Chicken Soup by your own hand . . .

Chicken soup has got to be the ultimate comfort food but one always feels one needs a mom in order to have this need fulfilled. Well, the point of this Blog is to inspire college students to learn to fend for themselves and to take learned kitchen skills into their post-graduate lives. If you can make chicken soup, you have a head start!

Chicken soup is not a precise recipe. Yes, you can look up some on-line and get a dozen different ways to fix it. I'm a basic person so like this recipe because it a.) is easy to accomplish and b.) it tastes like you knew what you were doing when you made it.

Chicken Soup

If you are cooking for two people or yourself with leftovers in mind, you need about a pound of
chicken. I always check the marked down section at the grocery store. I call it the 'used meat' section but my husband objects to that phrasology for some reason. Go figure! With that said . . .

Approximately one pound or so of bone-in chicken
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, smashed and chopped
3 chicken bullion cubes
Salt and pepper to taste
16 ounces of frozen, mixed vegetables
Your choice of cooked rice or pasta (You can even get precooked rice in the freezer section these days!)

In a large pot, add a tablespoon or two of vegetable oil. Salt and pepper your chicken pieces. When the oil is hot, brown the chicken pieces on all sides. Add the onion and garlic and continue cooking until the vegetables (as in onion and garlic) are softened. Add about six cups of water and the bullion cubes to the pot. Turn down the heat and simmer until the chicken is very tender.

Strain the chicken from the broth (BUT KEEP the broth!), shred the meat from the bones and discard the bones. All both the chicken and meat back to the pot. Taste for salt and add more if necessary. Bring back to a simmer and add the bag of frozen vegetables. Cook only until everything is piping hot. Spoon chicken soup over your choice of cooked rice or noodles in bowls. Serve!

Not knowing your current expertise in the kitchen, I didn't mention herbs but you can consider the following as you expand your chicken soup making capabilities!

Dried Basil
Dried Dill
Poultry Seasoning
Freshly chopped parsley
Freshly chopped green onion

If you have them on hand, give them a sniff and see if you'd like to enhance your soup with these herbs, etc. That's the way you learn your way around the cooking pot, being adventurous in small steps.