Rinse 3-4 pounds chicken (bone-in breasts, thighs and drumsticks are a good combo) and put in stockpot with water to cover. Add a quartered onion, 3 carrots, 4 celery stalks (leaves and all), a bay leaf and a teaspoon of dried thyme. Let boil then turn down and simmer until chicken is done, skimming foam as it develops. Remove chicken from the pot and take off the meat, adding the bones back in for flavor. Let simmer, partially covered, for up to five hours, then strain. In a separate pot cook 4 or 5 extra carrots and add them to the finished soup along with a few good handfuls of shredded chicken, plus spinach or whatever leafy greans are lying around. Salt and pepper to taste. If you want noodles, cook them separately and add them in just before eating so they don’t get mushy.
Love your blog!!
Would like to get your thoughts on the first step in this recipe – “rinse chicken.” Based on everything I have read these days, rinsing only serves as a way to get raw chicken water splatter all over the sink, and that cooking it to temp is all that is necessary. Any thoughts on this?
I wonder about this, too. I’ll ask around and get back to you. In the meantime, I admit that I always clean out the sink after rinsing, just to be sure. Especially with all the little hands in my house.
[...] of bone-in chicken breasts, drumsticks and thighs and make your own stock. (If you need a recipe, click here and follow the first half.) Shred the chicken and save it until you’re ready to make dinner. [...]