Tips and recipes for making homemade chicken soup, from the ThriftyFun community. Post your own ideas here.
When making homemade chicken soup I start out by covering the chicken with cold water and bringing it to a boil. Then I put it on simmer for about 1 hour. I line a colander with a clean white cloth (which I have wet with water and rung out to help the cloth "stick" to the colander). I then pour the broth into the cloth that is lining the colander. This catches any fat and makes a more calorie conscious soup base. I then remove the chicken, let it cool, cut the chicken into small pieces and return to the soup pot. Then add the low-fat soup broth. Then add whatever veggies and seasonings you like.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I am making homemade chicken soup in a stock pot that takes 24 cups of water. I had to take 8 cups out to fit the whole chicken in, plus carrots, parsley, parsnips, onions, celery.
How much powdered chicken bouillon should I add if 1 tsp of powdered equals 1 cup of chicken soup? The bones and skin come off after cooking.I usually use 2 tsp for 6 quarts. I would use 3-4 tsp for your soup.
Since bouillon powder/cubes tend to be very salty, I believe that I would start with 3 or 4 (as Judy suggested) and add another if taste tests are not salty enough as you can always add more but difficult to correct if too salty.
It is difficult to say for sure as you may have a pot full of chicken and veges but very little liquid so try to add a little at a time. Also, food tends to taste saltier after it has sit or rested for a while.
When I make chicken soup with a whole chicken, I don't use any bouillon at all. It's basically dehydrated broth and you are making that with the chicken already.
I usually cook the soup down for a long time, remove the bones and allow the strained liquid to sit in the fridge so that I can remove the fat layer from the top after it cools. Then I add in my veggies, my broth and the chicken meat I removed from the bone and cook it down. I adjust the seasonings with salt or even a splash vinegar if it is too bland.
Good luck and let us know how your soup turns out.
