Name: Chicken Soup Recipe with Carcass
Ingredients: 1 chicken carcass (yep, that picked-over skeleton from your easy chicken soup from rotisserie chicken); 2 chicken feet (totally optional, but they make the chicken soup recipe using chicken bones stupid-rich); 3 quarts cold water (from the tap, nothing fancy); 2 medium onions, quartered (don’t even bother peeling them); 3 carrots, roughly chopped (scrub ’em but don’t stress about peeling); 3 celery stalks with leaves, roughly chopped (including those limp ones in the back of your fridge); 1 parsnip, roughly chopped (if you’ve got it, no big whoop if not); 1 head of garlic, halved crosswise (the whole darn thing); 2 bay leaves (those things that sit in your spice cabinet forever); 1 tablespoon black peppercorns (roughly, I usually just eyeball it); 1 bunch fresh parsley stems (save those leaves for later, smarty-pants); 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (helps suck the good stuff out of the bones); 1 tablespoon salt (kosher if you’re fancy, table salt if that’s what’s handy); 2 tablespoons olive oil (the everyday stuff, save your expensive EVOO); 1 large onion, diced (yes, more onion, just roll with it); 3 carrots, peeled and diced (make ’em pretty this time); 2 celery stalks, diced (the crunchy ones you saved for the soup); 2 cloves garlic, minced (or more if you’re not planning on kissing anyone); 8 cups homemade chicken soup (that amazing stuff you just made); 2-3 cups shredded chicken (from your carcass or grab some from the fridge); 1 cup pearl barley, rice, or pasta (dealer’s choice here, folks); 1 teaspoon dried thyme (or a couple sprigs fresh if you’re showing off); 1 teaspoon dried oregano (crush it between your fingers to wake it up); 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped (the secret weapon!); 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (from those leaves you smartly saved); Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste (be generous); Juice of half a lemon (don’t skip this, for real); Extra parsley for garnish (because we’re not animals)

Ingredients

Scale

For the Homemade Chicken Stock Recipe (The Foundation of Greatness):

1 chicken carcass (yep, that picked-over skeleton from your easy chicken soup from rotisserie chicken)
2 chicken feet (totally optional, but they make the chicken soup recipe using chicken bones stupid-rich)
3 quarts cold water (from the tap, nothing fancy)
2 medium onions, quartered (don’t even bother peeling them)
3 carrots, roughly chopped (scrub ’em but don’t stress about peeling)
3 celery stalks with leaves, roughly chopped (including those limp ones in the back of your fridge)
1 parsnip, roughly chopped (if you’ve got it, no big whoop if not)
1 head of garlic, halved crosswise (the whole darn thing)
2 bay leaves (those things that sit in your spice cabinet forever)
1 tablespoon black peppercorns (roughly, I usually just eyeball it)
1 bunch fresh parsley stems (save those leaves for later, smarty-pants)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (helps suck the good stuff out of the bones)
1 tablespoon salt (kosher if you’re fancy, table salt if that’s what’s handy)

For the Clear Chicken Soup with Vegetables:

2 tablespoons olive oil (the everyday stuff, save your expensive EVOO)
1 large onion, diced (yes, more onion, just roll with it)
3 carrots, peeled and diced (make ’em pretty this time)
2 celery stalks, diced (the crunchy ones you saved for the soup)
2 cloves garlic, minced (or more if you’re not planning on kissing anyone)
8 cups homemade chicken soup (that amazing stuff you just made)
2–3 cups shredded chicken (from your carcass or grab some from the fridge)
1 cup pearl barley, rice, or pasta (dealer’s choice here, folks)
1 teaspoon dried thyme (or a couple sprigs fresh if you’re showing off)
1 teaspoon dried oregano (crush it between your fingers to wake it up)
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped (the secret weapon!)
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (from those leaves you smartly saved)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste (be generous)
Juice of half a lemon (don’t skip this, for real)
Extra parsley for garnish (because we’re not animals)

Instructions

Making the Bone Broth Chicken Soup (The Part That Makes Your House Smell Amazing):

Deal with that carcass: If you’re using leftovers from Sunday’s roast chicken, pick off any good meat chunks and save ’em for later. Then break that bad boy down into smaller pieces. I usually just go at it with kitchen shears while watching Netflix. Smaller pieces = more flavor when making chicken soup with carcass.
Dump everything in the pot: Throw the chicken bones, feet (if you’re brave enough), and all that other broth stuff into your biggest pot. Cover it with cold water — and yes, it has to be cold, not trying to be difficult here, it actually makes a difference. Add the vinegar and let it hang out for 30 minutes. This is science, people.
Get it bubbling: Crank the heat to medium-high until you see bubbles threatening to party too hard, then dial it back to maintain just a gentle simmer. You want it barely bubbling, not going crazy like a hot tub at a bachelor party.
Deal with the scum: For the first half hour or so, gross foam stuff will float to the top. Grab a big spoon and skim that junk off. Nobody wants scum in their chicken soup benefits. This step makes your broth all nice and clear.
The waiting game: Let everything simmer away for at least 2-3 hours. Longer if you’ve got the patience of a saint. I sometimes go 4-5 hours if I’m having a lazy Sunday. Just check it now and then to make sure it’s not boiling too hard or getting too low. Add a splash more water if needed.
Strain that gold: Line a colander with cheesecloth (or a clean kitchen towel in a pinch) and put it over another big pot. Carefully pour everything through. Don’t burn yourself, that’s just embarrassing. Then pick through the strained stuff to rescue any good meat. There’s usually a surprising amount hiding in there!
Chill out: Let the broth cool a bit, then stick it in the fridge for a couple hours or overnight. This makes the fat rise to the top and solidify, so you can easily scrape it off. I usually leave a little fat because, hello, flavor!

Making the Hearty Chicken Soup Recipe (The Part Where It All Comes Together):

Get sautéing: In a soup pot, heat up that olive oil over medium heat. Toss in your diced onion, carrots, and celery. Cook until they’re getting soft but not brown, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute until it smells so good you want to face-plant into the pot.
Bring on the broth: Pour in your amazing homemade chicken stock, add the herbs, and bring it up to a simmer. If you’re doing barley or rice, add it now and let it cook until it’s tender. Barley takes forever (like 30-40 minutes), rice is quicker (15-20 minutes). Pasta is even faster, so maybe wait a bit before adding that.
Chicken time: Once your grains are almost there, throw in the chicken you saved and let it warm up for 5-10 minutes. No need to cook it to death, it’s already cooked!
Finish with the fresh stuff: Now stir in that dill, parsley, and the lemon juice. This is the part that makes your soup pop! Don’t skip it or you’ll be sad. Give it a taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. I always need more salt than I think I will.
Get it in bowls ASAP: Ladle that liquid gold into bowls, sprinkle with some extra parsley to make it Instagram-worthy, and serve with some crusty bread for dunking. You’ve earned this moment.

Author: Webhealthy