Family Heirloom: Grandma’s Chicken Soup
Few recipes are as widely loved and cherished as chicken soup. When I was growing up, my grandma Helen and my mother made this soup - with it’s rich clear broth and large chunks of sweet carrots - whenever we were run down or fighting a bug. Now chicken soup is about as close to a feeling of home as I can envision.
So imagine my surprise when I encountered this same soup from a gracious host in Kenya, a half a world away from Arizona and my grandmother’s native Hungary. There weren’t any noodles or carrots, but the broth brought me right back home even while I was living so far away.
Of course Grandma was making bone broth based soups long before they became trendy, but the trend does have some strong research supporting the health benefits. Of all home remedies, the bone broth found in homemade chicken soup is one of the most effective for treating the common cold (1). Additionally bone broth is anti-inflammatory, beneficial for gut flora, and high in collagen, gelatin, and many vitamins and minerals (2). No wonder it's popular all over the world and has been for centuries.
This is my reproduction of Grandma’s recipe. We like to use buttered farfalle and often include peas even though grandma never did. You can likewise adapt it to your own memories of the perfect chicken soup.
Equipment:
Large stock pot
Large pasta pot
Fine mesh sieve
Colander
Ingredients:
3-5 lb. chicken, gizzards removed (use the neck in the soup if available)
14 cups of water
3 stalks of celery
10 carrots, trimmed and peeled
1 large yellow onion, peeled and quartered
1 bell pepper, cleaned and halved
1/2 bunch parsley
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 tsp whole pepper corn
3 bay leaves
1 1/2 TBS. kosher plus more to taste
1 TBS. cider vinegar
2 cups frozen green peas
2 boxes pasta (farfalle or your favorite)
2 TBS. salted butter
Method:
Combine the water, chicken, celery, 2 carrots, onion, garlic, bell pepper, parsley, pepper corns, bay leaves, and vinegar. Bring the water to a boil over medium heat, and then reduce the heat to low and simmer covered for 4 to 5 hours. Turn off the stove and remove the pan from heat to allow it to cool slightly.
Use metal tongs to remove the chicken and large vegetables from the broth. Place the chicken in a bowl to cool and discard the veggies. Strain the hot soup through the sieve into a large pot or container. Pour the broth back through the sieve into the stock pot.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Strain the pasta and rinse it briefly with cool water. Put the noodles in a bowl, add the butter, and season with salt as desired. Stir and set aside.
Chop the remaining carrots into 2 inch chunks. Add the carrots to the broth and bring it to a boil. Cook for about 12 minutes or until the carrots are tender.
While the carrots are cooking, remove the bones, skin, and cartilage from the chicken. Break or cut the meat into bite sized morsels.
Add the peas to the broth and cook just until warmed, 1-2 minutes. Add the chicken back to the soup, adjust salt and pepper to taste and serve in big bowls with lots of buttered noodles.