Chicken and Vegetable Soup

Now that falls is arriving, it's time for all my favorite soup recipes. Chicken and Vegetable Soup is delicious and super healthy.

Quick story. My friend, Melanie, dropped by one afternoon just as I was removing the last of the meat from a Costco chicken carcass. As I headed to the trash with the plastic tray full of bones and skin, she asked if she could have the carcass. I knew she and her little family were on a tight budget since hubbie was in law school, but they couldn't be reduced to eating garbage! When I looked puzzled, Melanie told me it made the best chicken broth. And was she ever right.

The recipe comes with a bit of a disclaimer - If you never met a recipe that you didn't try to tweek, this might just be your thing. If, on the other hand, you like a recipe to give you exact directions, you might want to wait for another recipe. The only two rules are: (1)Use the rotisserie chicken from Costco and (2) Add herbs. 

Step One: Remove the beautiful meat and set it aside.

 Reserve all bones, skin, fat, drippings and disgusting bits in a large pot.

Be sure to get all the tasty congealed drippings out of the plastic container. I then rinse the container with hot water and put that water in the pot with the bones. I don't want to lose any of that flavor.

Step two: Cover the bones with water (approximately 6-8 cups). Cover with a lid and simmer for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Let cool and strain through a colander. Once the broth cools, I stick it in the freezer for quick meals.

See that cottage cheese container?? It was holding 48 oz of tasty broth that I made this summer (when it was too hot for soup) and stuck in the freezer. (If I die and you are responsible for cleaning out my freezer, all those odd plastic containers are chicken broth. Don't throw them away! Have a feast!)

Nuke the huge chicken-flavored ice cube and put it in a large pot to boil, with a lid on. The broth you saw me making above is now frozen and will be used for a completely different recipe.

Step three: While my broth is coming to a boil, I gather my vegetables and ...

Chop them into bite-sized pieces. The peas and green beans are just frozen vegetables. The rest in the picture are fresh. Some of my favorites are: onions, peppers, broccoli, zucchini or yellow squash, mushrooms, cabbage, cauliflower, spinach, and celery. This is where you get creative. Love rutabaga, throw some in. Hate onion, leave it out. One thing about mushrooms - If you choose to NOT use any chicken meat, this adds a meaty texture to the vegetables. Butternut squash or any of the winter squashes also make it heartier.

Step four: Stir in the vegetables along with ... 

a can of diced tomatoes, a can of beans (I used red this time), 1-2 teaspoons of herbs (I used dried Italian seasoning), and salt (about 1 tsp) and pepper to taste.

Feel free to get creative with herbs. Have fresh basil, thyme, rosemary? Throw it in. Hate oregano? Don't use it. Experiment until you find the perfect blend, or mix it up so it always surprises you.

Put the lid back on and simmer for 20 minutes or so, just until the vegetables are tender. (Do not cook it so long that the green vegetables turn gray. Yuck.) 

Once the vegetables are done, add bits of chicken - as much or little as you want. Or leave out the chicken. It's your secret recipe. No need to heat the chicken - it's already cooked.

Serve alone or with crusty French bread and a salad. Healthy and yummy!!

Ingredients:

Costco rotisserie chicken

6-8 cups water

3-6 cups assorted vegetables

1-16 oz can diced tomotoes

1-16 oz can beans (black, red, kidney, white, garbanzo, ...)

1-2 tsp herbs

salt and pepper to taste

P.S. This freezes well in that recycle cottage cheese container.

Let me know your favorite vegetable and herb combinations!