Guido's Chicken Soup (Printable)

Guido's Cucina

Ciao, I am Guido and my recipes for delicious Italian foods appear here.

Guido's Chicken Soup

Try my homemade Italian Chicken Soup. It is guaranteed to cure any illness and fill your tummy.

Ingredienti

1 whole fryer chicken

7 fresh roma (pear) tomatoes, cut in half

4 - 5 celery stalks, sliced (about 1/2" slices)

4 carrots, sliced (about 1/2" slices)

1 tsp fresh parsley, chopped

1 to 1/2 yellow onion (your choice), sliced, rings separated

3 - 4 cloves garlic, pressed to remove peel, but whole

Fresh oregano, basil, dill, rosemary, thyme -- about "that" much. (I don't measure)

2 bay leaf leaves

1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, to taste

1/2 tsp saffron

Orzo noodles, 1 oz per person eating soup

Fresh grated Parmesan and Romano cheese

Istruzioni per prepararsi

Prepare chicken: Remove gizzards, etc. Wash it inside and out. Keep skin on -- the fat from the skin adds flavor. (Don't use an "oven stuffer" type of chicken; it's much too fatty and has additives that sour the soup.)

Put chicken in soup pot, and fill pot with water until chicken is almost covered. Put on stove on medium-high heat.

If the chicken is cheap and not really that fatty, I may add a cube of chicken bullion for flavor. If you use a chicken that is really fatty, you don't need the bullion. The fat adds the flavor.

The water is heating during the time you cut up the veggies and add them. By the time all ingredients are added, the water is almost boiling. Turn down the burner to low or simmer. Don't boil!

Stir all ingredients together, slowly simmer about for 15 minutes per pound of bird (for example, 90 minutes for a 6-pound chicken). I stir about every 15 minutes during the cooking time, and turn the chicken over about an hour into the process. After that, the chicken is so cooked it falls apart, so turn it over while it is still in one piece.

Mangi e goda

Eat some of the chicken, a serving of the veggies, put one cup of soup stock per person eating in another pot and add 1 oz per cup of soup stock of Orzo noodles, cook for 11 minutes, then eat soup.

Discard remaining veggies; they won't keep. Store remaining chicken (good for sandwiches) in refrigerator. Stir and pour remaining soup stock in mason jars, let cool, refrigerate.

For next soup serving, skim off fat at top of soup, then bring to boiling, add Orzo, and there you are... I usually get about three 1-1/2 quart jars of soup stock to save for later beyond the first serving.

Buon appetito!