Chicken Chicken Soup!

“With the winter chill upon us,
And snow upon your stoop,
We think you will find comfort
In our chicken chicken soup!”

Mario hardly ever gets sick. I don’t know how he does it, but then again, I’m the one who works in a big office building and takes public transportation, so maybe it makes some sense that it seems to be me who always catches the cold, or the flu, or whatever happens to be going around. So I know for a fact that Mario first made this soup for me because I was sick. (Yeah, he’s a big ol’ softie!) And because Mario has music in his soul and likes to make me laugh, he usually sings silly little songs while he cooks. Hence the short verse quoted above to open this post.

1 ½ to 2 lbs chicken thighs, skin removed
1 small bunch celery, trimmed and chopped
1 bag carrots, chopped
1 onions, chopped
1 head of garlic, chopped
3-4 cubes chicken bouillon or chicken broth
2 potatoes, chopped (optional)
1/2 lb pasta or 1 cup rice
Kosher salt

There is some disagreement on what type of meat to use for chicken soup. Skinless, boneless thighs; skinless, boneless breasts; thighs with skin and bone; all have their proponents. We’ve made this soup many different ways in our quest for perfection, and we’ve come to the conclusion that skinless but on the bone thighs yield the best results.
Although the boneless, skinless thighs make for an easier-to-eat meal, the bones do provide a nice boost of flavor.

Cover chicken with 2 inches of water in large stockpot.

Add garlic, onions and pinch of Kosher salt. Bring to a gentle boil; lower heat and simmer for 45-50 minutes.

We know this may be blasphemy to a hard-core chicken soup loyalist; however, along with the usual celery and carrots, we like to add potatoes for a heartier soup.

Add celery, carrots, potatoes, and bouillon. Simmer for another 45 minutes.

We haven’t mastered (ok, we haven’t even attempted) homemade stock yet, but if you prefer to use homemade or canned chicken broth or stock, just start with that instead of water. Add pasta or rice (we’ve made it both ways) and simmer for 20 minutes. If using rice, we suggest cooking the rice separately before adding it to the soup. This will make the finished product a little less starchy.

Even better if served with a loaf of crusty bread!