Ingredients for 8 servings of chicken soup
- 1 soup chicken (about 2.5 kg)
- salt
- 1 bunch of birch trees
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 peppercorns
- 1 onion
- 2 stalks of flat-leaf parsley
For the insert:
- 3-4 medium sized carrots
- 250 g frozen peas
- 200-225 g vermicelli
- freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 bunch of flat-leaf parsley
Preparing chicken soup – explained step by step
1. Clean and cook the chicken
Rinse the chicken thoroughly inside and out and cut off the "rump", which is the fat gland on the tail (if it stays that way, the chicken soup could get a slightly teary taste). Put the chicken in a large saucepan and add enough cold water to cover the chicken. Salt and bring to the boil.
2. Skim off the foam
For a nice, clear chicken soup Skim off the foam on the surface from time to time with a trowel, If the foam remains on it, the broth can later become cloudy and "crackling".
3. Add soup green
Clean and rinse the birch tree. The Cut the vegetables into about one centimeter cubes, The vegetable pieces then have a large surface area and can release more flavor to the chicken soup.
4. Let the chicken soup simmer
Add the diced soup greens, bay leaves, peppercorns, halved onion with skin and the rinsed parsley stems. Everything just let it cook for an hour and a half to two hours over low heat, Place the saucepan lid at an angle with a small gap on the pot so that the steam can still escape.
5. Cut the meat into bite-size pieces
It is best to take the chicken out with a foam trowel, let it cool and remove the flesh from the skin and bones, Then cut the meat into bite-size pieces. Pour the broth through a fine sieve.
6. Prepare the insert
For the inlay: Peel the carrots, cut them into pieces and cook in the broth for about five to eight minutes, depending on the size of the pieces. Let the pasta cook in the last 3 minutes. Add frozen peas and bring to the boil.
7. Season the chicken soup to taste
Add the chicken to the soup and season with salt and pepper. Rinse the parsley, shake dry and chop. Sprinkle over the chicken soup just before serving.
Approx. 560 calories, 38 g protein, 34 g fat, 25 g carbohydrates per serving of chicken soup
Tips for the perfect chicken soup
The onion is coming with the bowl in the brothbecause it gives the chicken soup a nice golden color.
So that the broth is particularly strong and the meat leaches well, the chicken soup always put on with cold water and then slowly bring to the boil.
Incidentally, this applies to all soups: if there is a particularly good broth, always fill the meat and bones with cold water. If it is more about the tender meat, let the broth bring to the boil and then pour the meat into it.
Does chicken soup really help against colds?
Grandma was right: the classic chicken soup that she always cooked when someone was sick – it actually helps! The healing properties of chicken soup for colds have now been scientifically proven: Researchers from the University of Nebraska showed in a laboratory experiment how chicken soup works on the body. The result: chicken soup blocks certain white blood cells that can cause inflammation and swelling of the mucous membranes.
Chicken soup also contains healthy ingredients such as vitamins, iron and zinc – this gives power to the weakened immune system. Like all soups, chicken soup also provides us with liquid and warms from the inside. When you have a bowl of hot chicken soup in front of you, breathe in its fragrance deeply: The hot steam moistens the mucous membranes – a fragrant, expectorant steam bath for the runny nose.
The best is a chicken soup with organic chicken: the meat has more taste because the animals grow more slowly than turbo-fed cage chickens. And if you know that the chicken has been kept properly and has had a good life, the chicken soup tastes even better.
Those who are more hungry simply refine the soup with rice or pasta or eat a slice of bread. This turns it into a filling meal. Egg sticks or semolina dumplings also go well with a chicken soup.