Making Potato Soup on a very cold day!
Every now and again I get a craving for the way my mom made potato soup. It's quite simple and so delicious. There are many days I think of my mom and feel so grateful for her sharing her passion and love for baking and cooking to me. I hope I am helping a lot of young and older people who have a passion for good home cooked food.
This recipe is a guesstimate because she never gave me the actual recipe written down. I decided to do exactly what I remember on those oh so good soup days.
She always made a pot of chicken or beef soup once a week and it usually was Monday(laundry day).
I pretty much do the same and I remember her pot was a big and I mean big stock pot. She always used mostly thighs and breasts but did use (the pic of the chic) which contained legs too as I recall or even she'd cut up a whole chicken. Note: She always had extra broth which she would freeze for another day.
I will simplify my recipe as there are only two of us.
2 to 3 lb. bone in chicken breasts and thighs.(Bone in makes the broth hearty).
Celery tops (green tops and a few pieces)
1 medium onion
Several cleaned carrots
This recipe is a guesstimate because she never gave me the actual recipe written down. I decided to do exactly what I remember on those oh so good soup days.
She always made a pot of chicken or beef soup once a week and it usually was Monday(laundry day).
I pretty much do the same and I remember her pot was a big and I mean big stock pot. She always used mostly thighs and breasts but did use (the pic of the chic) which contained legs too as I recall or even she'd cut up a whole chicken. Note: She always had extra broth which she would freeze for another day.
I will simplify my recipe as there are only two of us.
2 to 3 lb. bone in chicken breasts and thighs.(Bone in makes the broth hearty).
Celery tops (green tops and a few pieces)
1 medium onion
Several cleaned carrots
2 tablespoons Better than Boulion
Salt (a few Tablespoons) depending on your taste.
At least 6 cups water or more (fill a Dutch oven pot to a reasonable amount with water). Enough to have chicken immersed completely in the water.
In a large Dutch oven pot in COLD WATER place all ingredients. Cook on medium heat until chicken starts to fall off bone. That will be several hours. Note: Use a crockpot for convenience and you can allow it to cook for at least 6 hours on low heat or 4 hours on high heat.
After chicken is cooked (mine will usually fall of bone) Remove chicken, carrots, onion and celery from broth/soup. Cut carrots in small pieces. Remove chicken from bone and allow to cool. Discard the rest. After cooled cut chicken in cubes or shred. Mine usually shreds. If you have too much chicken I would use the rest for chicken salad or I have frozen cooked chicken in freezer for later use. Use a large freezer storage bag or wrap in clear wrap and aluminum foil and label it cooked chicken.
Note: I have found cooked chicken is handy to have in the freezer. I have used it in casseroles and actually made chicken salad with it later.
Salt (a few Tablespoons) depending on your taste.
At least 6 cups water or more (fill a Dutch oven pot to a reasonable amount with water). Enough to have chicken immersed completely in the water.
In a large Dutch oven pot in COLD WATER place all ingredients. Cook on medium heat until chicken starts to fall off bone. That will be several hours. Note: Use a crockpot for convenience and you can allow it to cook for at least 6 hours on low heat or 4 hours on high heat.
After chicken is cooked (mine will usually fall of bone) Remove chicken, carrots, onion and celery from broth/soup. Cut carrots in small pieces. Remove chicken from bone and allow to cool. Discard the rest. After cooled cut chicken in cubes or shred. Mine usually shreds. If you have too much chicken I would use the rest for chicken salad or I have frozen cooked chicken in freezer for later use. Use a large freezer storage bag or wrap in clear wrap and aluminum foil and label it cooked chicken.
Note: I have found cooked chicken is handy to have in the freezer. I have used it in casseroles and actually made chicken salad with it later.
After chicken is strained I cut up two medium potatoes and add to broth(you could CUBE potatoes and cook separately and drain while you are cleaning chicken parts. They will need to be cooked in broth until tender. I have found to like my potatoes for this soup cooked separately and added to broth after I have thickened it.
Speaking of thickening the soup/broth. Here's how I do it. I melt several (at least 2 TO 4 Tablespoons butter in a small pot. Once the butter has completely melted I add approximately 1/2 cup of flour and a ladle of the chicken broth to the pot while whisking until incorporated. It'll be like a smooth thicker liquid. Once I have done that I add that mixture to the pot of broth making sure to keep stirring until butter/flour mixture has blended in soup.
Next I add the potatoes, carrots and chicken to the slightly thickened soup. Keep stirring and allow everything to heat to a slight boil and serve.
Please note: I refer to soup/broth. They are both the same.
If you desire you can use an immersion blender and puree it for a thicker consistency. I would not puree the carrots with it.
I hope you enjoy this recipe and I also hope it was clear for you to understand. I can get a little wordy at times trying to explain my recipes. Enjoy!!
9/24/19
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