Posted By Ingrid Turner on Oct 22, 2013 in Chicken, Cooking How-To Videos, Featured, Healthy, Holidays & Events, How To Cook, Main Dishes, Poultry & Fowl, Soups, Stews & Chilis | 0 comments

It’s Chicken Soup for the Soul Week!

Every ethnicity has their own version of chicken soup – a most comforting & homey, satisfying & healing food.

My Mom’s chicken soup version had all of those qualities and always makes me feel happy & loved.

How to Cook Mother Kasper’s Chicken Soup:

The basic chicken soup I use follows my Mom’s soup as closely as I can remember.

Type: Soup Recipe

Serve with: freshly baked bread
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 4 1/2 – 5 1/2 hrs
Serves: 4 – 6 dinner portions

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken 5-8 lbs
water – enough to cover bird in pot
1 onion – unpeeled
2 large carrots – halved
2 celery ribs – halved
1 doz black peppercorns
3 whole cloves
1 handful fresh parsley
1 large bay leaf
1 sprig fresh thyme
salt – to taste
ground pepper – to taste

Instructions:

Using a 5 – 8 lb whole chicken, place bird in a large stock pot with enough water to cover it.
Slowly bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer uncovered for about 35 min, skimming frequently.
Add to the pot, onion, carrots, celery, peppercorns, cloves, parsley, bay leaf & thyme.
Simmer with the pot lid askew for 3 1/2 – 4 1/2 hrs to get the most flavor from the ingredients. * Tip: If necessary, add water to make sure bird is covered at all times, and skim froth off frequently, if you see it accumulating at the top.
Remove the bird and reserve the meat to add back in later, if desired.
Strain & cool.
Remove fat when you are ready to use soup stock. * Tip: Refrigerate covered and the fat will harden. * Tip: If you like, reheat your chicken stock in a pot and add sliced carrots, celery, onion, fresh parsley, even some minced garlic, if desired. Bring to a boil and turn down to a simmer until those hard vegetables are fork tender.
Serve with noodles, rice or vegetables.

This is comfort food to me. Food for the soul.

Here’s a version my daughter, Kimberly, makes for us when we have sore throats & runny noses. Check it out for yourself – Chicken Broth for the Sore Throat: