Annette's Delicious Chicken Soup

Call me biased, but I have long felt that I could make a tasty soup with just the right taste and quality without feeling my soup was inferior to canned soup. For many years, I have experimented with various soups, chicken soup being my favorite. Recently on a cool, rainy day in Georgia, I became an experimenter in my kitchen and produced a flavorful full-bodied soup as corroborated by my hubby, the willing experimental subject.

Good way to use leftovers:

We all experience having bits and scraps of leftover food in the refrigerator and wonder how to incorporate these leftovers into a healthy and nutritious meal for our families. So, we take a dab of this and a smattering of that and we produce a tasty casserole, soup or stew that is both tasty and cost saving. Vegetables can be diced and added to your culinary creation, and delicious flavorings and broth can be added to your soup making for an interesting mixture of flavors, awakening the senses depending upon your artful use of spices and vegetables. A roasted or baked chicken after it has been consumed becomes the base for chicken soup. Boiling the leftover chicken bones (hesitate to say carcass) is the basis for the chicken stock for the soup. After simmering for 25 to 30 minutes depending upon the size of the leftover chicken, you will need to strain the broth through a strainer to remove unwanted bones, skin and gristle. Cut up the leftover chicken and return to pot with the broth. Some cooks prefer straining the broth through a cheesecloth. Either way is effective.

What is needed for the soup
Strainer to strain chicken broth or cheesecloth
3 qt saucepan
Rice, diced potatoes (optional)
Packet of Sazon seasoning
Cut up mixed vegetables (frozen, fresh or canned)
Can of chicken broth (13 oz)
2 tablespoons of frozen green and red peppers
Cream of celery soup (may use cream of mushroom soup if desired)
Mrs Dash seasoning

Directions for making Annette's original delicious chicken soup

Don't forget to don your apron, (helps you to thoroughly enjoy the experience of making the soup) and remember to break the wishbone with someone for an added good omen for success!

Place the chicken bones, 1 13oz can of chicken broth and 2 ½ cups of water into the pot. Add 1 packet of Sazon seasoning, 2 tsps of Mrs Dash seasoning. Cook on medium to low heat for 30 minutes.

Next, strain and remove chicken from bones, add cut up chicken and vegetables, 2 tbsp of chopped frozen green and red peppers, ¼ cup of uncooked long grain rice and 2-3 small diced potatoes. Let simmer for 20 minutes. Add one can of cream of celery soup and allow to simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Remove soup from heat and serve.

Preparation Time: Within 60-75 minutes, the irrestibly delicious fragrance of delicious soup will waft through your kitchen, awakening the senses of all who are within nose distance.

Serving Suggestions:
Using a sandwich maker or your broiler, toasted cheese sandwiches make an excellent accompaniment to this soup. Toasted English muffins topped with mozzarella cheese, Italian bread, French baguette bread or toasted garlic bread.(eliminate the garlic if you have a social engagement planned) are suggested accompaniments as well as cornbread muffins, bread sticks or Texas chesse toast if you prefer.

Enjoy! The recipe is so simple that you can enlist the aid of your younger children to help prepare this delicious soup. They can help make the toasted sandwich or measure out the ingredients for you as a practical lesson in learning fractions. Remember that soup can be eaten year round and is a healthy addition to your meals as an entrée. Serving soup before a meal helps to decrease overeating because it is filling and satisfying.

So, set the table with your favorite napkins, soup spoons, soup bowls and complete the table setting with a lovely seasonal floral arrangement. Sit back and enjoy!