This Is the Key to Making Really Great Chicken Soup.
It’s a sick season and I’m a little sick. It’s not COVID, but it’s my first cold in over two years and it won’t go away. I suspect there may be others in a similar boat. What we all need besides cold medicine and rest is good chicken broth, and the best chicken broth starts with the careful preparation of a whole chicken.
Tender pieces of boiled chicken floating in a golden clear broth is my personal platonic ideal of what chicken soup should be. Noodles and vegetables are also important, but even the most perfect noodles won’t save a mediocre broth.
Why you need to boil and not boil
Gently simmering a whole chicken will result in a broth with a clean, pronounced chicken flavor, and when I say “gently” that’s what I mean. This bird does not see a strong boil for more than a few seconds, which means that you do not remove any of the foamy pieces (or, in turn, should not remove them).
Boiling chicken or chicken bones produces a broth with a deeper, almost earthy flavor and a darker, cloudier appearance, and you run the risk of overcooking the chicken. The broth is great for sauces, stews, and even other soups, but in a situation with chicken noodles or matzo balls, I need a golden elixir that can only be obtained by long brewing. I have used this method countless times; the chicken is always luxurious and the broth is always delicious.
How to boil chicken
We’ve covered this method before (and I mention it often), but it deserves a full recap. While most poached chicken recipes call for you to lightly simmer the bird over medium heat, we simmer for just 25 minutes, then cover and steep for at least two hours, lovingly extracting as much of the chicken flavor as possible without imparting those dark flavors you get from boiling. (The chicken itself is incredible too.)
Start by letting the bird come to room temperature. Cover it with plastic wrap if it wasn’t shrink-wrapped and leave it on the counter for an hour. Remove the giblets and trim the tail along the excess skin around the cavity. As A. A. Newton explained in her treatise on poached chicken , this reheating step is optional: “Running room temperature chicken in room temperature water will ensure it is fully cooked, so don’t skip this step!”
Then put the chicken in a colander and rub it inside and out with a handful of coarse salt to remove any sticky bits, especially on the skin. Rinse it, then place it in a large saucepan cavity side up and cover with room temperature water. Continue adding water until the bird is covered by a few inches, carefully turning the bird breast-side up. (About a gallon should be enough for you.)
Add any flavors and seasonings you want to the pot. If you want to make classic chicken noodles, one or two onions (with the skin on for a richer color), a few coarsely chopped carrots, a couple of celery stalks (also coarsely chopped), and a halved head of garlic will do. trick, especially if you add a tablespoon of pepper and a few sprigs of dill. I crave ginger when I’m sick, so I usually opt for a thinly sliced head of the aromatic root along with a head of garlic (cut off the top) and a handful of green onions. (Some fresh chili bits are also welcome, especially if I’m treating a cold.) Regardless of which flavors you choose, you’ll also need some salt and some sugar. I use 1 1/2 teaspoons of coarse salt and a tablespoon of table sugar, but feel free to experiment to your taste. (A pinch or two of monosodium glutamate won’t hurt either.)
Cover the pot and bring to a boil over medium heat, then immediately reduce heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes. Turn off the heat (turn off the burner if you are using an electric stove) and let it sit for at least two hours, or up to four. (I rarely exceed two, and this time is always enough.)
Take the chicken out of the pot. The easiest way to do this is to stick a sturdy spoon handle into the cavity, then remove it while leaning on an extra spoon, allowing the broth inside the cavity to drip back into the pot. Let the chicken rest while you strain the broth.
Pick up your soup
Now you can add the vegetables you want to eat (the first batch will be too soft), along with the noodles, so bring the strained broth to a boil. The time to add each ingredient to the pot will be determined by how long it takes to cook each one. Finely chopped or sliced carrots and celery will be tasty but tender after just five minutes of cooking, while most types of pasta take 7-12 minutes, depending on their size. Add the noodles first, then add the vegetables when you have five minutes left to cook the noodles. While they are cooking, cut the chicken into small pieces. Add the chicken once the noodles and vegetables are done. Ladle into bowls and garnish with green onions, dill, or whatever. Drink, drink and calm down.