On Sat, 23 Aug 2014 21:52:33 -0500, Pringles CheezUms
> wrote:

>>>I make, well, my mother still makes, quite a decent chicken soup.
>>>
>>>Help me make this a dish well worth inheriting.
>>
>>Simmer, don't boil the chicken with onion, garlic, celery, thyme and
>>a bay leaf. Discard the onion, garlic, celery and bay leaf. The
>>thyme will almost disappear in the broth. I find it really, really
>>easy to de-bone the chicken while it is still quite warm. The meat,
>>bones and fat come apart very easily. It's much harder to do when the
>>chicken is cold. I still put the liquid in the fridge overnight and
>>take the congealed fat off the next day. Cover and refrigerate the
>>chicken meat separately. I would prefer to get all the liquid that I
>>needed by cooking the chicken in the required amount of water to give
>>it flavor. I wouldn't add water the next day because I think that
>>thins the flavor. If you are cooking for yourself and no salt
>>sensitive folks are eating with you, I would add some salt.
>
>So add a whole onion, some cloves of garlic (I'll probably throw in a
>whole head. I like garlic.), several stalks of celery, and bunch of
>thyme, a bay leaf, (and some sage) while cooking the chicken rather than
>when cooking the whole soup? Plus, don't re-cook the chicken, like
>PicoRico said.
>Definitely worth a try.
>And I think she adds a box a stock rather than just all water. It
>doesn't taste much thinned out. But point made. Thanks.

A whole head of garlic is too much. Assuming a 4 pound chicken, I
would use 2 large cloves of garlic, 2 stalks of celery (leaves
included), maybe 3, 4 stems of thyme about 4 inches long and probably
one carrot, oh, and 4,5 peppercorns (no need to chop anything) 1 bay
leaf. A box of stock to boost the flavor and liquid is fine.

Janet US