Chicken Soup Simplified

by Mary Sacks

Chicken Soup is probably the most uncomplicated item in cooking.

All you need is six ingredients; a little Redi-Base Cooking Chicken Base, water, onions, celery, carrots, some seasoning and whatever is hanging around in the refrigerator.

My chicken soup looks and tastes different every time I make it. I have been known to toss in the leftover beans and rice from “take-out” the night before, the bottom of the bag fine noodles, some fresh spinach in the bin that I never used for dinner, and yes, canned tomatoes and the leftover succotash from three days ago.

Suggested "leftovers" I have used:

Precooked Rice
Precooked Noodles
Precooked Beans & Chickpeas
Precooked Potatoes
Corn & Roasted Peppers
Peas, Green Beans & Lima Beans
Spinach & Escarole
Canned Tomatoes
Cooked Chicken Pieces

Directions

Start with a soup pot and medium heat. Add 2 Tbsp. olive oil to the pot. Sauté the onions first. Lightly browned is best. Add the celery and carrots. Stir it all around for a couple of minutes. Add the prepared broth. Start with about 2 cups. You can always add more broth. When the onion, celery, carrot mixture is tender, start adding everything else. Heat, serve, enjoy!

Food for Thought

Why are onions first in the pot? Because onions lose their bitter component and develop their full flavor when sautéd.
How much celery and carrots should I add? There is no true ratio of onions to celery to carrots. The more carrots, the sweeter the soup.
Why am I adding the starches last? In a broth soup, if you cook the starches (rice, noodles, beans & potatoes) in the stock, your soup will be too thick and pasty.
How about seasoning? Less is better.