Make With A Whole Chicken
I love making my Grandma’s soup with a whole chicken. The raw chicken cooks in the soup! If you do not have a whole chicken on hand, you can easily use other chicken parts…it is best to use chicken with the bones as the bones add a lot of nutrients to the soup while cooking.
Add your raw whole chicken to a stockpot. Add in low sodium chicken broth, seasonings, vegetables, and water. Cover and bring the chicken soup to a boil. Turn down the heat and allow this chicken soup to simmer for two hours.
Jewish Chicken Soup With Matzo Ballsthe Real Jewish Penicillin
This recipe is what my childhood memories are made of. It is what I need to turn to when I am sick or aching from a bad day. The rich golden broth makes my sniffles melt away and warms my soul. Full of veggies, tender chicken and moist, melt away matzo balls, this Jewish Chicken Soup is the Real Jewish Penicillinthe answer to all of lives hard times.
This post is a recreation of the very first blog post I ever wrote. However, it was so near and dear to my heart that I decided I needed to make it better.
Year after year, the one request I get from my readers and clients alike is to teach them the secret to a real Jewish chicken soup. There are very few rules to a good chicken soup, mine starts with two ingredients, heart and soul.
This Chicken Soup was the ONLY food I would eat as a kid. We had to have it in the house all the time or else I went hungry.
I can still recall that wonderful taste. The best part was when my mother used to hand feed me with it. She would take a bite size piece of bread with some meat on it from the soup and put it in my mouth followed by a spoonful of broth. That taste has been forever imprinted in my mind.
When I am sick, this is my calling. All diets are off when Im sick, I slurp up every golden circle of chicken fat and gobble up every last piece of chicken skin, until my belly smiles with glee.
And so I pass my moms simple recipe onto you.
This soup is ALWAYS a standard in my freezer as well as on my holiday tables.
What Can Be Added For More Flavor
If your chicken soup is bland, it may need more salt. Thats why its important to taste it along the way and adjust the seasonings. PRO-Tip: You can always add more salt, but you cannot remove any excess. Other ingredients you might consider include herbs, garlic, peppercorns, chicken bones, along with more unusual vegetables like parsnips.
Note: do not taste the broth until the chicken has simmered for over an hour to avoid the chance of a foodborne illness like salmonella.
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United States And Canada
In the United States and Canada, chicken soup often has noodles or rice in it, thus giving it its common name of “chicken noodle soup“. The term may have been coined in a commercial for the Campbell Soup Company in the 1930s. The original 21 varieties of Campbell’s condensed soup featured a “chicken soup with noodles”, but when it was advertised on the Amos ‘n’ Andyradio show in the 1930s by a slip of the tongue the soup was referred to as “chicken noodle soup”. Traditionally, American chicken soup was prepared using old hens too tough and stringy to be roasted or cooked for a short time. In modern times, these fowl are difficult to come by, and broiler chickens are often used to make soup.
Canned chicken soup
Often sold as a condensed soup, canned chicken soup such as Campbell‘s Chicken Noodle Soup, is notable for its high sodium content: 890 mg per 1â2 cup serving. This gives a 1+1â2 cup bowl of soup about 2,500 mg of sodium, a full day’s allowance in the case of this mainstream brand. Other condensed chicken soups produced by Campbell’s, such as Chicken with Rice or Chicken & Stars Soup, have similar amounts, as do generic versions of the product.
Usually, the main ingredients of this canned soup are:
- Chicken Broth
How To Make Homemade Chicken Soup
Many people claim a homemade chicken noodle soup recipe, but they use canned or boxed chicken soup in their recipe. Trust me.there IS a difference! If you want that true homemade chicken soup taste, read on!
My sister, Julie, got her famous recipe right from my Grandma Lee over the phone. As most of you know, I am not the cook in the family.. thats my sister, Julie. So, while I would ask my grandma to make it for me, Julie had the foresight to ask her to teach her how to make it.
She talked her through the whole thing. She never wrote it down, but we did! Below is our best approximation of the basic recipe she taught us.
Everyone likes their chicken soup a bit different. Grandma strained hers so it was clear and then added the pieces of carrots back in. We like a few more bits in it so I dont strain it. Sometimes we chop up the onions and celery and leave them in as well. We never make it exactly the same twice. We throw in a bit more a bit less, but somehow it always comes out tasting just like its supposed to!
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Chicken Soup: The Story Of Jewish Penicillin
At the first sign of sniffles, what do YOU do? Take two aspirins and go to bed? Chug some cold medicine? Some say the best cure is one of the oldest, and the tastiest: Chicken soup, which some consider “Jewish penicillin.”
Correspondent Nancy Giles asked cookbook author and food historian Joan Nathan, “Are there particular properties that can help with a cold?”
“When I was making soup the other day, there was something about the aroma of chicken soup it just felt good,” she replied. “And when I have a cold, it’s the first thing that I’ll get.”
