The Easiest & Tastiest Chicken Soup/ Broth/ Stock!
- donnaramadishes
- Mar 21
- 2 min read
OK, I thought I had a great chicken soup recipe, which I shared in October of 2023. But I am here to say that I have found a new and stupidly simple non-recipe recipe for chicken stock which is now my go-to for chicken soup. If you already know and make your chicken soup this way, then great (and why didn't you tell me?); if you don't, may I humbly suggest you give it a try and forever improve your quality of life (assuming you eat meat).
Here's the stupidly easy technique for flavorful chicken stock/soup:
Take bones from your roasted chicken or (better, for some reason) a rotisserie chicken and place them in a pot. Don't worry about having some skin or meat left on them. [Click here for a fabulous idea for the skin you don't consume].
Cover the bones with cold water (just cover, do not fill the pot).
Bring liquid up to a simmer and then continue to simmer for 2-3 hours, or until the liquid is flavorful and is not too pale in color. Skim any foam which rises to the top.
Taste and add salt if necessary.
Strain soup (stock) and enjoy as is, or add matzoh balls, noodles, veggies, or whatever you want.
If not consuming right away, let stock cool and remove layer of fat (keep for later, if you want -- this is called schmaltz). The soup can be frozen for a long time (as can the schmaltz).
Whatever you want to call the delicious liquid that results from the technique above, I feel you should make a batch of it after every rotisserie chicken you purchase, augmenting with any chicken bones you may have stored in your freezer (always save those chicken bones!).
And, since knowledge is power, I will share with you what I have just learned about the difference between soup, stock, and broth. Stock is a flavorful liquid made from bones, broth is a flavorful liquid made from meat, and soup is a dish made from either stock or broth with added ingredients. Who knew? (OK, maybe you did, but I cannot be the last person on earth to have found this out, so you're welcome!)
This is now the base for my matzo ball soup and I honestly always have some in my freezer for times when a little "Jewish Penicillin" is called for. I cannot explain why this achieves the flavor it does without all the extra ingredients in my original chicken soup recipe, but it does. Enjoy!
READ THIS BEFORE GETTING RID OF YOUR CHICKEN SKIN: a delicious and simple way to use that chicken skin is to crisp it up and make "chips" out of it. I learned this from Jacques Pepin. Just place chicken skin in a skillet (I typically use non-stick, but it really doesn't matter) and cook the chicken skin until it crisps up; typically about 5-10 minutes (not on high). You basically melt out the fat and you end up with a bacon-like treat. My husband LOVES this!
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