Chicken Soup

Chicken soup is the family favourite

Chicken soup is one of my family's favourite soups. They like it because it is tasty, warm and wholesome. I serve chicken soup with some vermicelli noodles. Chicken soup has many variations such as being served with chicken pieces or vegetables, or dumplings, or noodles or rice. This version is one that has been used by my family for generations and so that is why it is outlined here. Hope you will like it.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1/2 chicken (skinned)
2 large carrots
1 medium onion (peeled)
2 cloves garlic (crushed)
1 stick of celery (halved)
1 chicken stock cube
parsley (to sprinkle)
vermicelli pasta (handful)
salt and pepper (to taste)

Method:

1. Place chicken, carrots, onion, garlic, celery and stock cube in a large saucepan.

2. Add enough water to come to 1 inch below the top of the saucepan.

3. Boil for 20 minutes.

4. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours.

5. Remove from heat for the flavours to amalgamate.

6. Remove the chicken carcass, vegetables and bouquet garni.

7.Season to taste.

8. Shred the chicken and return to the pan.

9. Throw in the vermicelli pasta and heat for a further 10 minutes until the pasta is cooked.

10 Serve hot sprinkled with the parsley.

Tip

1. If you are not going to eat the soup straightaway, it can be stored in the fridge overnight. In the morning a layer of fat would have formed on top of the soup. This you can skim off or not according to your taste.

To discover more about Italian food visit the Italian Traditional Food webpage