Nathan says chicken soup has been on the menu for centuries. “The first recorded mention of chicken soup was somebody named Dioscorides, who was an Army surgeon general in Rome,” she said. “But then later, Maimonides, who was a Jewish philosopher-scientist, said that chicken soup was a panacea for so many different things: asthma, weight gain , leprosy.”
Since Maimonedes’ time, chicken soup has been prescribed by grandmothers and doctors alike. But many believe there really is evidence to support the prescription.
As chicken cooks, it releases an amino acid resembling properties in medicine used to fight infections such as bronchitis. And in 2000, a study found that chicken soup may also reduce inflammation less inflammation equals fewer symptoms.
Our love for chicken soup is universal , but there are as many recipes as there are countries where it’s eaten.
For more info:
A Superior Chicken Soup
Warm and comforting, this soup is a classic to master.
Chicken soup is one of the most painless and pleasing things to make in a home kitchen. But do modern cooks know that?
During Americas inexorable march toward processed food, chicken soup became something to buy, not something to make Campbells alone produces more than 50 varieties and many cooks simply dont know how satisfying a project it is.
So what comes first, the chicken or the soup? Ashley Aguilar, a radiology technician in San Jose, Calif., asked after spotting an online photo of my homemade chicken soup.
It is a very deep question, beyond the scope of this column.
But I can confidently state that chicken soup will carry even the laziest cook through a long, cold season.
Its literally the easiest thing in the world to cook, said Leah Koenig, the author of Modern Jewish Cooking. You just put stuff in a pot and walk away.
Not quite. There is a method to producing a fragrant, golden, savory soup you want to eat all winter long.
The chicken soup with root vegetables that we recognize as the American classic was first a staple across Northern Europe. Egg noodles, the perfect filling addition, ranged from the thinnest of white threads to fat yellow twists.
The first thing to do apologies in advance is to ignore the ancestral recipes.
Today, even if I were to become deeply familiar with the life cycle and gender transitions of the modern chicken, I couldnt easily provision any of those.
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How Do You Make Chicken Soup From Scratch
The process for making this Chicken Soup AKA Jewish Penicillin starts with placing a whole chicken in a large pot. This just wont work best with boneless, skinless chicken breasts you need the bones for an unequivocal success in the flavor department. If youd rather use bone-in chicken pieces, make sure to include both dark meat and white meat as the dark meat is more flavorful. Cover the chicken with water.
Large chunks of vegetables are added along with herbs and the simmering process begins. The long cooking time helps reduce the liquid via evaporation to concentrate the flavors, plus more flavors are extracted from the chicken and bones. Make sure to occasionally skim off any foam, which comes from impurities, and will make the broth cloudy if not removed. I add about a tablespoon of kosher salt to start , but after an hour or so, taste and add a bit more if needed.
After waiting patiently for 3 hours, youll be clamoring for a bowl of this fragrant broth, but make sure to add back some chunks of carrots and the shredded chicken. I also like to slice up some celery and add it towards the end of the cooking time for some additional vegetables.
Place Chicken in the Pot Add all the Veggies Add water to Cover the Ingredients Top with Herbs and simmer away!
How To Make Jewish Chicken Soup
Food writer, blogger and home cook
There are lots of good reasons to make chicken soup. If you’re in a cold climate there is the weather-food imperative. If you’re sick, it can cure whatever ails you, or at least helps you feel better. While it is not a replacement for modern medicine, if you’ve tasted excellent Jewish chicken soup, you know what I’m talking about when I say it has healing powers no doctor can replicate. If you love someone, there is no better way to demonstrate your feelings than to cook for him or her. And if you adore matzo balls, chicken soup is essential to float them in, right?
I know vegetarians can cite chapter and verse on how they can do equally well on all these fronts without this magical liquid. Their dietary principles are sound and as the saying goes, “some of my best friends …,” but I’ll stick with the chicken soup and make vegetable stock for other occasions.
To Make Jewish Chicken Soup You Need:
- Chicken
- Vegetables – Carrot, celery, onion, and fresh parsley are essential. It’s nice to add parsnip if you like a somewhat sweet undertone to the broth.
- Salt and pepper
- A big pot with a cover, preferably with a wide bottom
- A spoon or spoons for stirring
- A cutting board and knife
- Patience
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Easy Shabbat Chicken Soup
Whether it is for a Friday night Shabbat dinner or a Yom Tov meal, this Easy Shabbat Chicken Soup from scratch recipe is a delicious way to make your soup course. This recipe is gluten free and is so tasty that everyone will be asking for seconds. It uses very few ingredients, is extremely healthy, and is a Passover chicken soup recipe.
What Is Matzo Ball Soup
Matzo Balls are Ashkenazi Jewish dumplings made from matzo meal, eggs, fat, water or broth, and salt. They are typically served in homemade chicken soup and a traditional Passover dish. I usually add some minced parsley to give the matzo balls some color, but forgot this time!
