Foodie friday:Chicken Soup Love

Nothing tastes better (and more comforting) than a bowl of homemade chicken soup served up really hot.

A couple of weeks ago I was as sick as a dog, so Murph got busy in the kitchen and created the most amazing pot of chicken soup I had ever tasted! (If you know my mom, please don’t tell her that I’ve proclaimed this…Mama’s Hungarian Chicken Soup rules too!) Even with compromised taste buds, this bowl of love was so full of flavor. When I finally felt good as new, I was more than happy to continue re-heating that pot of soup for each meal.

Now that’s a killer soup.

Chicken Soup Love

2-3 lbs. chicken parts

2 medium onions, peeled and quartered

4-6 large carrots peeled and sliced

2 large cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

½ bunch of parsley, washed well

2-3 stalks celery, washed well and quartered

2 fresh bay leaves

6-8 whole black peppercorns

½ of a large dried ancho pepper (I truly believe this is the secret ingredient!)

3-5 quarts water (depending on the size of your soup pot)

Ample salt to taste (at least 3-4 tablespoons to start)

• Wash chicken well and place in soup pot. You may pull off skin to reduce the fat level.
• Add the remaining ingredients and fill with water to cover plus 2-inches. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook loosely covered for 2 hours or so. (As the soup is simmering, you may want to skim off any impurities from the top.)
• When the broth is rich in color (and taste), take pot off heat.
• You may pull out ingredients with a slotted spoon, or strain all into a separate pot. Reserve carrots and chicken meat to return to the soup afterward.
• If we have on hand a package of tiny-sized noodle, we’ll add that to our soup (but don’t overdo it or the pasta will absorb all the remaining liquid).

Serve with crusty garlic bread. Yum.

Enjoy (and feel better)!

Love, Nora