Recipe by Sarah Phillips © Sarah Phillips CraftyBaking.com
Soup and photo by Sarah Phillips © Sarah Phillips
I grew-up eating my mother's Jewish chicken soup. Her recipe reads:
1 good fat stewing chicken cut in pieces
1 big onion
parsley
4 carrots
4 sticks celery, green tops and all
salt and pepper
Instructions: Throw everything into soup pot. Cover with water plus one inch more. Simmer until chicken is soft. Strain soup and skim off fat. Add fresh vegetables and simmer broth for another half hour. Add chicken cut into pieces or save for fricasee. Add salt and pepper. Serve steaming hot with Kasha or egg noodles
But, I revamped my mother's recipe to my liking, since I never liked the resulting chicken fat that was ALWAYS found in the soup from the boiled whole chicken, nor did I like to have to strain the soup to get the bones from it because it took a lot of time and never fully works. And, I like the more expensive white chicken meat in my soup because it has less fat. After all, I am a second generation, more spoiled and more privileged Jewish-American, thanks to my well-educated and upwardly mobile parents. And, I hate chicken fat, so often found in traditional Jewish foods, and cannot stand it in anything!…..So, I invented a recipe especially for me and my family!
You can, however, tailor this recipe to today's economy. Costco sells chicken breats at an incredibly low price! I like to use as many all-organic ingredients, as I can, if my wallet permits. And, I love a recipe jam-packed with veggies and chicken in a rich broth, such as this one! It's so yummy and filling! I get many meals from this recipe, and I freeze the left-overs in resealable plastic bags – often, in sandwich size bags for those who want single servings!
By the way, this soup works wonders with all types of souls. I recently made it to help nurse my beloved dog, Duke, back to health.
INGREDIENTS
3 1/2 to 4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts; organic, if possible
1 pound peeled carrots, sliced
1 medium celery stalk, sliced
3 medium shallots or 1 large onion, chopped
1 bunch curly parsley, chopped
water
32 to 64 fluid ounces chicken broth; organic and low sodium, if possible
Ground white pepper, to taste
Kosher salt, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Place the chicken breasts, carrots, celery, shallots, and parsley in an 8-quart stock pot. Fill it with enough water to fill the pot to about 1 1/2-inches below the rim.
2. Turn the heat on to high, and let the mixture boil for about an hour.
Keep a close eye on the ingredients, stirring every 15 minutes, and adjusting the heat lower, so the soup does not boil over, and making sure you have enough liquid in the pot.
3. Replenish the water with chicken stock, so the pot is always filled to about 1 1/2-inches below the rim.
4. Keep cooking the soup for another hour or more, with the heat on medium or so, adjusting the heat, so the soup does not boil over, and making sure you have enough liquid in the pot.
Replenish the liquid with chicken stock, so the pot is always filled to about 1 1/2-inches below the rim.
5. Add more carrots and celery, if desired. Add salt and pepper to taste and stir. The soup is ready when the broth is rich and the chicken breasts fall apart into chunks easily.
Serve hot alone, or with brown rice. Or, with my Easy French Baguettes, Classic White Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread or Lavash Crackers.
STORAGE
Store the soup, tightly covered, in the refrigerator, where it keeps for a couple of days.
Chicken soup freezes beautifully in an airtight container for a month or more. To thaw, simply reheat. Add more chicken broth, if necessary. The carrots become kind of spongy when frozen, so add in new.
