Best Test Kitchens Favorite Chicken Soup Made With A Whole Chicken Recipes

OLD FASHIONED CHICKEN SOUP FROM SCRATCH

Steps:

• Put your chicken into the stock pot and cover with water.
• Add a little salt and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a good rolling boil for a few minutes, lower the heat to between LOW and MEDIUM. Put the lid on and let it cook for about 2 hours on the stove.
• Open the pot and check to see how the chicken is doing. When the meat is more tender and JUST STARTS to come off the chicken it's time for the next step.
• Using tongs or another kitchen tool (I like to use a large roast beef fork) remove the chicken from the pot and set on a cookie sheet or large plate. The only thing that should be left in the pot is the liquid.
• While the chicken cools for a couple minutes so you can work with it easier, skim off some of the fat that's accumulated on the surface of the pot. You don't have to remove it all since it does give the soup a great flavor but if there's a lot you should try to remove some. The amount of fat you have on the top depends on the chicken itself - some are fattier than others.
• Using a fork and knife, remove as much meat as possible from the chicken and drop it into the pot. Do not cut the meat into chunks - let the meat naturally come apart as it continues the cooking process.
• Make sure that you add the leg bones to the pot along with the meat. The bones are extremely important in making the soup taste perfect.
• Once all the meat is removed from the chicken you can discard the unused parts.
• Now add the vegetables, garlic and herbs to the pot.
• Add some water to the pot until the veggies, etc are covered.
• Bring to a rolling boil once more for a couple minutes.
• Lower the heat to about between LOW and MEDIUM, cover and let it cook for 2 more hours.
• Stir the soup a couple times while it cooks.
• At the end of cooking give the soup a taste and add a little more salt and pepper to taste.
• Let it cook for a couple more minutes and remove the leg bones and bay leaves.
• Once done - Enjoy!

TEST KITCHEN'S FAVORITE CHICKEN SOUP MADE WITH A WHOLE CHICKEN

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with 14 cups water, chicken pieces, backbone, wings, parsley, thyme, bay leaf, salt, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil. Skim foam, reduce heat, and gently simmer for 25 minutes. Remove chicken (except wings); continue simmering while you discard skin and remove meat from bones. Cover meat and refrigerate; return bones to pot and simmer 3 1/2 hours more.
• Strain broth through a fine-mesh sieve and discard solids, including bones and wings. Skim fat and transfer broth to a clean pot. Add onions, carrots, and celery. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until vegetables are very tender, 25 minutes.
• Cut or tear reserved chicken into 3 cups of bite-size pieces. (You'll end up with an extra cup of meat; save it for a salad or a sandwich.) Add to broth, along with noodles, dill, and lemon juice. Heat through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; serve.