made soup using leftover chicken from a previous week’s roasted dinner. Make sure to cut or shred the meat into bite-sized pieces.
Add something meaty.
Unless I am serving French-style consomme (a rich, flavorful broth), I prefer to add hearty to my chicken soup. Carbs can make a bowl of soup a satisfying meal. While we could argue for hours about whether miniature star-shaped noodles or egg pasta are the best, there are so many starchy options available that it’s hard to choose. I have enjoyed chicken soups made with rice, rice noodles, sweet potatoes and white potatoes.
Garnish is important.
A bowl of chicken soup can be transformed from a simple dinner into a delicious culinary experience by adding a little bit of freshness and light. We love Thai coconutty chicken broth tom ka kai. The traditional recipe includes fresh-tasting aromatics such as galangal, lemongrass, and makrut lime leaves. It’s often also topped with fresh cilantro and a squeezed lime.
Brown uses parsley or green onion in her chicken soup. “It provides an oniony punch and a nice herby flavour!” she says. Zimmern’s formula for the perfect soup topping is: “Place one or three slices of fresh ginger in a bowl, 1 teaspoon naturally brewed premium soybean sauce, and 1 minced whole garlic.
You can also use fresh dill; make sure to trim the thicker stems, and then give it a quick chop using your knife.
Cheat: Enjoy canned soup.
Sometimes, I don’t have enough energy to make chicken soup, even with shortcuts. I reach for the can of premade chicken broth when the urge strikes. Then, I add a few mix-ins to spice it up. As the soup heats, I add some leaves to my refrigerator that are hardy greens, such as kale and collards. Add a can of rinsed, drained cannellini beans. You can do that too. Finally, this is what you need to know: Chicken soup tastes infinitely better when it’s accompanied by a crusty loaf of bread…or the best part of a bag of Saltine crackers.
