Comforting Chicken Soup

What better time than a cold, blustery, January day for a steaming, hot bowl of comforting chicken soup? When I'm sick, worn out, or just plain have the winter blues, I want chicken soup. It doesn't have to be fancy. (And, if I make it, you can be assured it WON'T be fancy! :-) I like to use plain ingredients that I already have in my pantry--no fancy herbs or spices that require a trip to the store before I can cook. I just want a nice brothy soup with huge chunks of chicken and minimal vegetables (well, maybe a lot of potatoes---you know we IRISH love our spuds!).

Chicken soup has long been claimed by mamas and grandmamas to be "good for what ails you." Just shows you how much we mamas really know! Not only is chicken soup the meal of choice when you are under the weather, this comforting soup has been proven to provide actual health benefits as well.

Dr. Stephen Rennard, a pulmonary medicine specialist and a researcher at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, put Mom and Grandmama's theory to the test. He actually took his wife's family recipe into his lab and "discovered" what we already knew--chicken soup slows cold symptoms. What he actually found was that chicken soup can inhibit inflammation of the cells in the nasal passage which reduces the symptoms of a cold. The results of the study were published in the International Journal Chest – the Cardioplumonary and Critical Care Journal. Rennard's research has been featured in thousands of newspaper, magazine and Internet articles, as well as on television and the radio throughout the world. If you want to check out Dr. Rennard's work and watch a video of his wife preparing her special soup while explaining the theory, go to this URL: http://www.unmc.edu/chickensoup/


Now, who would have thought you would learn a bit of medical science on "A Pinch of This... A Smidgen of That"? You just never know how smart you'll get by reading this blog! While chicken soup may not be a cure-all, it is a good source of nutrients that even mamas and grandmamas approve of! So, how about joining me in the kitchen as we gather our ingredients for "Comforting Chicken Soup"? (And, no, I'm sorry, it isn't in the cookbook. It will have to wait for the "second edition," but you can find the recipe at the end of this blog :-).

Here's most of what you'll need (I forgot to photograph the garlic salt/powder and chicken bullion until later, but you'll see them before we finish, I promise! :-)

To begin, let's boil our chicken in water until done.  

I usually boil my chicken the night before, let it cool, and put the pot in the refrigerator so the fat solidifies, and I can skim it off before making soup/stew the next day. Dip off and discard as much fat from the broth as possible.

Remove the chicken from the broth and debone.  

After deboning, chop or shred the chicken into smaller pieces.

 Add diced potatoes,

add corn, onion, tomatoes, sugar, salt, pepper, garlic salt/powder, and bullion cubes to broth.

(Ok, I told you to look for these later... here they are... :-)

It will look like this after adding those ingredients (listed above) to the pot:

Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until veggies are tender. Use your spoon or a fork to mash a few of the potatoes on the side of the pot so they mix in and thicken the broth.

Then, add chicken and simmer slowly for an additional ten minutes.

 Add butter and stir gently until melted.

Serve with crackers or cornbread ... even better served as leftovers the second or third day!

Be sure to copy and paste the complete recipe below to your word processor

and print a page for your records.

By the way, some of my pickiest eaters gave the soup a "Thumbs-up" rating this evening! :-)

COMFORTING CHICKEN SOUP

INGREDIENTS:
1 whole fryer chicken, or 4 chicken breasts

1 large or 2 small onions, chopped
8 cups water
2 - 14 oz. cans diced tomatoes
6 - 8 medium red potatoes, peeled and diced
2 - 3 Tablespoons sugar
1 can whole kernel corn, undrained
3 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon (that's 3 teaspoons) salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons California Garlic Salt or Powder
2 Chicken bullion cubes

DIRECTIONS:
Use a large Dutch oven to boil chicken in water until done. Remove from broth and debone. Chop or shred pieces.


I usually boil my chicken the night before and put the pot in the refrigerator so the fat solidifies and I can skim it off before making soup/stew the next day.


Dip off as much fat from the broth as possible.


Add diced potatoes, corn, onion, tomatoes, sugar, salt, pepper, garlic salt/powder, and bullion cubes to broth.


Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until veggies are tender. Use your spoon or a fork to mash a few of the potatoes on the side of the pot so they mix in and thicken the broth. Add chicken and simmer slowly for an additional ten minutes. Add butter and stir gently until melted. Serve with crackers or cornbread ... even better served as leftovers the second or third day!