Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Cooking Great Chicken Soup like Grandma's

By KC Kudra

To many people, soup is something that comes out of a can or packet but few things beat the wonderfully fresh flavor of homemade soup. Soup is also an excellent example of a food that anybody can make from scratch. If you can boil water and add things to it, you can make soup. It really is that simple. Soup is also very versatile and you can use your favorite ingredients to make your own particular favorite soup variety.

Varieties of Soup

There are many types of soup and way too many to list here. You can get chilled soups and hot soups, thick chowder type soups and thin, watery consomms, fish soup, meat soup and vegetable soup, spicy oriental soup, country style soup and so much more. You have probably tried quite a few different types of soup, such as tomato or chicken noodle soup but what about Chinese egg drop soup or a chilled watermelon soup?

One of the best-loved soups is chicken soup and most countries have their own version of this popular dish. Chicken is cheap to buy and if you have used a chicken to make another recipes, you can make a wonderful chicken soup recipe from the carcass or bones of the bird. You can make all different sorts of chicken soup, such as cream of chicken soup, chicken rice soup, chicken noodle soup, Chinese chicken soup and more.

Perhaps chicken soup is so popular because it is so versatile. You might like to add potatoes or noodles to it or vegetables. Some people like a thick, hearty soup and others prefer a thin, watery soup.

How to Make Chicken Soup

One of the easiest ways to make a delicious chicken soup recipe is to cover a chicken carcass in water, bring it to the boil, remove the carcass, add herbs and vegetables, and simmer it for an hour. If you are using a chicken carcass and vegetables, which are leftover, you can make a really tasty soup out of ingredients, which would otherwise have been thrown in the trash without a thought. Because of this, the chicken soup will have cost absolutely nothing to make.

When you remove the chicken carcass, it is best to use a sieve to remove any small bits of bone, which might be floating in the mixture. You can pick any bits of fat or meat off by hand and add these to the soup with the vegetables for flavor.

Chicken noodle soup has been used for many years to soothe people suffering from colds or the flu. The steam from the soup is good for congestion, the fluids are great for the illness, and chicken soup is especially soothing and comforting. There is no doubt that a bowl of homemade chicken soup will lift your spirits and cheer you up.

Do you remember your mother or grandmother making chicken soup for you as a child? Now you know just how simple it is to make your own, maybe you would like to have a go at making some delicious, comforting soup for your family to enjoy. - 16492

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