Making chicken soup is a basic cooking skill that everyone should know. It’s not hard, and yet it does take some practice to get good at. Indeed, every human endeavor takes practice to get good at, from walking, to reading, to driving a car. Men and women alike should know how to cook a few simple things and not rely on expensive canned goods when the same thing made from scratch costs mere pennies. Especially when part of the “from scratch” is good nutritious food that would otherwise be sent to the landfill.

Old Soule Family Recipe

Jacqueline Soule posting today.  As a child, I would watch my grandmothers cook with great fascination.  Not just watch. Grandmothers on both sides always put me to work helping with any tasks my little fingers could handle. I have fond memories of shelling peas, peeling potatoes, and shredding the meat off chicken bones while listening to songs, stories, and gossip about long dead relatives.

Both grandmothers made a festive roasted chicken dinner for family visits, and both turned the left-overs into chicken soup. Once I was out on my own, I modified the soup for my personal taste buds. (Like NO cooked celery – YUCK!)

Vermont Frugality

The Vermont motto is,

     “Use it up. 

     Wear it out. 

     Make it do. 

     Or do without.” 

And by golly – when it came to the chicken leftovers, Grandma Soule would use it all up!

After the festive Sunday dinner, while most of the family retired to the parlor for a visit, grandma, an aunt or two and I retired to the kitchen to clean up and make chicken soup. The entire chicken carcass including skin, the fatty tail, and the previously uncooked neck would go right into the soup pot to simmer.

What also went into the pot were all those dinner leftovers that were not enough to save, like a single scoop of mashed potatoes, the leftover broccoli (chopped), and dinner salad even (note – cooked lettuce and radishes are both fine!). To this eclectic mix an onion or two were added, also some carrots and chopped celery, plus some herbs and spices off the rack. The whole concoction was left to simmer while dishes were washed, the kitchen tidied, and the family called back to the table for dessert.

The Final Step

After dessert Grandma would head back into the kitchen for more dishes to wash, but also it was time for the magic to happen. It was time to get some of the meat off the chicken bones, and jar up some of the soup into a giant 2 quart mason jar. I was only six years old, that jar was huge! And it would come home with us. Dad carried that jar like it was gold – and in a way it was. It was a meal made for us with love. And I got to help!

Side note. One of the basic needs of humans is to have self worth. (I leave you to consider Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.) Kids do need to feel a valued member of the family. Looking back, I have no doubt that either grandmother could have done the job far faster and with less fuss without four year old me “helping.” Thing is, these wonderful women made me feel that I was valuable, not just some dumb kit to be told to go play. That feeling is priceless.

Soule Chicken Soup

I don’t much cook a whole chicken, and we aren’t having family over for meals, but sometimes I stop at the supermarket and grab one of those rotisserie chickens. After a meal or two there is still ample chicken on the carcass for chicken soup the Soule way. Just don’t use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Both the bones and skin of the chicken contribute flavor to this tasty soup.

Chicken Soup

   1 leftover chicken
   2 large white or yellow onions, chopped
   1 quart liquid (water or even store bought broth)
   2 cups chopped vegetables 
   herbs: handful of fresh herbs, generally chopped fine 
   salt and pepper to taste

Vegetables: choose from things like yellow squash or zucchini, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, a tomato or two. If you like them, carrots, even celery. Tomato or two, maybe some potatoes, some green pepper.  Like the chicken in our cover image, you could add corn, or maybe hominy.

Herbs: What’s fresh in the garden? Handful of parsley and/or cilantro chopped fine, bunch of garlic chives, maybe some fennel or lovage, basil is good too.  No garden? Italian seasoning is a good start!  We also have a post about cooking with Top Ten Herbal Blends.  

Herbs to leave whole and remove before serving: few sage leaves, a bay leaf, sprig of rosemary, a serrano or other chili pepper.

Prepare the Soup

Step 1.  In a large pot over medium heat, heat the oil until shimmering.
Add the chopped onions (and any garlic) and cook, stirring, until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.

Step 2.  Add the vegetables and cook just enough to soften slightly and coat with oil, about 1 minute.

Step 3.  Add your liquid and chicken leftovers carcass and bits, and bring to a simmer.

Step 4.  Simmer at least 30 minutes, or up to eight hours in a crock pot.  If in a crock pot make sure it is kept hot enough to deter the growth of bad bacteria.

Step 5.  Transfer the chicken carcass onto a large plate to cool.  When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred the meat into bite-size pieces, discarding the skin and bones.  (Or save for making dog food.)

Step 6.  Add the chicken back into the soup and heat to your desired eating temperature.

Enjoy!

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Along with Herbs, Father Kino brought Chickens and Cattle

The last few copies of this out-of-print award winning Southwestern book are now for sale. Father Kino’s Herbs: Growing and Using Them Today   The review says:

“Award-winning garden writer Dr. Jacqueline A. Soule has pulled together a fascinating book on the life of Father Eusebio Francisco Kino and some of the plants that he brought to Southern Arizona and northwestern Sonora, and area called the Pimeria Alta.”

This link is to our book sales site. The profits from the sale go to the local Horticulture Therapy non-profit Tierra del Sol Institute.  We hope you will help support this great Southwest non-profit!

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Disclaimer

The authors of this website have researched the edibility of the materials we discuss, however, humans vary in their ability to tolerate different foods, drinks, and herbs. Individuals consuming flowers, plants, animals, or derivatives mentioned in this blog do so entirely at their own risk. The authors on this site cannot be held responsible for any adverse reaction. In case of doubt please consult your medical practitioner.