ISO tips on homemade chicken soup?

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I like your unique additions MsM, like the parsley stems (where most of the flavor lives), and the leek tops. Geeze, now all of you have inspired me to make some stock again. It's also very interesting about the vinegar trick.

The acid in the vinegar leaches out more of the collagen from the bone marrow. Another trick is to break all of the bones, again to make extracting the nutrients easier.

It's the dissolved collagen from connecting tissue and cartilage that makes that wonderful gel, or viscosity in the hot broth. The acids also dissolve calcium from the bone into the broth or stock, again making it more nutritious.

If you don't want to add vinegar, mildly acidic veggies such as celery and onions will also do the same thing. They will take a little more time to do it though.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[Bolas De Fraile]

It's magic, silly!

Add these beefy, they save time as they don't have nails to trim.

 

[mrs.mom]

I just use the chicken itself to make the broth, bone in skin on, along with whatever vegetables I'm using, water, and salt. You can also use bullion instead of the salt.

When the chicken is cooked (about an hour), remove it, cool it and strip and cut it up and add back to the soup when the vegetables are all done..

I do the same thing here and I always have a very nice soup.

 

[Zhizara]

Add these beefy, they save time as they don't have nails to trim.
View attachment 10705

What a good idea, Bolas. I usually get them on my chicken leg quarters that I buy by the 10# bag. I've been cutting them off and throwing away when prepping for freezing. I'll save them for my first stock/broth next time. Thanks for the idea!

 

[Bolas De Fraile]

Ziz they add great smaltz, my favorite way with a large turkey toches is to brine them then smoke them in the BBQ long and slow.

 

[Fabiabi]

It is ridiculous that your recipe is asking you to buy broth. Broth is the simplest thing to make. You'd think that would be a good starting point for a recipe to begin?

 

[CWS4322]

I roast the bones in the oven (6-8 hours at 275) with water added. I sometimes add carrot, celery, onion, and a bay leaf. I strain the stock, degrease it, and then start my soup. I guess I make stock instead of broth <g>. I add the chicken meat about 10 minutes before I serve the soup so the meat isn't all mushy. I also add pickling spice (in a tea ball) to the soup.

 

[ella/TO]

I forgot to say, back a few pages......one must use fresh dill in chicken soup!.....put in a few sprigs (is that what they're called?), a bit before the soup is finished.....makes for a wonderful taste

 

[CWS4322]

I got tired of searching the forums--what I was really looking for was "tips around the household" or something like that. I don't make chicken broth often--I make stock. However, the DH roasted a stewing chicken...it was tough, yadda, yadda, yadda. So, I took the bones, a lot with the meat on (did I mention it was tough?) and stuck it all in a pot. What I did with the backbone, neck, and other little bones, howerver, was get as much meat off of them as I could and then put those bones in one of those lingerie mesh bags. This way, I could grab that out of the pot and toss those bones in the garbage (well, in my case, in the freezer to put in the garbage on garbage day). I then could strain the rest and pick out the big bones. I hate picking out the little bones and this mesh-bag technique works for me. I rinse the bag, put in the the dishwasher and then run it through the wash so it is ready to got again.

 

[CWS4322]

I ended up tossing the lingerie bag, bones and all, in the garbage. It wasn't worth my time to clean it (or empty it). I think this was one of those lingerie bags I got at a yard sale for 10 cents. My time must be worth more than 10 cents! Now that that pot is done, to remove the "long bones" I use tongs. Tomorrow, I will mash the meat through my fingers in case there are any missed bones--I hate bones in my soup. I don't usually have to deal with this because when I make stock, I am dealing with the bones, not bones and meat, and I just strain the bones off and toss them.

 

[Andy M.]

I line a colander with a large men's handkerchief (you could use cheesecloth) and pour the stock, bones, skin in. Then I have strained stock and easily discarded solids. The handkerchief goes into th laundry bin for kitchen towels that I launder with bleach in the wash.

 

[Whiskadoodle]

"I line a colander with a large men's handkerchief..."

I like this idea. Got plenty of those. Somewhere I read to use an old t-shirt to strain something when cheesecloth was too porous. I hate to give up my t shirts,they're never too old for something, unless they're holey, in which case it defeats this one last gasp usage.

What I really mean to ask is what is the difference between chicken stock and chicken broth? Thanks.

 

[Andy M.]

In this discussion of homemade, the once reliable distinction was that stock must include bones, usually along with skin and meat. Broth is made without bones. Thus, you could never have vegetable stock.

 

[Margi Cintrano]

In the Madrid Capital, they call a mature Hen, a Gallina, otherwise I use a Chicken ... They create the best base for chicken stock ... I am in agreement with Bolas and the others who mentioned same.

Ciao.
Have nice wkend.
Margi.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

In this discussion of homemade, the once reliable distinction was that stock must include bones, usually along with skin and meat. Broth is made without bones. Thus, you could never have vegetable stock.

I have to humbly disagree. What about celery ribs. Didja ever think about celery ribs? Didja? Didja? So if celery has ribs, then you can make a stock from it.

And what about the meat of the potato? Same thing. By your definition, if it has meat, then it can be made into stock.

And so, I make no bones about it. You can make both potato and celery stock. I win.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[Andy M.]

I have to humbly disagree. What about celery ribs. Didja ever think about celery ribs? Didja? Didja? So if celery has ribs, then you can make a stock from it.

And what about the meat of the potato? Same thing. By your definition, if it has meat, then it can be made into stock.

And so, I make no bones about it. You can make both potato and celery stock. I win.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

What I said was that stock required BONES not MEAT so the potato is out. Celery may have ribs but there's no meat on dem ribs so I'm not counting those either.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I have to humbly disagree. What about celery ribs. Didja ever think about celery ribs? Didja? Didja? So if celery has ribs, then you can make a stock from it.

And what about the meat of the potato? Same thing. By your definition, if it has meat, then it can be made into stock.

And so, I make no bones about it. You can make both potato and celery stock. I win.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

Sounds like a good start to potato soup....smart aleck!

 

[kadesma]

What I said was that stock required BONES not MEAT so the potato is out. Celery may have ribs but there's no meat on dem ribs so I'm not counting those either.

I have to humbly disagree. What about celery ribs. Didja ever think about celery ribs? Didja? Didja? So if celery has ribs, then you can make a stock from it.

And what about the meat of the potato? Same thing. By your definition, if it has meat, then it can be made into stock.

And so, I make no bones about it. You can make both potato and celery stock. I win.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

Geez you two stop it right now before I choke. You've got me howling here.
Not nice boys...
kades

 

[Whiskadoodle]

I guess this clarifies that, as it is pretty clear now.


On the other hand, vegiteraniums may find this news a bit disconcerting. But then again, they shouldn't be reading about such a meaty subject anyway.

Kades, I have heard of people choking on a chicken bone, celery ribs are mostly water. Learn to take smaller bites and chew your food more thoroughly.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

My celery ribs must be ticklish...they are cracking up.