Chicken Coop Chatter©
To make your own chicken broth (Beef, Ham, Pork or Lamb is the same process): Toss meaty bones of left over whole baked, smoked or rotisserie chicken into a large kettle. Cover with water. Allow to simmer until all the meat has fallen from the bones. Allow to cool. This is where you'll get your hands dirty, so either use rubber gloves or your hands to remove any remaining meat from bones. Be very careful to remove all those little rib bones, gristle and fat. Discard the bones and what you should have left is chicken broth with some chicken meat in the kettle. You can strain through a fine strainer if you just want the broth, or want to separate the meat from the broth for different uses.
For soup: Pour the broth into a slow cooker, put the chicken meat in if you want a chicken soup with meat or freeze the meat for another meal. Cut up carrots, celery, potatoes and add to the cooker. Add left over rice or noodles. Season with poultry seasoning and salt/pepper to taste. Cook up to 8 hours on low. Serve with fresh warm bread and fresh butter for a hearty homemade winter time soup. When soup is ladled into a bowl, sprinkle a bit of smoked paprika and fresh or dried parsley on top and garnish with fresh Chive, Oregano or Thyme stems.
NOTE: The broth and the chicken freeze well and can be made up to use another time or may be canned up for quick soups at any time. Be sure to use a pressure cooker/canner and follow your manufacturer recommendations and the USDA guidelines, any time you are canning meats or low acid foods such as vegetables. You will find a link below for the National Center for Home Canning.
(for a good price on a Pressure Canner/cooker, click the link below for the Presto 23 quart stainless steel pressure cooker/canner)
http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/publications_usda.html
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