Cold Season Is Here, Time For Chicken Soup
Grandmother was right. Chicken soup is one of the best treatments for the common cold. There is something about chicken broth that holds heat better than normal water. The broth also helps to keep you hydrated which is another key to healing.
One of the best recipes for chicken soup uses roasted chicken. You can use leftover chicken from the bird you roasted last night in your trusty kitchenaid oven or pick up a chicken that has been cooked in a rotisserie oven at the local grocery store. You will need about three cups of cubed chicken.
While you can buy a commercially prepared chicken soup base, it is easy to make your own using the carcass of the roasted chicken that you took the meat off of. Throw all the bones into a stock pot and add a few vegetables for additional flavor. Boil over low heat or in a crock pot for several hours to make a rick stock for your soup. Strain the rich broth and throw the bones and vegetables out.
You will then add the cubed chicken to the stock and more chopped vegetables. If you have your black decker food processor, you will find the task of chopping vegetables much easier.
If you want pasta in your chicken soup but want the pasta to keep a good texture, then you will want to prepare the pasta on the side. Add pasta to each serving of soup just before serving. This allows you to store any leftover soup without pasta losing its shape and texture.. Leftover soup without the pasta freezes well.
There are several advantages to making your own soup over purchasing prepared soup. First, you are able to control the sodium content of your soup. Canned chicken soup is very high in sodium and if you are trying to limit your consumption of salt, making your own soup is a better choice.
An additional benefit is that you can load a home made soup up with fresh vegetables. This can add many needed nutrients to your diet.
If you feel a sniffle coming on, then stop by the store today to pick up a rotisserie chicken and some vegetables. Head home and create a large pot of your favorite chicken soup. Cuddle up on the sofa with a blanket and a large cup of the soup and nurse yourself back to health with your own chicken soup.