If youd rather add noodles or rice to your chicken soup, theyd also be delicious!!!
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Chicken Soup From Scratch
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
For the broth:
1 chicken, 3 to 3 ½ pounds, with skin, cut up
3 stalks celery, with leaves, cut into chunks
2 large carrots, cut into chunks
2 yellow onions, peeled and halved
1 parsnip or parsley root
About 1 dozen large sprigs parsley
About 1 dozen black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons kosher salt, more to taste
To finish the soup:
3 tablespoons reserved chicken fat, more if needed
3 leeks, trimmed, halved lengthwise, rinsed and sliced crosswise into thin half-moons
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into small dice
Kosher salt and ground black or white pepper
Egg noodles , such as packaged wide noodles, spaetzle, fettuccine or pappardelle cut into short lengths
Finely chopped herbs, such as parsley, scallions, dill or a combination
1. Place the chicken, celery, carrots, onions, parsnip , parsley, peppercorns, bay leaves and salt in a large soup pot and cover with cold water by 1 inch.
2. Bring to a boil over high heat, then immediately reduce the heat to very low. Adjust the heat until the soup is smiling: barely moving on the surface, with an occasional bubble breaking through. Cook until the chicken is very tender and falling off the bone, 1 to 1 ½ hours.
3. When cool enough to handle, use tongs to transfer chicken from the pot to a container. Taste the broth and continue to simmer it until it is concentrated and tasty. Strain broth through a fine sieve into a separate container. Discard all the solids from the strainer .
A Step By Step Guide To Making This Recipe
Time needed: 4 hours and 10 minutes.
Easy Shabbat Chicken Soup From Scratch step by step.
Add chicken, salt, and pepper to the pot. If you are using chicken pieces then use 2-3 leg quarters or bone-in breast pieces, a package of legs or wings work well too. You can also use 1 bag of chicken bones or 1 whole chicken.
Chop the celery and carrots and add them to the pot.
Add onions, dill, parsley, and fill with water until all ingredients are covered.
Bring the soup to a boil then turn down to a gentle simmer. Cook the soup for a minimum of 4 hours but 8-12 hours makes for an incredibly flavorful soup.
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How To Serve Jewish Chicken Soup
The soup is best served the next day, after it has had time to rest, but as long as you don’t use the chicken skin, you can serve it immediately if necessary.
You can make fine egg noodles and toss them in before serving this soup, but the absolute best way to serve this soup is with matzo balls, the way Grandma intended. As I mentioned above, some people like to toss the chicken back in after its been deboned that’s good if chicken soup is your main course, but can make it a little too heavy if it’s only a starter. Play around with it until you find the perfect soup for your family, and remember: Jewish chicken soup cures everything!
Chicken Soup In The Instant Pot
The ultimate in Jewish cooking golden chicken soup. After years of aiming for that perfect taste, I finally achieved it in my newest obsession: the Instant Pot. Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links.
The Instant Pot has taken the world by storm. The newest in pressure cooking, the Instant Pot has so many features and uses, it will make an incredible addition to your kitchen if you dont already have it.
There are different brands, but I am only familiar with the original Instant Pot , so that is what this recipe will configure to.
I consider myself to be a good cook. I dont cook particularly fancy or gourmet , though. I cook traditional, delicious food, and a lot of comfort food. The quintessential trait of a Jewish mother.
My personal miracle was that I learned how to cook even though I didnt do a stitch in the kitchen growing up. And my husband actually liked my food when I first started, um, experimenting.
It frustrated me to no end, however, that I could not figure out chicken soup. Cholent? No problem. Six hour stuffed cabbage? Totally. Any and all other soups? I got this. But chicken soup was slowly becoming the bane of my existence. No matter what I did, I just couldnt get it to taste like my mothers. And everyone knows, Mamas chicken soup is the be all and end all.
How to make Instant Pot Chicken Soup:
1. Turn on the saute setting on your Instant Pot and pour oil into the bottom of the pot.
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Homemade Chicken Soup With Matzo Balls
This is the BEST chicken soup, Jewish penicillin, or whatever youd like to call it. Ive always shied away from parsnips and dill is not my favorite herb, but they both add layers of flavor to this delicious chicken vegetable soup. The only homemade chicken soup I remember from my childhood was matzo ball soup, which may seem unusual for our Catholic family. My sisters and I adored it.
We had Jewish neighbors down the street, and I imagine my moms version came from her friend, Hanna. Even growing up in a small college town in the Midwest, my mom collected recipes from her friends of all ethnicities, Julia Child on PBS, and her treasured cookbook collection including the New York Times Cookbook.
Ive added matzo balls or orzo, a small rice-shaped pasta, in the past, but any noodle or dumpling would be nice in this flavorful chicken stock. This Jewish chicken soup is perfect if youre under the weather or just want something to warm you to the core on a chilly evening. Ive shared this recipe with numerous friends, and every single one swears this is the best chicken soup recipe theyve ever tasted.
