Ingredients: |
Ingredients: 1 whole chicken, 3-4 lbs or 3-4 lbs of chicken bones
6 large carrots, peeled and sliced in thirds
6 celery stalks, sliced in thirds
1 1/2 large yellow onions, skin on, rinsed and sliced into halves
handful of fresh parsley - full long pieces tied with kitchen twine and rinsed
handful of fresh dill - full long pieces tied with kitchen twine and rinsed
1 tsp black peppercorns, put into a tea infuser ball or tied up in a piece of cheesecloth
2 bay leaves
kosher salt
1/8 tsp ground saffron or 1/4 tsp saffron threads - adds a rich yellow colour to the broth
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Directions: |
Directions:1. Place the chicken or bones into a large soup pot. Cover with 4 quarts of cold water. Bring water to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to medium-high and allow the chicken to boil for 10-15 minutes, skimming the foam and particles that rise to the surface of the water periodically, till most of the foam is gone.
2. Add back the liquid that was removed during scumming process using hot water (it's usually around 1-2 cups). Do a final skimming to remove any leftover foam. Add the carrots, celery, onions, parsley, dill, and peppercorns to the pot. Add 1 tbsp Kosher salt to the water. Bring back to a simmer.
3. Put the lid on the pot and vent it. Reduce heat to medium-low so the soup is slowly simmering (not boiling - a rolling boil will make the stock cloudy, a slow simmer should do it. Let the soup cook for 90 minutes.
4. After 90 minutes of cooking, when the chicken is tender, turn off the heat. Use a pair of tongs to carefully pull the chicken from the broth (or two pairs of tongs). Put it on a plate. Taste the chicken broth and season with additional salt, if desired. I don't usually add any extra. Allow the chicken and the broth to cool.
5. Carefully strain the broth into another pot through a mesh strainer. Reserve the carrots and celery and cut into smaller pieces if you are adding back to the soup later. Press down on the onions and herbs when in the strainer to extract all juices; discard. Discard bay leaves and peppercorns.
6. When chicken has cooled, pull the meat from the chicken and cut into small pieces. Add back to soup when serving.
7. Chill the broth overnight and then skim the fat which has risen to the top.
8. Serve hot; add the cooked vegetables and some chicken about 2 minutes before serving. Top with chopped fresh dill. |
This recipe for My Favourite Chicken Soup is from