Chicken Soup

I thought this would be a great way to use the leftovers from a chicken I had roasted on Thursday.  I had thighs and drumsticks left from that bird along with a bit of breast meat.  Lately, when I roast chicken, I butterfly the bird first by removing the back and neck.  That meant that I also had an uncooked bit of chicken in the freezer.

I started this process by thawing out a quart of chicken stock I had made last month.  That was the base for the broth for this soup.  Cooking the chicken back in the chicken stock to make a sort of "double strength" stock created a super rich flavor that was enhanced by the small amount of fresh ginger and garlic.

Hannah loved this meal.  She ate every bite and slurped every drop of broth.  I guess chicken soup should be on the menu more often.

What you'll need:

1 quart of chicken stock
1 uncooked chicken back/neck
3 cups of water

1 tablespoon of grated fresh ginger

1 clove garlic (pressed)

2 tablespoons of butter
1/2 medium red onion (diced)
1 stalk of celery (chopped)
2 carrots (diced)
5-6 sprigs of thyme (leaves separated and diced)

3/4 pound (approximately) roast chicken, deboned and chopped into small cubes.

1 cup frozen peas

salt

5-6 Basil leaves for chiffonade garnish

Pour stock and water into a soup pot or slow cooker.  Place chicken back into liquid and cook slowly at 190 degrees for 3-4 hours.

Remove chicken bones and strain liquid through a cloth to remove visible particles.   Pour broth back into pot.

Add ginger and garlic.

In a separate pan, saute butter, onion, celery, carrots and thyme until onions just soften.  Pour into broth and add chopped roast chicken.  Stir and cook for 20 minutes on low heat.

Add frozen peas and cook for another 5 minutes.

Add salt to taste.

Ladle into bowls and garnish with basil.