General Chat

Just bought a whacking great chicken, roast chicken etc Sunday, chinese chicken with noodles, beansprouts etc Monday.

Now I have never made chicken soup before, so I could do with some recipes for that please.xx

The only chicken soup I have ever made as come out of the tin!!

Bev x

Me too Bev, hence the need for some hints..

Mrs Blue Eyes - if it is such a whacking great chicken, how about this before you get to the Chicken Soup stage. This is courtesey of the Be-Ro cookbook I bought this morning on a very fractious trip to M*******s.
Creamy Chicken and Garlic Parcel - Serves 4
6oz shortcrust pastry
8oz cooked chicken
5oz cream cheese with garlic and herbs
3oz mushrooms
freshly ground salt and black pepper.

Heat oven to 200C, 400F, Gas Mark 6., and have a baking tray ready
Thoroughly mix the ingredients together
Prepare the pastry, and roll out to about a 12" square and place on the greased baking tray.
Pile the ingredients in the centre of the pastry square. With the back of a spoon firmly press the ingredients together. Brush edges of pastry with milk, and fold corners to the middle, sealing the edges. Brush with beaten egg or milk and bake for 35 mins until golden brown.

Now for the soup, this is what I do.
Break the carcass into pieces to fit your largest saucepan, and cover with water. Bring to the boil, and then simmer for about an hour. Remove carcass and when cool enough to handle, remove all flaky bits of chicken off. Return meat to pan, add a couple of chicken stock cubes. Depending whether you want the soup chunky and rustic, or more refined, chop up the usual root vegetables and onion.
Leave to cook until veggies are tender. You could even take it abit further 'down' by using a blender, and if wanted, add a little cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and any herbs you like.
I've used this soup method for years, and have bought up a large family on it, not killing anyone on the way
Julia in Derbyshire

Julia,
Just the way I make mine..Have also made this for more years than like to remember,swear by it this time of year as sure it keeps coughs and colds away.also brought a large family up.
Kay
Left over stuffing can also be added.

Thanks Julia, that sounds delicious I've added that to my new recipe folder.
I decided my cooking has got " samey" and going to experiment a bit more.

I was just reading up on Chicken soup and apparently there's some enzyme that is released during cooking that is healing (don't ask me how) so looks like there's something in the old saying "Jewish penicillin.

See there is truth in granny's remedys!!! I make my soup the same way except that I will add some lentils/barley and potatoes in small chunks. Also make chicken pies - can be frozen baked or unbaked. 1/2 lb chicken pieces mix into tin of Campbells Condensed chicken soup (do not dilute it) add if wished some frozen peas/tinned mushrooms plenty of ground pepper.

I think we can all be guilty of being "samey" with our cooking from time to time, and I know I am always looking for new ideas. I like to watch the Channel 4 food programmes,and if there is something we both fancy, I print off the recipe from their site.
This afternoon I am making an orange sauce to put in the freezer for the holiday period, to go with duck breasts, courtesey of Gordon Ramsey. Also, tomorrow night I am making steak diane with sauteed potatoes, and mandarin cheesecake for OH's birthday tea, also off his programme from last week. Tonight he is making stir fried beef with peppers and egg noodles. You could swop the beef for strips of chicken.
I'm also going to make two lovely cake recipes, which were posted on here the other afternoon, Easy Friut Cake, and Clementine Cake.
Happy cooking
Julia in Derbyshire

yes , I`m the same -always using same recipes , just put up a thread about tonight`s dinner -beef bourgignon in slow cooker --smells lovely , will freeze 1/2 of it for another meal .
Ros xx

Similar to Chris recipe using cambels condensed chicken soup...
I get frozen puff pastry...roll to fit swiss roll tin..half cook then press down in tin...chopped onion ,mushrooms,,cooked chicken pieces in the soup and cook for a little while..then fill the pastry..making an open topped pie...put back in the oven till cooked...quick and filling for a family.
Can be served with chips or potatoes and veg.
Kay

Chicken with sundried tomatoes

Cooked chicken taken off the bone
small jar sundried tomatoes in oil (roughly chopped)
4oz mushrooms, sliced
4oz of stoned black olives
1 onion (sliced)
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped or crushed
rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon curried fruit chutney
8 fl.oz chicken stock
5 fl.oz glass of wine

Soften onion in one tablespoon of the oil from the jar of tomatoes.

Stir in all other ingredients (except chicken). Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the chicken, simmer until heated through thoroughly, adding more stock if necessary.

Serve with pasta or rice.

Delicious!!!

Dee
x


PS This would be a good one for left over turkey too!

I like this Thread yum yum.

Yep make my chicken soup the same as Julia and add lentils and pearl barley on occasion and like celery added too. and add a sachet or 1/2 of schwartz mixed herbs...Mash up some of the potatoes to thicken or add a bit of cornflour. Might add 4 stock cubes rather than two and salt and pepper to taste.
Thing is you can chuck in anything you like veg wise.
Must be us oldies all brought up to make it . Young 'uns today if it's not ready made they don't even try do they? gets my tin hat ready for the flak! LOL
Guess what I have been making for tea tonight? yes Soup. . I have had to use chicken portions as no carcass so might not be quite the same but HE will eat it regardless.
Chicken soup is wonderful for all ills and I read it was the jewish cure for colds too.
Love Tricia xx

Hi - I always boil the bones to make chicken soup, in a separate pan - sweat leeks in with a bit of butter for about 10 mins (cover with lid on a low heat add a bit of water if needed) and add stock, potatoes, chicken and anything else you fancy (canelloni beans are nice) and finally parsley - simmer for about 20 mins and it's done - you can always make some doughboys from suet too.

Hope that helps :)

Thanks guys, it all sounds so yummy...

I made leek and potato yesterday with a bit of onion and bacon in it -it`s turned today !

I love parsnips cooked in with the chicken carcase and then fished out while you sort out the bones, you can blend it all together with other things and it is delicious.


O.h.is so odd, he always throws away the carcase, often with lots of meat still on, he is so wasteful but hasn't the guts to sort out the carcase, he is so squeamish. He would always throw away the giblets too, whereas I would cook them in with the chicken for the gravy and would eat the liver myself.
Haven't had a chicken with the giblets in for ages, do they still leave them to use with the gravy?

Lizx
Lizx

Have you ever tried a chicken crumble? lovely XX
Just use tinned mushroom or chicken soup as the sauce, and instead off adding sugar to your crumble mix, add cheese for a very tasty different chicken meal XX..

Well it's on and simmering although I am yet to be convinced that it will taste good.
When I was checking over the carcass I was amazed at how much meat there was on it, OH likes to do head of the household (lol) carving thing and always puts the carcass straight in the bin, I reckon he would have chucked away a 1/4 of the meat, I took off the bigger bits and have loads.