Hi again!

Doesn't seem like anyone was too interested in my last recipe, since I got no replies. Hopefully, this one will get some conversation going....

I've recently stumbled upon a super easy way to make absolutely fabulous chicken broth (stock)! It came about by accident, but now it is a method

After either roasting or boiling a whole chicken, simply put the bones, skin and fat *but not the livers!* into a large kettle with water -- use about 1/3 more water than what you want to end up with in stock. You could add veggies like celery, carrots and onion, but I haven't been. Just bring the pot to a boil, then reduce it to simmer. We usually do this after dinner. Then at bed time, just turn it all the way to low, making sure the area is safe -- no kids have set pot holders on burners or anything! -- and let it continue to cook overnight. When you get up in the morning, bring it to boil one last time before turning it off, cooling and straining it. We've also done it with a crock-pot on low setting, but you don't get nearly as much broth that way.

I tell you, this is the best broth ever!! ... and so easy!!


Now for the soup! I'll tell you what I did, then you can adjust. I made a huge batch because I wanted to have dinner cooked for the next several nights because this is a busy time! Obviously, if you are a single person, you won't want to make this much. Also, if you have time, it would be fabulous with fresh onions and mushrooms, precooked in butter until they are just becoming golden. You could certainly use other veggies, too, this is just what we had on hand last night.

Easy Cheesy Chicken Soup
1 whole chicken, cooked, boned and cut up
1 pound frozen broccoli florets
2 cans sliced mushrooms, undrained
3 cups sliced cabbage
about 3 quarts of the stock mentioned above

Place the above ingredients into a large pot and bring them to a boil, about 8 minutes total. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add:

8 ounces cheese (I had a combo of garlic Jack and shredded Mexican)
16 ounces sour cream
1 tablespoon dried chives
1 tablespoon dried minced onions
2 tablespoons parsely flakes
Sea Salt & lemon pepper to taste

Stir the final ingredients into the soup until the cheese is melted. Enjoy! :great:


c2006/2007 Sharron Long (publisher requires I do this!)

Sharron, that broth does sound good.

Years ago, when Jeff Smith was still on The Frugal Gourmet, he showed how to make beef stock. He took beef bones and put them in the oven and a really low temperature and baked them for hours and hours and hours. Then he used the bones to make the stock, simmering them for another long, long time. It made a thick, dark, rich stock that had tons of gelatin in it for that wonderful mouth feel when you eat it.

I find that stock made with chicken bones seems better when the chicken was roasted than if it's been boiled. I wonder if we roasted the bones for a time before making the stock, the same as the beef, if it would turn out any better? Since chicken bones don't really have lots of marrow, etc., like beef bones do. Hmmmm. Might have to experiment! Alas, it will have to wait until next shopping expedition. The only chicken I have in the freezer is a thigh and leg, other than already cooked diced meat.

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Nita

That's interesting about re-roasting the bones. I think I agree with you about there not being any marrow.

Oh, and I forgot, I put about 1/2 teaspoon celery seed into the soup. Both nights we've served this Hubby has gone back for seconds and he doesn't usually do that

Sharon, thanks for posting this recipe. I have previously limited myself to making chicken broth from the bones, when I deboned fresh chicken for a recipe. Using cooked bones opens up a lot of possibilities that I had not previously considered.

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Henry

Cool! Glad to help