Chicken Soup

[FoxLee2]

Normally I make my chicken soups from the fowls from a kosher butcher but supply is unavailable at the moment. So what I would like to know is which parts of a chicken that I can get in a supermarket would make a good chicken soup?

[ummmm]

Skinless thighs.

[andy-hughes]

I assume your use of a kosher butcher is motivated by the quality of fare, rather than religious constraints - otherwise you will be in danger of breaking the rules by going to a supermarket.

Just a thought.

[FoxLee2]

Thanks for your replies. I was brought up in a Jewish home and always kept kosher when I was married as I would not have dreamt of serving non-kosher food to my parents. After they had passed, I was in Tesco and happened to walk past a display of chickens and they looked so good that, rather guiltily, I began buying non-kosher meat. However, I've always gone back to my kosher butcher for fowls (for soup) saltbeef etc. They are shortly closing down for holidays and only had frozen fowls which were no good for me so knowing that people make chicken soup from non-kosher chickens, I was wondering which were the best parts to use. Normally I would use a breast quarter and a bottom quarter including the thigh.

[FoxLee2]

ummm - I use a great big saucepan for my soup so how many thighs would you use?

[ummmm]

Thighs are the juiciest part of the bird, imo.

[ummmm]

How many people are you feeding?

I'd probably go for two thighs per person with a few extra thrown in.

Do you do the broth like soup?

[FoxLee2]

Just my husband!!! I make a great big bowl of soup and then portion it up into tupperware type containers and freeze and he has a bowl every day for lunch plus a sandwich. I make about 16 portions and he has it as a clear soup (with vermicelli and the vegetables - carrots/parsnips/butterbeans) and I normally use the chicken for a stir fry or pasta bake.

[ummmm]

I'd go for two per day then.

[Smowball]

Have you got the recipe?

[FoxLee2]

It's not a set recipe. Chicken in pan, filled with water (allow room for vegetables)
Bring to boil: then I add salt , a couple of medium onions, a couple of carrots, a large parsnip, in my big pan 3 chicken stock cubes, a couple of good squirts of tomato puree (more to give a bit of colour as soup can look insipid). Then simmer for a couple of hours. Then I add a tin of butter beans with the liquid and more water if the level has gone down. Then simmer for another hour. I cook lokshen (vermicelli) separately - could use any pasta you like I suppose - and then portion up.

[FoxLee2]

ummm -32 drumsticks - that seems a tad excessive plus it would fill the saucepan and leave no room for anything else. I'll work out a comparable amount to the chicken I would normally use and hope for the best. Not a tragedy if it doesn't turn out okay - I believe Heinz make soups so hubby has an alternative for a while!

[ummmm]

I was thinking of just your husband based on a 5 day week so 10 - 12.

[FoxLee2]

Oh, okay but as I said I don't serve up the chicken in the soup but use it for sepearate meals. Thanks for your help.

[Smowball]

Thanks for recipe x