The Ultimate Chicken Soup

Preparation Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 3 hours plus overnight refrigeration
Serves: 12-15 people

Must be prepared in advance

This has to be the all time classic recipe. No Jewish household is complete without a good recipe. This is my recipe which never fails to satisfy and nourish. It has been proven that a good bowl of chicken soup cures all ailments with its wholesome ingredients. This recipe makes a large quantity but often there are more for dinner Friday night and by the end of the weekend it has disappeared!
For perfect results, make the day before and remove the surface fat(shmaltz). Use this fat to make the knadeleich.

Ingredients

• ½ boiler chicken (fowl) including eggs– cut into portions
• 1 chicken carcass and the giblets
• 2 turkey necks – cut into small pieces
• 6 litres (10 ½ pints) of water
• 4 tablespoons or 3 cubes– chicken stock powder
• 4 carrots – peeled and sliced
• 5 sticks celery – sliced
• 2 parsnips – peeled and sliced into large pieces
• 2 turnips – peeled and sliced
• 2 onions – cut in half (keep the skin on)
• 2 small tomatoes – cut in half
• 2 tablespoons – salt
• 3 bayleaves – fresh or dried
• 3 peppercorns
• 1 swede peeled and sliced

Method

1) Place the raw boiling chicken, carcass, giblets and turkey necks into a large and deep saucepan.
2) Add all the remaining ingredients.
3) Add the water, bring to the boil and then simmer for 3 hours.
4) Skim off the fat from time to time.
5) Allow to cool before straining the soup from the vegetables. Add a selection of vegetables that are still intact. Remove the chicken and either use it for another meal (see suggestions next week) or shred it into fine pieces and add to the soup. Leaving it in the soup allows the chicken flavours to continue to infuse. Some soups benefit from time and this is one of them. The simpler the soup ie. soups with few ingredients, the better they are eaten fresh but a soup like chicken actually improves with time – (a maximum of 3 days before deterioration starts to take place!)
6) Refrigerate preferably overnight. Remove the fat from the top and use to make knaideleich or on top of the chicken/ potatoes for the roast that night.
7) Reheat until it starts to boil.

To serve the stylish way

Add a selection of vegetables to each bowl and sprinkle some croutons on top or add some knadeleich and lockshen to a generous helping of piping hot soup!

For further information please contact:

Denise's Kitchen
Northwood, Middlesex, HA6 2HD