CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE NEW MOM

If you don’t have the capacity to read this, you can just listen and watch the video.

Otherwise, here is the written out tutorial!

This is a meal idea for not just any friend or family member who has had a baby, but for anyone feeling sick or down who needs a pick me up.

This is not a recipe.

I don’t really cook with them. I believe cooking has to adapt to situations and the availability and quality of ingredients.

I’m going to give you techniques and a list of possible ingredients, but how you put them together is up to you!

1. Make the stock

   1. Homemade chicken stock is SO nutritious. Protein, collagen, vitamins and minerals, oh my! Everything a healing body needs.

   2. Fill a stock pot with water equal to the quantity of stock you would like. Don’t fill it over 2/3 of the way, as you need room for the chicken and veggies. You can turn the burner on while you are filling to start the water warming

   3. You need at least one, if not two whole, cooked chickens. You can use a rotisserie chicken from the store, or one that you roasted yourself. I used one of each in this recipie.

   4. Sort out the meat from everything else. We had already eaten most of the meat from the chicken I made from the night before, so it was mostly the bones and extras from the first one. I saved all the meat from the store bought chicken for the soup.

   5. Put EVERYTHING in. Skin. Bones. Cartilage. Anything not meat.

   6. Add your herbs. I prefer fresh and add them whole after washing from my garden. You can use dried, just be sure to contain them in a bag so they can be scooped out later. Herbs I like:

      1. Sage

      2. Thyme

      3. Tarragon

      4. Oregano

      5. Rosemary - some people have strong preferences on this so hold off if you aren’t sure about this one. I did not put it in this batch of soup

   7. Add your veggies. These go in whole and only broken up to fit in the pan. Don’t worry about peeling the onion or pulling the leaves off the celery, it adds to the flavor! I use carrots, onions and celery in my stock. You could add other veggies if you want, but I don’t think its necessary.

   8. Salt well. Don’t overdo it. You can always add more, but don’t shy away either! I use 4-5 generous pinches in mine.

   9. Simmer. I like to boil mine first, then bring it down to a simmer. How long? That’s up to you! Leaving it longer will give you a deeper flavor. Leaving it shorter will have a lighter flavor. I leave mine simmering anywhere from 4-8 hours depending how many ingredients are in the pot and how much I’m making.

2. Prep your veggies

   1. I like to brown my veggies first in a little butter to deepen the flavors.

   2. What veggies can go in the soup?

      1. Carrots, Onions and Celery are traditional

      2. Potatoes are a great noodle alternative

      3. Other options: mushrooms, corn, peppers, squash, leeks, garlic.

   3. If you are adding a lot of veggies brown in batches, you don’t want to crowd the pan.

3. Drain the stock, add soup ingredients

   1. If you don’t have a stock pot with a colander you will need to drain the soup into another pot with a separate colander. You can pull out as many of the big pieces as you can before draining, which will help that process.

   2. Make sure all stock pieces were pulled out by stirring the stock before you add your soup ingredients.

   3. I like to add the veggies first and bring the soup to a boil for a few minutes to soften and cook the celery, potatoes, and carrots. Nobody wants a soup with hard veggies!

   4. Add your chicken pieces.

   5. Keep in mind that the chicken and veggies should be bite sized and easy to pick up on a spoon, but not so small that you lose the texture.

4. Cook the soup until all the veggies are done. I keep mine on a low boil or simmer. Stir occasionally.

5. Add noodles.

   1. I like ones that have a little bit of “oomf” to them. Ancient grain or hearty whole grain variety’s. They tend to have a little more nutrition and are of better quality. Use whatever shape you’d like!

   2. Don’t cook the noodles too long, leave them a little al dente. They will continue to absorb the stock as they sit.

6. Package up.

   1. I like to gift them in pint or quart mason jars. Glass > plastic when it comes to storing food and who doesn’t need more mason jars!

   2. If you have a canning ladle and funnel, use those to fill the jars and get a good dispersal of chicken, veggies, noodles & stock.

   3. Let cool before adding the lid.

   4. Keep refrigerated until you gift it.

   While you are going through the trouble to make the soup, take the time to make enough so that you and your family can enjoy it for lunch or dinner!

   I get that this sounds like a lot, especially if you have never cooked like this!

   I am a working mom, and have a lot on my plate, too.

   However, I think this is such a doable, easy meal to make, and it makes for a thoughtful gift. How we eat makes such a big difference and I will always fight for my family to eat the best I can provide.

   I want that for other people, too.