Making Homemade Chicken Soup in Pictures

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Fall time is just around the corner.  I start thinking about soups and stews to feed my family.  They just seem to go hand in hand with the cool months of the year. One of my favorites is chicken soup.  Chicken soup from scratch is very easy to make!  Here is a step by step photo tutorial to show you how to make this yummy meal for your family. 


To begin with you will need one whole chicken and salt. 


  


Put your chicken in a large stock or soup pot.  Mine is a 14 quart size pot, but it is a little on the big size for the job.  An 8 or 10 quart stock pot would most likely work just fine.


 



 


Now add 1 ½ gallons of water. 


 


 


Add 2T of salt


 


 


Bring your chicken and water to a boil


  


Turn down the heat, cover and let is simmer for a few hours (2 to 4 hours or so) I never really time it I just cook until my chicken has kind of fallen apart.



 


  


Now it is time to separate the chicken and broth.  I do this by putting a large pan (large enough to hold all the broth) in my sink


  


Then I put a colander inside the pan to catch the chicken


  


I pour the broth and chicken into the colander. 


  


I remove the chicken and set this aside to cool.


  


Return the broth back into the stock pot


 



Now it is time to make soup! 


You will need about 4 to 5 cups of pasta.  You can use any type of pasta you would like. Egg noodles are traditional but I like to use the rainbow rotini pasta that I get from my food co-op.  You will also need one large onion and a few carrots (amount is up to you). 


  


Chop up the onion and carrots


 


Add them to your broth


  


Bring this to a boil and add your spices.  I add 1T chicken broth powder that I buy from my food co-op and about 1t of poultry seasonings.  After it has come to a boil cover the pan and let this simmer for about 1 hour or until the veggies are tender. 


  


While that is simmering you can debone your chicken.  Remove all the meat from the bones and discard the bones. 


  


When the cooking time is up add your chicken meat and pasta to the soup.  


 


 


Let this simmer for about 12 to 15 minutes.  Now you can taste it to see if you need to add any more salt.  I typically don’t add any thing else.   Serve this yummy meal to your family with a salad and some whole grain crackers and enjoy!!     


 


 

Comments

  1. AnonymousAugust 23, 2008 at 5:40 AM

    This was amazing!! And I think I love you!!!


    Rachael

    ReplyDelete
  2. GretaAugust 23, 2008 at 8:35 AM

    Oh, Thank you, thank you, thank you for posting this! I have been wanting to make homemade chicken soup for a few weeks now, but all of the stock recipes I've come across have been so involved! This looks much easier, and much tastier than anything I've seen yet-- thanks again!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. CathyAugust 23, 2008 at 12:27 PM

    Crystal,

    This is so helpful and I need simple instructions and you gave that. I'm going to try this.

    Love to you my friend,

    Cathy

    ReplyDelete
  4. homesteadinthemakingAugust 23, 2008 at 12:40 PM

    Oh, my this looks so good and easy. I can't wait to try this one. I may even can some up for the winter.

    Blessings,

    Trixi

    ReplyDelete
  5. DeblynAugust 23, 2008 at 2:48 PM

    Crystal, you and I are thinking the same things! I have been excited to start looking at recipes and planning to make soups, stews, chili. I can't wait for it to cool down a bit more. Tomorrow is supposed to be 103 here...but before we know it fall will be here! :) Have a great day!

    ReplyDelete
  6. geeksldswifeAugust 28, 2008 at 7:55 PM

    you read my mind. Now that its cooling off in WA I'm craving soup! :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousAugust 31, 2008 at 4:28 PM

    Can you freeze this after it's ready to serve? It looks wonderful!

    ReplyDelete

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