Chicken with Stuff Soup

Well Soup is a must during those cold winter or rainy day's. Although soup for me is an any weather day thing. You will notice the more you cook that there is always something in the pantry to make soup with.

Just a Chicken Soup

2 tbs olive oil
1 large onion chopped
1 red/yellow bell pepper chopped (half of each)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili power
1 box organic chicken broth
1 can organic/fresh tomatoes
2 whole boneless chicken breasts chopped into squares
2 ears of corn fresh is best
1 cup cooked/canned cannellini beans
Pasta what ever kind you like you only need a hand full
Salt to taste

Heat the oil in your soup pot and add the onions, peppers and the garlic to the pot and saute. Add the chicken and let this cook together until your chicken is cooked thu out.







Garlic tip I did learn this on Food TV they put kosher salt on the garlic cloves before they smashes it to bring out the flavor I do say it works. Peel the garlic and put it on the cutting board then sprinkle some kosher salt. NOT TABLE SALT. Take the flat side of your knife and smash down now pick up the garlic and pop it in the soup. I rarely chop because I love the flavor of the garlic, at the end I fish the garlic out prior to serving if I remember….;-)



Cooking your pasta can be done while you are cooking the other stuff. Now I can say that you can cook the pasta half way because it will cook more in the soup. Also adding pasta to your sou is optional.




Add you chicken and spices to the pot


Now add your tomatoes






Add the corn is next












Look at the nice trick  for cutting fresh corn and keeping it in one spot using a bundt pan. . I use to have such a time with that I only wish I knew this trick sooner. My bundt pan the hole is a little wide but I go the gist of the trick.









Alright now add the chicken stock and mix everything up and add the  beans.






Let everything simmer for a good 30 minutes to one hour. I add the pasta the last 10 minutes as to not let it get soft or mushy.

When you serve the soup top each bowl off with cheese I use shredded mozzarella

Enjoy your soup !

Making Chicken Stock

Chicken stock tends to be made more from bony parts, whereas chicken broth is made more out of meat of the chicken. Chicken stock tends to have a fuller mouth feel and richer flavor, due to the gelatin released by long-simmering bones.

It was good to read the information about the difference between Chicken Stock and Chicken Broth. I never even thought there would be a difference. They say Knowledge is Power. 

I have a power driven kitchen 

• The neck, back, ribs and wings are excellent for making chicken stock.
• Best of all, however, are the feet.
• Always start with cold water. This helps extract more collagen, giving the stock more body.
• Don't let the stock boil. It should stay at a gentle simmer
• Don't stir the stock as it simmers! All you need to do while it simmers is skim the scum off the top, and add water if it drops too low.
• 2-3 lbs chicken bones (or the carcass from a roasted chicken)
• 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 medium rib celery, chopped
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• 3-4 fresh parsley stems
• 3-4 whole black peppercorns
• 1 whole clove
• 1. Make a sachet d'epices by tying the thyme, peppercorns, clove, parsley stems and bay leaf into a piece of cheesecloth.
  2. Rinse chicken bones in cold water and transfer to a heavy-bottomed stockpot.
  3. Add enough cold water to the pot to completely cover the bones — about 5 quarts.
  4. Bring pot to a boil, then immediately drain and rinse bones.
  5. Return the blanched bones to the pot and again cover with fresh, cold water.
  6. Bring pot to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer.
  7. Skim off the scum that rises to the surface.
  8. Add chopped carrots, celery and onion, to the pot along with the sachet; tie the sachet string to the stockpot handle for easy retrieval later.
  9. Simmer for about 4 hours, continuing to skim the impurities that rise to the surface. Liquid will evaporate, so make sure there's always enough water to cover the bones.
  10. After 4 hours, remove from the heat and strain the stock through a sieve lined with a few layers of cheesecloth.
  
  
      I wish I had more pictures for you but I did a lot more studying then pictures. After I finished this batch I Pressure Canned the Chicken Stock.