Autumn is here, bringing with it cooler temperatures. It’s that time of year again to break out those soup and stew recipes you’ve been wanting to try. Chicken noodle soup is a delicious recipe that has stood the test of time. But it’s not the only kind of soup that can be prepared using chicken. Chicken can be used in a variety of ways to create delicious soups and stews for those cool autumn days.
First and foremost you want to prepare the chicken and broth ahead of time to save you prep time. Taking a whole chicken, remove any livers and gizzards from inside of the chicken. Next rinse the chicken inside and out and pat with paper towels to dry. Place the chicken into a stock pot and cover with water. You can choose to add vegetable scraps (ends of carrots, celery, and onions make great options) for added flavor. Boil the chicken until it has been cooked through. Using a strainer with a large mixing bowl underneath dump the chicken and vegetable scraps into the strainer allowing the broth to fill up your bowl. Once the chicken has cooled remove the meat and chop into cubes. Freeze the chicken and broth to save for use in soups and stews.
The first soup idea is a Chicken and Rice soup. Bring prepared broth to a boil then add your rice and diced vegetables (fresh or frozen) and whatever seasonings you like. Lower heat to medium and cover your pot. Make sure to stir occasionally to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Once your rice and vegetables are tender add your chicken and heat through. If you like you can choose to instead add different shaped pasta rather than the rice (egg noodles work really well). If you choose to go with a canned vegetable wait to add it until the last five minutes of cooking so that they don’t become too mushy.
The second option would be a Chicken Bog which is like a chicken stew. Once your broth has come to a boil add diced potatoes, chopped boiled eggs, slices of carrot and potato, crumbled up browned breakfast sausage, as well as rice to the pot. Keep an eye on the pot, making sure to stir occasionally. Once the rice is cooked and the vegetables are tender add your cooked chopped chicken to the pot and heat through. Or if you would like, you can cook your rice separately and pour the stew over it, rather than cooking the rice in the stew. A simple seasoning of salt and pepper is all you really need to flavor the dish. If you like you can also choose to add some smoked sausage to the bog instead of the breakfast sausage. This is a recipe that my husband’s Father used to make and originates from South Carolina.
The third option is a Chicken and Tortilla soup. Cut tortilla shells into strips and fry in a bit of buttered until browned. Remove tortilla strips and cook some diced onions and peppers in the same pan until tender. In a stock pot create a roux, melt butter and then add flour, constantly stirring until the mixture becomes thick and a shade of dark brown (think of an old penny), slowly add prepared chicken broth while stirring. Add diced vegetables, such as carrots, onions, and fresh corn shaved from the cob and cook until tender. Add diced chicken to the pot and heat through. Top with fried tortilla strips. Instead of the roux you could add cornstarch or flour mixed thouroughly into heated broth and add during the last few minutes of cooking to thicken the soup. You want to use heated broth because cold broth added to warm broth can make the flour/cornstarch lumpy and ruin your stew.
So the next time you see whole roasting chicken on sale, stock up. This way you can enjoy delicious chicken soups and stews during the cooler Autumn and Winter months. Remember that preparing your ingredients ahead of time also makes these soups and stews quick to prepare for busy weeknight dinners. Leftovers can be enjoyed for lunch the next day or frozen for dinner another night.
