When I think of comfort food the first thing that comes to mind is Chicken Soup. When feeling sick, what could be better (besides sleep) than Chicken Soup. The best part about making soup is you can make enough for 2 people or 10. I found this “International Chicken Soup” information a few decades ago and have tried several varieties. Therefore; all I can say is YUM!!
It is really easy to transform the recipes you grew up with by changing up a few ingredients. The “starter” ingredients give the initial flavor to a delicious pot of chicken soup and remain the same throughout the world. The vegetables you add will vary greatly according to cultural preference. Spices should be added early – before the liquid – in order to mellow the flavors. As you can imagine, these vary from country to country. When it comes to thickeners, noodles, rice and beans show up in endless varieties and are used worldwide to add lushness and body to broth. Fresh herbs are a must in chicken stock, and it depends on the amount used.
A final touch as a soup finishes cooking, you can do as the Chinese do and sprinkle a little chili oil or as the Spanish do and drizzle in a little sherry. Then garnish with a flourish and you have a World Class Chicken Soup.
This is the first Chicken Soup recipe I learned and I have altered it by changing up the Starter & Vegetables, the Spices, the Thickeners, the Herbs, the “Sparklers” and the Garnishes.
Chicken Soup
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 2 skinless bone-in chicken thighs
- 2 skinless, bone-in chicken breast
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 cups sliced carrots
- 2 cups sliced celery
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 6oz. uncooked egg noodles
Combine the first 3 ingredients in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil – reduce heat to simmer 20 mins. Remove chicken; let stand 10 mins. Remove chicken from the bone; shred into bite-size pieces. Discard bone. Add onion, carrots and celery to pot; cover and simmer 10 mins. Return chicken to pot and add salt & pepper. I usually cook the noodles separately (according to package directions) and add to the individual bowls so as they don’t get soggy or mushy.
The first 3 ingredients remain the same in each recipe. Amounts can vary depending on how much soup you want to make and you can eliminate any ingredients, if you prefer. Soup freezes well too – just make the rice or noodles fresh – as they don’t freeze all that well.
JAPANESE:
Starters & Vegetables: garlic, ginger, shitake mushrooms. Thickeners: rice and/or noodles. Herb: chives. “Sparklers”: rice wine vinegar & soy sauce. Garnishes: scallions tofu, &/or chives.
CHINESE:
Starter & Vegetables: garlic, ginger, shitake mushrooms, snow peas, bok choy, mung bean sprouts. Spices: chilies. Thickeners: bean curd &/or noodles. Herbs: cilantro. “Sparklers”: lime juice. Garnishes: scallions. chives, crispy noodles.
SOUTHEAST ASIA:
Starter & Vegetables: garlic, ginger, onion, mung bean sprouts, scallions, mushrooms. Spices: chilies. Thickeners: noodles. Herbs: coriander, mint. “Sparklers”: fish sauce, coconut milk, lime juice. Garnishes: coconut milk, hard-boiled eggs, cilantro, fried shallots.
INDONESIAN:
Starter & Vegetables: garlic, ginger, tomatoes. Spices: chilies. Thickeners: thin noodles. Herbs: coriander, mint. Garnish: hard-boiled eggs, toasted coconut, cilantro, mung bean sprouts, fried shallots.
RUSSIAN:
Starter & Vegetables: onions, garlic, wild mushrooms. beets, cabbage, celery roots. Spices: caraway seeds, dill seeds. Thickeners: potatoes, apples, barley. Herbs: dill, parsley. “Sparklers”: lemon juice. Garnish: hard-boiled eggs, garlic, croutons, sour cream.
HUNGARIAN:
Starters & Vegetables: onion, garlic, bacon, parsnips, mushrooms, green bell peppers, cabbage. Spices: paprika. Thickeners: spaetzli, noodles, &/or dumplings. Herbs: dill, marjoram, parsley. Garnish: sour cream.
MEXICAN:
Starters & Vegetables: onion, garlic, corn, tomatoes, red bell peppers. Spices: cinnamon, cumin, red chilies. Thickeners: beans, rice. Herbs: cilantro, thyme, oregano. “Sparklers”: lime juice, slivered corn tortillas. Garnish: avocados, scallions, sour cream, jalapeno peppers.
PORTUGUESE:
Starters & Vegetables: onion, garlic, cured ham, potatoes. Spices: chilies. Herbs: cilantro. Garnishes: extra virgin olive oil, cilantro, hard-boiled eggs, orange zest.
SPANISH:
Starters & Vegetables: onions, garlic, bell peppers. Spices: saffron, paprika, cinnamon. Thickeners: rice, beans. Herbs: parsley. “Sparklers”: sherry, orange juice. Garnishes: orange zest.
CHILEAN:
Starters & Vegetables: onions, garlic, corn, fava beans, tomatoes. Thickeners: rice. Herbs: basil, cilantro. “Sparklers”: orange juice. Garnish: avocados.
FRENCH:
Starters & Vegetables: onion, garlic, carrots, Swiss chard, peas, green beans. Thickeners: potatoes, dried beans. Herbs: chervil, basil, tarragon, chives, flat leaf parsley. Garnishes: pesto, crème fraîche, croutons, Gruyėre cheese.
Go to Cooking for One or Two for additional recipes for chicken, beef, fish & seafood and desserts.
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