Chicken soup is a food that crosses all ethnic and cultural borders; this chicken soup recipe will become an all time favorite in your household. Chicken soup has been used for both medicinal and therapeutic purposes, as well as just a great comfort food for a chilly night.
Traditionally made with old hens, it is now made with readily available chicken. Try this simple chicken soup recipe, add some of your own ingredients, and enjoy this classic comfort food that feeds more than just the soul.
Chicken Soup
Ingredients:
1 (4 to 5 pound) stewing chicken
3 1/2 quarts water
1 Tablespoon salt
3 stalks celery
1 parsley root
2 onions
3 sprigs dill
3 sprigs parsley
Directions:
1. Clean chicken thoroughly. Combine in a deep saucepan with the water and onions.
2. Bring to a boil and cook over medium heat for 1 1/2 hours. Add remaining ingredients.
3. Cover and cook over low heat 1 hour longer, or until chicken is tender.
4. Remove chicken and strain soup. Makes about 2 to 2 1/2 quarts of soup.
Tips for Cooking on a Busy Night
This chicken soup recipe is great for a busy night. It doesn't require a lot of attention or effort. While it cooks, you can focus on the tasks that you need to complete. Follow these tips to help make cooking on a busy night as stress-free as possible.
Organize your ingredients ahead of time. When you have a busy night, you don't have time to waste searching for missing ingredients. The day before, organize all the ingredients you'll need. Keep the cold ingredients in one spot in the fridge, and the room temperature ingredients in one spot on the counter. When you're ready to cook, you'll be able to quickly grab everything you need.
Have your kids give you a hand. If your kids are old enough to handle being around a hot stove, have them give you a hand with this recipe. Letting them help you will free your hands to do something else. Just make sure your kids understand kitchen safety before letting them handle any cooking tasks.
Plan ahead. Figure out what time you should make this soup to ensure it's ready at the right time. Sometimes, dinner being ready at a specific time is crucial to a busy night going smoothly. Whether you have a school concert, sports game, or other function to attend, make sure you get this soup started far enough in advance to give you and your family enough time to eat. Nobody wants to have to rush through their dinner!
Pay attention to what you're doing. It can be easy to get distracted by whatever else you have going on when you're enduring a busy night. It's important, however, to pay attention when cooking this recipe. You don't want to accidentally leave out a crucial ingredient or overcook the soup. This recipe is very simple, but there's still room for error. Try to focus on just cooking when you're making this recipe.