Definitely pasta for me... I don't really like chicken & rice soup. And lately it's been the Kluski noodles... sometimes the thicker and sometimes the thin. My soup is really *really* basic. I start with chicken breast... sometimes onion, sometimes not. I add low-sodium chicken broth, carrots (as many carrots as I can), pepper, and parsley. I add the noodles after everything else is done to soak in that broth. Once in a while I'll make it a chicken corn soup, but that doesn't happen too often. Now when it comes to homemade *vegetable* soup, that's when I love experimenting with all kinds of wonderful variations! But chicken soup... rather basic for me.
@Ken Anderson , you win the "Kitchen Sink Chicken Soup" award! That what soup is all about, what you like and what you have.
I make chicken soup often... I make the real Jewish chicken soup with matzos balls.. I start with many pieces of chicken (about 6 to 8.. thighs, legs, drums) that I cut away most of the fat and skin possible.. I then add it to a HUGE pot and add some carrots, parsnips, onions and if I have celery stalks, all cut up into larger pieces except the onions, I leave them whole (I use small onions).. I like to add fresh dill also if I have any, if not, dried dill.. Fill up the pot with water and let it simmer (after a boil) for several hours.. The chicken will fall apart as it is so tender, but that's OK.. Best to let the soup cool in the fridge overnight to remove the fat that floats on top, although we always have some before.. Serve with some of the veggies in the soup.. They are simply delicious.. Make the Matzos balls (very small) and serve with the soup..... You should have enough soup for a few days..... It gets better every day.... a meal to die for..................... Also good for what ails you especially a cold.....
Thanks @Steve North . These days I cheat. Your way is best, or simmering a few carcasses for hours and hours. I just got tired of straining and cleaning up the stock, pulling the fat off the next day before adding fresh veg, etc. So these days I use broth and either skinless breasts or cut up cooked chicken. I've heard of a way to make incredibly rich chicken stock for soup by simmering bones/ carcass, then next day adding more bones to it and simmering again, then again the day after but adding a little water, and yet again! I think it's a Chinese method but not sure. I believe you'd have to have packages of bones in the freezer before starting the process. I have never eaten soup with matzoh balls! I've watched how to do it on TV but was afraid to try. Any hints?
Buy the box, Ruby. That's what I've always done. Very easy to make and they're delicious. I don't like pasta or rice in my soup but do love matzo balls....maybe I have some Jewish in my background.
@Chrissy Page , then you (and I) would be fortunate, such crazy good food they have! So I read the matzoh balls should float, and not sink. True? This is how?
Yes, they are light, not heavy. I make them about that size, not small like Steve said he did. Think you only added an egg and a little oil to the matzo mix, let it sit for awhile and then cook them. I always took out a little soup to cook them in or cooked them in chicken bouillon. So much better than pasta or rice in my opinion.
Ahhh, Chrissy, you cooked them separately in the broth or boullion... Then served with the main soup? I forgot that Steve made small ones, but those should be good too. Oh I'm excited, I needed a new thing to learn.
Yes, I didn't want to cook them in the soup, I never cooked my husbands pasta in the soup, always separately. I prefer the big ones, they're very light. I don't know how small would taste. I've eaten it in Jewish Deli's in Chicago and they were the big ones. Usually about 3 to a bowl.
@Terry Page , I finally caught up with this. So funny, especially the chicken basting her own self in the soup pot. Weird, but funny. Yes, the days in the snow all raw and freezing, then coming in to a steamy, fragrant kitchen and a bowl of hot chicken soup. That's what that crazy little bit reminded me of. Thanks.
Nothing like a bowl of hot chicken soup in Fresno in the summer when it's 110 degrees. Anything like that I have to cook in the winter. I won't even turn my oven on in the summer.
Yes, I always cook my soup pasta separately also and very al dente. I see the same principle applies. Large or small, they should taste the same, no? OK, 3 large to a bowl. Thanks.