this morning it was cold foggy and drizzling. i lit a fire while i was making breakfast for my daughter. we talked about how it was the perfect stay-home-and-have-hot-chocolate-watch-a-movie day. my restaurant is closed on sunday. so the driving force of my day is to clear my mind free of business stress and enjoy the comforts of home. while zoning out a bit on a reality show about bridal dresses i let my mind wander to what i should make for dinner tonight. i like to keep our sunday dinners easy to prepare comforting healthy and delicious. on the menu for tonight will be a version of my tuscan chicken soup from mom-a-licious. i love this soup because it is so satisfying can be prepared in under 30 minutes and provides leftovers that will last through the week. i am going to take on the more lengthy preparation because i have the extra time today. i will cook a whole natural chicken to make the broth and the meat for the soup. the smell that fills the house as the stock simmers through the afternoon is pure heaven and aromatherapy that brings about memories of childhood and my grandmother. i boil an entire chicken in a large pot without cutting or quartering the chicken. i cover the chicken with two inches of water. i bring it to a boil and then turn down to a simmer. i cook mine with cut up onion carrot and whole pieces of garlic for extra flavor. i leave it simmering for 1-2 hours depending on the weight of chicken. when the chicken is done you can pour all the broth through a strainer. let the chicken cool for a few minutes. if you prefer put on kitchen gloves and pull the meat off the bones (it comes off very easily) and discard the skin and bones of the chicken. after the broth is done i will add the pulled chicken rinsed canned italian white beans and kidney beans (you can add any type you like) and a can of crushed organic tomatoes. fresh basil and dill will be added. i’ll stir in finely chopped carrot and celery toward the end (so it retains a bit of a crunch). then i’ll serve it with freshly grated parmesan cheese and warm bread. i’m going to go curl up on the couch with a good book and my daughter wait for the approaching dinner hour and smell the delicious aromas that promise a hearty healthy dinner.
how can i make an easy chicken soup?