Growing up, this is the soup that my mother made for my siblings and me. It is a pure and rich broth, delicious with rice, pasta, asian noodles or matzoh balls. I make a big pot of this a few times a month which provides some meals, and freeze what’s left over as stock for cooking. Best of all, my children love this soup as much as I have all my life.
Ready
- Whole Chicken (about 3 lbs)
- 2 cloves of garlic (pealed)
- Rice, pasta, noodles, or matzoh balls, etc
Set
- Stock pot
- Ladle
- Strainer
- Sieve
- Tongs or fork
Go
- Place whole chicken in stock pot (make sure there are no innards stored in the cavity of chicken.)
- Fill pot with cold water ¾ths of the way to the top.
- Peel and add 2 whole cloves of garlic.
- Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer for 1-1 ½ hours.
- Turn burner off and let slightly cool. With fork or tongs, remove some cooked white meat/breast meat from chicken — place aside.
- Return pot to stove and simmer soup for another 3-4 hours.
- Cool on stove for several hours.
- Place pot in refrigerator overnight. Skim hardened fat with strainer off top of soup the next day.
- Strain soup with sieve. Add back white meat that was put aside; add dark meat if you prefer.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Add steamed rice, pasta, noodles or matzoh balls.
What you should know
I like to shred the white meat chicken to be served in the soup. Prepare the rice, pasta, noodles, matzoh balls separately. Optional: I often add a few beaten eggs for a heartier soup.